by Misty Simon
“You know, I haven’t told anyone the whole thing yet. No one at all. Even Paige only knows he won’t come around but not how he left or when, exactly.”
“Really?” He would have thought at least his sister would have the whole story.
“Really. They have parts and pieces. A truth here, a half-truth there, but no one has the whole unvarnished truth. Except you. You haven’t changed much, except for the taller part, Jack. You’re still the best listener.”
She sounded almost wistful when she said that.
“But enough about me and my life. Any chance the bar in the speakeasy is open? I could use a glass of wine. I have the monitor, and Mazzy will be asleep for the night now.”
“Sure.” He’d just put off until tomorrow the other things he had to do. Make sure Chelsea knew she did have a friend in him. Though he’d always been the older brother to her, he’d still always been there for her and was not going to back away now. Especially because she looked like she needed someone to listen and not judge.
Any thoughts of how her lips looked soft enough to kiss or of scooping her up to hug her would just have to go to the place they had always been, locked up tight behind the door of friendship.
Chapter Three
Nerves assailed Chelsea’s stomach as she stood outside the beautiful shop on Main Street in the next town over from the inn. Huge glass windows glinted in the midmorning sun. She held Mazzy’s hand tight, afraid to step into the exquisite shop in case the little girl got out of hand and ran around like she had at Jack’s.
“Now, Snazzy Mazzy, you have to be extra good in here, right?”
“Right. I’ll be the bestest girl you’ve ever seen.” The smile covered her whole face and made Chelsea just a little bit nervous.
“Please don’t run around or touch anything you aren’t allowed to touch, okay?”
“Got it, Mommy. I want to see all the pretty dresses!”
In no way, shape, or form was Mazzy out of control or a bad girl. She was a typical four-year-old, but Chelsea was the one who was worried. In their usual routine, when the little girl wasn’t at the sitter’s they’d stay at home or go out to do kid things. They frequented places like the local children’s museum or a park where it was perfectly okay to run around and have fun. Paige had told her the women who ran Decadence were wonderful, but Chelsea still had bats careening around in her stomach.
“Are you going in, or were you just going to stand here and stare at the completely delicious-looking cake?” Belinda hooked an arm through Chelsea’s and gave Mazzy a kiss on the cheek.
“We’re going in, Aunt Belle, so I see all the pretty dresses.”
“Well, hopefully mine will be the prettiest and so will yours.”
“I bet they will be!” Mazzy danced on the sidewalk and was getting wound up.
“Best behavior,” Chelsea warned.
“I know, Mom.” Exasperation was clear in the child’s voice, and Chelsea worried that she said those words too much.
But then she didn’t have much time to worry about anything else because a tall blonde whisked open the door and ushered them into what was most aptly named Decadence.
“Moore party!” the woman hollered through the store, in sharp contrast to the soft jazz playing through hidden speakers.
“Yes!” Another blonde boogied out of a back room. She hit some switch and the music immediately went to the techno/trance that Belinda loved.
“Let’s get this party started,” a brunette contributed, coming in from the other side of the store, where the cakes were set out with mouthwatering goodness.
They introduced themselves and Chelsea was told that the first blonde, Claudia, did the cakes, the second blonde, Zoe, did the flowers, and May, the brunette, was the one who would make all of Belinda’s dress dreams come true.
“I’m sorry my mom couldn’t be here today,” Claudia said. “I was going to have her take Mazzy under her wing and show her around while we fitted your dress.”
“It’s okay. She’ll be fine,” Chelsea answered.
Claudia bit her lip. “Would you mind her hanging out with a boy for a little while?”
Zoe nudged Claudia. “That is a fantastic idea. I’ll go get him.”
Chelsea felt caught up in a whirlwind but said yes. Mazzy would still be close. She was so used to taking care of her child on her own that she’d forgotten what it was like to have help.
“It’ll be fine,” Belinda whispered in her ear.
“Of course it will.” Chelsea smoothed a hand over her daughter’s head and hoped she was right.
A boy of about ten or eleven came into the shop, his hair flopping over his forehead, a ratty pair of sneakers on his feet. Claudia sighed and put her hand on her hip but then seemed to think better of whatever she was going to say and smiled, instead.
“Hey, Justin, can you hang with Miss Snazzy Mazzy here for a little while, so we can get these ladies in their dresses?”
Mazzy’s face lit like a thousand light bulbs had been flicked on at the same time. “I brought coloring books, Justin!” she announced, and proceeded to drag him over to the tall bistro table in the cake area and chatter his ear off.
“Are you sure this is going to be okay?” Chelsea twisted her fingers together until Claudia placed a long-fingered hand over hers.
“It’s going to be better than okay. It’s going to be fabulous, just like you when we get you into this dress. We’ll fit Mazzy in a few minutes. Don’t worry.”
A loud laugh from Justin sounded over the music, and Chelsea watched as he patted Mazzy on the head. It was going to be fine.
May brought out Chelsea’s dress first, and she stood for a second just admiring what she had only seen in pictures up until this moment. The square neckline sat above an empire waist that would flatter her figure and show off the arms she’d been trying to work on lately at the gym. Two darts had been made to conform the dress to her chest, and she was now thankful she had measured the distance between her nipples twice to get it right.
“If you want to step into the first room over here, we’ll get you suited up first, so I can see what needs to be nipped and tucked.” May hung the dress on the back of the door and ushered Chelsea into a plush room with a small loveseat and a leather-topped antique table.
Chelsea peeked her head out and made eye contact with Belinda, who just nodded at her and made shooing motions.
When had she gotten so paranoid? It wasn’t as if they had never done anything outside their home before. While she didn’t have a lot of friends where she lived, she certainly wasn’t a hermit. There was something about being home, though, that made her not want Mazzy to get too used to this kind of togetherness.
She shook her head at herself in the mirror. She was being ridiculous, and the proof was in the fact that togetherness wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, once she got the promotion she hoped to make this trip far more often. It would be good for Mazzy to have relationships here.
Sliding the dress over her head reminded her of the dress she’d worn the day before and how beautiful she’d felt in it. Special, if only for the short time she and Mazzy had tea with Jack. Another ridiculous thought. Because even if she came back here more often, she still wasn’t ready to pursue anything more than friendship with him. He was mighty fine to look at, and a gentleman—very unlike her husband—but that didn’t make him dating material.
And speaking of material, Belinda was calling from outside the door, threatening to come in if she didn’t come out soon. Chelsea brushed the lines of the dress to make it fall at her bare feet the way it should and was stunned at how gorgeous it was. She’d only ever seen it in a catalog and online and had been afraid the color and cut would look terrible on her. She had been prepared to wear it regardless, because this was her sister’s wedding, but instead she was amazed at how perfectly it suited her.
She stepped out of the dressing room to find her sister and the ladies from Decadence waiting for her.
&nbs
p; “Oh, my gosh! Other than your dress, Belinda, I think that’s the best thing I’ve ever created,” May said, walking around Chelsea in a circle. “I don’t think I need to do a single thing to it. What do you think, Claudia?”
“No, it’s stunning. Great job, hon. I guess all those bowls of cereal didn’t go to waste after all.” The three owners of the shop laughed at what must have been an inside joke, and Chelsea felt herself deflate just a little. Other than Paige, she didn’t have anyone she shared that kind of thing with.
And there she went sourpussing over choices she’d made and a life that was everything she wanted it to be. She just had to maybe think about getting out a little more and making it a point to find some friends. Nothing wrong with that. She would start working on it as soon as she got back to her apartment. Surely there was someone in the area who shared her like of Chinese food and movies with subtitles.
“Me next!” Mazzy came careening around a counter and nearly crashed into a pedestal with a huge crystal vase of flowers on it. Chelsea cringed and Zoe smiled.
“Hey there, flower girl,” Justin said as he came in behind Mazzy. “I think you forgot to get your walking shoes.”
Mazzy laughed and stared up at Justin as if he’d made the world. Oh, lordy, her first crush.
“You have to stay right here, Justin, while I try on my dress. I’ll be right back.” And Mazzy marched into the fitting room, calling for her dress like a monarch.
May was all too happy to oblige. Chelsea just stood there for a moment, feeling the dress on her skin, the smile on her face, and the peace of the store. It was definitely a great place to be, and soon she would get to see her sister in her dress. Their mother should be here any moment, and then poor Justin would be overwhelmed with estrogen. But he looked like he was fine with that. If she remembered correctly, Claudia had raised her child all alone and seemed to have done a fine job of it. No saying that Chelsea couldn’t do the same. Of course Claudia had probably had her whole family around her, but that was just how it happened sometimes.
Mazzy came prancing out in a lilac dress. It fit her adorably as she spun in a circle, flashing eyes at Justin every time she came back around to him. Chelsea had a feeling it was going to be all about Justin for the next few hours.
In the next dressing room, Chelsea removed her dress, carefully put it back on the hanger, and redressed before stepping out of the room. It gave her a little time to resettle herself again. This was all a good thing, and having Mazzy here would give the child more sense of place when she talked to her grandparents now. And for herself, perhaps it would make her want to call everyone more often. These, too, were not bad things.
She helped Mazzy redress in the next dressing room, and, sure enough, the conversation was all Justin and how he was Mazzy’s new hero and best friend in the whole wide world. She wasn’t very quiet about it, either. When they stepped out of the room, Justin’s ears were beet red, but he was game to take her back to the table where they had sat before and get her into coloring once more.
At that moment, Chelsea’s mother walked in, and the whole place filled with cheer because it was finally Belinda’s turn. Chelsea surreptitiously looked around to make sure Leigh hadn’t trailed any of the threatened bachelor parade in behind her. Seeing no men, she breathed a sigh of relief as May stepped into a corner dressing room to help Belinda.
Claudia pulled Chelsea aside. “Listen, if there’s anything you need, anything at all while you’re here, please make sure to let us know,” she said.
“Of course.”
“No, now, come on, I really mean that. Jack might be a hunk, but he’s not always savvy about the girl thing. So, really, if you need some girl time, or some alone time, or help with anything, seriously, let us know. Justin has taken quite a shine to your little girl, and she’s adorable. If you run into any snafus with the caterers or the spa or whatever, I have connections, so don’t be afraid to call me.”
“I really will, and thank you.” It was so tempting to tell this woman about how she felt being near Jack again, but they didn’t know each other well. Maybe that was part of the lure. But if she wasn’t ready to tell Belinda, then she shouldn’t tell anyone. Normally, she’d tell Paige, but since Jack was her brother that could get messy.
Not that there was really anything to tell. Lord, she was going to drive herself crazy. Today was for Belinda and that was all.
Making a quick phone call to let Paige know they were good to go on dresses, she hung up the phone before she could blurt out her stupidity and ruin a good thing. The week would be up soon enough, and she’d be back outside Philadelphia with her child and her promotion, and it would be enough. She’d make sure of it.
****
Finishing up his shopping, Jack hoped everything was going according to plan back at the inn this afternoon. He’d dropped by the DJ to hand over the rest of the new list Belinda had put together. He’d also visited the manicurist, the hairdresser, and the spa to make sure all the appointments set up for later in the week were still a go. He could have just called them, but he much preferred the personal touch. As a bonus, it was also easier than trying to convince himself not to stare at Chelsea’s fine form when he should have been concentrating on the list of table seatings Paige and Belinda had come up with. The girls had fittings at Decadence this morning, and that would run into the afternoon. And he had been told to expect more people for dinner.
All his errands done, he headed back to the inn he had called his for the last three years. His father had handed the keys to him and wished him well two years to the day after he’d graduated from college with his hospitality degree. He’d been running the place for the year before, but his dad made it official on that day, saying, “It’s time your mom and I take a turn at enjoying someone else’s hospitality.” Jack had never been prouder than on that day. He had only hoped at the time that he hadn’t taken on more than he could handle.
With Adele and Frank as fulltime staff, and the others who were willing to jump in for extra things, he had never been more sure than now that he was going to make this place a success. He’d like to share that success with someone more intimate and had recently started thinking about settling down, but it would have to be with someone who loved the inn as much as he did. An image of Chelsea in the dark purple dress at high tea flashed into his mind. He shook his head to dispel the image and the crazy thought. Chelsea was not that person, and he shouldn’t even be thinking about her that way.
Yes, she was beautiful and sweet, and her daughter was a hoot, but he needed someone local, someone who would be fine with devoting themselves to the inn and making it a success.
“Preferably someone I’ve known over the last eight years better than for just a few shared email exchanges and two meals,” he said into the quiet of the car as he shook his head at himself.
As he drove through the small town of Kissinger, it began to rain softly. Perfect. The bride had wanted natural flowers around the arbor where they would say their vows. Now she would have them, as long as the rain stayed soft and stopped before it got too muddy.
When he pulled up to the house, he had to park around back because it looked like everyone who was supposed to be here had arrived. He grabbed his one grocery sack out of the back seat of his sedan, then nudged the door shut with his knee.
The kitchen smelled of roasted chicken and savory bread. Frank stood over the stove like a man doing war with pots and pans. The guy had been in the military until last year, when he mustered out after thirty years. Needing a job because he couldn’t handle all the idle hours, he’d come to Jack with his experience in running the galley on huge aircraft carriers. Once Jack had encouraged him to start using more spices, the guy had gone from good to gourmet.
Pots and pans boiled and sizzled on the island range. Steam rose thick in the air when Frank opened the oven to remove the fragrant bread. It looked like chaos in here, but Jack knew it was organized chaos. The faster he got out of the thick of thin
gs, the faster they could get on with the business of dinner. Chelsea had called him on his cell phone while he was out and asked if some of the women could come over for dinner so she didn’t have to go around to all of their houses. He hadn’t said no, of course. But that necessitated a visit to the grocery store tucked in with his other errands.
Glancing at the enormous rooster clock on the far wall, he did a double take. He hadn’t realized it was so late. Putting the bag of last-minute necessities on the butcher block, Jack turned—and almost bowled over Chelsea on his rush to get out into the dining room.
Her hair was pulled up in a topknot and her eyes were just this side of wild.
“What happened?” He looked for injuries and was about to go get Mazzy to see if she was all right when Chelsea gripped his arm with surprising strength.
“I need your help.”
“Anything. You name it, it’s yours.”
“You might regret that when you hear what I want you to do.”
He highly doubted it, but he wasn’t stupid enough to go in totally blind. “Okay, name it and I’ll most likely be able to make it happen.” He smiled, but she didn’t return the gesture.
“I just told my mom that we’re engaged. Can you pull that off for the week?”
Thank God the counter was directly behind him. He gripped the beveled edge as a million thoughts raced through his brain. First and foremost was what in the world was he supposed to say to that?
“Look, I know this is coming out of left field and way too much to ask, but pretty please? With sugar on top and cherries and my first born?”
“Uh.” Not intelligent at all. Her eyes were getting a little wilder, but this wasn’t them daring each other to see who could jump the farthest into the creek.