"I'm alright," she replied. She managed a smile in his direction, but it only reached her lips; her eyes were still full of fear and her cheeks tinted pink with embarrassment. She could manage being Graceless Grace at home, but every time in public she was met with the urge to fall into a pile of ashes at her feet. "Um—" She glanced up at the line, eager to redirect his attention and her mind from the incident, "Shopping for the holidays?"
