“Aw, Dallas,” she said. “That's such a nice thing to say.”
“I second what he said,” Elena chimed in. “You look terrific, Laura. That dress is fabulous. I can't believe I've never seen you wear it before. It fits perfectly.”
Laura glanced down at her dress, admiring it for the hundredth time that evening. “Thank you. Yeah, I've had it in the back of my closet for a long time but never had a good reason to wear it.”
“It looks good, but you're missing something,” Ivy said, resting her chin onto her closed fists, as though deep in thought. “You need to be a princess.”
“What am I missing?” Laura asked.
I did my hair, my makeup, brushed my teeth, she thought to herself, going over her imaginary checklist.
“I think you need a necklace,” Ivy said, matter-of-factly.
One would have thought she was a professional stylist with the kind of confidence she spoke with when she made the suggestion.
“A necklace?” Laura said, bringing her hands to her bare collarbone. “I guess my neck does look kind of plain without one, huh?”
Ivy nodded in agreement. “You need something sparkly.”
“I tried a couple of mine on, but nothing seemed to really go with the dress,” Laura said.
Her little sister's eyes widened, and Laura knew an idea had flashed into her mind.
“Why don't you wear that blue one that Mom used to wear?” Ivy asked.
Laura's throat tightened at the mention of their mother. She swallowed back a wave of emotion and blinked away the tears that immediately shrink-wrapped her eyes. At first, she was going to tell Ivy that she didn't want to wear that pendant. However, she couldn't say 'no' to that cute smile and innocent expression. She didn't want to hurt Ivy's feelings by not wearing the necklace that she suggested.
“You know what, you're right, Ivy,” Laura said. “That's a great idea. I think that necklace would look really nice with this dress. I'll go grab it. Be right back.”
Laura spun around and headed back to her room. She went to the top drawer of her dresser, and her hand hovered for a moment before opening it. She pulled out her mother's favorite piece of jewelry. It was a very simple necklace, with a dainty silver chain and a pendant made of blue stone. It held countless memories for Laura. She remembered her mom wearing it on every Thanksgiving, Christmas and every other event that she dressed up for, including church every Sunday.
Miss you, Mom, Laura thought, as she admired the necklace in her hands for a moment. I'll wear this for you.
She clasped the necklace around her neck and adjusted the pendant so that it sat in the center of her chest, just above her cleavage. She looked up in the mirror and smiled.
“It's perfect,” she whispered.
The color, the size and even the height that the pendant hung was exactly right. Ivy knew what she was talking about when she had recommended it.
Laura smiled and leaned in toward the mirror. She could see her mother's eyes and her father's nose in the mirror as she looked at herself.
She widened her eyes to let more light in. Her green irises seemed to ignite. They were a particular kind of green, like what she imagined the rolling hills of Ireland to look like. It was one thing that she and her mother had in common.
Her smile widened, and for a moment, she analyzed the way it looked. Both of her parents had a different smile than her. She knew that for sure.
“I guess that part is all mine,” she whispered.
Laura's smile faded quickly, as the memory of her parents washed over her. Thinking about them was always so bittersweet. It hurt every time, but she knew that she had to keep the memories of them alive because it was all that she had left.
Fighting back the tears, she reached up and held her mother's pendant against her chest, squeezing it tightly. Wearing that necklace almost made her feel close to her mom again, or at least as close as she could ever be now that she was gone.
I wonder if Mom and Dad would like Ethan, she thought. I'll bet they would. I can imagine Dad putting him through the ringer, asking him ten thousand questions about what he does for a living. He always loved making my boyfriends as nervous as possible. And Mom, she would have made Ethan a nice dinner and invited him over for Thanksgiving.
“Yeah, they would have loved him,” she whispered to herself. “Definitely.”
Chapter 18
Laura