Chapter 14 Girl In Blue
1456 Words
Chapter 14
Girl in Blue
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Louise
I stared open-mouthed at the figure-hugging dress hanging from the hook on the back of my bedroom door. The blue tint changed hues each time I changed positions. It was beautiful, but was it me? At the end of my bed sat a pair of delicate black heels. Mum had gone all out for tonight. What has she got planned?
“What do you think?” Mum asked with a hopeful gleam in her eyes. “I saw it in one of those little boutiques in town, and I just knew it was you.”
“What, because I like blue?” I faced her. “But I like red too…”
She pouted. “Well, tell me honestly… Do you like it?”
“The dress is a little much… And a little short.” I sucked in a sharp breath. “I will be pulling the back down every time I stand…”
“It’s not that short.” Laughing, she shook her head. “Trust me! It’s a mother’s intuition. I know this dress is you. You will look so beautiful…!”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Why are you trying to dress me up so much? It’s just a dinner with the entire pack. I’m sure they would be fine with me in pants and a nice top.”
Her glance sobered. With a tear in her eye, she took the dress off the hook and held it against me. “Don’t think bad of me, sweetheart. But I hoped you might find your mate at the dinner…”
“Seriously?” I snorted an unbelieving laugh. “I’m too young to feel the bond if I come across it…” And not to mention that Joseph the jerk was playing with my emotions. The thought of him headed my chest again. I was far from ready to look.
“What if the Moon Goddess has another plan for you…” Mum smiled softly, crinkling the fine wrinkles in the corner of her eyes. She ran the back of her hand down my cheek. “I know she does. And I’m doing the motherly thing and giving it a little push…”
I held her hand there as the warmth of tears threatened my eyes. The cancer was ruining not only my life but hers. How could I carry on the Carpenter Omega legacy of warriors? It was taking away the future of our bloodline.
“Mum,” I sniffled. “No matter what happens, will you still love me…”
“Oh, sweetheart,” she pulled me into her arms and held me, locking me against her. “I will love you no matter what…”
“Will my fated mate love me when… if it happens?”
She held me at arms-length, rubbing my arms tenderly. “He would need to be either stupid or blind not to love you… Any man would be. You’re beautiful inside and out, funny, selfless, strong. You’re all that and more. When you find him, and he sees you, and you feel that connection, it will be everything you could ever dream about!”
Maybe it’s too late. I wiped my eyes, letting my hand linger where Joseph’s lips had been. But now is not the time. I pushed the thoughts of the jerk out of my mind.
“You deserve the best of everything…” Mum whispered, kissing my head.
“I should get dressed.” I slid out of her hold, grabbed the tight dress and held it against my chest. “I won’t be able to get in this on my own… Can you help me?”
“Yes,” She smiled beneath the tears. “I would love to.”
I pulled off my baggy shirt and jeans and let Mum drape the dress over my head. The material was smooth and silky, falling into place without any issues. I can’t believe I’m doing this…
“Wow, Louise…” Mum gasped as she pulled the zip up. Gently, she shimmied me in front of my floor-length mirror. Once she saw my reflection, she gasped gleefully. “You look…”
“Beautiful!” Butterflies erupted in my stomach. I held my hands over my face as happy tears filled my eyes. “Is this really me…?” Trembling, I ran a hand over my breasts, down the plane of my stomach and over my hips. “It is me…!”
“Yes,” Mum cried joyfully. She reached over and kissed my cheek. “See, you are the most beautiful young woman I have ever seen…”
The longer I studied my reflection, the more that bubble of sorrow started to return. Strands of blonde hair whisked about my face, unkempt and lustless, ruined from the medication. It still hadn’t reached my shoulders. And it would be a long time, if at all, before it was the length it had been before all the treatments. I missed it. I missed the shine, the bounce… The life it once had.
Twisting a few strands around my finger, I turned to Mum. “What about my hair? None of those blonde wigs we have will do the job. They were fine for everyday things, but not for this. I want to feel the way I used to. I want to see the old me in the mirror.”
“Don’t you worry,” she kissed my forehead and whispered, “I can fix that…”
She hurried out of the room and returned before I had blinked. “I was waiting for a day when you could use this…” She held up her hands, and in them was the prettiest auburn wig I had ever seen. She fluffed it about, showing light hints of red. “What do you think?”
“I – I,” I stammered, unsure what to say. “It’s perfect!”
“Let’s put it on.” Mum hurried over and placed it on my head, tucking my blond hair under it. She shuffled it around, fluffed it, and then stood back. “Tell me what you think.”
“When did you get this?” I asked, running my finger through the fringe. “It feels like real hair.”
“I had this made with your hair the day we cut it… The week before you started your treatment.”
I met her mirrored reflection and saw glee sparkle in her eyes. “I can’t believe it… You did this for me?” I spun around to face her. “Mum, you did this all for me?”
“I’m your mother,” She whispered through happy tears as she fluffed the wig over my shoulders. “I would move the moon to make you happy.”
I threw my arms around her and held her tight. “I love you so much!”
She kissed my head. “I love you too, sweetheart…” She stood back and fanned the tears away from her face and then mine. “I think with a little bit of make-up to give your cheeks some colour, you will be set for the dinner.”
It took her no longer than twenty minutes, and I was powdered, primped, and ready to go. I glanced at the mirror and saw someone completely different. I was someone different, fresh, and new. Is this how I would feel when I no longer needed the treatments and after the surgery and the cancer was gone?
“This was my job… Well, my old job… Once upon a time…” Mum sang as she added the final touch of mascara to my eyes.
“I didn’t know you were a beautician,” I admitted honestly. “When?”
“Before you were born,” she replied with a soft, reminiscent smile. “But raising a wolf child and running a beauty salon was a little difficult, to say the least.”
“When did you decide it was better to be a secretary?”
“Well,” she wiped something away from under my left eye, “when I learned that the money was necessary when raising a child on your own… even for a wolf.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Mum, I didn’t mean to upset you,” I took her hands in mine. “Dad’s watching over us… He’s here…”
“I know, Sweetheart…” Wiping away a tear, she nodded. Then she sighed and guided me to the bedroom door. “Enough of that talk. I need to get ready… We can’t keep the Alpha and Luna waiting.”
- Writer
