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Chapter Six
Elise was halfway downMain Street before she fully realized she had stolen the photograph. She stopped dead in her tracks and remembered it, then stuffed it between the pages of her mother’s diary. It had been a long-forgotten photograph in a pile of similarly long-forgotten photographs. Nobody had looked at them in years.
It was a crime without consequences. Wasn’t it?
Still, Elise had never stolen anything. Had she lost her mind?
As she stood there, simmering in guilt, she glanced to the right to spot a poster, fluttering in the late-summer breeze. The poster had been torn apart slightly in the rain. Still, she could make out an image of the Grand Hotel itself, the hotel her mother had stayed in during the filming, and the one featured in the film itself.
AUGUST 25 8 P.M.
SONGS OF THE SUMMER
FULL ORCHESTRA
FREE ADMISSION
Elise tilted her head skyward. That blue sky remained, twinkling up there, mocking her. It had already been a tremendously full day. A quiet night, feasting on the sounds of a full orchestra beneath the splendorous sight of the Grand Hotel, didn’t sound so bad. In fact, it sounded wonderful.
With many hours left to go, Elise decided to shop for something special to wear. The town was stocked with adorable little shops; most of them filled to the brim with fun-loving ladies with their dear friends and loved ones. Elise eyed one group of women around her age as she flicked through some dresses toward the side of a boutique.
“I can’t believe you’re getting married tomorrow, Anna,” one of the women shrieked to another, gripping her wrist.
“I know. I never thought it would happen,” Anna returned.
“It’s such a rush, but I can see it in your eyes. You love him,” the friend or sister or cousin returned.
Anna’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Come on. I need you to focus,” she said, teasing her. “Which necklace works better with the dress? This one or this one?” She lifted two delicate pieces of jewelry into the light.
Elise felt a stab of sadness. She wished that Haley or Mia or Penny were alongside her, shopping. As it stood, she was on a secret mission in a part of the world she had never seen before. They were more-or-less a million miles away.
“You should really try on that dark green one,” a woman said suddenly.
Elise’s cheeks burned. One of the women in Anna’s group had noticed Elise’s dress-browsing. She gave the woman a half-smile, one that translated just how embarrassed she was.
“I’m sorry. I was just curious about the jewelry.”
“What? No. Don’t be sorry!” the woman returned. “I actually own this shop, and the minute I saw you, I thought of that dress you have there in your hands. The coloring on you is perfect for it.”
Elise’s smile widened. Midwestern people were really unreal, weren’t they?
“That is so sweet to say,” Elise said.
“You’re shopping alone?” the woman asked.
“Yes. I have to admit, I was a bit jealous of your group over there,” Elise said.Why have I begun to tell everyone on the earth my business? Am I turning into a crazy person?
“Don’t be jealous of us. Join us! Try on that dress this second,” Anna, the bride, insisted. “If you need an audience, let us be it.”
Elise chuckled. “You’re way too nice.”
“We insist,” the owner of the shop said. “I promise you, that thing will look like a dream on you.”
Elise shuffled into the dressing room after a few more prods. Once behind the curtain, she heaved a sigh and whispered inwardly, “What are you doing?” Still,when in Rome—err, Michigan.
Elise swept the dark green dress over her shoulders and then buttoned it up the front. It hugged her curves beautifully and then flung out toward her knees with a gorgeous flourish. After a moment, she yanked the curtain open to reveal herself.
“Oh my gosh. I knew it,” the boutique owner said.
