Page 86 of The Restoration Program

With three mimosas worth of champagne buzzing through her, Nicole chipperly agreed to visit the department store around the corner. It had been ages since she’d had a little retail therapy that didn’t come from adding something to her online shopping cart.

The other customers in the store were certainly intrigued by her presence in front of Darlene’s shopping cart, but their hushed whispers seemed mostly harmless. A hipster couple in the bathing suit section was currently side-eying her, and she offered a crooked smile as if to say,I get it, I would stare at me, too.

She scanned the faces around her, searching each one for any sign of fixation or malintent. Anytime someone caught her stare, she couldn’t help but wonder if they were plotting the quickest way to snatch her and make a break for the exit.

“You want me to tell them something?” Darlene asked, walking slowly through the racks of patterned maxi dresses.

“It’s fine.” Nicole forced a smile. “You’d have to make an announcement to the whole store to call out everyone staring. Don’t want you jumping on the PA system and getting us kicked out of my first shopping trip in months.”

“Aw, I wouldn’t do that. We can just wait for them in the alley after and pick them off one by one.”

Nicole snorted so loudly that the resulting stares had nothing to do with her size.

“Don’t say that around Ryan. He’s been so on edge since…” Nicole trailed off. She hadn’t mentioned the kidnapping to Darlene. “Well, you know how he can be.”

“He seems like a good listener,” Darlene offered. “I mean, he even heard me prattle on the other day for like half an hour.”

Nicole sighed, leaning against the handle of the cart. “He is, usually. But these days, I can’t tell if he wants to sock someone for approaching me or offer them an autograph.”

“He really wants thatGood Morning Americastory, huh?”

“Apparently.” Nicole rolled her eyes. “Not to say– I mean, I know I’m lucky to have him. I mean, the fact that Ryan still wanted tomarryme… and then I haveyouencouraging me to keep living my life.” She shook her head. “Either I’m the luckiest bitch alive, or you two are crazy.”

Darlene stopped the cart in the home goods aisle, pausing to look down at her meaningfully.

“I don’t want you to feel like I’m making some sacrifice, Nicole. I mean, the Restoration Program is beyond what I understand, but I’ve had some experience with the world setting you apart,” Darlene said. “Back home in North Carolina, I have a cousin with cerebral palsy.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“I don’t see him often anymore, but I grew up alongside him ‘till I was about fifteen. I remember the stares he’d get. It was frustrating having to find a place with ramps for his chair.”

Nicole’s shoulders drooped. “That’s horrible,” she said softly.

“For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why people treated him the way they did, either. Like they would steer clear as if his type of being different was contagious. It’s not you who needs to change or apologize. It’s the world. Trust me.”

Nicole’s throat felt tight, like her body was unsure whether a sigh or a sob was more appropriate. “You’re probably right.”

A bob of movement came from the corner of Nicole’s eye. A kid darted noisily between the aisles, tugging at the wicker baskets and blankets he could reach on the shelves. He couldn’t have been more than six—cherub-faced with curly brown hair.

As Darlene started pushing the cart again, the kid dodged around her. He might have run right past if his wide eyes hadn’t fixed on Nicole. His jaw dropped, and a cold tingle ran up Nicole’s spine.

“Hey, careful,” Darlene said, trying to maneuver past the kid.

He grabbed Darlene’s sleeve and pointed at Nicole. “Wow, I’ve never seen a doll like that! Where did you get it? How much does it cost?”

“Two million dollars,” Nicole said with a straight face before Darlene could reprimand him.

He gaped at her. “No way, ittalks!” Then his expression twisted with protest. “That’s way too much money!”

“Well, it’s what I’m worth,” Nicole said, hoping that her voice wouldn’t shake if she smirked hard enough.

The kid shook his head insistently. “You can’t be that much, you’re too little!”

A woman appeared around the corner of the aisle. “Jason! How many times have I told you to stay next to me!” She hurriedly grabbed the kid’s arm and threw a dirty look at Darlene.

“Mom, look! Look at the doll! She’s two million dollars!”

Darlene rolled her eyes. “Enough of that, kid. She isn’t a doll.”