Just One Kiss (Fool's Gold #10)

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 not sure what to say.” She looked at Patience. “I’m actually not surprised we split up, and yet I’m completely shocked. I don’t know if that makes sense.”

Patience suspected in her heart she’d known something was wrong. But living a divorce was completely different from guessing there was a problem in the relationship.

“You’re still healing,” Patience said. “The cliché about time happens to be true. After Ned left, I didn’t think I would ever recover. But I did. Now I can’t imagine what it was I saw in him.”

“I’ll get there, too,” Isabel said. “At least I hope so. It’s just some days I feel so pathetic. When some excited, bright-eyed bride-to-be walks in the store, I can’t help wondering if she’ll still be married to the guy in twenty years or if she’ll be a statistic, too.” She sighed. “Okay, I’ve officially become the depressing friend. I don’t want that.”

“You’re still healing. Give yourself a break.”