Flower Girl World: Rosie and the Wedding Day Rescue

Flower Girl World: Rosie and the Wedding Day Rescue

Copyright © 2011 Lynelle Woolley

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Inquiries should be addressed to:

Markelle Media, LLC

12405 Venice Blvd., #350, Los Angeles, CA 90066

[email protected]

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011913907

ISBN: 978-0-9833116-4-5

www.FlowerGirlWorld.com

Markelle Media

Chapter One

“Rosie! Move!” Max cried out.

Max was trying to play a video game on the TV while his younger sister, Rosie, was inspecting the couch with a magnifying glass.

“Max, scoot over a little bit.”

“ROSIE!”

“A-ha! Just as I suspected!” Rosie shouted. She reached between two cushions and pulled out a small, sparkling object. “I found Mom's earring!”

“Great,” Max said. “Now will you get off the couch?”

Their mom rushed in from the kitchen. “Did I hear you found my earring? Where was it?”

“In the couch,” Rosie said proudly, handing over the missing piece of jewelry. “You said the last time you wore it was Sunday. That was the day we all watched movies together. I figured this room was the best place to look.”

“Rosie Anderson, you're an expert detective!” her mom said, giving her a huge hug.

Rosie beamed with delight. It was her dream to become a real detective and one day work for the FBI. She put her magnifying glass back into her special detective kit. It was a green tote bag filled with all sorts of gadgets, including binoculars, a flashlight, and fingerprint powder. Rosie carried her kit with her everywhere because a good detective is always prepared.

“Sweetie, I have something for you too,” Mrs. Anderson said, giving Rosie an envelope made of delicate paper. Inside, Rosie found a card with a picture of a girl wearing a lavender dress. She was holding a basket overflowing with petals.

Rosie opened the card and read the inside. “It's from Greta. She's asking me to be a flower girl in her wedding.”

Greta Goodwin was Rosie's favorite babysitter. She was a great hide-and-go-seek player; she made delicious ginger snap cookies; and she liked to climb trees as much as Rosie. Greta was a college student in Rosie's hometown of Washington D.C. Now she was graduating and marrying her boyfriend, Mark. Rosie wondered if she'd ever play hide-and-go-seek with her babysitter again.

“Why would Greta want me to be a flower girl?” Rosie asked. “I've never been one before.”

“Being a flower girl is a very special honor,” her mom replied. “Just because you haven't done it before doesn't mean that it won't be fun and exciting.”

Rosie groaned. She really liked Greta, but she didn't like trying new things. There was always a chance that something could go wrong. She'd tried ballet once, but the tutu gave her a rash. Another time, she had tried a baking class and accidentally spilled cake batter all over herself
and
the cooking teacher! Rosie preferred to stick to the thing she loved best: detective work.

“Why do I have to try anything new?” Rosie asked. “My life is good the way it is.”

“Rosie, trying new things is what life is all about,” her mother replied. “Have you considered that Greta isn't even family, yet she likes you so much she wants you to be in her wedding?”

Rosie thought about her mother's comment. She didn't want to disappoint her favorite babysitter.

“Well…What would I have to do?” she asked.

“In a traditional wedding, the flower girl walks down the aisle right before the bride and throws petals on the ground. In a way, the flower girl announces the bride's arrival. That's a very important job, don't you think?”

Rosie liked the idea of being important. And throwing petals didn't seem so hard. Maybe she could do it for Greta's sake. Rosie tucked her light-brown hair behind her ears and announced, “Okay, I'll do it.”

“Greta will be thrilled.” Then her mother added, “When she gave me the card, we talked about all the details. She wants to meet in a couple of weeks to pick out the flower girl dress.”

“HAH!” Max fell off the couch in a fit of laughter. “Rosie has to wear a dress?!”

Max knew his sister well. She was not a big fan of dresses. To be a detective, Rosie had to crawl on the ground and hide in all sorts of places. Those were not good activities for a dress.

“Max, stop laughing and get off the floor!” Mrs. Anderson said as she returned to the kitchen. “Rosie is going to be a beautiful flower girl. She only has to wear a dress for one day, and it will make Greta very happy.”

Rosie felt dizzy. She fell back on the couch and covered her face with her hands.

“Oh, no,” she thought. “What have I gotten myself into?”

Chapter Two

It was storming on the day that Rosie and her mom planned to meet Greta. When they arrived at the mall, the place was packed. Rosie remembered one other time when it had been this crowded. It was the day teen pop star Gaby Snow was there to sign autographs. As one of Gaby's biggest fans, Rosie waited in line for two hours to meet her, with no bathroom breaks!

Rosie wished she were seeing Gaby today instead of buying a dress. As she and her mom walked through the mall, Rosie dragged her rain boots as if they were filled with slushy mush.

“Think of it as detective work,” her mom said, walking briskly. “You're on the search for the perfect flower girl dress.”

Rosie scowled. Dress shopping was not detective work; it was torture!

“Rosie, we have to hurry. We don't want to keep the other flower girls waiting.”

Rosie froze right in her tracks. “What?” she asked. “I didn't know there were other flower girls.”

“Yes, there are two,” her mom said, grabbing Rosie's hand to pull her along. “They are from out of town, and they're here today to help pick out the flower girl dress. Isn't that great?”

“What's so great about it?” Rosie said under her breath. She didn't like surprises. And now she was afraid there might be more.

“This must be it,” said Mrs. Anderson, stopping in front of Bettina's Boutique.

Rosie's mouth dropped open. It looked like someone had set off a pink bomb inside the store. There were pink walls, pink decorations, pink carpet, and, of course, pink dresses everywhere. Rosie was planning her escape when a saleswoman with curly, carrot-colored hair approached them.

“Hello, ladies. I'm Bettina. How can I help you?” The saleswoman's voice squeaked with glee.

“We're meeting Greta Goodwin to pick out a flower girl dress,” Rosie's mother replied, looking around the store for Greta.

“She isn't here yet, but this young lady is waiting for her too.”

Bettina motioned across the room. Sitting in a lounge chair was a girl with big, brown eyes and two long, blond braids. In her lap Rosie could see a huge, fluffy purple ball of yarn. The girl was busy knitting.