I shook my head.
“Noah bought it.”
He immediately corrected me.
“I earned most of it.”
I raised one eyebrow.
He quickly added, “And I’m never skipping lunch again.”
Cyril turned away to hide his smile.
Hannah knelt in front of Noah.
“You really bought this for her?”
He nodded.
“I thought she’d like it.”
Hannah’s eyes softened.
“I think she’s going to love it.”
Twenty minutes later, Hannah carried Lucy outside.
The moment Noah saw her, he froze.
There she was.
Red dress.
Little white shoes.
Bright eyes.
And an enormous smile.
For several seconds, Lucy simply stood there.
Then she discovered the skirt.
She grabbed the fabric with both hands.
And spun.
Once.
Twice.
Then too fast.
She stumbled sideways into Hannah’s legs, burst into laughter, and immediately tried again.
Noah laughed so hard he had to sit down.
Lucy squealed and spun again, the red skirt floating around her like a flower opening in the wind.
