“Which dress are you wearing?” I asked when I came into her room. I looked around and couldn’t believe what I saw. The room appeared as if her closet had exploded. There were clothes strewn on almost every surface. I pinched the bridge of my nose, attempting to push away my frustration. There wasn’t enough time to clean all of this up before leaving.
“This one,” Gina said, holding up a red velvet dress.
“That’s your Christmas dress,” I said.
“But I want to wear it!” she exclaimed.
“Fine,” I said, not wanting to argue. I picked up a few of the strewn outfits and placed them on the bed. I could at least get everything in one area before we left and then hang them up later on.
I went into her closet and picked through a basket overflowing with her shoes. Even though I installed built-in shelving units, Gina could never keep her closet clean, so I gave her a basket to store her accessories. At the very least, there was one place to find matching pairs.
I picked out a pair of black patent leather shoes. “Put these on.”
“No,” she said. “Those pinch my toes.”
“Okay” I said, tossing those in the back of the closet. I made a mental note to speak to Jess about helping sort out clothes and shoes that were too small for Gina. It wasn’t a task I had time for anytime soon.
There was another pair of black shoes a size larger. “How about these?”
“Yes,” she said, running into the closet and taking them from me. She sat on the floor and started putting them on. I walked around her room, picking up her clothes. By the time I finished laying them on the bed, it was already close to five-thirty.
Gina stood up and shoved her messy brown mane out of her face.
“We’ll need to put your hair up,” I said.
Gina cringed.
“Come on,” I said, shooing her out of the room. “We have only a little time before Jess gets here.”
While I worked through her tangled hair with a comb, I heard the door open downstairs.
“We’re up here,” I called into the hallway.
“Ow, Daddy!” Gina said.
“Sorry, honey,” I said, trying to untangle one particular stubborn knot.
“How’s everyone doing?” Jess asked from the doorway.
I turned, taking Gina with me. I dropped the comb from my hand, and it hung from Gina’s head. “Not so great.”
Jess tossed her hair behind her shoulder. “Let me have at that.”
With her focus on Gina, I took a moment to inspect her outfit. She wore pleated black pants and a white shirt with a low cut. Unlike Kimberly’s low-cut outfit, Jess’s was classy. Though when she bent over to help Gina, the thin fabric moved away from her body and revealed the top of one of her breasts.
Feeling like a voyeur, I said, “I’ll give you two some space,” then left the room. I took several calming breaths before heading downstairs. I trusted Jess to handle Gina’s hair, and I needed to cool down for a moment. That mere glance at her had sent my head into a tailspin. How much longer could I keep this up before I started something between us again?
I paced the kitchen a few times before I heard them coming down the stairs.
They entered the room, and Gina’s hair was pulled back in a loose French braid.
“You two look great,” I said.
“Thanks!” Gina said and twirled around.
My gaze shifted to Jess, and she offered a small smile.
“We should get going,” I said.