Toss the Bouquet (8 page)

All week Tara had made a valiant attempt to do just that, but she couldn't help listening for Greg's voice, his laugh. Fortunately, there was plenty to keep her busy. They'd gotten over a thousand likes on their new Facebook page, and the
Daily News
had interviewed Kathy and Greg as part of its Old City campaign.

“Tara, if you're done watching the door, I've got a four thirty appointment coming in that I need you to take.”

“I was doing nothing of the kind.” She walked around the desk and withdrew the bottle of window cleaner and some paper towels. “Clean entrance windows are vital to our success.”

“Mm-hmm.” Kathy's expression said she wasn't buying
it. “You turn three shades of Vera Wang pink whenever Greg walks in, so don't think you're fooling anybody, darling. Fair skin tells the tale.”

“A gift from my mother.” Tara frowned, then sighed. “There's a laundry list of reasons not to fall for Gregory Michael Elizondo, starting with the fact that he's my boss. But I forget every single one of them when he walks into the room.”

Kathy smiled. “I understand the hesitation, but if no one ever dated the boss, honey, we'd miss out on some of life's great stories. Dating the boss is fairly epidemic.”

“Risking a job I need by chancing a bad romance is just dumb.” She waved the paper towel wad as she approached the front door. “And we're in opposite corners on just about every important issue known to man. How can that be fixed?”

Kathy pointed up toward heaven. “I've seen a lot of fixes in my time, sweet thing. All I'm saying is that it's never good to draw the line too deeply in the sand, because waves happen. Give life, love, and God a chance.”

Tara wanted to do exactly that where Greg was concerned. She gave the front windows a quick wash while Kathy took a phone call. When she hung up the phone, she waved Tara back to the desk and handed her the four thirty appointment card. “She's coming to look at mothers' gowns.”

“I'm going to steam this weekend's veils. Call me when she arrives.”

Kathy called her up front about twenty minutes later.

A woman stood quietly at the desk. She turned, and Tara couldn't miss the look of apprehension in her eyes, as if Elena's Bridal was the last place she wanted to be. “Tara, this
is Mrs. Dreschler. She needs a mother-of-the-groom gown, and she heard that we put them on sale.”

Tara met the woman's look of concern with a smile. “You've come to the right place. May I take your coat?”

The middle-aged woman tugged the coat more snugly around her. “I'll keep it. But thank you.”

Tara led her to the area slated to become a prom display room in a few weeks. She turned, ready to ask questions about the wedding, the timing, and preferred styles, but was startled by the anguished look on the woman's face.

“Are you okay?” She stepped forward, unsure what to do. Mrs. Dreschler's cheeks had paled. Her breathing caught as if she was fighting tears, and she seemed terrified, as if the twin racks of dresses might launch an attack at any moment.

“Come here.” Tara took her arm and directed her to the nearby comfortable chair. “Sit down, breathe deep, and tell me what's going on. I'm here to help.”

The woman stared at her hands a few seconds, then shrugged as if conceding a long and drawn-out battle. “I had cancer a few years back.”

“I'm so sorry.” Tara took the chair next to her and waited.

“Breast cancer,” the woman whispered. “My insurance wouldn't cover reconstruction, and so . . .” She winced, studying the dresses. “Nothing looks right. Nothing fits right. And the bride is a nice young woman, but she thinks I should be able to walk in here and get a suitable gown and it will be okay. And of course it won't.”

“Of course it will.” Tara added punch to the words with a soft call to Maisy working in the first alterations room. As Maisy strode forward in her typical take-no-prisoners style,
Tara reached out a hand. “This is Maisy. Maisy, this is Mrs. Dreschler. We need your expertise to tell us which styles will work with post-surgical mastectomy, and how we can establish a normal and comfortable curve for her son's wedding day.”

Mrs. Dreschler stared at her, then Maisy in turn. “You can really do this? I know they sell prosthetic devices, but my skin is too sensitive after the radiation. Most days I don't care,” she added. “My husband doesn't care. He's just thankful I'm alive. And my family understands, but for this occasion”—she stressed the last two words—“I want to look and feel normal. Just for one day.”

And what did tough, drill-sergeant Maisy do? She reached right down and hauled Mrs. Dreschler out of the chair. “Toss off that coat, dearie. What size are you normally? A ten? Twelve?”

“Twelve, yes.” The groom's mother didn't dare say no to Maisy. No one did. She removed the coat and draped it on the chair. Maisy gave her a once-over, then a crisp nod.

“Good shoulders, that helps! And they cut these dresses small, a man's choice, no doubt, utter foolishness. So let's try some twelves and fourteens, because I can trim as needed.” She handed Tara pretty gowns in rapid-fire fashion. “This, this, this, and this. And that.” She pointed to the rack behind Tara. “And the gold too.”

She turned back to Mrs. Dreschler. “Tara's going to take you into my fitting room. I've got some wonderful ways of doing just what you want, but you've got to trust me to know my stuff!”

Maisy's take-charge attitude and self-confidence worked
wonders. Mrs. Dreschler picked up her coat, laid it over her arm, and faced Tara. “Lead the way.”

Within minutes they'd picked a flowing, blouson gown with tacked, pleated shoulders. The looser fit was perfect for the woman's sensitive skin. With a bit of clever engineering using alteration supplies on hand, Maisy was able to build the look of a normal woman's chest beneath the gown.

“I don't believe it.” Mrs. Dreschler caught sight of herself in the triple mirror and sighed. Tears filled her eyes, but they were happy tears this time. “When Mandy said you folks would help me, I thought she was being pushy. She wasn't.” She fingered the soft pleats that allowed the top of the gown to fall stylishly, skimming instead of clinging. “This is perfect.”

“Well, good!” Maisy beamed. “And, dearie, you look wonderful!”

“I do.” Mrs. Dreschler's smile of disbelief widened. “I really do.”

Tara chatted with her as she bagged and tagged the gown, then hung it near Maisy's sewing area for the necessary adjustments. As they approached the front, Mrs. Dreschler gave her a spontaneous hug. “Thank you.” She whispered the words, emotion clogging her voice again. “This means the world to me.”

The past three years of study and testing and argument flashed through Tara's mind. She'd done what she
thought
was right, but this—helping this woman, working at this delightful shop, surrounded by ribbons and lace—this was what
felt
right.

She left Mrs. Dreschler in Kathy's capable hands to ring up the sale, moved back to bridal, and ran smack into Greg
around the corner. He caught her shoulders to keep her from falling, then didn't let go.

She looked up and met his gaze. Appreciation and approval brightened those big brown eyes. He flicked a glance toward the front and gave her shoulders a light squeeze. “That was a nice thing you did.”

“Maisy, mostly.”

His face said yes and no. “Teamwork is vital in a hands-on business like this. I don't know much about bridal, per se, but I know business, and what you and Maisy just did was wonderful, Tara.”

“Thank you.” She kept her eyes locked on his. Greg's grip changed slightly, and the look on his face changed too. He glanced at her mouth as if wondering, and she had to work hard to step back, away from the growing temptation of Greg Elizondo. “Did you come to help shift things around?”

His expression said he recognized her ploy, but his smile said they might revisit things later. The fact that she liked the idea meant she needed to keep her distance.

“I needed measurements for the tuxedo dressing rooms and the hanging racks for displays. Then Kathy and I are interviewing people to staff the tuxedo area. I was wondering . . .”

“Yes?” She moved toward the bridesmaids' racks to replace gowns they'd pulled for earlier customers.

“Can I buy you supper again tonight? After we close up? It's been almost a week, and you must be hungry again.”

A cozy late evening with Greg? Her heart said yes instantly. Her head reminded her why this was a really bad idea. “I should go straight home.”

She saw his look of disappointment, and a longing washed over her. She'd love to cave and test the waters of romance with Greg, but it was a foolish idea.

The irony of falling for an upwardly mobile lawyer pushed too many old buttons. Greg represented a side of law that struck first and asked questions later. After losing her father, she couldn't take that lightly.

She shook her head. “The store is booked solid tomorrow, and while Meghan's a walking historical textbook and I'm glad you hired her, she's technologically challenged.”

He studied her face as she spoke, and the intensity of his gaze made her long to just say yes, to talk with him. Laugh with him. Commiserate over his losses and enjoy the gentle man living inside the tough-guy suit.

“Understood.” Greg turned and walked up front, back to the designated tuxedo area.

Disappointment filled her. She wanted him to convince her, talk her into going out together.

He didn't. He walked away, which only deepened her frustration. He started taking measurements as if inches and feet were the most important things in the world, and she went back to the bridesmaids' gowns, wondering if she'd just blown a chance at something amazing, and knowing she didn't dare find out.

She wanted to say yes
. Greg could tell by the look in her eyes. And still she said no. Leaving Tara to think about her refusal
gave Greg time to do the same, except he was pretty sure he didn't need time. When he wasn't with Tara, he was thinking about Tara.

His phone rang. He glanced at the Manhattan number and answered quickly. “Greg Elizondo.”

“Greg, this is Marc Mitchum from the New York office. How are you?”

His heart skipped into faster gear. He set down the tape measure and pretended to be calm, because Friday night calls from New York weren't the norm. “Fine, sir. And you?”

“I'm good, but I've got a few things to talk with you about. I know it's Friday, and Bert told me you'd gone home, so I hope this isn't an intrusion.”

Marc had been talking to one of the Philadelphia execs about Greg? Greg's expectations escalated as Marc continued, “We've got an opening here in the downtown Manhattan office, and I know you were interested in being here years ago. Your résumé has come across my desk, so I'm assuming you still have your eye on New York?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good!” Mitchum's voice pitched up. “I liked what I saw the first time around, but we weren't looking at new grads that year. With our current updates, I'm pleased to revisit your work history.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“You're welcome. We're meeting to review applications first thing on Monday. I wanted you apprised. We'll notify candidates about interviews at some point following our initial screening.”

“Yes, sir.”

He hung up the phone and turned. Kathy was watching him from the front desk. “Good news?”

“New York. They're interviewing for new positions. I'm on the list.”

She rounded the desk and hugged him, and that made him miss his mother more. “Greg, how exciting! What you've always wanted, a chance to show your stuff in New York.”

“Yes . . .”

The moment he said it, Tara appeared in the bridal room with another customer, a bride. She was fluffing the train of a fairly inexpensive gown, and even though her commission rose based on sales figures, nothing in her manner said she wanted the bride to trade up.

Kathy followed the direction of his gaze. “She's such a wonderful addition to this store.”

He nodded, unsure what to say.

“It's rare to meet a person that comfortable with themselves these days,” Kathy continued. “Although she absolutely hates the idea of being a lawyer, so that's problematic because graduation isn't far off. No offense,” she added as she bumped shoulders with him.

“None taken. She's got a flair for bridal.”

“And a heart of gold.”

And he didn't, which made him undeserving.

Tara's warmth and common sense set her apart. Was that what intrigued him? Besides the bright and engaging smile, of course, and the great figure, and the skirts that swished when she walked.

His friends would love her, but she'd take one look
at his power-hungry coworkers and recognize the lack of everything except money.