The Princess Contract

Chapter Six

          Until now.

          "I'm sorry," she said at last. "It's just all so wonderful, I'm so grateful for everything."

          Vanessa rose and pulled Abby into a hug. "I know it must all be very difficult for you, Abigail," she said quietly. "I can only imagine what you're feeling. If you need to cry, then cry, no one will think any less of you for doing so."

          Abigail clung to the woman for a few moments longer before finally regaining her composure and stepping back. Vanessa offered her a comforting smile. "You better eat some of this before it gets cold."

          Nodding once again, Abby set her plate down on the table and began to dig in.

          Vanessa watched her for a moment, her expression pensive. When it became clear that Abby was not going to burst into tears again, she continued explaining their itinerary.

          "We'll go on a much more extensive shopping trip when we have a little more time to work with," Vanessa was examining the screen of a touch pad, sweeping her finger across the slick surface. "The flight is short, about an hour... have you ever flown before?"

          Abby shook her head no, her mouth was too full of eggs and sausage to speak.

          "I've never gone anywhere that far way before," she added after she had properly swallowed the food. She took a big gulp of orange juice and watched Vanessa over the rim of the glass.

          "Was it always like that... your home life?"

          Abby thought for a moment, picking up a crispy piece of bacon and taking a bite. Now that she had eaten, she felt more herself again, more in control. "Not always, sometimes mom was too drunk to bother getting up at all. Before my grandpa died, I spent a lot of time with him."

          "I'm sorry, Abby, that you had to go through that," Vanessa said quietly.

          "Don't be," Abby replied, still feeling awkward about crying. Pity wasn't something Abby particularly enjoyed, nor was it something she wanted. "What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, right? Besides, it's not like you had anything to do with it."

          Vanessa looked like she wanted to say more, but she simply smiled and offered a light nod of her head. Clearing her throat, Vanessa looked down at her tablet again.

          "As soon as you're finished eating, we're going to go across the street to a little clothing boutique I saw advertised in the lobby," Vanessa explained. "They're sure to have something casual for the flight.

          "Right, so I'm uh... not very good with this whole shopping, fashion, thing," Abby explained, finishing the bacon and the rest of her orange juice.

          "Don't worry, I'll be there to help," Vanessa assured her.

          It took nearly an hour of shopping before Vanessa was satisfied. For Abby, the whole experience was overwhelming. She couldn't remember the last time she'd gone shopping for clothes in general, let alone to buy new things. Abby supposed she was lucky to be born into a generation that enjoyed shopping for 'vintage' clothing in thrift stores - it helped to mask the fact that Abby really had no choice.

          "That was fun, wasn't it?" Vanessa declared with a bright smile.

          Jasper grunted in response, trying to juggle all the bags and boxes. Abby hadn't been sure at first why Vanessa insisted he come along, but now she understood.