Page 23 of Tilly's Tutus
“She hurt her ankle and has decided not to finish out the convention,” Tilly explained. “But we don’t want her to miss out on tomorrow’s sales, so we’re trying to figure out what to do.”
Carter thought a minute before he offered, “Maybe you could combine the three booths to be more of a boutique with the animals spread around?”
He watched as Tilly looked at Lottie. They seemed to hold a silent conversation before they both nodded. He stepped back and watched the two sisters go to work. In just a few minutes had an entirely new layout for their space with the last of Tilly’s shirts on Carri’s table, the animals interspersed with the clothing. She also added a few to her hanging racks in playful displays. Lottie set several on and in her candy display cases.
When they finished, Tilly threw herself in his arms. “Thank you, Papa. We needed someone else’s opinion and yours was perfect.”
“Glad to be of service.” Carter gave her a hug and dropped a kiss on her head. “Are you ready to go home now, little dancer?”
She bounced and giggled in his embrace. “So ready, Papa.”
As she finished gathering her things, Lottie approached looking determined. “Here’s the keys, Tilly. I won’t need them.”
She held out her hand that held not only the keys to their vehicle, but also a hotel room keycard.
“So you’re not going to use the room tonight?” Tilly asked, looking at her sister’s hand, but not taking the keys.
“No, I’m going home with Travis.”
His stomach clenched with Tilly looked up at him. “Want to spend the night at the hotel? We’ve already paid for it.”
Carter returned her tentative look with a smile. “I think that’s a great idea. We can get takeout and eat in bed while watching a movie. And they have a great Sunday buffet.”
With his response, Tilly took the keys. “See you tomorrow, Lottie.”
Lottie waved as she joined Travis and hurried from the room.
Tilly then looked up at him, appearing a little lost. “I guess we can leave now.”
“Get yourself a shirt to wear tomorrow,” he said. She checked a couple and then picked up a soft purple t-shirt with a dancing giraffe on the front. Once she’d tucked it into her carryall, he took her hand and led her out of the nearly empty ballroom.
Once they were crossing the parking lot, he asked, “You okay, sweetheart?”
She sighed before responding. “I suppose. It’s strange to not have them around all the time. We’ve always been the Smith Triplets, always together, even if it was just spending an evening in the kitchen with Lottie making candy and Carri crocheting her critters while I sewed at the kitchen table. I guess those days are over.”
“Do we need to find a big farm we can all live on together?” Carter asked as they approached his truck.
“Will the SUV be okay here or should I drive it to the hotel and then back again in the morning?” Tilly did not answer hisquestion, but focused on the practicality of having two vehicles at their disposal.
“How about we just leave it here for the night?”
“Okay,” Tilly agreed, sounding exhausted.
After helping her into the passenger’s seat of his truck, he pulled her safety belt across her body and snapped it into place. Then he leaned in and gave her a kiss. “Think about what kind of dinner you want.”
He closed the door and rounded the front of the truck. When he climbed into the driver’s seat, Tilly was bouncing in her seat.
“Can we have Chinese, please?”
Carter nodded with a smile. “Chinese sounds like a winner. Let’s call in the order so it will be ready when we get there. What do you want?”
“A giant house fried rice, two eggrolls, and four fortune cookies, please, Papa.”
Chapter Fourteen
When they reached the shopping center where the Chinese restaurant was located, they did not immediately go inside to collect their order. Instead, he took her by the hand and led her into the drugstore next door.
“Papa? What are we doing here?” she asked as they walked in and stopped.
