Just a Dress
She didn’t flinch. That’s what messed me up the most.
I parked like I always did, way out in the corner of the mall lot, under that one sad-looking palo verde tree that gave zero shade. I don’t even know why I aimed for it. Habit, I guess. The asphalt was cracked out here, little weeds poking through like they were trying to escape. The sun was already doing its thing, baking the car roof and making heat shimmer off the windshield. Madeline slid out of the passenger seat slo...