It was a rule, and Josh had always adhered to it. Kristen, as usual, was sitting at her table in the corner behind the register. She’d separated her American Girl doll clothing into different piles, and she seemed content to change her doll from one outfit to the next. Each time she finished, she would look up at him with a bright, innocent expression and ask her daddy how he thought her doll looked now, as if it were possible he would ever say he didn’t like it.

Little girls. They could melt the toughest hearts.

Alex was straightening some of the condiments when he heard the bell on the front door jingle. Raising his head over the aisle, he saw Katie enter the store.

“Hi, Miss Katie,” Kristen called out, popping up from behind the register. “How do you think my doll looks?”

From where he was standing, he could barely see Kristen’s head above the counter, but she was holding… Vanessa? Rebecca? Whatever the doll with brown hair was called, high enough for Katie to notice.

“She’s beautiful, Kristen,” Katie answered. “Is that a new dress?”

“No, I’ve had it for a while. But she hasn’t worn it lately.”

“What’s her name?”

“Vanessa,” she said.

Vanessa, Alex thought. When he complimented Vanessa later, he would sound like a much more attentive father.

“Did you name her?”

“No, she came with the name. Can you help me get her boots on, though? I can’t get them on all the way.”

Alex watched as Kristen handed Katie the doll and she began to work on the soft plastic boots. From his own experience, Alex knew it was harder than it looked. There wasn’t a chance a little girl could somehow muscle them on. He had trouble putting them on, but somehow Katie made it seem easy. She handed the doll back and asked, “How’s that?”

“Perfect,” Kristen said. “Do you think I should put a coat on her?”