“Definitely.”
“I’ll let you know when the alterations are done and you can come pick up the dress. It won’t be long.” Ariana again was speaking to Jana and not to Bradley.
“Thank you! I love your store! I want a store like this when I grow up.”
Ariana laughed, clearly pleased by the compliment, and she walked them to the door.
Bradley felt like lingering, but he made himself walk out, feeling like he was leaving all the sunshine behind him in the little shop.
“Thank you for my dress, Daddy,” Jana said, reaching up to take his hand as they headed across the street for the bookstore.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you love it.”
“Ariana has so many pretty dresses in there.”
“She does.”
“I like her.” Jana wasn’t looking at him. She was focused ahead of her and clearly just spilling whatever came into her head.
“Do you?”
“Yes. She’s real pretty. And kind of sparkly.”
“Yes,” he murmured.
“She doesn’t pretend.”
Bradley shot a quick look down at his daughter, but she still wasn’t looking up at him. She didn’t appear to be intentionally giving him a message.
But it was a message.
He bit back the mutter that rose to his lips since he tried to watch his language around his kids, but he felt like cursing just the same.
three
FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS, Jana kept visiting Ariana in the shop.
Ariana wasn’t sure what to make of it, but the girl was cute and smart and so excited about her new dress, so it didn’t bother her. She figured it was probably normal. Natural. No big deal.
Fortunately, all the times the girl came by were with Katherine and not Bradley, so Ariana didn’t have to be confronted with all the feelings he provoked in her and try to act cool and aloof about the whole thing. The first time was so that Jana could show her aunt the dress, and later that afternoon they were just walking by and Jana wanted to say hello. The following day, Jana and Katherine came with Ford, who was a cute little boy and supremely uninterested in the dress shop. He did enjoy the punch and cookies Ariana gave them. Jana and Ford ran around the shop while Katherine and Ariana talked about the upcoming wedding.
Ariana was used to people stopping by just to say hello. She’d always loved kids, and she couldn’t help but appreciate the fact that Jana seemed to like her so much. And since Bradley wasn’t around at the shop visits, she didn’t have to feel uncomfortable about them in any way.
But late on Saturday afternoon, as Ariana was getting ready to close up the shop today so she could go have dinner with Taylor and Charles—who were hanging around waiting for her—Jana burst in through the front door yet again.
The fourth time in two days. Either the girl was obsessed waiting for her new dress (entirely possible) or she’d latched onto Ariana for some reason.
“I’m here, Ariana!” the girl announced as she swept in as majestically as royalty, holding the hem of her little coat out like an evening gown.
“I see that,” Ariana said with a smile, coming out from behind the counter where she’d been shutting down the computer for the night. “It’s nice to see you again.”
Charles and Taylor were sharing a big upholstered chair on one side of the room, and they both straightened up at Jana’s entrance.
Ariana glanced at the door, waiting for Katherine to follow the girl in. When she didn’t, she asked, “Where’s your Aunt Katherine?”
“She’s at the bookstore.”
“Oh. Is your dad coming then?”
“He’s at the bookstore too.” Jana flashed a proud little smile.
Ariana sucked in a breath. “You didn’t come over here all by yourself, did you?”
“I snuck out!” Jana admitted. “They didn’t even see me!”
“Oh no, sweetie, you shouldn’t do that.” Ariana came over to glance out the window at Azalea’s little downtown. It wasn’t particularly busy—even going on dinnertime on a Saturday. There were a few pedestrians on the sidewalks and a pickup truck slowly driving through. But still, a six-year-old shouldn’t be crossing the street by herself and definitely not without her father’s permission. “They’ll be worried about you.”
“They’re just in the bookstore. It’s not far away.”
“I know, but still. You can’t come over here by yourself. Your aunt and dad will really worry.” She stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the shop and looked around to get a better view toward the bookstore.
Bradley was rushing out as she watched. She saw a look of pure panic on his face before his eyes landed on her. She gestured him over. Saw the wash of intense relief pass over his expression.
It made her feel weird. Weird and heavy and kind of squirmy.
She tried to shake it off as she held the door open until Bradley was walking inside.
“Jana,” he said, his voice slightly rough with feeling, “You scared me! You can’t run off like that.” He leaned down and scooped the girl up into a hug.
Jana hugged him willingly, her happy, victorious expression sobering some at her father’s mood. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to come visit Ariana. It was just across the street.”
“I know, but you can’t go off like that without telling me. You know better than that. You could have been hurt.”
Jana sniffed and frowned. “That’s what Ariana said.”
“Well, she was right.” Bradley’s eyes cut over toward her quickly before they returned to his daughter. “You can’t do it again. Do you promise?”
“Yes, I promise.” Jana sounded like she was making a great sacrifice, but Ariana hoped the little incident had made enough of an impression for her to not try it again.
Bradley straightened up and glanced around the shop, nodding at Taylor and Charles, neither of whom he’d yet met. “I’m sorry if we interrupted something.”
“Oh no, you didn’t interrupt anything. Charles is my brother, and Taylor is my friend and his girlfriend. I was just closing up, and then we were going to get dinner.” She made a little gesture as she turned toward the others. “This is Bradley Barnes. Katherine’s brother. And this is Jana.”
Charles and Bradley shook hands, and Taylor and Jana waved at each other.
“She makes the best punch, Daddy. Even Ford liked it this morning.”
Bradley’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait a minute. What? Why were you and Ford here this morning?”
“Aunt Katherine took us. I was with her all the other times I came by here. This was the only time I came by myself. Promise.”
Bradley’s eyes were once again moving between Ariana and his daughter. “How many times have you come to visit?”
“I don’t know. Just some. Not even ten times.”
Bradley made a choking sound. “I hope she’s not been troubling you.”
“Oh no. Not at all. She’s only stopped by for a few minutes a couple of times... a day. It’s really fine. She’s excited about her dress.”
“It’s going to be ready tomorrow morning,” Jana informed him.