“There’s nothing wrong with looking young.” She folded the outfit over her arm. “I think you should try it. It’s adorable.”
“Well, then, you have to try something, too.” Spencer pulled a blue-and-white printed maxi dress from a hanger. “Dad would love you in this.”
Her mother pursed her lips. “I’m not sure I have the body for that.”
Spencer waved her finger in her face. “No negativity! Just try it.”
They both found open dressing rooms. Spencer kicked off her shorts and shoes, staring at her bare legs in the mirror. She pulled on the romper. Surprisingly, it didn’t make her look as young as she’d anticipated. The high cut caused her legs to look long and tan, and it cinched in neatly at the waist.
Out front, jingle bells on the doorknob tinkled. The salesgirls murmured, and footsteps sounded in the back hall near the dressing rooms. Spencer glanced under the curtain and saw two thin calves ending in slender ankles and silver gladiator sandals. Whoever it was just stood there, not moving.
A tingle traveled up Spencer’s spine. She felt like whoever it was could see her through the curtain. She was about to call out, but then the gladiator-sandaled feet pivoted and walked away.
“Spence?” Her mother called from the next dressing room over. “I think you were right about this dress.”
“Let me see, let me see!” Spencer cried.
She stepped around the curtain to find her mother standing in the hall. The maxi dress skimmed her narrow hips and brightened her skin. “It’s beautiful,” Spencer breathed. “You should get it.”
Her mother padded barefoot to the three-way mirror in the main showroom. She tilted her hips this way and that, then inspected her backside. “I suppose it is nice.” She met Spencer’s eyes and smiled. “Good choice.”
Spencer’s heart warmed. When had her mom last complimented her?
Then, Spencer’s mother’s expression shifted at something in the mirror. A tall, thin, elegant blond woman was flipping rapidly through the racks behind them. A khaki-colored quilted Chanel bag hung from her shoulder, her skin was perfectly tan, there wasn’t an ounce of fat on her body, and she had a very recognizable heart-shaped face. Was that . . . ? It couldn’t be.
The woman looked up and spotted them. Her features registered a note of surprise, and she glanced over her shoulder toward the sidewalk for a millisecond before swinging back to them. “Veronica?” she asked in an all-too-familiar voice.
“Jessica,” Spencer’s mother croaked.
Spencer resisted the urge to gasp. It was Jessica DiLaurentis. Ali’s mom.
“My goodness, what a nice surprise!” Jessica DiLaurentis glided over and gave Spencer and Spencer’s mom air kisses. “It’s so lovely to see you!”
Spencer’s mother snapped back into her perfect Main Line hostess mode, all traces of discomfort gone. “It’s so nice to see you!” she chirped in a clipped, haughty voice she reserved for neighbors, fellow charity board members, and new parents at Rosewood Day she didn’t feel were worthy enough to be on school committees. “What are you doing here?”
“We have a house here, remember?” When Mrs. DiLaurentis gave a cool half-smile, it was like seeing Ali’s ghost. “We decided to come down here for New Year’s. Decompress before Ian’s trial.” She fingered the giant Gucci sunglasses on top of her head.
“Of course,” Spencer’s mother said. Her voice betrayed nothing, but when Spencer looked down, she noticed that her mother had one hand tucked behind her back. It was furiously picking at the skin around her thumbnail. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to speak more at the arraignment. It was just such a whirlwind.”
Mrs. DiLaurentis waved her hand. “We’ll have plenty of time to catch up. We’ve bought a house near Rosewood—in Yarmouth. We wanted to be close by for the trial.” Her phone let out a ping, and she peeked inside the Chanel bag. “Oh, I’d better run,” she said. “It was lovely to see you both. Give my best to Peter and Melissa!”
“Yes, all the best to your family, too!” Spencer’s mother beamed.
Ali’s mother exited the boutique, still glancing at her phone screen. When Spencer turned back to her own mother, the composed expression had disappeared from her face once more. She ran her hands up and down her hips. The skin on her thumb had been rubbed raw.
“Mom?” Spencer touched her mother’s arm. “Are you okay?”
She blinked hard. “Of course. We should go, though. I think the heat is getting to me.”
She was about to head for the door when Spencer caught her arm. “Mom. You’re still . . .” She trailed off, gesturing to the maxi dress her mother was still wearing. The tags dangled from under her arm.