Page 22 of Sew Matcha in Love
It was nice having company in the house. Sometimes, you don’t realize how lonely you’ve been until you’re around people you miss when they’re not there.
The hours of 9a.m. to 3p.m. had never been quieter in the history of quiet days.
Yesterday, I’d spent the morning zhuzhing up my Snow Queen dress, adding pale blue gems and snowflake appliques to the bodice and gloves.
I helped the girls get dressed for the con when Zaki called on his way home from practice and finished just as he pulled into the driveway. I told them to wait at the top of the steps until he came inside so they could make their grand entrance down the main stairs.
I excused myself to get ready. I was adding the finishing touches to my eye makeup—sparkly blue glitter and ridiculous false eyelashes—when I heard a knock, followed by the barks of Laffy and Vennie as they rocketed down the stairs to greet their master as he entered the house.
From the other side of my bedroom door, I listened in to the show. I could picture him bowing to the girls, praising their appearances, and calling them “Your Highness Majesties”—because he couldn’t decide which title he liked better.
“Wynna-bun, you ready?” Zaki called when the giggle fest had died down. “Kristoff the Head Ice Maker of Arendelle is here to escort you to his sleigh-van-thing.”
“Daddy! It’s just a sleigh! Stay in character!”
I laughed and pulled the door open. “Ready!”
Zaki’s eyes widened, which I will admit felt nice. It wasn’t often my appearance had a positive effect on the opposite gender. They usually wrote me off as a weirdo for my untrendy, old-fashioned ensembles. I smiled wide, but it was more for him than from his reaction. The blond wig and clean-shaven face made him look like a caricature of his younger self, and it was adorable.
“Wynnie, you’resopretty!” Amelie breathed.
“Stunning, truly stunning! Isn’t shestunning,Daddy?” Isla asked.
Anxious to rescue Zaki from having to respond, I blurted, “That’s a great use of our Word of the Day, Isla, but I don’t think?—”
“Nope, don’t think so,” Zaki agreed.
My heart sank. Also,rude.
“But Daddy?—”
“Iknowso, Isla.” He blew at a lock of blond Kristoff hair. “The definition of stunning, for sure.”
“Elsa! I’m Elsa today. Stay in character, Daddy!”
“Extremely impressive or attractive,” Amelie recited. “Yes, it fits.”
“Thank you,Anna,” I said in my best Mary Poppins tone. “Now, shall we go?”
The con was in a hotel convention center outside Denver, and we passed the ride there singing along to theFrozensoundtracks. Despite my protests that I was tone-deaf, they assigned me the part of Olaf, and we all sang our parts. Andwow,could Zaki sing! Tasha had mentioned his karaoke performances were legendary, and after hearing him sing “Lost in the Woods,” I was tempted to leave my house at night to see him on a makeshift stage at some bar.
“You should’ve added big black buttons to your dress,” Zaki teased after I sang my heart out—a bit off-key—to “In Summer.”
“But Daddy, we have?—”
“Yeah, I know we have an Olaf, but Laffy can’t sing, Isla,” Zaki protested.
“Elsa!”
“Right!”
I didn’t know what I was expecting, but after five minutes in the vendor hall, I found myself wondering why I’d never been to an event like this. Sure, I’d custom-made special-order gowns for conventions, but it never sounded like anything I’d enjoy. Booth after booth of pretty dresses and dolls and toys and games and art…
This was Nerd Heaven. Not a hedonistic parade of scantily clad dragon ladies or painted superheroes in skintight suits. This was … This was…
“Amazing,” I murmured.
“Having a good time then?” Zaki asked as we stepped in line behind the girls at a cotton candy cart.
