Chapter 16

“And you look great,” he said, adding, “I love the look.”

Vera smiled gratefully and looked a bit smug. She always soaked up compliments like a cat, and Garner loved doing this for her. She so often suffered from self-doubts and self-judgments—on top of those from others. But Garner always resolutely kept his compliments within the bounds of truth. When a look didn’t work, he told her so. Curiously, that happened very seldom. She almost always managed to pull off a look, more or less—less when some of the items clashed as the other evening, but still. Whether this was due to her taste or simply her personality, he never knew.

And now he sighed inwardly as he often did when he thought of Vera’s burden. She was quirky. She did quirky well, and he likedquirky. So then why then did she feel the need to fit in with a group?

He looked at Vera’s drink—which was pink, of course. She was nothing if not attentive to details.

“Pink lemonade,” she said, noticing his glance. “Want one?”