Instructions for Dancing

Evie and her sister Danica attend their father’s fiancée Shirley’s bridal shower, which is themed after afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace. Their mother tears up at their beauty and how much they’ve grown before sending them off. Evie wonders how her mother can be over her divorce and encourage them to enjoy Shirley’s bridal shower.

At the hotel party, Evie is swept away by the gorgeous English garden with fresh flowers. She initially thinks Shirley is her “evil stepmother,” and compares her to her mother (200). Unlike Grace, Shirley is short and curvy, with a wild afro and a loud, contagious laugh. Evie wonders if their personalities are dissimilar too, and how her father could fall in love with such different women. She rushes to her and Danica’s table, avoiding talking to Shirley. X texts Evie support throughout the event.

Shirley’s mother gives a speech, choking up as she states Shirley has been through a lot, and that she’s happy her daughter finally found a good man. She’s excited to have two new grandchildren to fuss over too, which makes Evie realize that this woman already loves her and Danica. Still, Evie feels upset, since she already has grandparents and remembers when her father loved her mother.