by Josie Belle
Claire laughed in delight and then looked down. “It’s about three inches too long for me, but that’s easy to fix, right?”
“It’ll be a snap for Mrs. Kellerman,” Maggie said. “Why don’t you walk over there with it on, so she can pin it?”
“But I need to pay you,” Claire protested.
“Please,” Maggie said, and waved a hand at her. “I know where you live. You can pay me later.”
Claire grinned and hurried back to the dressing room to slip on her loafers and grab her coat for the short walk next door.
Laura brought the large, beautifully wrapped box over to the counter.
“Well, that’s almost too pretty to open,” Blake said as he hefted the box in his arms. “Almost.”
“Thank you,” Laura beamed. “I hope she loves it as much as we do.”
“She will,” he assured them. “Thank you, lovely ladies.”
On the way out, he passed Summer Phillips, who had just yanked open the door. She scowled at him as he walked by her, and he gave Maggie an alarmed look and hurried out the door.
“Summer, I think you need to back up and try that entrance again,” Maggie snapped. “I will not have you frightening off my customers.”
“As if I care what you think,” Summer said.
She was wearing patent-leather thigh-high boots with spike heels and a red velvet halter with a matching cropped jacket and a miniskirt with gold jingle bells sewn onto the hem. It was the same outfit she’d worn for her tawdry window display photo, and Maggie wondered if this was going to be her uniform of choice for the rest of the month.
“What do you want, Summer?” she asked.
“You mean other than to impale you on the heel of my shoe?” she asked.
Maggie rolled her right hand at her to indicate that Summer should hurry up with whatever her issue was, as she was running out of patience.
“I know all about the Madison ball,” Summer said. “And I know that Bianca gave you a bunch of moldy old dresses to sell. But you’re not going to get away with it, because I’m going to tell Courtney. Bianca can’t sell off property that belongs equally to her half sister.”
“I fail to see what this has to do with me,” Maggie said. “And I certainly don’t see what it has to do with you. So, if that’s all . . .”
Maggie came around the sales counter and started walking toward Summer. She must have had fire in her eyes, because Summer began to back up as Maggie marched toward her.
Laura, as if sensing where this was going, hurried to the front door and pushed it open.
“I’m going to get the sheriff over here, and he’ll see to it that you give back every single one of those dresses,” Summer blustered.
“Whatever.” Maggie shrugged and kept walking. “Are we done now? Because I really have so many more important things to do.”
Summer stopped walking. She was so mad she was practically vibrating in place.
“Oh, you think you’re so special,” Summer seethed. “Just because Bianca invited you to her ball. Well, you’re not.”
Maggie paused. She noticed for the first time that it was more than rage behind Summer’s upset. There was also a little bit of hurt.
“Summer, were you not invited to the ball?” she asked.
“No, I—” Summer’s voice broke and she glared at Maggie. “It’s none of your business, and speaking of your business, your days are numbered. Second Time Around is going to squash you this holiday season. Consider yourself warned.”
“Oh, for goodness’s sake,” Maggie said. “Get out, and take your ridiculous outfit and all of your junior high drama with you. I am so over this. Step one toe into my shop again, and I’ll see that it’s the last step you take.”
She charged, and Summer backed right out the door, which Laura yanked shut after her.
Laura gave Maggie a wide-eyed look, and Maggie laughed. It was a stress-busting gust of laughter and Laura gave her a surprised look before she started laughing, too. Like all good giggle fits, it didn’t end until tears came out of their eyes and their bellies had cramped.
“Did you see her face?” Laura asked as she wiped her cheeks with her sleeves.
“Priceless,” Maggie said with a sigh.
“What did I miss?” Claire asked as she came out of the dressing room and glanced between them.
For no particular reason the confused expression on Claire’s face set Maggie off again, which set Laura off, too, and then Claire started laughing, because the giggles are contagious. Naturally, it was in this semi-hysterical state that Sam Collins walked in.
“Would anyone care to tell me why Summer says you threatened to kill her?” he asked.
Chapter 5
Maggie howled at Sam’s question, but Laura looked outraged.
“That’s ridiculous!” Laura said. “All she did was strongly suggest that Summer stay out of the shop.”
“How strongly?” Sam asked.
“Strong like Superwoman,” Maggie said. Her face was flushed with laughter, and she pumped her fist.
“Did you clobber her?” Sam asked in alarm.
Maggie was sobered by the horrified look on his face, and she sighed.
“No, I was merely very firm. I really have had it with her, Sam. I’ve tried to be nice, but enough is enough. She comes into my shop all the time. I never go into hers. If she would stay out of mine, we’d really never see each other.”
Sam nodded. His blue eyes sparkled at her, and he said, “But wouldn’t you miss her?”
“Not even a little,” Maggie said with a frown.
“Hey, Laura, come keep me company over at the dry cleaner, would you?” Claire asked. “If there’s a line, I’m going to feel like an idiot wearing this dress.”
“All right,” Laura agreed. “Back in a sec, Mom.”
Maggie watched as the two exited the shop, and she was left alone with Sam. Had Claire done that on purpose? Maggie shook her head. Claire was the most straightforward person she’d ever met. If she were planning to set Maggie up, she’d be much less subtle about it.
Maggie glanced at Sam. Although he stopped by every now and again, she hadn’t seen much of him over the past few weeks. Getting her shop up and running had taken all of her time and energy.
“The shop looks good,” he said as he glanced around the room. “How’re you settling in here?”
“Thanks,” Maggie said. “I’m doing all right. I think it’s going well, but given that I’ve never owned a business before, that could just be naïve optimism speaking.”
She tucked a stray strand of auburn hair behind her ear and glanced around her store. It had turned out well, and business had been decent. If the sale of the Barge dress this morning was any indicator, she was going to have a very merry holiday season indeed.
“So, are you going to Bianca’s swank ball?” Sam asked.
Maggie turned to face him. His blue eyes locked on hers, and she felt a sudden flutter of nerves hit her low and deep. What would she do if Sam asked her? Was he here to ask her? She’d already agreed to a girls-only evening.
“I’m going with Sandy and Laura,” she said. “Since Jake is still in Afghanistan, we didn’t want Sandy to feel left out.”
Sam gave her a warm smile. “So no hot date with Pete Daniels, then?”
“No. In fact, he’s taking Claire,” she said.
Sam raised his eyebrows. “Well, that is good news.”
“How do you mean?” she asked.
“I like Claire,” he said. “It’d be nice to see her with a good guy like Pete. He’s got a great sense of humor, and he makes a righteous cup of coffee.”
“Agreed,” Maggie said.
Claire’s last known boyfriend had been a murderer who had been murdered himself. During Sam’s first month as sheriff, he’d had to take Claire into custody, as she had been the most likely suspect. It had gotten Maggie and Sam’s new friendship off to a rocky start.
The bells on the door chimed as a grou
p of three women came in. Maggie greeted them with a smile, and Sam turned to leave.
Abruptly, he turned back to the counter and leaned over it. His mouth was just inches from Maggie’s ear, and he whispered in a voice only Maggie could hear, “Oh, and I really like that my competition is giving up and going after someone else.”
Maggie stared after him as he crossed the room to the door. He pushed the door open and stepped out and then turned and winked at Maggie as the door shut behind him. She felt her jaw slide open in surprise. Did he mean . . . ?
“Maggie, you have to help me,” Sydney Lewis said. “Phil has asked me to the Madison ball, and I need a dress. It has to be an amazing gown, something that will make his eyes pop out of his head and a proposal fall from his lips.”
It took all of Maggie’s power of concentration to drag her attention away from the door and study Sydney. She looked the young woman over. With her black hair, olive skin and dark brown eyes, there was really only one choice. “How do you feel about the color red?”
“Orange-toned red or purple-toned red?” Sydney asked.
“Purple red, definitely,” Maggie said.
“Show me,” Sydney said with a grin.
The day passed in a blur of dress fittings and referrals to the dry cleaner for tailoring, as people started gearing up for the ball. Maggie loved hearing the sound of the receipt printer as she rang up each sale.
By the time she and Laura lowered the blinds and locked up the store, she was weary all the way to her bones. The thought of being curled up in bed with a good book called to her like a siren song, but she knew she had one more errand to run before her day was done.
With her mother and sister coming up from Florida, she was hosting the holiday feast, and she needed to order her holiday ham. She and Laura made their way over to More than Meats, Joanne and Michael’s deli.
She knew they were keeping extended hours due to the holiday season, and Maggie and Laura got to the store just before it closed.
Stewart Paulson was leaving with a deli platter, so Laura held the door open to let him pass before they entered.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite ladies of resale,” Michael called from behind the counter.
He grinned at them, and Maggie smiled back. She had always liked Joanne’s husband, Michael. With his overabundance of enthusiasm and good cheer, he reminded her of a big kid. Michael had the gift of being able to make his customers feel happier than when they’d come in. Maggie admired this smart business trait and tried to emulate it in her own shop.
“Hi, Michael,” she said. “I’m so glad we made it before you closed. I need to order my holiday ham.”
“Sure thing,” he said. “Are we going with the honey-baked?”
“Absolutely,” Maggie said. “I need one big enough to feed a family of five women and one boy.”
“I think I can manage that,” Michael said.
A petite blonde came through the swinging door behind him, hefting a tray almost as big as she was. She maneuvered it into the display case and straightened up. She glanced over the counter at Maggie and Laura and gave them a shy smile. Maggie didn’t recognize her, and assumed she must be the reason for Joanne’s jealous meltdown.
“Diane, I want you to meet some friends of mine and Joanne’s,” he said.
Maggie took it as an excellent sign that Michael mentioned Joanne in that statement. If he had a thing for Diane, wouldn’t he try to avoid mentioning his pregnant wife?
“Nice to meet you,” the young woman said.
Diane glanced over at them, but she kept her eyes downcast, as if she was nervous to make eye contact. Maggie wondered if it was more than shyness that made her so aloof. Maybe it was a guilty conscience. Maybe Joanne’s radar wasn’t that far off, and the cute young blonde had a thing for Michael, and Joanne had sensed it.
“You, too,” Maggie said.
“Are you new to St. Stanley?” Laura asked. Her voice was kind, and Maggie was proud to see her daughter reaching out to the young woman, even though she wasn’t yet sure Diane was the sort of girl Laura should befriend.
“Yes,” Diane answered, but her eyes darted around the room as if she was looking for someone.
“Where are you from?” Laura asked.
Diane sent Michael a nervous look, but he nodded at her as if to let her know that it was okay.
“I’m from up north,” Diane said.
“I go to school in Pennsylvania,” Laura said. “I’m on break now for the holidays. You know, I never realized how quiet St. Stanley is until I went away.”
Diane gave her a small smile. “I like it here. It feels safe.”
“Well, if you ever want to catch a movie—” Laura offered, but Diane interrupted her.
“Thanks, but I’d better get back,” she said. “We have lots of special orders.”
Diane turned and pushed through the doors and disappeared back into the kitchen.
Maggie looked at Michael. “Well, she seems nice.”
He looked after his employee with a sad smile. “She is,” he said. “She just needs time. She’s been through some rough stuff.”
“Oh, well, make sure you bring her to the Madison ball,” Maggie said. “It’ll give her a chance to meet people.”
“I’ll try and talk her into it,” he said. “She’s pretty shy, though. That sort of thing may be too much for her.”
“I’ll stop by tomorrow and invite her for coffee,” Laura said. “Moving can be a lonely transition. Maybe I can help her with it.”
“That’d be nice, Laura,” Michael said. “Usually, Joanne spends more time with the new staff, but I know she’s caught up with the baby . . .”
He frowned, and Maggie suspected he knew it was more than the baby. She wanted to tell him what Joanne was going through, but she didn’t want to betray her friend’s confidence.
“You know, a pregnant woman has a lot of hormones rocketing through her,” Maggie said. “Sometimes they just don’t make sense.”
Michael met her concerned gaze with a hopeful one, “Really? It’s normal?”
“Perfectly,” Maggie assured him. “Just be attentive and she’ll be all right.”
“Would flowers be a good move?” he asked.
“Flowers are always a good move,” Maggie said.
Michael grinned. “I can do that.”
Maggie and Laura left the deli, and Maggie felt relieved. Yes, Diane was pretty, but Michael showed no sign of being interested in her. If anything, he seemed big-brotherly toward her, like he was looking out for her. And he was obviously worried about Joanne.
As they walked back to the shop, where Maggie’s car was parked, Laura slipped her arm through her mother’s, and said, “You know, Claire and I were betting that Sam Collins stopped by the shop to ask you to the ball. So, did he?”
“Nope.”
“Really? We were so sure. I mean, it’s so obvious that he likes you. You know that, right?”
“I know no such thing,” Maggie said.
She felt her cheeks grow warm, and she was grateful that the winter night was dark, so she could hide her face.
“Aw, come on. The man obviously likes you,” Laura said. “He looks at you like you’re a chicken and he’s a chicken hawk.”
“A chicken?” Maggie asked. “That’s the best analogy you can come up with? How exactly did you get into that fancy-pants college of yours?”
“You’re a really pretty chicken,” Laura teased.
“Yeah, because Butterballs are known for that,” Maggie said. “I can’t tell you what this conversation is doing for my self-esteem.”
“I thought Butterballs were turkeys,” Laura said.
They reached Maggie’s car, and she unlocked the doors with the button on her key chain. Mercifully, the poultry talk seemed to have gotten Laura off track, for which Maggie was grateful. She did not want to discuss Sam Collins.
As they climbed in, Laura turned and studied Maggie under the dome light.
“Dad would want you to be happy,” she said.
“I am happy.”
“Mom,” Laura groaned. “You know what I mean. I think dad would approve of Sam. And, you know, everyone agrees that Sam and you would be really good together.”
“Define everyone,” Maggie said.
“Claire, Ginger, Joanne, Michael, Bianca, Max—”
“Okay, okay, I get it,” Maggie said. “You all are a bunch of gossips.”
“No, we all just want to see you happy,” Laura countered. Maggie started to protest again that she was happy, but Laura held up her hand. “Just think about what I said. Please.”
Maggie nodded, but only to end the conversation. She had no intention of thinking about being happy with Sam Collins. Period.
Yes, he had called Pete his competition and had said he was glad that Pete was taking Claire to the ball, but what did that mean exactly? She couldn’t tell, probably because every time she saw him, her brain turned to goo. Except when he smiled at her, and that was even worse.
“Mom?” Laura’s voice broke into her thoughts.
“Yes?”
“The keys go in the ignition,” she said with a laugh. “Maybe you should wait to think over what I said until after we get home.”
Maggie glanced at Laura and saw her laughing. With a half-hearted annoyed huff, she put the keys in and started the car. When exactly had her daughter gotten too smart for her own good?
Chapter 6
The next week was a flurry of business for Maggie, as everyone was gearing up for the ball. The bells on her door seemed to chime repeatedly, and the cha-ching of the cash register made a very festive accompaniment.
It was the day before the ball when Laura showed up for her shift with Diane from the deli in tow. The petite blonde looked edgy around the crowd of women, all trying on gowns, but Laura stayed by her side, and Maggie noticed that Diane relaxed enough to joke around with Laura.
“I can’t wear that,” Diane said with a grin as Laura held up an enormous sparkly yellow dress with a huge poofy skirt in front of her. “I’d look like a gumdrop.”