Make Mine a Ranger (Special Ops: Homefront Book 4) by Kate Aster

Edith’s warm hug. Edith had a way of making Bess and her daughter feel
so much a part of the family. Calling Edith “Grandma Edie,” Abby probably
hadn’t even considered the possibility that the older woman wasn’t her real
grandmother.
    “How was the bar mitzvah, dear?” Edith asked,
guiding her toward the living room where Abby was settled on the floor in a
pile of toys.
    “Long. My feet are killing me.” She was
lucky to not have to wear heels, she imagined. But even the cheap black flats
she had bought to go with the black pants and white shirt she was required to
wear gave her blisters every time she wore them.
    “Poor thing. Why don’t you sit a while? Abby’s
happily playing with a new toy I got her.”
    Abby glanced up. “I want to stay, Mama.”
    “Five minutes,” Bess conceded to her
little girl, really just wanting to get home and soak her feet in the tub.
    “I’m glad to have you here for a moment. We
barely get a chance to talk these days.”
    Shame crept into Bess’s heart. She did have
the habit of just dropping Abby off and picking her up without really spending
time with Edith. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
    “Oh, no. Don’t be sorry at all. I just
had some things I wanted to show you.” Edith picked up a huge shopping bag that
rested alongside the sofa. “I was shopping with Tracey yesterday.”
    “Tracey?”
    “Yes. She’s one of the mids I’m
sponsoring this year. She’s about your size and she picked out some adorable
outfits at this new store at the mall. I’ve never heard of the place before, so
that must mean it’s very trendy.” She laughed. “Anyway, I picked up a few
things for you.”
    “Me? Oh, Edith, that’s really nice. But I
can’t afford to buy new clothes right now. I’ve got a quarterly payment due for
Abby’s preschool coming up this month.”
    “Oh, no, dear. They’re my gift to you,”
she clarified as she plopped the heavy bag onto Bess’s lap.
    Bess’s eyes widened. “That’s so sweet. But
you shouldn’t be buying me gifts. You already do so much for me.”
    “I do it because I want to. And I’m too
old to argue with. Take a look.”
    Bess bit her lip as she pulled out the
first item. She could only imagine the kind of clothes a woman old enough to be
her grandmother would pick out for her. So she was a little stunned to see a
couple of skin-tight workout shirts and two pairs of yoga pants, the kind that
hug every curve.
    “I thought those might be nice to hang
around the house in. Sort of a step up from your old sweats, don’t you think?”
    Bess couldn’t argue with her. They were
really nice, and the material would feel so light and comfortable against her
skin, even though she worried they might make her look like an elephant. Feeling
the weight of more items inside the bag, she reached in again and pulled out a
body-hugging casual dress with a built-in bra and spaghetti straps. Holy
crap. This thing is downright sexy.
    “Don’t you love it?” Edith exclaimed in
her usual bubbly tone. “It will really show off your figure.”
    What figure? Was Edith referring to Bess’s rippling
waistline or her butt that had succumbed to the Earth’s gravitational pull?
    “It’s beautiful, Edith. I don’t know that
they’ll fit, though.”
    “Oh, I think they will. You’ve been
losing so much weight with all that working out you’ve been doing.”
    “You think I’m losing weight?”
    Edith cocked her head. “Yes, dear. You
have. You might not have realized it since everything you own has an elastic
waistband.” The slight grin on Edith’s face took a hint of the sting away from
the comment. “Now I realize that it might be a new low for you to get fashion
advice from a 70-something matron like me, but you really do need to start
showing off all your hard work on that treadmill.”
    Bess laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll try them
on when I get home. I promise. And thanks, Edith. It’s really so generous of
you.” She gave her a