CHAPTER 4
Zaki
A rwyn was all business when she worked.
“Shoulders back,” she said, her voice soft but firm.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Every so often, her fingers would brush against my neck, cheek, or hand, and each time we touched generated a jolt of static electricity. She felt it, too. I saw a flicker of something cross her face before she looked away and focused on her task.
Maybe one of us needed to use a new fabric softener.
I did as I was instructed, standing tall while she moved around me, checking the fit at my chest, waist, and shoulders. Pulling here, tugging there. Using chalk and pins, which she held in the corner of her mouth. Her concentration was so intense that I almost forgot to breathe.
“Your shoulders were made for this costume,” she mumbled.
Was that a compliment? I stood a little taller and puffed out my chest. “I do have pretty amazing shoulders,” I agreed. “Hey, aren’t you afraid you might swallow those pins?”
She glanced up at me, unamused. “No. Arms out to the side.”
“Like a scarecrow?”
“Like someone with uneven arms who wants their costume to fit properly.”
“Got it. No scarecrow vibes,” I said, holding my arms out.
She stepped closer, smoothing the fabric of the shirt from shoulder to wrist, her brows furrowed in focus. “Hold still.”
“I’m holding still!”
“You’re fidgeting.”
“Am not,” I said, shifting slightly. “Ow!”
Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she gave me a look that could probably stop traffic. I smirked and immediately locked into position, because something about her quiet authority was strangely impressive.
Behind us, the twins erupted into giggles again. “Daddy’s in trouble!” Isla sang.
“I am not in trouble,” I called over my shoulder.
Arwyn’s quiet “hmm” suggested otherwise.
Finally, she stepped back. “I’ve marked and pinned everything that needs to be adjusted. Please, take it off carefully.”
“Promise,” I assured her.
I retreated to the corner behind the quilt and changed. She reached for the costume the moment I stepped out, and she returned it to the mannequin-thing. A dress form, she’d called it. And each of them had names. June, July, and August.
A strange sense of humor, but I liked it.
“Your turn.” I leaned toward her. “Need any help?”
Her cheeks pinked again. I did love that reaction. As long as I was just catching her off guard—I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.
Arwyn raised her chin. “I’ve got it, thanks.”
The girls and I were a captive audience as she removed the first dress from June and carried it behind the quilt.
“Do you want a drumroll?” Isla shouted.
“Sure!” Arwyn called back.
I held out my fist for a bump. “Good suggestion,” I praised.
She pressed her little fist to mine. “I know.”
I hooted. “Let us know when to start.”
“Now works!” Arwyn called out.
The three of us gave it our best effort as Arwyn emerged around the quilt. The dress was big, heavy, and seemed to swallow her up. The girls and I watched as she turned in a circle, clutching the fabric at her thighs to keep it from bunching on the floor.
“I’d have to hem it, but … I’m not feeling this one,” she said.
“Yeah, it’s too big,” Amelie said.
“Next one!” Isla called.
Arwyn removed it from July and disappeared again behind the curtain.
“Drum roll!” she called a few moments later.
This time, we were louder, and when she emerged, the girls stopped clapping and squealed.
“That one!” Isla ran to her. “With a big tiara!”
“And a fur cape!” Amelie suggested. “In case you get cold.”
Arwyn looked over the girls to me, and our eyes locked. “What do you think?”
I tried to think of a snappy reply, but I couldn’t speak. Stunning didn’t begin to describe her in this dress. The top was elegant and fit like the gloves on her arm. The waistline hit just below the curve of her hip, then flared out. She’d piled her hair on top of her head, held with a pencil, and?—
“It works,” I managed to squeak out.
She rolled her eyes, but the tinge of annoyance was missing this time.
“Good. All right, let me get changed, and then I can take you into the house for a tour. And I’ll show you girls my collection of tiaras.”
The girls chatted happily while I tried to get the picture of Arwyn in that dress out of my head. She looked like a bride. Better than any I’d ever seen, including Viki. It was Arwyn’s quiet confidence that leveled her up. No need to meet or outdo a trend, nothing flashy, just … calm.
I wasn’t used to calm. We’d never been friends.
Chaos, on the other hand, I thrived with.
Calm had always felt lame, boring. But Arwyn made it seem classy and peaceful.
God knew I could use some peace.
Once everything was restored, we donned our coats and walked over to the house. Most of Beck’s workers had left for the day, and our visit was mostly uninterrupted. The girls were excited to move into the ‘real live dollhouse,’ especially when Arwyn let them try on her tiaras.
“We have a home game tomorrow night,” I said. “Would you like to come?”
Arwyn looked at me like I’d just asked her to suit up and join me on the ice. “I don’t think so.”
“Not your thing?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Loud, lots of people, cursing, fighting…”
“Those are the best parts!” Isla interrupted. “Right, Amelie?”
My youngest daughter’s eyes widened. “Um, sure.”
Huh. That was new.
“Okay, then. We’ll see you here Tuesday for move-in, I guess?”
“See you then.” She smiled. “And good luck tomorrow night.” She tucked a handful of auburn strands behind her ear, and my fingers twitched.
I slid my hands into the pockets of my puffer jacket and curled my fingers into fists so they didn’t move on their own accord. “Thanks. We’re playing Seattle. We should win, easy.”
“Great. Bye, girls.”
“Bye, Wynnie!”
Lately, I’d felt the urge to cause some trouble. Monty had it coming to him after turning my hot tub into a koi pond. Something big…
As I drove up the mountain, it hit me. A prank so epic, the entire arena could witness it.
It was time to start paying back Ridgie the Bear for all the fun he’d had at my expense. I’d start small and warm up. Then I’d strike.
And I already knew the perfect date to do it.