Bridal Shop Mysteries: Books 1-3 Page 2

  Darn. She should have charged more!

  Max made a pot of Darjeeling tea in her imported English teapot. The idea of taking all those tiny white stitches out of the white lace dress made her shoulders tense up. She took a deep breath. She thought it would take a couple of hours to remove the sleeves from the dress. Then she needed to redo the top of the dress so there would be a clean line without the sleeves.

  She called her friend Olivia and left her a message canceling their lunch plans. Olivia was the resident stage manager for the Crystal Shores Playhouse, and they had become friends when Max had helped out with the costumes for last summer's Shakespeare festival.

  Getting out her trusty seam ripper, Max got to work. After half an hour of painstakingly taking out nearly invisible stitches from white silk and lace, her head throbbed and her stomach grumbled. The jingling of the door was a welcome interruption.

  "Hi Max, it's me," Olivia called out.

  Max went into the showroom and gave Olivia a hug. She never understood how Olivia always appeared so perfect and pulled together. Today she was wearing a crisp white shirt, pale blue linen slacks, and tan sandals. She would make a perfect Snow White with her pale complexion and long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. In fact, she played the part for a children's show the theater put on last month.

  "What are you doing here?" Max asked. "Didn't you get my message? I can't go to lunch today."

  "But you still have to eat. I brought avocado sandwiches from Sprouts Cafe."

  "Sounds healthy," Max said unenthusiastically.

  "I knew you were going to say that, so I brought you a brownie for dessert."

  "Yay!" Max clapped her hands. "Chocolate!"

  Max took Olivia back to the workroom and covered the table with paper so they could eat.

  "So what's the big emergency that means you can't eat lunch?" Olivia asked as she took the sandwiches out of the bag and handed one to Max.

  "It's Jennifer Burns." Max unwrapped the paper around her sandwich.

  "Oh! That woman!"

  "I thought you two were friends."

  "Our friendship is being sorely tested. She's threatening to shut down the theater," Olivia said. "It's been there since the Twenties, and she wants to tear it down and build a strip mall."

  "Jennifer owns the theater? Since when?"

  "She got it in the divorce settlement when she and William Chase split up. It had been in the Chase family for years, but William inherited the land and the building a few years ago when his father passed away. Jennifer must have had an excellent attorney because she got the house and the theater."

  "But doesn't the theater have a long-term lease?" Max took a big bite of her sandwich, which, as it turned out, tasted delicious. She might want to give this eating healthy thing a shot if it tasted this good.

  "Our lease is up in June. The Chase family was always fair with us. They were supporters of the arts and the community. Jennifer doesn’t seem to have the same priorities, and I’ve been trying to get her to see things our way." Olivia nibbled at her sandwich daintily. "Everyone is a wreck at the theater. It's not only that we'll lose our jobs. The theater means something to us. It means something to the community. It's an institution. We were all talking the other night about how she needs to be stopped."

  "Anything you can do?"

  "We haven't come up with anything yet, but we're working on it."

  "She is a challenge, I'll say that." Max liked the word "challenge." It sounded nicer than pain in the you-know-what. "Anyway, once I get the sleeves off her dress, I'll be done with her."

  "Let's not talk about her anymore." They ate in silence for a few minutes. "How's everything else going?"

  Max had been so annoyed about Jennifer, that she’d almost forgotten her big news. "I’ve got something to tell you.” Max waited until she was sure she had Olivia’s full attention. “I got a call from my old boss at Bissette. They offered me the job."

  "The assistant designer position?” Olivia reached over to grab her friend’s hand and squeezed it. “I'm so happy for you!” Then her smile faded slightly. “I’m going to miss you," she said softly.

  "I'll miss you too." She and Olivia had become close during the past several months. She didn't want to think about how much she would miss her. But they could talk on the phone whenever they wanted. And she would come home to visit. Max took the paper sandwich wrappers and threw them in the trash.

  She heard the door jingle and went into the front room to see who had entered. Olivia followed her. River, the mailman, gave them both a big smile. It was hard to tell how old River was, and she certainly would never ask. He had a face weathered from the sun, and his thinning hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

  "Hi, River. The waves looked big today."

  "Too gnarly for me. There's a hurricane off the coast of Baja. Did you go for a walk on the beach this morning?"

  "Yes, and it was lovely. I don't know why, but the loud, crashing waves are very calming to me. Of course, all the calm went out the window as soon as I got to work."

  "That’s not like you, Max,” River said. “You usually go with the flow.”

  "I'm used to stressed out brides," Max said. "But some brides..." She didn’t finish the thought. Why did she let that woman get to her?

  "The Dali Lama once said, 'I defeat my enemies when I make them my friends.'"

  Max put her hands on her hips. "Really, River? I don’t see that happening.”

  "Maybe Nietzsche is more appropriate for this occasion. He said, 'Be careful when you fight the monsters, lest you become one.'"

  Max laughed. "Okay, River. I'll be careful."

  River handed her a stack of mail, said "Namaste," and left.

  "Time for brownies now?" Max asked Olivia.

  Olivia laughed and Max followed her back to the workroom. She pulled a huge chocolate brownie out of the bag.

  "Where's yours?" Max asked. "Or are we splitting this one?" Max hoped they weren't.

  "No brownie for me," Olivia told her. "I feel so much better when I stay away from sugar. I'll let you get back to work."

  Max sighed. She didn't want to get back to work yet. "Well, thanks for the lunch and making me take a break. I needed it."

  After Olivia left, Max stared at the brownie. The age-old dilemma. Eat it now or save it for later. She stared at it for several seconds, then cut it in two pieces and ate one of the halves, saving the other half for later. She didn't know what Olivia was thinking. Chocolate made everything better.

  Max went back to work taking out all the stitches and was only interrupted three times. One bride stopped in without an appointment and no idea about what she wanted in a wedding dress. Max explained that she was only available by appointment this week and suggested diplomatically that she spend some time looking through magazines and come back with pictures of gowns that she liked. Another bride whose dress was on order came in to try on tiaras and veils, and one mother of the bride stopped in to ask for advice about a dress to wear at her daughter’s wedding. Finally, when she was able to get back to Jennifer’s dress, all that remained was to re-sew the seams and remove all evidence that sleeves ever existed. The rest of the sewing need to be done by hand, which would take forever. It was her job, so she knew she had no reason to complain. That didn't mean she couldn't be crabby about it. She hoped there wouldn’t be any more interruptions.

  When she made the final stitch in the gown, she checked the time. It was five minutes to six. Yes! She quickly ran the vacuum cleaner over the carpet, closed up the shop and walked down the street to meet Andy and Stacy.

  CHAPTER TWO

  MAX WALKED THROUGH the front door of the Crazy Fox and into the dark, wood- paneled interior. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, and then she headed for the bar, waving hello to Burt, her favorite bartender. All the tables were already taken, and the room was full of lively conversations. Andy was waiting for her at a small table with two glasses of white wine. She felt a smile take over her face. Maybe they could be friends like they used to be if she could get past the awkwardness.

  “Are both of these for me? I could use them.” She sat down across from him.

  Andy laughed and pushed one towards her. “Bad day?”

  “Just a marathon with the seam ripper. Where’s Stacy?” They were at a table for two. He was wearing a blue polo shirt that almost matched the color of his eyes. His hair was rumpled, as usual. Why did he have to look so boyishly handsome?

  “Still at the bakery. Jennifer’s gonna stop by and taste the latest cake samples I made. I told her I’d stay, but she told me to come have dinner with you.”

  “You left Stacy to deal with Jennifer alone?” Max took a sip of her wine. “Why would you do a thing like that?”

  “Was that a bad idea?”

  Max laughed. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. I have a feeling Stacy can handle her, but I’m sorry she couldn’t make it.”

  “I was kinda hoping you two would get to be friends. It’d be cool if my oldest friend and my wife got along.”

  "Hey, I'm not that old!"

  Andy laughed. "You know what I mean."

  “Tell you what. I’ll invite her to dinner. Just the two of us. We can get to know each other a little better.”

  Andy’s grin lit up his face. “That would be awesome.” She loved the way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled.

  “I’m glad she doesn’t mind us hanging out together.” She assumed Andy never told Stacy what had happened. If he had, she doubted Stacy would have sent him to have dinner with her alone.

  “Yeah, well, I told her how we used to play with worms together in the back yard when we were little. She knows you’re like a sister to me.”

  “Don’t forget the time
you put a worm down my shirt. I still haven’t forgiven you for that.” Maybe once she moved back to New York it would be easier. At least she wouldn’t have to see them so often. Andy had met Stacy when he went back to college to become a doctor. When he earned his B.S., he brought her home with him and married her. Andy had never told her why he didn’t go on to med school, and he didn’t seem to want to talk about it.

  Andy called the waitress over and ordered sliders and onion strings for both of them. Max remembered the stone she had found on the beach and pulled it out of her pocket.

  “Check it out. What do you think it is?” She held her hand out with the stone in her palm.

  “It might be a gemstone of some kind,” Andy offered. “You should take it to Amir’s and ask them what it is. It could be valuable.” He picked up the stone from her, touching her hand when he did. “It’s funny how you’re always finding things.”

  While they ate their sliders, she listened to Andy tell her about married life and the plans he and Stacy were making. It was the first time since he’d been back in town that they’d really had a long talk, and it was easier than she had expected. He told her that his parents planned to travel more now that he was home, and he and Stacy would take over the bakery in a couple of years so they could retire.

  Andy pushed his empty plate away. “So, what’s new with you?”

  “I was offered a job with Bissette,” she said.

  “What? I didn’t even know you were thinking of changing jobs.” He finished the last gulp of his wine. “I didn’t think you liked being a pattern maker that much. Though I know you loved living in New York.”

  “It’s not my old job. It’s an assistant designer position. It’s a great opportunity. If things go well, I can move up to a designer position in a few years.”

  “That’s great. I’m happy for you.” His voice was flat.

  “You don’t sound happy,” she said.

  “I’m happy for you, but I’m gonna miss you. I like it with us both living in the same town again. I can pop by anytime.” But he hardly ever did. He was too busy with his new wife and the bakery. Andy checked his watch. “It’s almost eight. I better get going.”

  She had to get back to her shop to meet with Jennifer, so they said their goodbyes. It was a good feeling, being friends with him again. Maybe she’d meet someone in New York, someone who would make her forget all about Andy. Her track record with other men in Crystals Shores hadn’t been much better. She was ready for a new start.

  Back at the shop, Max put on her sewing apron. She always wore it for fittings because it had lots of pockets for a tape measure, pins, and other tools of the trade. The door jingled at eight o’clock prompt. Was Jennifer actually on time for once? She went to the showroom to greet Jennifer, but instead Stacy was standing there with a pink cake box in her hands.

  “Hi, Max.” Stacy greeted her cheerfully in her Texas drawl, putting the box down on the coffee table. “Is Jennifer here?”

  Max gave her a hug. “No, but then she’s always late. I missed you at dinner. I hope we can do it another time, maybe just the two of us. We’ll let Andy work late while we trade stories.”

  “That’d be great!” Stacy’s big brown eyes were eager like a puppy's. “I’d love to hear all about what Andy was like when he was a child. He says y’all played together.”

  “Yeah, our parents were friends. We’ve known each other for twenty years, since I was six and he was seven. When you’re young, one year’s age difference seems like a lot. I think he thought I was an annoying little kid. But he put up with me.” She gestured to the coffee table. “What’s up with the box?”

  “I waited around for an hour, and Jennifer just now calls me and says to meet her here. I missed dinner for nothin’. I’d call her a bitch but I’m too much of a lady.”

  “Stacy! I’ve never heard you talk like that.”

  “Doggone it, that woman could make a preacher cuss. She changes her mind every time she turns around. She says she doesn’t want chocolate, so we had to come up with somethin’ different.” Stacy opened the box and pointed to each square of cake. “Andy made carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, orange-ginger, lemon, almond with amaretto buttercream frosting, and this here’s my latest creation, pecan pie cake.”

  “Wow! They look scrumptious. So Jennifer’s making last minute changes? How unlike her.”

  “Really?” Stacy appeared confused. “She musta changed her mind at least three times about what she wants. I wish she’d picked another baker.”

  Max made a mental note to skip sarcasm when it came to Stacy. “Well, I spent most of the day taking the sleeves off her dress. That was after she had me add them. Do you know how hard it is to add sleeves to a strapless gown? Luckily, it wasn’t quite as difficult to remove them.”

  “Oh, she did it to you too? I don’t know why I let her get under my skin. Do you know that Andy dated that...that...” Stacy tried to come up with the right word and finally settled for “...woman?”

  “Yeah, I know. It’s one of his few lapses of judgment.”

  “And she doesn’t miss a chance to bring it up. Andy says they went out once, but the way she talks, you’d think they went steady. She talks like she knows him better’n me. I can’t believe he dated her. I thought he had better taste.”

  “She’s a beautiful woman, Stacy. And men are weak, at least when it comes to women. But he only has eyes for one beautiful woman now.”

  Stacy shot her a worried glance. “Who?”

  Max just shook her head.

  “Oh.” Stacy smiled. “You mean me.” She giggled.

  “Good, I made you smile. Why don’t you leave the cake with me and I’ll let you know which one she likes. Go home to your husband."

  Before Stacy had a chance to get away, Jennifer entered. She threw her purse on the sofa. As usual, she had a bottle of water in one hand and her phone in the other.

  “Hi, Jennifer,” Max greeted her.

  “I don’t have much time. I’m meeting Chad at 8:30. His band plays at 9:00, and I still need to go over some details with him about the wedding. Why do grooms think all they have to do is show up to the wedding?” Jennifer didn’t wait for her to answer. She turned to Stacy. “Are those the cake samples?”

  “Yes’m,” Stacy answered. She opened the box and described each of the samples.

  “You can go,” Jennifer announced.

  Stacy seemed annoyed for a moment, and then realized she didn’t have to spend any more time in Jennifer’s company. She exited out the front door with a quick “Bye!”

  Jennifer made Max wait while she checked her phone. Finally, she opened the box and took a nibble out of one of the pieces.

  “Interesting. I’ll say one thing about that girl, she can bake.”

  “Actually, Andy made them. Stacy made the pecan pie cake. She’s still learning the ropes.”

  Jennifer gobbled down several bites of cake.

  “The almond is interesting. What’s in the frosting?”

  “I think Stacy said it was Amaretto.”

  She took a few more bites and seemed to be thinking it over. “Tell Stacy we’ll go with the orange.”

  Max almost said she could tell her herself, but decided not to. It was a wonder she didn’t have a sore tongue with all the times she bit it when dealing with Jennifer.

  They went back to the fitting room, and Max helped Jennifer into the gown. The bride-to-be stood on the pedestal with the mirrors reflecting back six perfect versions of Jennifer in the now strapless and even more stunning gown. Max’s heart warmed as she viewed her creation.

  “I don’t know what Andy sees in that white trash of a wife he has.”

  And the spell was broken.

  “Cinch up the bodice more,” Jennifer demanded.

  Max tightened the lacing on the back of the dress. She may have given it an extra tug for good measure.

  “How’s that?” she asked.

  “That’s good. I’m having a little trouble breathing, but that’s okay, I’ll get used to it.”

  “Are you sure? You’re a little pale.”

  Jennifer chugged down the rest of her water and handed Max the empty bottle.

  “Now you’re a bit flushed. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Jennifer snapped. She twirled around on the pedestal and nearly lost her balance. Her eyes seemed unfocused.