3
PALM SPRINGS, 2009
Twelve-year-old Clara pulled on the too-tight collar of her pink chiffon dress. She stood next to the antique vanity table, watching as her mother put on her makeup, layer by careful layer.
Jessica Daniels was dressed in a white satin gown that clung to her figure like a second skin, skimming over her hips to swirl around her ankles. It had belonged to Clara’s great-grandmother in the 1930’s. She imagined that the satin would feel smooth and cool under her hand, if she had the courage to reach out and touch it. Her mother’s hair was gathered in a golden chignon.
She watched as her mother smoothed gloss over her lipstick. Jessica met her daughter’s gaze in the antique mirror.
“Want some lipstick, honey?”
Clara blinked. Her mother never spoke until her beauty ritua
