“That’s right! Mom, I completely forgot about the graduation party!” Melissa collapsed onto the couch, her eyes wide.
“Well, I haven’t forgotten,” Dora said with a clever, knowing smile. “I’m almost finished with your dress at the sewing machine. It’s going to be beautiful, daughter.”
“If it looks anything like that magazine pattern you showed me, I might actually be crowned prom queen!” Melissa sighed, letting the illusion take hold.
“And how are you going to be queen without a king by your side?” Dora asked pointedly.
Melissa felt a jolt, as if she’d suddenly fallen out of the clouds. Her mother still didn’t know the full extent of Josias’s situation — that he had fled his home with nothing but the clothes on his back. Obviously, Josias didn’t have an Italian-cut suit tucked away in
