Baby Doll(48)

Lily beamed. “That’s perfect. We could get our hair cut and then go shopping.”

“I’ll drop Mother and Daddy and Meme off at the airport, and I’ll come back for you girls. It’ll give you some time to get ready, okay?” Mom said, already springing into action.

By midday, when Mom returned, they were fully prepared to dodge the press. Lily’s face was concealed by a ski hat and sunglasses; Sky wore a hooded sweatshirt, a blanket covering her car seat. Once they were on the road, everyone removed their disguises, and Lily resumed her role as tour guide, pointing out more sights for Sky to see.

They arrived at the Park City mall, and no one seemed to give them a second glance. The overly painted clerks at the makeup counters chatted with each other. Elderly mall walkers made their rounds, never glancing in Abby and Lily’s direction. Mom carried Sky, pointing out the store displays, while Lily and Abby walked arm in arm, a few feet behind them. Abby never came to the mall after Lily was gone. This place was filled with far too many reminders of her sister. There was the Forever 21 and Claire’s, where they’d stocked up on school clothes and trendy accessories that rarely lasted a season. There was the food court where they’d devoured french fries and pizza, dissecting Lily’s relationship with Wes and Abby’s latest crush. And now here they were, walking past all these stores like it was just another day.

They made their way up to City Styles, a brightly lit salon in the center of the mall. The instant they walked in though, their anonymity vanished. It seemed as if everyone was watching them, watching Lily. Abby wanted to bolt, but Lily ignored the attention.

Trisha headed over. Still tiny, barely five feet tall, she was adorable as ever with her bright brown eyes and a streak of purple in her jet-black hair. She’d been the fastest girl on the track team in more ways than one, but she was also the girl you could count on to make you laugh. Today she wasn’t cracking jokes. In fact, Abby had never seen Trisha look so serious.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe it’s you, Lily. When Abby called this morning, I kept thinking and thinking about what to say, and I’m lost. I just don’t know.”

“How about hello?” Lily said.

Trisha grinned. “Right. Hello. Is it okay if I hug you?”

“That would be great, Trish.”

Lily held out her arms, and Trisha had to tiptoe to hug her. She sniffled but didn’t cry. Lily pulled away and gestured to Sky.

“Trisha, this is my daughter.”

“Oh my God. What an angel you are. It’s a pleasure to meet you, young lady. How old are you? Wait, let me guess. I’d say twenty-one.”

Sky giggled and Abby smiled at Lily. Trisha hadn’t changed at all.

“No. I’m six.”

“Wow! Six? I can’t believe it. You’re a stunner. Now tell me, Sky, are you ready for a makeover?”

Sky didn’t seem to understand.

Lily reached out to stroke her daughter’s long dark locks.

“Trisha’s job is to make people look pretty. What do you think about cutting your hair? Making it a little shorter?”

Sky shook her head. “No! I don’t want to cut it.”

“Okay, maybe one inch. Like this much?” Lily held up her finger. “And they’ll put curls in it too. You’ll look like a fairy princess.”

“Like Snow White?”

Abby chimed in. “Prettier than Snow White. You’ll be Princess Sky.”

A smile slowly danced across Sky’s face, lighting up her eyes. Trisha motioned to a chair where Paige, another stylist, was waiting. She wrapped a cape around Sky’s shoulders and lifted her up, settling her into a booster chair.

Next to Sky was Trisha’s station. She motioned for Lily to take a seat. Trisha gently combed out Lily’s long blond locks. “So, what are we thinking?”

Lily stared at her reflection. “I want it gone. All of it.”

Abby heard the edge in Lily’s voice. Trisha must have, as well, but she kept her expression neutral.

“So we’ll cut it short. And what about the color?”

“Yes to both. I want to change everything.”

“We could go darker blond.”

“I want that.” Lily pointed to Abby’s hair.

Abby lifted her hand self-consciously and touched her short red bob.

“You want the same haircut? As me?”

“Unless you care? I love the red. And it might be nice to look alike again.”

Abby smiled. “We’ll have to fatten you up for that to happen.”

“Abby…”

“I’m kidding, Lil. You’ll look like a movie star with short hair. It’ll show off your cheekbones.” Abby turned to Mom. “Don’t you think so?”

Mom smiled. “You’ll look like a million bucks.”

Lily gave Trisha the thumbs-up. “You heard them, Trisha. Make me a star.”

Trisha went to work on Lily. Sky sat beside her mother, mesmerized by her image in the mirror, watching as Paige trimmed her hair. When she began to blow-dry Sky’s long tresses, the loud whirring initially frightened her, but Sky began to giggle as the hot air tickled her neck. Red dye covered Lily’s wet hair as Trisha chattered on about their high school classmates. Abby’s phone buzzed. The text from Wes was written in all caps.