Allison is sitting with her hands on her lap, fiddling with her fingers. Is she nervous because I saw her in one of the dresses I bought, or because of something else?

"I was right about the dress," I say. "It suits you."

I'm partly saying this to reassure her and stop her from feeling nervous, but I truly mean it, even more than I realized.

The dress hugs her curves in all the right places, and the deep blue color brings out the lovely flecks of gold in her warm brown eyes.

A red hue spreads on Allison's cheeks in response to my words, crawling up her ears. She...