“I want the veil and the dress,” the bride gushed, pulling Paisley back into the moment. “They’re so perfect for the venue and my style. Now, moving onto accessories and shoes.”
Paisley smiled at the bride’s reflection in the wall of mirrors. “I can pull some of my favorites and then we can go from there. What size shoe?”
“Eight.”
While Paisley went to the accessory room, she heard the bell on the door chime. She poked her head out and was surprised to see her husband.
Her stomach did a flip and she hated that he looked way better than any man had a right to. It was just last night they’d made love and cuddled. That hadn’t happened since they’d married. They’d only had fast, frantic sex and gone their separate ways. But last night was different. Last night had thrust her back to a time when nothing else had existed but the two of them. When she’d thought for sure she would spend her life with Lucas Ford.
As much as she wanted to believe that could be a possibility, she had to guard her heart until this ordeal was settled and she knew the truth about her father. She really didn’t want to think of a future family when she didn’t have her past family figured out.
As soon as Lucas spotted her, he crossed the space and kissed her cheek, then laid a quick, toe-curling kiss on her lips.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, trying to regain her mental balance.
“You’re closing soon, so I thought I’d take you to dinner.”
She glanced over her shoulder and spotted the party of three ladies all smiling and staring in her direction. No doubt they caught sight of the kisses.
“I might be a bit longer,” she murmured. “I need to help this bride finalize her look.”
Lucas shrugged and glanced around the shop. “No problem. I can just have a seat and wait. Don’t rush.”
Not that she wasn’t thrilled he was taking her out, but having him hang around while she worked was a bit unnerving. Still, she knew it would be a vain attempt to get him to leave or wait somewhere else, so she didn’t argue the point.
Paisley grabbed several earrings, bracelet and necklace options and took them back out to the bride.
“Is that your husband?” the mother of the bride asked.
Paisley nodded as she laid out the black velvet display board for everyone to see. She had her favorites, but she never said which until the bride made her opinion known.
“You are one lucky woman,” the lady replied.
Paisley merely smiled. “Thank you.”
“Newlyweds?” she guessed.
“We’ve been married two weeks.”
The bride gasped. “Oh, congratulations! I already noticed your killer rings. They’re stunning. I bet you had a gorgeous wedding, too.”
Paisley resisted the urge to laugh, but merely nodded and smiled. “It was quite memorable.”
After about thirty minutes of debating, Paisley finally got the bride all settled with her dress, veil, shoes and accessories. Once they were gone, Paisley turned the sign and flicked the lock on the door.
“You are remarkable.”
She turned and tipped her head. “Excuse me?”
Lucas should look ridiculous all relaxed on the white chaise, but he looked...perfect. Damn it. The man always looked perfect. She likely looked haggard since he’d kept her up most of the night and she’d logged in a full ten hours at the shop.
“With your customer,” he added. “She was clearly nervous and not taking advice from her mother and you somehow found a middle ground and made them both happy.”
Paisley smoothed her hand down her red sheath dress and headed for the dressing room to start gathering up the gown rejects.
“That’s what most of my job consists of, believe it or not. Moms always see their daughters as little girls playing dress up, so they have their own idea of what the gown should be. But the bride has been dreaming of this moment for her entire life and she has her own idea.”
Paisley smoothed the heavy drapes aside and entered the oversize dressing area. There were only three gowns that needed to be put back. These were all the mother’s top picks, unfortunately.
“Did you have dreams with your mother?” he asked, following her inside.