My little black dress hung on the hook outside of my closet, waiting for me to slip it on. There was no shortage of sticky fingers from Gina, so I always got dressed last. Once she was in her dressy clothes, Gina had an air of a princess and didn’t do anything to mess up her “pretty clothes.”
I went into Gina’s bedroom to help her with her dress. She had several of them out on the floor and she was trying to get one over her head.
“My braid!” she cried, and I hurried over to her.
“One second, hold still,” I said.
“Did I mess it up?” she said then stuck out her lower lip.
“No, it’s fine,” I said. “I put enough hairspray in there to keep it in place.”
She sighed heavily.
I adjusted the navy blue dress with silver sequins over her shoulders. I zipped it up and then fluffed the tulle out around her legs.
She twirled in place and then ran off to her closet to get a pair of black patent leather shoes. “I want to wear these.”
“All right, take a seat, milady,” I said with a deep bow.
Gina giggled into her hands and sat down in a chair usually reserved for tea parties. Gina looked the part of a princess going off to a fancy tea party. She kicked out her feet, and I slipped the shoes on over them.
“I’m so excited!” she said, clicking her heels together when I was finished with her shoes. “When is Daddy getting home?”
“He should be home soon, so now I’m going to go get ready,” I said.
“Can I watch?”
“Sure.”
Gina came into the master bedroom, and I set her up on one of the chairs near the window.
I pulled out my dress, and she let out an appreciative, “Oooh.”
“You like it?”
“I do.”
“I’ll be right back.”
I went inside the walk-in closet and shed my bathrobe. I found this dress a few months ago at a boutique during one of our trips. Gina and Noah had gone off on their own for the afternoon, so I walked the area and window shopped.
When I saw this dress, I knew it was special. And I was proved correct when I tried it on. The strapless dress was fitted at the waist, and the bottom flowed down my legs in waves. A golden fabric peeked out the bottom of the dress that reached my mid-thigh.
I hadn’t worn it before, waiting for a special occasion. Even though we’d had plenty of fancy dinner nights in the past, none of those nights felt right. That is, until today. There was an electricity in the air that I couldn’t ignore and I had a feeling this night was going to be special.
I slipped on the dress, and it still fit me, even after all these months. I grabbed a pair of high heels and slipped them on, adding almost four inches to my height and accentuating my calf muscles.
When I came out of the closet, Gina jumped out of her seat. “Wow, Jess.”
“Thanks,” I said.
Then I heard the front door slam downstairs.
“Daddy!” she said and took off.
I heard his voice floating up the stairwell and knew Gina would be preoccupied. I took a moment to check myself out in the full-length mirror and couldn’t help but smile. I’d tied my hair back into a simple bun at the back of my neck, and I went over to my jewelry box to pick out a bracelet and earrings. The dress was simple enough that I didn’t want to overdo it on the accessories, but I needed something to make it pop just a teeny bit more.
When I was finished, I looked at myself in the mirror one more time before heading downstairs.