Free The Boarding House by Sharon Sala

Sophie nodded approvingly.
    “Yes, please,” Ellie said, and followed the clerk into a dressing room.
    She felt a moment of sadness, remembering she’d done this before with Momma, then set the thought aside. There was nothing of her past she chose to revisit. She removed her bra and stood with her arms out to her side like she was about to take flight while the clerk measured her boobs. It felt a little weird to have a total stranger feeling her up like this, then she decided the stranger was preferable to Daddy.
    “Looks like you’re a 34B,” the clerk said. “Wait here and I’ll see if we have it.”
    Ellie smiled and gave Sophie a thumbs-up. “I went from barely a 34A to a 34B in one summer. Looks like I might have inherited more than blonde hair and blue eyes from Momma.”
    “What do you mean?” Sophie asked.
    “Momma had really big boobs.”
    Sophie frowned. “Breasts. You should say breasts . Boobs is so common.”
    “Oh,” Ellie said, and made a mental note.
    A short while later they came out of the store carrying a pink shopping bag containing three new bras.
    Garrett stood up. “Are you ready to go now?”
    Ellie looked to Sophie for an answer.
    “Yes, we’re ready,” Sophie said.
    Garrett glared. “What the hell, Ellie? Have you also lost the ability to make a decision on your own?”
    The pitch of Sophie’s voice rose slightly. “Oh. I apologize for overstepping my bounds. I had no idea.”
    “You do not apologize to him for anything,” Ellie hissed, and sailed past Garrett with her nose in the air.
    Garrett cursed beneath his breath and palmed his car keys as he followed his daughter to the parking lot. She got into the backseat with her shopping bag in her lap and proceeded to glare at him in the rearview mirror all the way home.
    At first Garrett was pissed. But the farther he drove, the more fascinated he became. He’d been intrigued by her shyness, but he was beginning to like the fiery side of her more. The next time she gave him an angry look, he winked.
    Ellie froze. Something wasn’t right. Why wasn’t Daddy still angry? Confused, she looked away and began talking to Sophie, but the damage had been done. Once again, her fragile claim on stability had been rattled.
    It took another month before Sophie’s influence began to really get on Garrett’s nerves. She’d set Ellie to reading an etiquette book and practicing place settings at the table, complete with all the forks, spoons, bread plates, and multiple glasses one would expect at a formal dinner. Doris had threatened to quit from all the extra laundry and dishwashing, and Garrett had had to raise her salary to appease her distress.
    Every time Wyatt crossed swords with Sophie, she gave him a look that set his teeth on edge, followed by, “I had no idea,” so his absence was not surprising.
    Garrett was beginning to think he was the only one left with a brain and had ideas he would gladly share, but he knew it would get him arrested. He was so pissed about the ground he’d lost with Ellie that he finally made a demand she couldn’t deny.
    Ellie felt almost grown-up as she left the drugstore and started home. The air was chilly, and she was glad she’d worn her pink leather jacket and good denim jeans. At Sophie’s instructions, she’d gone after pads so that she would be prepared when her next period began. Doris had taught Ellie how to keep track on a calendar, and Sophie added that it was always good to be prepared.
    Besides the pads, Ellie had bought a new shade of nail polish and a Hershey bar and was eating it slowly one square at a time as she walked. It was one of those days when the world felt right—when it seemed like heaven was on her side. She was doing well in school. She felt pretty, and the chocolate melting on her tongue was about as good as it got. It didn’t bother her that she had no friends her age. She was satisfied with just going about her business at school. Her life was far too complicated