Molly quieted. She didn’t know what to say to that. Abby couldn’t possibly understand – in Molly’s opinion – the reaction she’d provoke for mentioning family. Abby thought she was like family. Oh, God. Molly really was going to cry. What was it that had her near falling apart all the time lately? She was homesick, but that didn’t seem enough of an excuse.
Blinking back tears, Molly struggled to string together a coherent response – something to let Abby knew just how much she appreciated both her words and the gift. “I, uh, I can’t thank you enough. It – it’s lovely. I don’t think I’ve ever had anything quite this nice. It’s – I never had a mother to sew anything for me – well, at least not that I can remember – and, well my dads’ sewing was only fair.” By the end of her tirade, Molly’s hands were shaking. Certain she had made a mess of things, Molly looked down at the dress and away from Abby. It was so pretty.