Page 98 of New Day at the Beach House

“Let’s get shopping.” Kat headed into the rows of clothing, eager to see what she could uncover. Since she wasn’t looking for anything specific, she just skimmed through the racks, going through the selections in her size.

The first thing she found was a cute blue and white skirt in a bandana print. She could see it with a white top and maybe a tan jacket. Or a blue top and a white jacket. Or maybe casually with just a white tank and white flipflops. She picked it up and looked it over, expecting to find a stain or something to explain why it had been donated.

Nothing jumped out at her, though. She looked at the price. Eight dollars. That wasn’t bad at all, not for something she could wear to work. Then she realized the tag had a red dot. Now, that made things interesting.

She hung onto the skirt and looked with more intent. Maybe she could put a whole outfit together. Her next find was a pair of salmon pink ankle pants. They weren’t something she’d ever choose, but they were a good brand and could be nice for work if paired with the right top. Besides, she was trying to get some bolder pieces into her wardrobe. What was bolder than salmon pink?

She kept digging and found a cropped tan jacket that would have been perfect other than a missing button. It was marked down to three dollars, and for that price, she could put new buttons on it. By the time she made it to the dressing rooms, her arms were full.

There was no way she was buying everything, but some of the items would eliminate themselves based on fit and how they looked on.

Her Aunt Jules arrived with a similar armful as Kat was about to go into one of the rooms. “You found a bunch of stuff.”

Kat nodded. “So did you.”

“Yeah, look at this.” Aunt Jules riffled through the load she was carrying and pulled out a red suede jacket with long fringe down the sleeves and on the hem. The fringe was so long it nearly reached the floor. “Can’t you just see me in this on stage?”

Kat laughed. “I totally can.”

Her mom showed up. She didn’t have quite as much as either of them, but she still had quite a number of things. “Time to try on?”

Kat and her aunt nodded.

“Let’s show each other the keepers,” her mom said.

“Aunt Jules already has one.”

Jules hefted the suede jacket again. “For the stage.”

“Nice. That’s very you,” Claire said with a smile.

They all picked a dressing room and went in. Kat hung all her finds on one wall, then began the task of trying them all on. She started with the blue and white skirt and tan jacket first. They were both very cute. “Mom,” she called out. “Is it any harder to change jacket buttons than regular buttons?”

“No,” her mom answered from the room next door. “You just have to make sure you get the right size and sew them on with sturdy thread.”

“Okay.” Kat could do that. Might take her an entire evening, as she wasn’t the most skilled at that kind of domestic chore, but she could do it.

“Do you not like the buttons on something?”

Kat stepped out. “I like them just fine, but one’s missing. Come look.”

A couple of seconds later, her mom came out in a bright pink and green printed shift dress. “That’s a very cute outfit. But you know, sometimes jackets have extra buttons sewn inside for that reason.”

Kat glanced down. “They do?”

Her mom took hold of the jacket and opened it up. She tipped her head toward Kat. “There.”

Kat looked down. Sewn to the right-hand seam were two extra buttons, one the same size as those on the front and another that matched the ones on the cuffs. “How about that? I’m definitely buying this now.”

“You should. It looks great on you.”

“So does that dress on you,” Kat said. She grinned. “This is fun.”

“It is,” her mom said. “Do you think we dare bring your grandmother here?”

Aunt Jules came out of her dressing room in slim black pants, a black western shirt and the red fringe jacket. “Oh, please, yes. In fact, let’s not tell her where we’re taking her. Let’s just make it a surprise.”

Kat snorted. “That’ll be a surprise all right. I bet you good money she doesn’t buy a thing.”

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