“THANK YOU FOR meeting me here.” Adriana touched a garment bag draped over one of her empty office chairs. “I wanted to give you this since you gave me the idea at lunch yesterday.”
Adriana had called Josie before she’d left her apartment that morning and asked her to meet at the Coast to Coast Living offices. Adriana hadn’t mentioned anything about a gown. Intrigued, Josie walked closer to Adriana and the chair. “What idea?”
“Sorry. Let me start over.” Adriana laughed. Excitement wrapped around her voice, seeping into her bold green eyes. “This is my Grandmother Pearl’s wedding dress. And it’s in very good condition, too.”
“If treated appropriately and cared for correctly, vintage gowns can be worn today.” Josie grinned. Finding an unexpected vintage piece always thrilled her.
“You talked about upscaling vintage gowns at lunch. I thought maybe… I think Grandmother’s dress would fit me.” Adriana reached for the zipper. “I didn’t put it on. I just held it up. We were similar in our build. Mother says I got my height and eyes from my Grandma Pearl.”
“Can we take it out?” Josie asked. “Look at it?”
“Adriana.” Theo’s sharp voice ping-ponged around the office, vibrating from the office doorway. “Where have you been?”
Adriana pulled her hand away from the garment bag as if she’d been burned, then stepped forward to address her brother. “I was up in the attic at your house.”
“The attic?” Theo repeated.
“I was looking for… Never mind.” Adriana shook her head and motioned toward Josie. “I was just telling Josie that I found Grandmother’s hope chest up there.”
Theo inclined his head toward Josie.
Josie nodded back—a slight tip of her chin, giving away even less than Theo. Although she was certain something sparked in his gaze. Almost as if he liked seeing her. As for her, that race in her pulse was only for Adriana’s discovery of her grandmother’s dress.
“I forgot we had moved all Grandmother’s things to the attic in the main house.” Adriana’s words and her joy continued to tumble out. “I discovered all her china tea settings and the server table she loved so much. The spinning wheel that belonged to one of her great aunts. I even found her handmade wooden Christmas ornaments. Do you remember those?”
“We have a meeting in five minutes.” Theo crossed his arms over his chest, his stance widened like a bodyguard prepared to deter the uninvited. Clearly, he wasn’t interested in joining the vintage club. “You’ll have to amuse yourself with a trip down memory lane later.”
The edge in Theo’s voice startled Josie, pulling her focus to him. Pain flattened his mouth and his tone. That spark was extinguished. She recognized the hurt—she’d heard the same snags in her own voice as she tried to avoid her own past. Memory lane wasn’t pleasant, or a trip Theo took willingly it seemed. And Josie guessed his pain was from more than a missed vacation to Europe.
But what could a man as successful and confident as Theo Taylor have suffered? People only ever show the finished side of every project, Josie. Often, the backside is just too messy. But there was nothing messy about Theo or his sister.
“This isn’t a random trip, Theo.” Adriana touched the garment bag as if protecting it from Theo’s harsh words. Sadness muted the wonder in her tone. “I was looking for Grandmother’s wedding dress.”
“Why?” Theo’s voice was implacable. Rigid. “You can’t wear it.”
The bow on Adriana’s pale pink 1920s-inspired silk blouse wilted like her excitement. Josie wanted to comfort Adriana and kick Theo. Anger, not pleasure, made her pulse race now. Couldn’t he see that their grandmother’s possessions meant something special to his sister?
Adriana set her hands on her hips and glared at her brother. “Why not?”
Josie almost applauded Adriana’s boldness. Instead she dipped her chin in approval.
“It’s a used wedding dress.” Theo glanced at Josie.
How dare he? Josie stepped closer to Theo, not wanting any misunderstanding to be blamed on the distance between them. “If a vintage dress is customized by a skilled dressmaker, a wedding guest would have trouble discerning where the old ended and the new began.”
Theo moved closer to her, as if to ensure his low voice reached her. “I won’t ruin my sister’s wedding with the past.”
Stubborn, stubborn man. The dress could never upset his sister.
“A new gown will be the start of new memories for Adriana. She’ll look back on her wedding day and want to revisit each and every single moment,” Theo said. “To accomplish that, Adriana will need to have a one-of-a-kind dress.”
Josie acknowledged that he wanted the best for his sister. She appreciated that and how he wanted to protect his sister—he loved her. But his unfair distaste of used gowns was less than pleasing. “A modified vintage gown could be considered one-of-a kind.”
Adriana stepped beside Josie, their shoulders bumped in solidarity.
“Perhaps by the amateur eye,” Theo countered. “There is nothing amateur about the Taylors.”
And there was nothing professional about a wannabe dressmaker with a hobby. Josie picked up the garment bag as if that would relieve the tension inside the room. “There’s nothing wrong with vintage gowns. But your own unskilled eye cannot recognize that.”
Adriana’s voice softened into a plea. “You haven’t even seen Grandmother’s dress, Theo.”
“She most likely bought it at a five-and-dime store. I’ve seen the photographs.” Theo walked toward the doorway. “It’s simply not good enough for you.”
“Josie could make it perfect.” Adriana smiled at Josie. “Mia showed me pictures of your clients’ reworked wedding dresses.”
Theo paused. His attention shifted back to Josie, his gaze intense and unsettling. “Josie has promised to make you an exclusive dress, Adriana. Forget about Grandmother’s.”
How painful was your past that you’d opt for one of my gowns rather than your own grandmother’s? Shun your own family. Josie wanted to take Theo’s hand and comfort him. No questions asked. No answers required. But she knew little about comforting someone else. Even less about easy, natural affection. She stepped past him out into the hallway.
Theo followed her as she walked away, his deep voice stopped her outside another office. “What is that by the way? In your hands.”
Behind Josie, Adriana gasped then coughed.
“This?” Josie met his gaze and tossed his words from their lunch meeting back at him. “It’s a possible business venture I wanted to share with Adriana. Nothing to concern yourself with.”
Theo’s gaze narrowed on her as if he debated whether to believe her or not.
Josie held his gaze and never flinched.
“Theo, dear.” A woman’s voice splintered between Josie and Theo, breaking the connection.
Theo winced and sighed.
Josie shifted her attention to the striking pair of women weaving around the last desk toward them. She recognized Mrs. Taylor from the online photographs that clearly hadn’t needed to be altered to improve on the older woman’s timeless beauty. The photographs had only failed to capture Lilian Taylor’s movements, which were graceful, fluid and purposeful.
His mother called to him again, revising her greeting to a simple wave. Then she pitched her son’s name higher, to float over his employees.
Theo inclined his head in acknowledgment.
Josie gaped at him, certain he’d released another sigh, only this one was curse-infused. He was a man anything but thrilled to see his mother.
“Mother has impeccable timing, as always,” Adriana muttered. A scowl transformed Adriana’s face. Her gaze tracked her mother like Josie tracked a spider in her apartment—she was annoyed and alarmed.
Josie took a step back. Where was the close-knit Taylor family Josie had read about online and in magazines? Wasn’t anyone pleased to see the matriarch of the Taylor family?
“Is that Daphne Holland with mother?” Adriana shifted behind her brother’s shoulder as if contemplating a surprise attack. “Theo, what’s going on? Daphne isn’t on the features’ list.”
Before Josie could ask what a features’ list was or who Daphne Holland was, Theo distracted her again. “Ms. Beck, thank you for stopping in. We’ll be in touch.”
Back to the formality. Panic infused Josie. She’d never perfected the art of lying. She pushed the garment bag into Theo’s chest and whispered, “I can’t take this. It belongs to your family.”
“I’m Lilian Rose Taylor.” The older woman extended her arm toward Josie. “Theo’s mother.”
Josie stopped shoving the garment bag at Theo and his solid chest. He made no move to take it, anyway. Josie elbowed him in the side to let him know she disapproved, then adjusted the bag to free one hand. She reached out to shake Lilian’s cool hand. “Josie Beck. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“What do you do, Josie?” Lilian held onto Josie’s hand, but not in the we’re-long-time-friends-and-I’ve-missed-you sort of way. Her grip was too firm and unrelenting, as if she intended to keep Josie right there until she learned exactly what she wanted.
“Mother,” Theo said. The warning in his tone dropped between the women.
“It’s a perfectly acceptable question. Polite even.” Lilian Rose squeezed Josie’s hand and released her. “Especially given your lack of manners, Theo.”
Josie tucked her hand and her sudden discomfort underneath the garment bag.
“Josie is a local business owner and we’re keeping her from her work,” Theo explained.
Lilian Rose ignored her son and tipped her head toward the petite woman pacing around Theo’s office, her cell phone pressed to her ear, her mahogany hair sweeping across her jaw. “That is Daphne Holland. Are you single, Josie?”
“Mother.” The single word was clipped, as if Theo’s clenched teeth chipped each syllable.
“Daphne is the premier matchmaker in the city. Why shouldn’t Josie know her?” Lilian set her fingers against her mouth and spoke around her hand as if imparting a secret to Josie. “Daphne is also my matchmaker.”
“I thought we were keeping that information confidential.” Theo coughed and cleared his throat.
“Josie won’t share, will you?” Lilian Rose smiled as she eyed Josie. Her gaze critical, her grin challenging. “I’m quite certain Josie has been vetted. Otherwise she wouldn’t have been granted a private meeting with you, Theo.” She paused. Nothing stilled in her assessing eyes. “My son can’t be too careful. It seems everyone wants something from him and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get it.”
If only she’d worn higher heels, Josie would’ve met Lilian Rose eye-to-eye. Still, Josie tipped her chin up, refusing to let Theo’s mother look down on her, too. Theo had sought out Josie. Josie should’ve been the one to do the vetting. Surely Theo would correct his mother’s misconception.
Theo never responded.
“Why don’t we let Josie get on with her day?” Adriana stepped beside her mother.
Yet Adriana’s smile lacked her earlier enthusiasm, was less infectious, more strained. More forced. Nothing like the photographs Josie had glanced through.
“Theo has a full schedule today,” Adriana continued. “And I have wedding details to finalize this afternoon.”
“If you’d like a meeting with Daphne Holland, please let me know.” Lilian Rose applied a shimmery lip gloss to her mouth.
The deep red color reminded Josie of the poisoned apple Snow White bit into. The princess had a charming prince and the power of true love’s kiss to save her. What about Josie?
She slid a quick peek at Theo. He closed his eyes and inhaled. There was power and mastery in the simple action, as if he’d practiced the technique often. As if his mother forced him to center himself often.
Josie was on her own.
“I’ll be more than happy to arrange one.” Lilian Rose added one last swipe of lip gloss, pressed her lips together and winked at Josie.
There was nothing hollow in the older woman’s smile. Or insincere in her grey gaze. But Josie searched for the catch behind Lilian Rose’s offer. “Thank you.”
Adriana stepped forward, wrapped her arm around Josie’s shoulders and led her away and into the safety of Theo’s admin, Fran.
Josie handed the garment bag to Adriana. “You should probably take this back.”
“I’ll be in touch about my grandmother’s wedding dress.” Adriana gently pressed the gown toward Josie and slid her gaze toward Theo’s office. “Thank you, Josie. I have a really good feeling about working with you.”
Josie searched for a good feeling among all her confusion. What had just happened? She’d met Theo’s mother. Was judged by Theo’s mother. Then asked if she wanted a meeting with a matchmaker. All the while, Theo stood beside her, silent and reserved. She’d have to bypass dissecting the Taylor family dynamics and channel her energy into her dressmaking. Still, her curiosity about the Taylors was getting the better of her.
Adriana guided Josie around Fran’s desk. “Fran will take you to the elevators.”
Fran held her arm out, pointing the way to the elevator bay. “Did your meeting with Adriana go well?”
Josie stared at the elevator call buttons. “I think so.”
“I’m so pleased.” Fran pressed the down button. “Adriana deserves the most beautiful wedding day.”
Theo said he wanted the same thing for his sister. Josie wondered if Theo and Adriana had different visions for what a beautiful wedding day entailed. That wasn’t Josie’s problem to solve. She had to get sewing. Now. After her early afternoon fittings with the Curtain Call Children’s Theater group and the six teens from Somerset Playhouse’s Scrooge production. Then there were the late-afternoon alteration appointments. No matter. She’d work into the night. One day her sleeplessness would pay off.
Inside the elevator, Josie unzipped the garment bag and peeked at the gown inside. Layers of lace shifted under her searching fingers. She discovered several satin rosettes before the elevator bounced to a stop and the doors slid open. Adriana wasn’t the only one excited about the gown. Josie was ready to race back to her shop to see the full dress.
Josie closed the garment bag. Annoyance slowed her steps through the lobby. There would be no gown to reveal. Because of one stubborn man who couldn’t possibly know what would or wouldn’t look good. A man with an impossible vision. The one who’d accept nothing less than perfection. As if that could be delivered. There was always a first time. And for Josie, it had to be now.