Hi, I mouthed back, taking her in as I walked toward her.
Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, a few loose curls escaping to frame her face. Her makeup was lighter than usual, leaving the freckles across the bridge of her nose more noticeable. And her cheeks were faintly flushed a beautiful rosy color, like she’d already started to relax.
She looked soft.
Beautiful.
And something in my chest loosened at the sight of her, the anxious buzz I’d carried all day easing just from seeing her familiar, friendly face.
“Ready for this?” I asked quietly as I took the seat beside her.
“I think so,” she said, her golden-brown eyes lifting to meet mine.
I glanced around the room, taking in the soft light and the empty chairs. It was just us. No Amanda. No Miles yet.
Which made sense, considering I’d shown up ten minutes early, thanks to my inability to sit still when nerves got involved.
When I looked back at Nora, she didn’t seem to be meditating in the way some people did in places like this. So, deciding she might be open to conversation, I asked, “How was your Saturday?”
“It was nice,” she said. “I had a couple of princess parties yesterday.”
“And which princess were you this time?”
“Aurora.”
“FromSleeping Beauty?” I asked, hoping my princessknowledge was on point after all the princess movies Charlotte and I had watched this year.
“Yep.” She nodded. “And Belle for the party after that.”
“Nice,” I said, remembering the dress she’d been wearing at the birthday party a week ago. “Gotta get some use out of that beautiful yellow ballgown, right?”
“Exactly,” she said, her cheeks pinking just a little. “What about you?” She tilted her head. “Did you and Charlotte make it to the zoo with your parents yesterday?”
“We did,” I said, smiling at the memory of how excited Charlotte had been throughout the outing. “She loved it.”
“Any favorite animals?”
“The monkeys.”
“Of course.” Nora smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “They’re definitely the most entertaining.”
“They really are.” I chuckled, thinking about the way they’d reached their little paws through the netting, clearly hoping for snacks as a reward for putting on a show.
“Would you like anything to drink while you wait?” A female massage therapist with short gray hair asked, peeking her head into the room. “We have citrus-infused water, mountain spring water, or I can grab some hot tea.”
“I’ll just have the citrus water,” I said.
“Me too,” Nora added.
“Perfect.” The middle-aged woman smiled, gesturing to the hydration station in the corner. “The water’s right over there if you’d like to help yourselves.”
I stood, then looking down at Nora, I asked, “Want me to grab you some?”
“Yes, please.”
I filled two glasses and padded back across the carpet, careful not to spill.
“Here you go.”