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"Snowsuit or party dress?" asked Holly.
Chris fingered through Barbie's fashionable wardrobe. "Party dress," he answered, stealing a glance at Toby. "It’ll be easier to take off later."
Sister Pete, huddled in a corner with Toby, frowned. Toby shook his head, but Chris saw the corner of his mouth twitch.
Holly just nodded. "Yes, that snowsuit has too many buttons and zippers," she agreed.
Chris handed Holly the dress, and she carefully put it on the doll.
As Chris selected the shoes, Holly quietly said, "I hope I’m as pretty as Barbie when I grow up. Look how skinny she is."
Chris froze while his gut did a flip. He studied Holly's sweet face and wondered about the insecurities masked behind it.
"You don't need to be skinny to be attractive," he quickly declared. "My ex-wife weighs 300 pounds."
"Is she pretty?"
"She's beautiful."
Holly was quiet for a long moment as she watched Chris slide the shoes onto Barbie’s feet.
"Well, then, why'd you get divorced?" she finally asked.
"Oh, that’s a long story," replied Chris.
Holly sighed. "There’s a lot of long stories in my family, too," she mumbled. "Are you still friends?"
"Sure."
"Does she visit you?"
"She used to." Chris swallowed. "Then she got real sick."
"Sick?"
"Cancer."
"Oh." Holly began to reach out to touch his arm but pulled back. "I’m sorry."
Chris shrugged and glanced at Toby again, still engrossed in conversation with Sister Pete. "Seein’ your dad again makes me feel better."
"Daddy says that you were his best friend in here."
Chris grinned as he began searching for a purse. "Yeah, you could say that."
Holly wrapped a stole around Barbie’s shoulders. "I wish Daddy had a friend back home," she said absently. "He seems lonely sometimes."
Chris paused, digesting that. "What about your teacher?" he quietly asked. "I thought she was his new best friend."
Holly scrunched her nose. "Miss Williams? She only likes Daddy for our money."
Holly caught her breath and turned to Chris, eyes wide. She whispered, "I'm not supposed to know that. But I overheard Grandma talking to my uncle about it."
Chris gave Holly a big smile. He leaned toward her and whispered back, "That’s okay. Your secret’s safe with me."
Holly rubbed her face. She pushed the box of accessories closer to Chris. "She needs a hat."
Chris picked through the box and pulled out a Mexican sombrero. He placed it on top of Barbie’s head.
Holly burst out laughing. "She can’t wear that!"
"Why not?"
"Because!" Holly stared at him in disbelief. "She’s going to a fancy cocktail party! Just think of what people would say!"
Chris winced. Slowly, he said, "I’m pretty sure that Barbie doesn’t really care about what people say." He turned and looked directly into Holly's eyes. "And you shouldn’t, either," he added gently.
Holly just shook her head and resumed giggling, attracting Toby’s attention. He walked over to their table and crouched down between them.
"Sounds like someone is having a good time," Toby said as he drew Holly’s hair back with his hand.
"Chris is being silly," said Holly, jumping out of her chair and into her father’s arms.
Toby looked at Chris and raised an eyebrow. "Silly?"
Chris walked the sombrero-wearing Barbie doll toward edge of the table. "I guess I don’t know the proper dress code for young ladies attendin' high-society functions," he explained.
There was a tapping against the glass window of the visitor’s room, and a guard pointed at the clock.
Toby sighed. "I hate to break things up, but it’s almost time to go. Holly, can you say good-bye to Chris?"
Holly stood up straight. She held out her hand and smiled. "Good-bye, Chris. It was nice meeting you. I had a good time."
Chris returned the smile and shook her hand. "Well, thanks for visiting me, Holly. It was fun for me, too."
Holly picked up her Barbie and gathered her supplies. Then she hesitated, glancing at her father before turning to face Chris again.
"Maybe I can come back sometime," she shyly offered. She leaned into Toby’s lap. "This place doesn’t bother me at all, now that I know that Daddy’ll be going back home with me."
Toby gave her a hug. "Holly, can you go see Sister Pete? I’d like to talk to Chris alone for a minute."
Holly slowly disentangled herself from her father’s arms and walked over to the corner where Sister Pete was waiting.
Chris watched her go. "She’s amazing, Toby," he said softly.
Toby tugged at Chris’s arm to get his attention. "In all the times she visited me here, I don’t think I ever heard her laugh like that."
Chris just shrugged and looked down at the table.
Toby got up and sat in the tiny chair vacated by Holly. "Now, what was this favor you wanted to ask of me? Something for Bonnie, you said?"
Keeping his eyes on the table, Chris shook his head. "Nah, Tobe, forget about it. It wasn’t anything."
"Are you sure? I don’t mind helping."
"Yeah, I’m sure. Nothin’ much can be done at this point, anyway."
Toby reached under the table and took Chris’s hand. "I’m sorry I didn’t spend much time talking with you today. Sister Pete was giving me the third degree."
"That’s okay." Chris finally looked back up. "Maybe next time?"
Toby chuckled. "Only if Harry lets me get a word in edgewise."
"Yeah?" Chris asked in surprise. "You gonna try’n bring Harry here?"
"I think so. After all, you passed the Barbie test."
"TIME!"
"The Barbie test?" Chris asked in confusion.
"Yeah, Pete was concerned about your possible behavior while playing with Holly’s doll," Toby explained in a rush. "I had to assure her that I had complete trust in you to act appropriately around my children."
Then Toby leaned close to whisper in Chris’s ear, grazing his lips along his jawline in the process. "But, be forewarned: Harry doesn’t go anywhere without his G.I. Joe action figures," he teased.
A discreet kiss, and Toby was off to collect Holly. He quickly guided her toward the guarded door, where she paused one last time to exchange a wave with Chris.
As they walked out, Chris observed Holly taking Toby’s hand, clutching it as though it was a lifeline. In turn, Chris instinctively squeezed the armrest of his chair. He knew that, for perhaps the first time in his life, he had stopped himself from making a huge mistake.