Vanessa's Match. Judy Christenberry

      “He did,” Vanessa assured her. Tears filled her eyes at Lindy’s look of awe, and she blinked to dam them. Forcing a smile, she pulled Lindy to her feet. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

      LINDY WAS SO EXCITED, she didn’t eat much lunch. She’d seldom been shopping, other than an occasional foray into Wal-Mart with an extremely limited budget. Today, Vanessa took her to the best store in Highland Park.

      Because of Lindy’s fair coloring, Vanessa steered her toward a bright blue dress, modest but fashionable. “Try this one, Lindy. I think it’ll look good with your blond hair.”

      The dress had cap sleeves and a heart-shaped neckline. The snug waist showed off Lindy’s slight figure and made her look a little older than her fifteen years.

      “Oh, I think that’s perfect,” Vanessa said. “What do you think?”

      “It’s beautiful.” Lindy spoke softly, staring at herself in the mirror.

      “Okay, try on this pink dress, and the black one, too, though I think you’re too young for black.”

      “Should I wear black because my mother—”

      “We don’t want to be disrespectful to your mother, but frankly, she wasn’t much of a mother.”

      “She wanted to look young so she could find a new husband,” Lindy blurted out, suddenly sounding wise beyond her years. “That’s why she didn’t spend any money on me.”

      “Whatever her reasons, you should never have been treated that way.” Vanessa smiled at her. “And I promise that will never happen again.” They resumed their shopping, ultimately purchasing the blue and the pink dresses, not the black.

      Then Vanessa took Lindy to her favorite salon for a trim and style.

      “I—I’ve never been to a beauty shop,” Lindy said nervously.

      Vanessa’s heart broke, but she hid her sadness. “I’ll stay with you, honey. Don’t worry, they’ll make your hair look great. You’ll see.”

      Vanessa also arranged for Lindy to have her nails done. The child was overwhelmed.

      “Are you sure Rick will pay for this?”

      “Yes, he will. You’re still spending less than a quarter of the money your mother was spending every month. It’ll be fine.”

      While the stylist was working on Lindy’s hair, she told Vanessa about a sale at another store.

      “We’ll go there before we head home. I think you need some basics for your new wardrobe.”

      “We’d better wait and ask Rick, Vanessa. He might refuse to pay.”

      “He wouldn’t dare,” Vanessa said firmly.

      “But he might think I was taking advantage—”

      “Well, what do you think of your hair?” the stylist asked, interrupting their discussion.

      Lindy looked in the mirror. Her blond hair was cut in layers, framing her face. “I think it looks great! I’ve never gotten it to look like that.”

      “It should be easy now. And your nails look lovely.”

      “Yes. I feel so—so elegant!”

      “Good. That’s the whole point,” Vanessa said.

      Once they were in the car, heading to the store the stylist had mentioned, Lindy balked. “But, Vanessa, I thought we would wait.”

      “No, sweetie, we’re not going to wait. You’ve done without for too long.”

      By the time they finally arrived home, they were laden with packages.

      “I think you’d better take a shower and rest for a few minutes,” Vanessa told her. “I’ll be up later to help you get ready.”

      “Oh, thank you, Vanessa. I’m so nervous about tonight!”

      “You’re going to look great.”

      Once Vanessa was alone, she removed the tags on Lindy’s purchases and took all but the dress the girl was wearing that evening down to Betty to be quickly laundered. She also wrote a note and took it downstairs.

      After leaving the laundry with Betty, she asked Betty’s husband Peter, “Are you going to open the door for our guests tonight?” Usually Peter tended to the gardens and the cars.

      “Sure will. Betty’s fixing a grand meal, so she’ll be busy.”

      “Then will you please give this note to Mr. Austin and ask that he read it before he joins us?”

      “Which one is Mr. Austin?”

      “He’s the only one you won’t know,” she assured him.

      Then she sprinted back up the stairs to get dressed herself. She’d bought a little makeup when Lindy wasn’t watching. Later, Vanessa intended to instruct her on how to apply it. But first she showered and put on a black dress that was a little more sophisticated than Lindy’s.

      Her dark hair flowed around her shoulders, a perfect coiffure that she’d been wearing for a long time. Then she lightly did her makeup.

      As soon as she was satisfied with her appearance, she went down to collect the laundry, now clean and folded, and brought it up to Lindy’s room.

      Lindy jumped up when Vanessa entered. “You look beautiful!”

      “Thanks. You’re going to look beautiful, too!”

      “I don’t think—”

      “Come on. I’ll show you.”

      Once Lindy was completely dressed, Vanessa applied some makeup to the girl’s face. Then she turned Lindy to the mirror.

      The girl stared at herself, reaching to touch the mirror. “Is this really me?” she asked softly.

      In the flattering blue dress and slim heels, her hair and makeup lighting up her face, Lindy looked every bit the angel she was. Vanessa choked back her emotions. “Of course it is, honey. You got your mother’s beauty…and your father’s heart!”

      “I hope so,” Lindy said softly, almost as if saying a prayer.

      RICK WASN’T SURE he should’ve agreed to dinner with Vanessa Shaw’s family tonight. But he’d spent the afternoon checking on Jeff Jacobs and his partner, Bill Wallace. They’d received high marks from everyone Rick asked, so he wasn’t worried about meeting Jeff tonight.

      He’d also made a few calls about Vanessa Shaw. She checked out, too. And he was grateful to her, he guessed. She was giving him a chance to redeem himself. He’d messed up and betrayed his father’s trust by excluding Lindy from his life. She’d been an adorable six-year-old, blond like her mother, and he’d figured Anita would mold her in her own image.

      Maybe he could have prevented that to some extent, but it would have brought him into contact with Anita. That thought made him feel sick to his stomach. That was the reason he’d moved her and Lindy out of the house. He’d inherited it, with no stipulations. But he couldn’t live there with Anita in residence. So he’d bought her an exclusive condo and doubled the money she was supposed to get.

      And felt like he’d satisfied his conscience.

      Until Vanessa Shaw had come along to point out the holes in his plan. All of them affecting Lindy.

      He was worried about meeting Lindy, all grown up. He figured she hated him, and he didn’t for a moment think Vanessa Shaw would try very hard to change Lindy’s feelings about him. Vanessa herself hadn’t shown him any approval.

      However, he didn’t have much doubt about Vanessa being good to Lindy. She was young to be so protective of his sister, but maybe it was past time for someone to be kind to Lindy.