Adult Responsibilities

Chapter 33

Lila stood in the mirror in the dressing room at Lucy Ella, the trendy girls boutique in Santa Monica where Kate had taken her to pick out an outfit for the Father Daughter dance. Lila's friend Sloane and her mother Christen had also come along so Sloane could pick out her dress, and the two little girls twirled in the mirror, admiring themselves appreciatively as they examined their dresses. They giggled to each other adorably as the moms looked on, and Kate couldn't help but grin at how excited Lila was.

"What do you think of this Mommy?" the little girl asked, twirling in her light pink dress with a tulle skirt and rose gold sparkly sleeveless top, and Kate smiled approvingly. "I love it, Lila. I mean, I really love it," Kate said kindly, and Lila beamed. "Me too! This is the prettiest dress I've ever seen. Oh, I mean, this one and the one Sloane has," she corrected herself, gesturing to her brunette friend who was preening herself in the mirror next to her while wearing a lavender confection.

"I agree, you girls are going to look amazing at the dance," Sloane's mother Christen said sweetly, and Kate nodded in agreement. "Yep, these dresses will be perfect," Kate said, and Lila grinned. "Do you think Andrew will like this dress Mommy?" Lila asked, and Kate smiled at her little girl. "Sweetie, Andrew will like whatever you like because he likes you," she said softly, and Lila nodded.

The salesperson came out from around the corner, telling both girls to follow her to pick out shoes, and the moms gladly stayed in their seats. Christen turned to Kate with a smile, raising her eyebrows a little. "So Kate, sounds like things are going really well with Andrew, huh?" Sloane's mom asked, and Kate grinned, nodding a little. "Yes, I was kind of nervous when she wanted him to go to the dance, but he rolled with it easily. He's so sweet," she gushed, and Christen giggled excitedly. "Oh my gosh, young new love, it's the best," she said with a smile, waving her hand at Kate. Christen was 36 and had been married for ten years, and when Lila and Sloane had become friends, Kate had immediately taken to the kind and friendly mom.

Christen looked pointedly at Kate, leaning in a bit. "Sounds like this is getting serious," she said with wide eyes, and Kate blushed, chewing on her bottom lip before nodding. "Yeah, it is. To be honest, I'm just... like, head over heels for him," she said softly, and Christen sighed dreamily. "Well, as a happily married woman, let me just say I can totally see why," she told Kate with a little giggle, and Kate let out a laugh. "Oh my gosh Christen!" she said with a wide grin, shaking her head as she laughed, and Christen shrugged. "I mean, I'm married, I'm not dead," Christen said simply. "A hot 27 year old with a good career who loves your kid? You should marry him tomorrow, Kate," she said with sly smile, and Kate cackled.

The girls made their way back to the moms, and as they were heading to check out, Kate's cell phone dinged. Her heart stopped when she saw the contact come across the screen.

Trey Hendricks

Kate gasped, trying to keep it quiet, and Christen immediately looked at her curiously. "Are you OK girl?" she asked Kate worriedly, and Kate nodded. "Um... yeah, I'm, uh... nothing, its just the hospital," she stumbled out, and she tried to gather herself. She literally couldn't remember the last time she had spoken to Trey, even on text. For at least the past two or three years, his parents had coordinated every visit he'd had with Lila, and he hadn't reached out to talk to her on the phone in at least that long. Kate desperately tried to keep her cool, not wanting to freak out in front of Lila, and she shoved the phone back into her purse, pulling out her card to pay for Lila's outfit.

"Mommy, where are we going now?" Lila asked, and Kate smiled tightly. "Um, we need to head home, Lila, I have to do some work at home today," she said weakly, and Lila frowned a bit before nodding, the two bidding goodbye to Christen and Sloane and climbing into Kate's car. They drove home quietly, and as soon as they got into the main house, Kate encouraged Lila to go show her grandparents her outfit, and she ducked into the guest bathroom to look at her phone, closing the door gently behind her. She pulled out the phone, opening the message from Trey as her breath hitched.