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“Oh, Tori, are you okay?”
Diana rushed over to me, and I felt her gentle fingers on my head, checking for any injuries and making sure I wasn’t bleeding. The motherly tenderness of it made my heart ache more than my head ever had.
“I’m okay. I was just startled.”
She stepped back and let me go, eyeing me closely. “Why are you back here? Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale.”
I reached for her hand and squeezed. “I’m fine, Ms. Bogford. I just needed some air. People can be a lot at times.”
She huffed. “This is a good town, with good people, but they don’t know when to mind their own business. You take all the pauses you need.”
I smiled at the older woman. Her face said it all. She was well-aware of what these townspeople were capable of, and she didn’t blame me for having to get away.
“Thank you. Did you need me for something?”
Irritation flooded the woman’s face. “I’ve been looking for you because I’ve about had it with Margo’s online shopping splurges. The girl bought yet another dress that didn’t fit either of us. This is the fourth time in the last month she’s done this, and I’m sick of it. I was wondering if you wanted it because if not, I’ll just toss it.”
I cocked my head at the woman. I didn’t take her to be a wasteful person, and certainly not over a brand-new dress. “Why don’t you return it?”
A little wrinkle appeared in between her eyebrows. “Oh, it costs more to return it than it’s worth.” She handed over the bundled fabric to me. “You can do whatever you like with it. Now, I’m off. I have several errands to run. I’m making banana-nut bread and blueberry muffins, so I need to get to the market.”
My mouth watered. My expression must have given me away because Diana chuckled and said, “I’ll make sure to bring you some.”
I wanted to let her know that she didn’t have to do that, I was no longer a guest at her establishment, but she was already waving me off. She opened the door and was gone as fast as she’d appeared.
Staring at the fabric in my hands, I couldn’t help but think that she was acting odd. Diana wouldn’t usually be annoyed with Margo for something like this. Margo worked and paid her way, so if she’d ordered the wrong dress, it wouldn’t be an issue for Diana.
Shaking out the dress to get a better look, I gasped. It was stunning, definitely high-end. Simple yet elegant, the black satin dress had tiny straps that crisscrossed in the back. A glance at the tag showed it was exactly my size.
How could Margo accidentally buy the wrong size? She was way more petite.
Deciding that the oddness of the situation was none of my business, I blew out a breath. This was actually a stroke of luck because I didn’t have anything to wear to dinner. Now, I had one less thing to worry about. Not knowing how I’d get a suitable dress had probably added to my frustration with the gossips and made things feel worse than they were.
Plus, I wanted to look beautiful for Ridge. I’d never worried about such trivial things like looking beautiful, but something inside me called for me to do little things to catch his attention—even if that attention couldn’t go anywhere.
I folded up the dress nicely, hoping it wouldn’t crease, then I took a steadying breath and went to finish the rest of my shift.
* * *
I was grateful that Ridge left me the keys to the Range Rover before he’d headed out this morning. It saved me a lot of time walking to and from town. Back at the manor, I styled my hair and put on some subtle makeup I’d picked up after work.
It had been a while since I’d gotten dressed up or worn makeup, so it came as no surprise to me that I had to wash my face a few times and start over. It had never occurred to me that applying makeup was a skill one could lose if one didn’t do it enough, but who would I have gotten dolled up for? The hunters? I’d had no reason to waste my money on what I thought of as a luxury. Instead, I’d saved it for necessities—food and shelter.
I tossed down the tube of mascara and looked closely at my reflection. It wouldn’t get any better than that. My hair took a little bit longer. I found a hair dryer but no straightener, so I decided to create an updo with the horde of bobby pins I’d also purchased. My mother used to do a French twist, so I thought I’d give it a shot.
We were going to a fancy restaurant, after all, and I didn’t want to give the town any more reason to make fun of Ridge’s choice of future bride. Still, I felt silly as I looked at myself in the mirror. I stared at my reflection as my hands held my hair up, and I tried to get a couple of pieces to fall and frame my face.
Who was I kidding? It wasn’t the townspeople I was worried about impressing.
Not wanting to think more about that, I worked faster to get everything done and be ready for Ridge. I figured I would head back into town and meet him at the town hall. This morning, he hadn’t said anything about picking me up, and I hadn’t heard him come in.
I slipped on some heels I’d been pleased to find at the store in town, and they hadn’t been expensive. They weren’t fancy, just simple black heels, but I certainly couldn’t wear the boots or tennis shoes I wore every day.
Knock. Knock.
My head turned to the door. I guess that meant I didn’t need to drive into town.
“Just a minute.” I smoothed down the dress. Walking carefully, I eased my way over to the mirror. I hadn’t worn heels in over four years, and I twirled in front of the full-length mirror in the corner of the room to make sure everything was in order.
