“Why do you think Blitz didn’t go to Candy Girls for his party problem?” I asked.
“Rumor is that Blitz’s current girlfriend is Grady’s ex,” Ebony said. “That makes things messy. Besides, Blitz is the kind of person who wants to outdo everybody. If Grady O’Toole’s party was the talk of the town and it was done by Candy Girls, then Blitz isn’t going to go with Candy Girls. He once threw a casbah party and flew in ten guys from Morocco to put it together.”
“Sounds like the competition to outdo each other is pretty steep. What about the kids who don’t have trust funds?”
“These parties are a big deal. Most are happy just to get invited.” Ebony pulled her sunglasses from a hip pocket and slid them into place. “What am I standing around here talking to you two for? I have a party to plan.” She picked up the envelope and thumbed through the bills inside. “Twenty thousand dollars to throw a party in Proper City. Who’da thunk.” She set the envelope down, picked up Ivory, and left.
Ebony walked down the sidewalk to a coffee-colored Cadillac Coupe de Ville. She hopped in and drove away, leaving a parking space big enough for three smart cars. I turned back to my dad and asked the question I couldn’t shake.
“Dad, what do you think Blitz meant by that comment about Ebony and his dad’s money?”
“People like to start rumors. Ignore him.”
“But if he’s so eager to throw the party of the century, why go with Ebony? Why come to us? Aren’t we a little too small-town for him?”
“Just because we live in a small town doesn’t mean we are small-town,” he said. There was a proud determination to the set of his jaw. “We have five thousand costumes in our inventory, acquired or created over the past forty years. In that time we’ve gotten bigger than the local costume party circuit. We’re known all over Nevada. Some people even tack an extra day onto their Vegas vacations so they can come and see us.”
“You know what I meant. Ebony said Blitz flew people in from Morocco last year. You’re kind of talking apples and oranges.”
“We’ve been providing costumes for the parties in Proper City for a very long time now and we do it better than anybody. This wheelchair is only temporary and it’s not going to change the way we run the store.”
He pulled the deerstalker off his head and set it on the glass case. He wheeled over to a circular rack of capes and trench coats. “Blitz wants forty detective costumes. Let’s make a list. We can do Sherlock Holmes, Perry Mason, Mike Hammer.” He paused. “Who else?”
“What about Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, and Miss Marple?” I added. “Shaft. Veronica Mars. And Encyclopedia Brown!”
The pencil flew across the paper as he wrote the names down. His expression had changed from determination to enthusiasm. “What do you think? Are you up for this?” he asked.
“Sure am. It’ll be like one of those murder mystery parties, only times a hundred. But what about you?”
“I can’t do it by myself. It’s going to be a lot of work and because of this chair, the brunt of it is going to fall on you.”
I pulled on a tweed cape, pulled the deerstalker down over my hair, and caught my reflection. My flip curled up just above my shoulders. My eyes were wide and brown and framed with fake eyelashes. I’d gotten so used to wearing them in Vegas that I felt naked without them. I pulled the hat off and set it next to the register.
“Margo, this is a big opportunity for the store. Candy Girls has expanded from catering to party planning, and I heard they’re starting to sell prepackaged costumes. This party would give us a chance to show off what makes us special. Custom costumes. And the money is good. It’ll help cover some of my medical bills.”
“Don’t you have insurance?”
He looked away. “Yes, but there are deductibles to meet.”
“Is the shop in trouble?” I lowered myself onto an orange beanbag chair and looked up at him. He spun his wedding ring with the fingers on his right hand like I’d watched him do my whole life.
“If you weren’t here, I wouldn’t even consider taking this job,” he said.
“Then it’s settled,” I said. I stood up and straightened my dress. “We’d better get to work if we’re going to have costumes to show Blitz Manners by tomorrow.”