“You’re early!” she called out to him as he opened his door. “I’m not ready.”
He threw her a gorgeous grin, gave Flossie a quick pat. “You look perfect.” Then he ran around to open the passenger door.
Sarah froze.
This was not how she’d planned to meet Abe’s mom for the first time since the divorce, with her hair barely brushed and wearing an old white tee over gray sweatpants that had a hole in one knee. She never wore them except when doing things like cleaning the garage or weeding.
The only reason she’d pulled them on today was so she wouldn’t be naked while she stared at her wardrobe and tried not to throw up in panic. And now the woman she desperately wanted to impress was walking toward her. Diane Bellamy was as elegantly dressed as always, her black hair in a neat bob and her face made up with exquisite perfection, her flawless skin a sunkissed brown.
“My dear Sarah.” The older woman drew her into an embrace scented with White Diamonds before Sarah could snap out of her frozen state. “It’s so good to see you.”
The words, the tone, they got through the ice. Trembling, she slid her own arms hesitantly around the petite form of Abe’s mom; she couldn’t speak, entirely too choked up. Abe’s eyes met hers over his mom’s shoulder, and in them was an intensity of emotion that stripped her raw.
Pulling back from the embrace when Diane Bellamy released her with a kiss on her cheek, Sarah made a gesture to welcome the other woman inside. She was bewildered by the warmth of Diane’s greeting, only found her words after swallowing hard twice. “I’m so sorry. I’m not dressed for g—”
Her former mother-in-law took her hand with a deep smile, squeezed. “I know what it’s like when guests barge in unexpectedly. Let’s go in so you can dress. Abe can take your adorable dog for a walk.”
“I guess I have my orders,” Abe said with a wry smile before whistling for Flossie. “Time for a walk, Floss.”
Sarah’s pet, ecstatic about an outing, ran off to get her leash, then joined Abe. That quickly, Sarah was alone with Mrs. Bellamy. “You like tea,” she said, remembering her manners. “Come in, let me make you a cup.”
She managed to do that without dropping anything or making a mess, and once Diane Bellamy had her cup in hand, the older woman urged her to head on up to dress. “I hate feeling unprepared myself,” she confided. “Abe’s father could never understand why I had to put on makeup to go to the corner store, but it just made me feel more confident.”
Climbing the stairs beside the other woman, Sarah felt a fragile hope. “Especially with people taking photos,” she said softly. “At least if I’m dressed nicely they have to work much harder to take ones that are unflattering.”
“I worry about you and Abe living in the spotlight,” Diane said with a frown. “You do what you need to do to handle it.” The tenured law professor took a seat on the small vanity stool Sarah had in her room, then nodded at the wide-open wardrobe. “You always look stunning in color.”
Taking the hint and happy to have some direction on a day when she felt as if the ground had fallen out from under her feet, Sarah pulled out several dresses in bold colors. “This one’s my favorite,” she said, holding up a dress that was pure sunset. Not orange or red or yellow but a stunning color that was a blend of all three.
Despite the vivid shade, the dress itself was light and summery with a high neckline. The dress hugged her body to the hips before opening out just slightly into a bias cut skirt. “I don’t really look good in A-line dresses that have a flowy skirt, but this gives me that feeling while suiting my body.”
Stop babbling, Sarah, ordered the small part of her brain that wasn’t completely thrown by having her ex-mother-in-law sitting in her bedroom.
“It’s a wonderful choice.” A twinkle in her eye, Diane added, “And my dear, if I had a figure like yours, I wouldn’t care about full-skirted dresses. I’d be buying up as many slinky, body-hugging things as I could!”
Sarah was surprised into a snorting laugh.
Horrified, she clapped her hand over her mouth, but instead of frowning at the unladylike sound, Diane threw back her head and laughed until Sarah was cracking up again.
Ducking into her large attached bathroom after she’d finally caught her breath, the right bra for the dress in hand, she left the door partially open so she could talk to Diane while she dressed. The distance made it easier to say, “Abe told you?” She had to know if her former mother-in-law had all the facts.