The emptiness inside her expanded into more than a twinge.
Josie hadn’t put up a tree or decorations, not inside the boutique or her apartment. She wanted to point her finger at time and blame her lack of extra hours on an already too-full work week. The valid excuse, however valid, fell flat like rain-soaked tinsel. Theo probably paid someone to decorate his house. That would free him up to work longer, harder hours.
Every year, she acted like those Christmas lights and tried to chase down the holiday spirit. Yet she never quite caught it completely. This season, she raced to secure the future of her business. That mattered more than a seasonal feeling—one that faded once the ornaments and garland were put away in storage. Next year, she’d pursue her elusive Christmas spirit, if she wasn’t too busy with her work.
A woman called Josie’s name from the street corner, pulling away her attention from the Christmas decorations and her holiday disconnect.
Adriana Taylor hurried along the sidewalk, slipping around the couples dressed for an early dinner and the business suits stepping off the bus. Adriana’s extralong coat fanned out behind her, revealing a simple shimmery sweater dress and over-the-knee suede boots. Josie envied Adriana’s effortless ease. Her snowflake-print shoulder bag proved her connection to the holiday season.
Adriana glided to a stop, steady and poised in her heeled boots. More animated than breathless. “I’m so glad you’re still here. I was worried you’d already closed.”
“The boutique is officially closed.” Josie tugged open the door, welcoming the warmth as if the cool breeze, not her lack of holiday joy, chilled her. She waited for Adriana to step inside.
“I got your message about discussing dress designs.” Adriana set her fingers on Mia’s framed photograph of the Golden Gate Bridge in the dense fog and smiled. “I could fill my flat with Mia’s work and be content.”
Josie studied the photograph and searched for her own contentment. But Adriana’s unexpected arrival unraveled a disquiet inside her. Even her voice sounded restless and rushed. “We could’ve spoken on the phone. I didn’t mean to disrupt your evening.”
Adriana clutched the handles of her purse, holding the festive shoulder bag in front of her as if to hide her shifting steps. Her voice was cautious, her words hesitant. “There’s another reason I’m here.”
Alarm thudded through Josie like a tipped-over Christmas tree.
Was she going to fire her? Was Theo letting Josie go? Adriana hadn’t really looked over the designs. Another designer most likely sent her another gown. A better dress. Surely fashion houses provided Adriana with clothing year-round. Josie couldn’t compete. Not on that level. She’d known as much. She’d just wanted a chance to believe. Josie stepped behind the checkout counter and braced her hands on the desk, as if to slow her fall.
Adriana crossed one ankle in front of the other.
But nothing blocked out the awkward stillness.
Adriana said, “I’m wondering if you have my Grandma Pearl’s wedding dress here.”
“Of course.” Josie lifted her unsteady arm and pointed toward the back—her arm wobbled like a broken tree branch. She had stored the garment bag in her workroom beside her upscaled wedding gowns. Within easy reach, in case Adriana wanted to wear a part of her family’s history, if only inside The Rose Petal. Josie had blank spaces for her family history. To have something tangible like a wedding gown was rare and not to be discarded or so easily overlooked. “It’s in my workroom. I’m sure you’d like it returned.”
Adriana set her hand on Josie’s arm, stopping her before she disappeared in the back. Once again, Adriana’s tone dipped into a quiet reserve. “I’d like to try my grandmother’s dress on.”
Josie swayed. “Really?”
Adriana nodded.
Delight dashed through Josie, brightening her wide grin. Christmas could keep its spirit. Josie had her passion for dresses to fulfill her.
Last night, Josie had pulled the vintage 1950s dress from the garment bag. She’d fallen asleep imagining the alterations she’d make to transform the gown into something worthy of Adriana Taylor. Now Adriana wanted to put on the dress. And Josie wanted to share her ideas. “Let me get it.”
“I’m not interrupting your evening plans, am I?” Adriana followed Josie.
“I have an appointment in an hour then I’ll be back here to work into the night.” Josie took the garment bag from her workroom and hung the gown on the oversize bronze hook inside the dressing room. “I have plenty of time for this fitting.”
“I just want to see it on. My grandmother would’ve liked that. Theo will hate it.” Adriana shook her head and laughed. Yet there was a wistful note in her voice. “Although Grandma Pearl probably would’ve told me it has lost its luster.”
“Yet she kept it all those years. Now it’s a piece of your family history.” Josie always wanted to know her history—something as simple as her grandmother’s name or a good family memory.
All she had was a birth certificate that listed her birth mother’s name, Josephine Elizabeth Beck, and her birth father’s name—blank. Her birth mother had signed over parental rights to the state on the day of Josie’s birth. She’d learned that fact from one of her foster brothers who was adept at locating and translating the paperwork inside every foster child’s folder. The only connection Josie wanted with her birth mother had ended with their shared full name. Josie hadn’t needed to learn anything more.
“Grandma Pearl always told me ‘Addy, honey, love brings you to the altar. But marriage is longer than any vow recital. Marriage is a lifetime.’” Adriana touched one of the tiers of ribbon-trimmed ruffled white lace on the gown. “Then she’d wink and tell me ‘Addy, you best start that journey wearing an eye-catching dress that dazzles your new husband all the way to his toes.’”
Josie was certain the elder Taylor had stunned in her full lace, rosette-adorned wedding dress. Josie undid the self-covered buttons that trailed in a straight line down the back of the gown. “I wish I’d met her.”
“She was my favorite.” Adriana hung her coat on the empty hook and slipped off her boots. “I want her to be a part of my wedding. I want a dress that dazzles just like my grandmother’s.”
Josie wanted that for Adriana, too.
The shop’s bells chimed, startling her. “I didn’t think Mia was coming back tonight. She’s working at the Christmas Town gingerbread-house reveal this evening. Let me see if she needs anything.”
Josie eased out of the dressing room and froze. Behind her, she yanked the thick velvet curtains closed. Her words came out in an abrupt shout. “Hello, Theo!”
Theo nodded his head at her. A smile tipped the edges of his mouth. “Do you always yell a greeting at your customers?”
“Only when they arrive after-hours and scare me.” Josie latched onto a bare body form and rolled it closer to guard the dressing-room entrance.
“You should lock your front door.” Theo frowned toward the storefront, as if concerned about her safety.
“Adriana and I were just finishing up.” Josie tugged the measuring tape off the body form and rolled it into her hands, pretending she’d been holding it the whole time. She kept her voice pitched an octave higher than normal to include Adriana in the conversation. “Then we were leaving.”
“Adriana?” Theo glanced around the boutique.
Josie pointed at the dressing room. “We were discussing changes to the prototypes and taking measurements.”
“You have the prototypes already?” Surprise lifted Theo’s eyebrows.
“We worked through ideas for both gowns,” Josie hedged. That was the start of her stretching the truth. Just close enough that she tiptoed near the border of the outright fibbing zone. They hadn’t looked at the designs, let alone discussed changes. But Josie had shared her ideas on Adriana’s voice mail.
Josie stepped
into her workroom and pushed another body form, covered in the muslin template for Adriana’s second gown, toward the platform. With luck, she’d distract Theo.
She knew that Theo would not be pleased to learn both women had been more interested in Grandma Pearl’s gown. The last body form Josie retrieved was draped in the Helen-inspired gown. “After speaking to Adriana, this first gown appeals to her aesthetic more than the second.”
“Appealing or not, we requested two original gowns.” He emphasized the word original. His voice was inflexible and weighty, as if he’d highlighted the word in bold, neon yellow.
“That you’ll have by Sunday,” Josie promised, stopping herself from revealing there could likely be three gowns if Adriana liked her grandmother’s dress.
“If you can’t fulfill my requests, tell me now.” Theo ignored the dress forms and stared at Josie.
Tell him she’d failed. Never. Josie eyed him, unable to find the weakness in his impassive face. The kindness that would convince her Theo didn’t want her to fail. Didn’t expect her to fail. “I’ve already scheduled a fitting with Adriana for tomorrow afternoon.”
She had an opening in the late afternoon. Josie left out the specifics, like Adriana needed to accept the spot. And their grandmother’s dress would be included in the fittings.
“So soon?” Theo asked.
Clearly not soon enough for stuffy, single-minded Mr. Taylor. “Custom gowns require custom measurements, Mr. Taylor.”
“I’ve never been a part of the process of making women’s clothes.” The crack in his smile slanted his stiff tone toward amused rather than apologetic.
“Why are you now?” Josie rearranged the body forms and secured her internal filter. Outbursts were not her style. Except with Theo. He made her want to challenge him. To push past his reserve.
He didn’t censure her. Only arched one eyebrow in what was a more charming look than a surprised one. “Why wouldn’t I be involved? It’s my only sister’s wedding.”
Charm never affected Josie. At least not before Theo. Josie argued, “But it’s her wedding dress.”
The same as it was Josie’s heart. If she chose not to let her heart flip, then it wouldn’t. Her heart skipping now was only her fear that Theo almost caught his sister in his grandmother’s gown.
“Do you have siblings, Ms. Beck?” The formality returned to his stance and voice.
“I do not.” Fortunately. Traversing the foster system by herself had been difficult enough. If she’d been separated from a brother or sister, it would’ve been devastating. But with a sibling, she would’ve been less alone. Josie shook her head, stomping down that old sadness back beside her Christmas spirit. Grieving something she never had was a distraction. She didn’t need another one. Theo was more than enough.
“I promised to look out for Adriana.” The edges of his eyes flinched, which disturbed his poise, as if he’d stumbled over a memory. “I intend to keep my word.”
His voice dropped off, as if his words tumbled over a cliff. Josie studied Theo. “A foster mom once told me ‘You can’t be angry at the past if you want to enjoy the present.’”
Those had been Mimi’s first words to Josie. Then she’d embraced a scared and lonesome ten-year-old girl and instructed Josie to leave her shoes and her bitterness on the front porch. Inside Mimi’s hug, Josie had let go, then cherished every moment they had spent together.
“Sounds like a fortune-cookie quote.” Theo touched a jeweled headband and frowned. “With its empty promises and simplistic insight.”
“And you sound angry.” At himself or someone else, Josie couldn’t decide. For the slightest moment, she considered embracing him. Holding on until his anger eased, just like when Mimi had held her. That wasn’t her place. And it was beyond unprofessional. Business arrangements required boundaries.
His half smile barely creased his face. “Not angry, only determined.”
Josie was determined, too. To keep her word on their business agreement and deliver finished gowns to Theo on Sunday. To stick to her to-do list that included blind stitches to complete, appliqués to apply and buttonholes to finish. Getting to know Theo better—embracing him—wasn’t on any to-do list of hers.
Adriana stepped out of the dressing room and tugged at the curtains, clearly annoyed. “Really, Theo? Were you following me or checking up on Josie?”
“I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop in.” Theo’s grin appeared in his slate eyes. “Is there something wrong with that?”
Josie rolled an undressed body form toward her workroom and yanked the curtain on the dressing room completely closed. “Now that you’ve checked on my progress, is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Taylor?”
Theo stepped to the Jin-inspired gown on the other body form and touched the white feathers Josie had tacked on the shoulder. He said, “I’m surprised you prefer this first gown, Adriana. Given your distaste for feathers and faux fur.”
“Yes, well, Josie convinced me to step out of my comfort zone.” Adriana touched her cheek, then her throat, finally letting her hand flutter like a falling feather. Her hands were as restless as her voice. “The feathers add a certain degree of whimsy.”
“You’ve told me repeatedly you want a refined and elegant theme.” He crossed his arms over his chest. His gaze shifted toward the dressing room—one brief pass—before he scowled at his sister.
Josie wanted to shove Theo away from her creation. Or perhaps tip several bags of feathers over him and dare him to remain indifferent, covered in all that white fluffiness. “The feathers keep the dress from dipping into the staid and uptight.” Like you.
“What about the chin-length veil?” Theo’s hand brushed against the feathers. “I forget the style name.”
Would Theo’s touch be as soft against her own skin? Josie scratched the back of her neck and pulled her gaze from Theo’s hand. “Birdcage.”
“Right.” Theo watched his sister and Josie over the body forms, as if he were trying to figure out a puzzle. “Adriana, what did you call the birdcage veil that arrived from that New York fashion house? A lunch lady’s hairnet, or was it a visor?”
Adriana touched her chin as if catching her faltering smile.
“I never showed Adriana that birdcage veil.” Josie walked to her design book and flipped quickly through the loose pages before finally, she located the matching sketch she’d drawn at Helen’s house. The sweet woman’s voice circled through her. Keep your chin up, Josie. “I changed the design after I left our lunch. We added a full mantle veil instead.”
Adriana took the design and traced her finger over the drawing. “This is quite stunning, isn’t it? Even with the feathers accenting the hem of the sheer cape. And the sparkles are a lovely touch.”
“That’s the beading.” Josie shrugged. “It’s all in the details.”
Adriana glanced up, her eyes wide. “The details that we discussed earlier, of course.” She shoved the design at her brother and glanced at her wrist. “I need to go. I’m meeting Ryan for dinner. Now.”
“Don’t forget about tomorrow’s fitting,” Josie added.
“Right.” Adriana hugged Josie and whispered, “Please don’t give Grandma Pearl’s wedding dress to Theo.” Then she spun around to face her brother. “It would be a good time to apologize since you’re in the neighborhood.”
Theo watched his sister, tracking her hasty departure. Josie watched him.
She clapped her palms together and drew Theo’s focus to her. Not her best idea, given his full attention on her was like standing under direct sunlight: mood-boosting and energizing. But then even with sunscreen, her skin always burned too quickly. “I should be going, too.”
He checked his watch. “If you’re closing up, I’ll walk you home.”
“How do you know where I live?” Josie set her hands on her hips. She never invited anyo
ne to her apartment. Ever.
“I do my research,” he said. “I don’t work with just anyone.”
“Neither do I, Mr. Taylor.” Josie tugged the design from his grip. “I researched you, as well.”
He grinned at her. “You know my home address?”
“No,” she muttered. She slid the design back into her book, making a mental note to nix the birdcage veil and up the sparkle.
“If it makes you feel any better, I know people.” He stepped closer to her.
Clearly, she needed to know different people. Especially if standing within less than a yard of Theo made her want to reach for that sunlight and linger longer. “I know people, too. I prefer to trust my gut instinct rather than the internet.”
“Have your instincts ever been wrong?” he asked.
His voice brushed across her cheek, soft like that feather. Warmth seeped through her, melting her heart. Her instincts were obviously very wrong now. “Definitely. My divorce papers prove as much.”
“You were married?” His words came slowly, as if he thought he might’ve misheard her.
“Four years.”
“What happened?”
“Our styles were too different.” Much like Theo and her. Worlds apart. Except right now, she felt... “My style was better suited for charity than boardrooms and partner lunches.”
“Are you always so honest?” he asked.
No. If she was honest, she’d give him his grandmother’s gown. But she’d promised Adriana. If she was honest, she’d admit she wanted to move even closer and dare to test that attraction she felt whenever she was around him. “Pretending to be what you aren’t can be exhausting.”
A shadow of a smile passed over his face. “Then, tell me, who is Josie Beck?”
“A woman determined to succeed on her own.” Josie locked her gaze on his. “I don’t want handouts or help from anyone who feels sorry for me. I want to know I earned what I have.”
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