Not wasted at all.
Strong facial planes, a hint of dark stubble already dusking his chin, and the cleft in that chin? It matched the little wrinkle in his forehead, and they were both to die for.
“What’s up with her attitude?”
His question brought her straight back to the task of the day: winning a job in this bridal shop. She scrunched her brow. “Classic ‘it’s all about me’ type. Every bridal operation gets a few, and we treat them like we do any Very Special Customer.” She drew a bright pink heart on the outside of the folder and tapped it lightly. “With lots of tender, loving care.”
Greg noted the pink heart and grinned. “Great idea.”
“Thank you.” She took the folder back to the sales floor while Maisy pulled a few more dresses. By the time the late-afternoon appointments arrived, Tara had pulled over sixty dresses, which meant she’d re-hung almost as many.
Greg did the paperwork for the sales, relieving her of that task. Maisy showed her how to get accurate measurements to assess the best possible size to order, and by the time the last young woman left the shop at 5:05, she’d booked three bridesmaid parties totaling sixteen people. On top of that she’d sold three stunning wedding gowns, had info on the other three, and met Greg’s grin of approval with a matching smile.
“I’m amazed,” he confessed as he turned the key in the lock. “I thought we were doomed.”
“Well, it wouldn’t have gone so smoothly without Maisy.” Tara turned and gave the older woman a spontaneous hug. “That meant everything, having you here to help get the girls dressed while I was jumping from room to room with the bridesmaids.”
“Not our normal method of operation,” Greg admitted. “Mom always liked each bride to feel like they had our undivided attention from start to finish. That was her hallmark, and she made it work.”
“Which is fine when there’s enough help on hand,” Maisy reminded him, and the strength of Maisy’s tone suggested she liked to speak her mind. “But we’ve had times in the store where folks drop in without an appointment, and your mother knew to spread herself thin as needed. Sales are the bottom line, and she would have been proud of how well Tara did today. How long have you been here, dearie?”
“One day.”
Maisy pretended to clean out her ears. “You don’t mean that, surely. I’ve been off for a few weeks because December is slow. You started today?”
“On a bit of a challenge, yes.” She turned back toward Greg. “So what’s the verdict, boss? Did I meet the challenge? Do I have the job?”
“You crushed it.” He bumped knuckles with her and handed over an old-school application. “Fill this out and we’ll talk hours. Is your final semester class schedule light like it usually is for third-year law students?”
“To the point of boredom, yes, so I’ll fill this out and return it on Monday. Did you book appointments for next week?” she asked. “Because this is the season for girls to be out shopping, planning summer and fall weddings. We don’t want to miss the opportunity to strike while the iron’s hot. Who knows how many girls found engagement rings under their Christmas trees? Bridal stores thrive on locking in those winter and spring sales.”
“I did book appointments, actually, although I berated myself every time the phone rang.” He tipped his head, watching her. “How do you know this stuff?”
She exchanged a look with Maisy that said all women knew this stuff, but cut him some slack because he was a guy. In Tara’s book it was okay that most men didn’t know this kind of thing.
On top of that, she loved weddings. She loved the gilt, glitz, and glamour right alongside the simple and the vintage and—
Everything.
The planning, the implementation.
She’d married off her fashion model dolls on a regular basis years ago. The advent of bridal reality shows mushroomed her dream into something bigger and bolder. While she was busy making top grades in her law classes, her heart was planning seating charts and floral arrangements for friends.
She loved it. Being here, immersed in the wonderful world of weddings at Elena’s Bridal, was a dream come true, but a temporary one because in four short months she’d become a law school graduate. Her duty then was to return to her hometown in upstate Pennsylvania and help serve the people of Kenneville, a pledge she made long ago.
But for now she’d revel in the joy of being Tara Simonetti, bridal consultant extraordinaire.
An amazing woman.
Greg wasn’t thinking about Tara’s looks, although they fit the bill.
And he wasn’t weighing up how well she did today, bouncing from customer to customer, remembering names, occupations, wedding details, then gathering that wellspring of information into locked-in sales with a final total of over ten thousand dollars. And that was without the bridesmaids’ dresses and the accessories.