“Anyway,” Eliza rattled on. “It sounds fun! Ben’s been begging me to take him ever since the storm.” Her eyes brightened. “We should all go! Luke, too. I get off work at four today. What do you say?”
Cassie hesitated. She’d been spending an awful lot of time with Luke.Toomuch time.
Without waiting for an answer, Eliza narrowed her eyes, assessing Cassie’s outfit of skinny jeans, cable-knit sweater, and black peacoat. “Youdohave proper snow clothes, right? You can’t go sledding inthat.”
“Um.” Cassie regarded her stylish leather boots. “Not really.”
Eliza gave her the once-over. “You have a good four inches on me, so my clothes won’t fit. What size shoe are you?”
“Seven and a half.”
“Perfect! I wear the same size. You can borrow a pair of my boots, but we’ll have to find you a snowsuit.” Eliza glanced at the clock on the faded pink wall. “I take my lunch in twenty minutes. We can pop by Thistle & Thorn and see what secondhand options Penny has. While we’re there, we can ask her about the espresso machine, too.”
“Sounds great,” Cassie lied. While she was eager to discuss the espresso machine, spending money was a bad idea. Another one of her job applications had been rejected that morning. Maybe she’d have to start applying outside the city and succumb to a disheartening commute?
Derek’s offer tugged at the back of her mind, but she shoved it down deeper. Until she found herself out on the street, working for her ex-boyfriend wasn’t an option. She could only hope Thistle & Thorn had reasonable prices.
The tagline of the antiques store—Curiosities and Collectibles—represented the quirky shop to a T. Every nook and cranny burst with an assortment of oddball items like vintage typewriters, a wooden butter churn, and…
Cassie lifted a beautiful silver bowl and turned it over in her hands. The way the light reflected off the shimmering surface created a mesmerizing effect.
“That’s a chamber pot.” A statuesque redhead uncurled herself from a velvet chaise longue and set down her worn copy ofPersuasion.
With a shudder, Cassie hastily shoved the silver pot back on the shelf.
Eliza chuckled. “Penny, this is my friend Cassie. Cassie, this is Penny.”
“Pleasure to meet you.” The young woman extended her hand, wrapping her long, graceful fingers around Cassie’s.
“You, too.” Cassie returned her warm smile, noting the woman’s eyes were almost the same coppery color as her hair.
“We’re looking for some snow clothes that would fit Cassie,” Eliza said.
Penny looked Cassie over, estimating her size. A slow smile spread across her lips. “I have just the thing!” Waving for them to follow, she led them toward the back of the shop where a few racks of clothing screened off a section of the expansive room. “What do you think?” Penny held up a puffy white snow jacket with a faux-fur lined hood and matching pants.
But Cassie didn’t notice. She couldn’t see anything except a stunning off-the-shoulder evening gown draped over an antique dress form. The delicate, emerald green lace clung in all the right places before pooling on the floor in an elegant swirl.
“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” Penny asked, following her gaze. “I like to imagine it belonged to Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn. Want to try it on? I’m pretty sure it’s your size.”
“Yes! Try it on, Cass!” Eliza clapped her hands in excitement, but Cassie shook her head. No way could she afford a gown like that, even if it was secondhand. Plus, where would she wear it?
“Maybe some other time.” She made herself focus on the marshmallow ensemble in Penny’s hands, hoping it wasn’t too expensive. “How much is the snowsuit?” Cassie cringed at the apprehensive lilt to her voice.
Penny didn’t even glance at the price tag. “Five dollars.”
Cassie blinked. “That’s it? That can’t be right.”
Cassie reached for the tag, but Penny sidestepped her, taking long strides toward the cash register. “Winter wear is on sale right now, since we’re halfway through the season already,” she said matter-of-factly.
Cassie glanced at Eliza for backup, but Eliza merely grinned and skipped after Penny.
As Cassie followed them to the register, her heart swelled with an unfamiliar feeling of gratitude. In all her life, she’d never experienced so much kindness as she had during her week’s stay in Poppy Creek.
Which meant leaving at the end of the month would be far more painful than she’d ever anticipated.
In more ways than one.
* * *
