Wendell grabbed Prudence's arm. "We can't go in there. We have to stay out here in case Samantha comes back," he said. He didn't understand girls. One moment Prudence was saying how important it was for them to wait for Samantha and the next she wanted to go shopping.
"I'll only be a minute. You can stay out here and wait."
"There's nothing in there for you."
"There's nothing in there for a baby like you either."
"You're the one wearing maternity clothes."
"I am not!"
"You are so. I saw the label on the box where Samantha got that dress. It said, 'Maternity' plain as day. Figures only a dress for a pregnant woman would fit you."
Prudence's cheeks flushed red with rage. How dare Wendell say she was wearing a pregnant woman's clothes! This was a perfectly fine dress, much better than her Eternity clothes. This dress was so pretty and colorful, like those inside the shop. She smoothed down the dress over her stomach and said, "I don't care what you think. I'm going inside."
She marched into the store and took a sleeveless red dress off a rack. She held it up to her body, but it wouldn't fit. She tried another and another with the same result. Wendell was right, no one made dresses for anyone as fat as her.
She clutched a green dress with puffy sleeves in her hand when a woman asked if she needed any help. "I'm just looking," Prudence said. She put the dress back on the rack.
The woman wore a tan jacket, a matching skirt that went to her knees, and a white blouse that shimmered in the light. The ensemble gave the woman a feminine look, but also a powerful one. Prudence felt underdressed by comparison in her simple dress. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but how far along are you?" the woman asked.
Prudence put a hand to her stomach as tears came to her eyes. The woman wrapped an arm around Prudence's shoulders. "I'm sorry to upset you, honey. My sister went through the same thing when she was about your age. Do you need a place to stay? I know a great place over in New Hampshire that will take care of you. I think I still have a business card-"
"I'm not pregnant!" Prudence finally managed to blurt out.
"Oh. I thought by the dress and-" The woman took her arm off Prudence's shoulder. "I apologize. That was so presumptuous of me. I feel terrible. Can we start over? My name is Suzie. I own the store. You probably gathered that from the sign, I'm sure. What's your name?"