call the words back. A quick glance at Lillie and Steve showed her they were deep in their own conversation, which was a relief, but Justice had still heard.
“Sexy?”
She cleared her throat. “You know. Um, well...” She waved her hand. “Oh, look. Ducks. We should feed them.”
She started to walk toward the water, but Justice grabbed her hand and held her in place.
Tension spiraled between them, making her want to step closer. He got to her, and she couldn’t figure out a way to mind.
“Don’t act all surprised,” she told him, her voice low. “You know what you are. Dangerous. Powerful. Plus, the kissing was nice.”
One eyebrow rose. “Just nice. Not great? Not spectacular?”
“I’ve had better,” she said with a sniff.
He drew her close. “Now you’re lying,” he said with a growl.
She smiled. “Maybe a little.”
She glanced at her daughter and saw both Lillie and Steve watching them. She took a quick step back.
“So. Ducks. How are they doing?” she asked.
Lillie gave her a “sometimes you’re really strange” look. “They’re fine, Mom. They like the bread.”
“Then it’s good your grandfather brought some.”
Justice stepped behind her. “That’s the best you can do?” he asked in a whisper. “You’d never make it undercover.”
“Fine. Be critical, but I’d like to see you try to cut hair, mister.”
PATIENCEWANDERED AROUNDthe main showroom of Paper Moon Wedding Gowns. Big windows opened up onto the small square of “exclusive shops” in the center of Fool’s Gold. Across the courtyard were the brightly colored windows for da bump Maternity. A humorous connection for those who weren’t getting married or pregnant.
Inside the shop, several wedding dresses were on display, with more racks of them available for browsing. There was a second, smaller room devoted to bridesmaids’ dresses and gowns for the mother of the bride.
“I swear, this place hasn’t changed at all,” Patience said, touching the sleeve of a beautiful, traditional white gown.
Isabel wrinkled her nose. “That would be part of the problem. We’re well into a new century. The store should reflect that. The stock is current. My mom paid attention to trends, but the rest of the place is very 1999.”
“You’re going to change that?”
“As much as possible. I have a budget and some ideas. If we’re going to sell, we might as well get as much as we can for the place. That means making it fresh.”
Paper Moon had always been a part of the community. Patience remembered friends with older sisters coming in to be fitted for junior bridesmaids’ dresses. Before the samples went on sale, the teenaged girls were allowed to come in and play “bride for a day,” trying on different dresses and wondering what it would be like on that far-off special day.
“I bought my wedding dress here,” Patience admitted. “From the sale rack, which turned out to be a good thing. It wasn’t like the marriage lasted.”
“I’m sorry,” Isabel said. “That must have been difficult. And you had Lillie, too.”
“She was who got me through. Her and my mom. They were both what kept me going.” Patience looked at her friend. “How are you doing with all the changes?”
Isabel shrugged. “I don’t know. Some days are easy, some are hard. Come on back to the office. I’ll buy you a soda.”
They walked through the dressing-room area. There were two fitting rooms large enough to accommodate the fullest of skirts. Each had several chairs for the various family members who might be in on the decision. Smaller fitting rooms, still huge by normal standards, lined the back wall. In the middle of the space were a five-way mirror and a low platform where the bride-to-be could show off.
Isabel walked past all of it and entered a door marked Private. Behind that was an office with several desks, a table and chairs, computers, stacks of fabric samples and a small refrigerator.
“Diet okay?” she asked as she pulled open the door.
“My favorite.”
She removed two cans, then motioned to the chairs by the table.
“This is the store that time forgot,” Isabel said as she popped the top on her drink and took a sip. “When I first saw it, I felt like I’d been whipped back in time ten years. I knew my parents had lost their enthusiasm for the place, but the lack of changes was surprising.”
“You’re not tempted to just take it over and fix it up how you’d like it?”
Isabel shook her head. “No, thanks. I have plans and they don’t include sticking around here. I know you love it, but I would go crazy here.”
“In the store or in town?”
“The store for sure. I couldn’t deal with the brides for the rest of my life. I want to do something more. It’s not the retail I mind. As I mentioned before, I have plans with a friend to open a store in New York. High-fashion designs. Very upscale.”
“That’s still retail, my friend.”
Isabel smiled. “New York retail.”
“So you’re really going back?”
“Uh-huh.”
Patience wondered what it would be like to live somewhere else. She’d never not known her neighbors or the people in her town. She understood the rhythms of life—with seasons marked by festivals as well as the changes in weather.
“I suppose New York is exciting,” she said slowly.
Isabel laughed. “You’re are such a country mouse, and I say that with love. I can’t see you living anywhere else.”
“Me, either. Isn’t it hard to make friends and figure out where everything is?”
“Yes, but that’s what makes it exciting. The city is big and loud and crazy and I enjoy that.” She took another sip of her soda. “But I’ll admit, it’s nice to be here, even for a few months.”
“Getting away from what happened?”
Isabel’s blue eyes darkened with a flash of pain. “Eric and I are still friends, but I don’t care how friendly a divorce is. It’s not something easy to go through.”
“Have you talked to him much?”
“A few times. I’m
