Page 51 of Denial
“I’m going to get ready for bed!” Nellie shoves my phone in my hand on her way.
It’s not until she returns and crawls beneath her covers that I realize I haven’t moved.
And I’m smiling.
13
Alice
“I’ve never hadmy nails done before. I don’t know what to pick.” Nellie blinks up at me as we stare at the wall of polishes at the salon and spa, the day of her dance.
“Has your dad ever helped you paint them at home before?”
“No, never.”
Sutton is going to hate me when I gift his daughter a tote of nail polish after tonight’s outing. Nails are like the gateway to girlhood. I started messing around with nail polish long before I was allowed to try on eye shadows and lipsticks.
Bracing my hands on my knees, I bring my face to her level. “You can pick whatever color you want. You can even pick a different color for every finger. They can paint hearts or flowers on your fingers. It’s your choice, kiddo.”
Nellie straightens her shoulders. “I really like the bright green.”
“That’s beautiful.”
“And can I have orange hearts?”
I smile broadly. “I think that’s a great idea.”
She selects her colors from the wall. I go with periwinkle to match my dress.
The nail techs get to work, taking extra care with Nellie’s designs. I’ve never seen her sit so still. She watches in awe as the color drenches her nails.
“There’s a couple of gorgeous girls.”
“Auntie Whitney! Look at my fingers!” Nellie flashes her finished right hand while the tech works on her left.
“Oh my goodness, girl. Those are fire.” Whitney wiggles her bare nails, her huge wedding ring glinting in the fluorescent lights.
“I want orange too, Mama,” says my niece Lucy, Whitney’s six-year-old, tucking her light hair behind her ear.
“You can sit over here. I’ll do yours next.” The tech gestures to the free seat on the other side of Nellie. Lucy skips over.
Whitney glides into the chair beside mine.
“I’m super excited you’re coming tonight. Bree will be there too with Charlotte, but they’re getting ready at home.”
Shifting my eyes to the side, I confirm Nellie is occupied with her cousin. “It was honestly the easiest yes of my life."
"What do you mean?"
"Sutton told me this week that some girl at school was giving Nellie shit about going because she doesn’t have a mom. Told her she can’t go.”
Whitney’s face hardens. “You’re kidding.”
“Believe me, I wish I was. I’ve only known her for a few weeks, but I’m furious some kid could be so callous.”
“I’m not surprised. Kids are little jerks sometimes. Except for mine,” she says, directing a smile over at the two girls gabbing away. Technically, only one of them belongs to her, but this family knows bonds beyond blood withstand the test of time. “Do you know who said it?”
Another tech moves into the seat in front of Whitney, picking up her hand to work on her rose-pink manicure.
