Darling Rose Gold(40)

“Why?” I asked with surprise.

She looked at her feet. “The girls at school say I have Dumbo ears.”

My heart hitched.

I squatted to her height. “You know, Dumbo gets to fly at the end. He’s the coolest of all the elephants.”

Anna glanced up at me, doubtful.

I tucked her hair behind her ears, which were big, but not as big as she probably feared. She watched me, waiting. What was I supposed to do, tell her to love her flaws while I saved every spare dollar to get rid of mine?

“What’s your favorite Disney movie?” I asked.

“Frozen,” she said immediately.

I gasped. “Mine too! Let’s watch that, and I’ll braid your hair.”

Anna shook her head, letting her hair cover her ears again. “I don’t like braids.”

No, you don’t like that they show your ears. I knew every trick in the book.

“Oh, come on, you’ll look just like Anna and Elsa!” I said. “Tell you what. If you hate the braids, we can take them right out. But let’s see if you like them?”

Anna thought about it, then nodded. “Deal.”

While the rest of the family cleaned up dinner, I braided Anna’s hair like my life depended on it, even weaving a purple ribbon through. I’d practiced on my wigs countless times, but had never braided a person’s hair before. Now I knew all my practicing had been for this moment. When I finished, the braid was perfect. Anna ran to the bathroom to check herself out in the mirror. I held my breath. Seconds later, she darted back into the living room and hugged me tight. I grinned, resting my cheek on the top of her head and basking in the simple joy of making another human being happy.

Once the dining room was cleaned, all the Gillespies settled on the couch to watch Frozen together. Anna informed me I was sitting in Daddy’s spot, but Dad said that was okay and he wanted to try a new spot tonight. I beamed, thankful he was including me in his family.

Billy Jr. and Sophie didn’t enjoy the movie as much as Anna and I. They were on their phones the whole time. Sophie sighed when Anna sang along to “Let It Go” at the top of her lungs. I thought she was cute. She played with her braid the entire time.

After the movie, Kim told the kids to get ready for bed and led me upstairs. She gave me a brief tour of the second floor: the master bedroom and bathroom; Sophie and Anna’s room; Billy Jr.’s room; and the guest room, where I would sleep.

The guest room had a queen-sized bed and pastel yellow walls. The bottoms of the walls had ducklings stenciled onto them. Kim noticed my gaze.

“This used to be the nursery,” she said, pulling an extra quilt out of a trunk for me. “We haven’t gotten around to repainting yet. God, is Anna six already? Now I’m embarrassed.” She forced a laugh. I waved her off, said I loved it.

She draped the quilt along the foot of the bed. “In case you get cold.”

A whole-body ache washed over me. I missed being mothered.

Kim pointed to a bathroom between my room and Billy Jr.’s. “If you want to wash up, there’s face cleanser and toothpaste and stuff in the medicine cabinet.”

Anna rushed into the room and jumped on the guest bed. “I want to sleep with Rose!”

“You’re supposed to be in bed,” Kim scolded her. “You’ll see Rose tomorrow. Right now we have to let her sleep. She’s had a long day of driving.”

Anna pouted. “But—”

“No buts, no cuts, no coconuts,” Kim said, pointing to the door. “Quit stalling.”

Anna sighed the same way Sophie had earlier. She marched to her room.

Kim followed Anna, starting to close my door behind her. “Let me know if you need anything.”

I grabbed Kim’s hand and squeezed it. “Thank you for everything,” I said, meeting her eye so she’d know I meant it.

“Sleep tight,” she said, squeezing back.

Kim headed into the master bedroom and pulled the door behind her, leaving it a bit ajar. I washed my face in the bathroom and thought about our old town house. We had one bathroom. The Gillespies had three. Each one was nicer than ours. I’d always thought it was my fault Mom and I didn’t have any money; if she didn’t spend all her time taking care of me and carting me to doctors’ appointments, maybe she could have hung on to a job. But I’d had it all wrong. Mom had used me to mooch off of Dad and our neighbors. She only worked odd jobs—cleaner, in-home caregiver, bookkeeper—if we were in danger of coming up short on that month’s mortgage payment. She chose for us to scrape by.

After I finished brushing my teeth and turned off the faucet, I heard murmurs coming from Kim and Dad’s room. I stepped to their door and peeked inside. They were both in the bathroom, door closed. I tiptoed into the room and stood as close to the bathroom door as I dared, straining to listen.

“You can’t expect them to act like she’s their best friend,” Kim was saying. “She’s a virtual stranger! And inviting herself on our family vacation? Where did that come from?”

“I know, honey,” Dad said. “I know it’s a big change, but I don’t know what to do. She doesn’t have anyone else.”

“Doesn’t she have any friends?” Kim asked. “Tell her to take a trip with them.”