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“So you’re from the north,” I said.<br />
“Michigan. Yeah. But I’ve been here almost eight years, so I feel more and more like a local.”<br />
Her eyes landed on the glittery tower of clip-on rhinestone earrings on the display case.<br />
“Those are what I’m looking for!” she said. “I have this thing to go to.”<br />
She removed a heavy pair of clip-on clusters, almost tipping over the whole tower.<br />
“Oh, sorry. I’m so clutzy.”<br />
I could not picture this woman being invited to the kind of event that would require these earrings.<br />
She was too casual, too down-to-earth.<br />
“This is a really nice store,” she said, struggling to center the earrings on her lobes. “Do you own<br />
it?”<br />
“I do. Almost ten years now. Here, let me help.”<br />
“Wow. Ten years.” She moved her hair back so I could clip the earrings into proper place, one then<br />
the other.<br />
I stood back.<br />
“So do you have a business partner or is it just you?”<br />
“Just me,” I said, turning her around to look in the mirror. I quickly changed the subject. “What else<br />
are you wearing to your event?”<br />
“I … don’t think I’ve decided yet … It must be hard to run a business all on your own.”<br />
“I have Elizabeth and a few part-timers.”<br />
Her questions were inching to places where she wasn’t invited.<br />
“You’re doing things a little backwards,” I said. “You shouldn’t start with the earrings. Start with<br />
the dress. Bring it in and I’ll help you find the right jewelry.”<br />
“I didn’t mean to offend you when I asked if you were running your own business. I’m sure you’re<br />
quite capable of operating on the planet without a partner. I certainly have.”<br />
“Yes, but that could change,” I said. “That guy from the patio? He was cute. Maybe that’ll turn into<br />
something.”<br />
Should I tell her who he was? Can she sense my jealousy? I did mean it as a compliment, but I<br />
seemed to have alarmed her. Oh god, I was coming across as peculiar!<br />
“Trust me, talking to cute guys is not a skill I was born with. I had to learn how to do it. And<br />
frankly, I’m still quite new at it. When you’ve been single for a long time, like I have, you forget how<br />
to approach men, you know? But it’s really just muscle memory. I just needed a little … boost.”<br />
I felt her words slice right through me. Yes. That’s exactly it. That’s what I need. A boost.<br />
She lowered her voice. “I had to get some help in the ‘men’ arena. Big-time. That’s how I met<br />
Matilda.”<br />
I could hear Matilda and Elizabeth laughing and chatting at the back of the store.<br />
“Is she a dating coach or something?” I asked.<br />
“You could say that,” Cassie said, spinning the earring rack, examining a pair of gold hoops that<br />
seemed more suited to her. “She has a lot of confidence, a lot of knowledge about this stuff.”<br />
“Well, sign me up for the next round of lessons,” I said, laughing.<br />
“I will!” she said, as though it were a real thing, these lessons, this kind of coaching.<br />
Matilda and Elizabeth returned from the dressing room, triumphant.<br />
“I never knew I looked so good in yellow,” Matilda said, the gown draped in her arms. “You can<br />
find out all sorts of things about yourself in a place like this.”