by Kit Morgan
“Is that Titus Cooke and his son out there?” Beatrice asked quietly. “My gracious!” She patted her hair. “How do I look?”
Lorelei tried not to roll her eyes. Beatrice was around sixty but spry, with blue streaks in her salt-and-pepper hair. “Why do you bother?” She looked at the elder Cooke and reached for more cups. He had to be seventy at least. “I know he’s single, but every woman in town has tried to nab him …”
“They have not,” Beatrice cut in. “Did Patsy tell you that?”
Lorelei filled the cups. “Yes.”
“Not true. Though quite a few have thought about it.” She sighed dreamily. “Just look at him. He could be Sam Elliott!”
Lorelei shook her head and returned to the table. But Beatrice was right – Titus Cooke did look a lot like the veteran actor. Lincoln Cooke could pass for Viggo Mortensen, come to think. She set the coffees in front of them. “Would you like more menus?”
“No need – we already ate,” Titus said in a gravelly voice. He even sounded like Sam Elliot! No wonder Beatrice was smitten. “The MacDonalds tell me you work at Dunnigan’s Mercantile.”
She swallowed. “Er … yes, sir.”
“I also hear you rented the apartment upstairs.”
She swallowed again. Why was she so nervous? “That’s right.”
“Good, that place needs some love. Take good care of it.”
“I will, sir.” She hurried back to the kitchen where Beatrice stood, tapping her foot with impatience. “What?”
“Well, what did they say?”
“Not much. They know about my new apartment …” Which was a little creepy – it made her feel exposed. Would they check to make sure she was keeping the place up? Evict her on a whim if they didn’t think she was? Tell the Browns? All of that was ridiculous, but her fear of things not going her way (which they usually didn’t) was clouding her thinking. “They didn’t ask after you, if that’s what you want to know.”
“Awww …” Beatrice walked back to the grill.
Lorelei served coffee to a few more customers that came in, then checked on the MacDonalds and Cookes’ orders. She hoped Beatrice was on her game this morning. She was fast when she wanted to be. She noticed other customers stealing glances at the Cookes, which made sense – they were the town’s most prominent family. And one of the oldest – they’d helped found the place back in 1849. For Daisy’s Café it was the equivalent of some famous actor or athlete coming back to town and sitting down for coffee.
The Cookes were such a big deal that the burg’s unofficial nickname was “Cooketown.” They owned at least half the buildings downtown. There were statues in the city park of three of their ancestors and one of the Turners’. The Turners weren’t as wealthy as the Cookes, but they were pretty substantial themselves. Lorelei had had a crush on Wyatt Turner when she was a sophomore and he a senior. But it was thoroughly unrequited, and she rarely saw him after he graduated, just from a distance at the annual town picnic in Canyon Park.
“Orders up, sweetie.” Beatrice placed the plates under the warming lights. “Best get these out there. Unless you’d like me to take them …”
She gave her a look that said nice try, picked up the two plates and carefully carried them to the table.
“… That’s going to be some party,” Lincoln was saying when she arrived.
She stepped away from the table. “Will there be anything else?”
“Yes.” Shona smiled at the men, then at Lorelei. “We were just discussing our party this weekend, the one we told you about yesterday?”
“I remember. It sounds like it’ll be wonderful.”
“Yes, it will. And I wanted to know if you could come?”
Lorelei’s eyes went wide. “Me? But … why would you …?”
Dallan waved off her concerns. “Ye did a fine job with those antique quilts yesterday. They handled the washings. Ye didna toss them into the machines and wash them any old way – ye made sure they were taken care of properly. So think of this as a wee thank you.”
She had to remember to breathe. “Wow, I … I mean … thank you!”
Lincoln Cooke exchanged a look with his father. “The party starts at 7 p.m. Saturday. Do you need a ride? We could pick you up along the way.”
She stared at him. Ride with the Cookes?! “Well, I …”
“That’s very kind of you.” Shona smiled at Lorelei again. “And very convenient for you. Unless you’d rather drive yourself?”
She looked away a moment. Was this really happening? “I don’t have a car.” She didn’t even have a driver’s license – the Browns had refused to put up the money for lessons.
“Well, that settles it, then,” Lincoln said. “We’ll pick you up at 6:30.”
Lorelei nodded as she backed away from the table, almost tripping over her own feet. It would just be her luck to fall on her rear and embarrass herself. Thank Heaven she was able to retreat to the kitchen.
“Well? What were they talking to you about?” Beatrice took a closer look at her. “Why are you so pale?”
Lorelei blinked and managed to say, “I’m going to a party.”
Chapter Three
Lorelei tried not to think of the MacDonalds’ Christmas party the rest of the morning. Shona said she’d call or stop by the shop after they had exchanged phone numbers. Thank Heaven she had a phone now! But her shift that afternoon at Dunnigan’s was slow, which meant she had some time on her hands – and mind.
“Why?” she asked herself. “Why invite me?” She was nobody, nothing. Heck, she was hardly noticed at school – and given what happened when she was noticed, she liked it that way. She could act out on occasion, pushing back when someone like Cindy made snide remarks or Erwin got ratty about something. But she didn’t have to deal with them anymore other than the occasional chance encounter like last night.
She sat on a stool behind the front counter and took out some crochet she’d been working on. Patsy and Bob Brown might not have been the best foster parents, but that didn’t mean she hated them. She wanted to make them each a scarf for Christmas and had almost finished Patsy’s.
Christmas. Neither Bob nor Patsy had made any mention of Christmas to her. She’d spent the last six Christmases with them. Would they invite her to spend it with them now that she was out on her own? She didn’t see why not … but she didn’t assume it would happen either. Still, time was growing short. Christmas would be here before any of them knew it.
She stared at the scarf, a tear in her eye. She’d never spent Christmas alone before. They weren’t great up to now, and some Christmases she wished she’d been alone, but now that she was staring the possibility in the face, she didn’t like the empty feeling it gave her.
It was that same horrible, hollow feeling she got whenever she thought of her deceased parents. She was only six and sound asleep when they died in that fire. She wasn’t sure how it started, only that a fireman found her and carried her from the building. Now she could barely remember them. All she had to remind her was an old picture someone had given her. They had no relatives, no friends willing to take her in. So into the system she’d gone.
Sometimes she didn’t think it fair that they died, and she lived. But life wasn’t fair, was it? She wiped away the tear and started crocheting again. She had to get this finished, then work on Bob’s when her shift was done.
“Is it true?” a familiar voice said as the door burst open. “You got invited to the costume party?”
She looked up to see Cindy and Erwin blocking the doorway. “What?”
Cindy marched across the store to the counter. “You? I don’t believe it.”
Lorelei’s face twisted with confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“The Cookes’ Christmas party, stupid,” Erwin said. “Their costume party?”
“Cookes?” They weren’t talking about the MacDonalds’ party, were they?
Erwin rolled his eyes. “It’s being held someplace else this year,
but yeah, that one.”
Her jaw dropped. How would they know about it? “The old Cotter cabin?”
“That place is more like a lodge, not a cabin, but yeah,” Cindy spat. “What I want to know is, how did you get an invite to one of the most coveted parties of the year?”
Lorelei stared at her a moment and giggled. Was she serious? “What do you care?”
She leaned across the counter. “Because you’re no one! I’ve been trying to get an invite to that party since I was a freshman!”
Lorelei laughed in her face. She couldn’t help it.
“Shut up and tell us,” Erwin sneered. “Or shall I guess? You slept with one of them, didn’t you?”
“I bet she did,” Cindy snapped. “Maybe more than one.”
“I didn’t sleep with anyone,” Lorelei stated as calm as she could. But her insides were starting to shake, and she felt something welling up inside of her. It wasn’t anger so much as … well, something.
Thankfully, before any of them could say anything further, the bell over the door rang again and in walked Shona and Kitty. It was all she could do not to sigh in relief.
“We thought we might find you here,” Shona said.
Kitty went to a display of colorful socks with funny patterns. “Oh, look how cute these are!”
Shona joined Cindy and Erwin at the counter. “Are you busy? I can come another time.”
“No,” Lorelei said with a glance their way. “Not busy at all at the moment.”
“Good. I was wondering if you had a costume for the party?”
Cindy’s mouth had fallen open and her face was turning an interesting shade of red. Erwin didn’t look much better. Lorelei thought she shouldn’t enjoy the sight, but boy, did she. “No, I hadn’t thought about it.”
“That’s okay. Kitty and I have a few extra outfits and thought you might be interested in one.”
Her temporary gloating was tempered by wondering why she’d received an invitation in the first place. It seemed too good to be true and, with her luck, probably was. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You can try them on, decide which one you want to wear, then one of us will pick up the others tomorrow. Does that work?”
She nodded, speechless. The woman’s generosity was almost more than she could bear. She felt like Cinderella going to the ball. Too bad there wouldn’t be a handsome prince there.
“So you’re new in town?” Cindy ventured.
Shona looked at her. “Yes and no.”
Kitty, meanwhile, set three pairs of socks on the counter. “I’ll take these. They’re just so cute!”
Shona sighed. “Kitty, we don’t have time.”
“Think of them as souvenirs,” she said. “Do you have any CDs?”
“Kitty …” Shona warned.
“Oh, okay, never mind.”
“Who buys CDs anymore?” Erwin scoffed. “Don’t you listen to music on your phone?”
Kitty stared at him. “You can do that?”
“Kitty!” Shona grabbed her arm. “Let’s get the costumes out of the truck.” She began to pull her toward the door.
As soon as they were gone Erwin shook his head. “She’s weird.”
“Which one?” Cindy asked with a laugh.
Lorelei stared after them. She could see the same big white truck parked outside. Maybe Kitty had an old flip phone or something. Still, her statement was odd – who didn’t know you could download music?
“Costumes?” Cindy said like it was a dirty word and turned back to Lorelei. “She’s loaning you a costume?”
She shrugged. “So?”
Cindy tossed a hand in the air. “Unbelievable!” She grabbed Erwin by the jacket. “Let’s go. I can’t be around this loser another minute.”
Lorelei rolled her eyes. “Get over yourself, Cindy.”
Cindy stopped and turned to her. “You did something to get that invitation. I know you did! How else would you get invited? I bet when everyone finds out what a loser you really are, they’ll think twice about letting you come.” She grabbed Erwin’s jacket again and dragged him out the door.
Lorelei shook her head. Cindy was vindictive and could be a real witch (though most pronounced it differently) when she was mad.
But she didn’t have time to think about it. Shona and her friend came back in, carrying several huge garment boxes tied with string. Shona set the two she carried on the counter. “Here they are.”
Kitty did the same and smiled, her eyes bright. “I think you should wear the red one, but that’s just my opinion.”
Lorelei stared at the boxes, still recovering from Cindy’s jabs. She hoped she didn’t start spreading rumors all over town. But then, Lorelei could fire back with facts – she was an eyewitness to Cindy having a sexual encounter with an underage male.
Kitty pulled the string off a box, opened it and pulled out a green velvet gown with black buttons down the front.
“That’s pretty.” Lorelei reached a tentative hand toward it.
“It’s okay,” Kitty said. “I still think you should go with the red.”
Shona opened up the next and pulled out an ivory dress with buttons that looked like diamonds. “What about this one?”
“What kind of costumes are they?” Lorelei asked. They looked very old-fashioned, like the dresses the women on covers of Western novels wore.
“Period dresses from the 1870s,” Shona explained. “They’re very elegant, I think. Our party has an Old West theme.”
Lorelei glanced out the store windows. There was no sign of Cindy or Erwin. “Is it your party, or … the Cookes’?”
Shona’s eyebrows shot up. “Where did you hear that?”
She shrugged. “Cindy and Erwin found out I got invited to a party and insisted it was the Cookes’ annual Christmas party.”
“I see,” Shona said. “Well, actually, we combined parties.”
“So all the Cookes will be there?” The thought made her nervous. It was bad enough when she thought she wasn’t going to know anyone there, but to have the whole Cooke family present was even more overwhelming.
“Yes, the whole family. You know them, don’t you? Aren’t some of them your age?”
“Well, maybe Avery. But she’s younger than me and still in high school. So are Nathaniel and Winston. The others are all older than I am and have been out of school for years.”
“I see,” Shona said with a smile. She was staring at her, her eyes bright. “Well, how about this one?” She took the lid off the last box.
Lorelei gasped as Shona pulled out the red dress and shook it so it unfolded to its full length. The skirt was covered in red ruffles, the sleeves trimmed in red velvet. There was some sort of wrap or cloak in the box that matched. She thought the neckline was a little low, but perhaps you wore the cloak with it. She touched the cloak still in the box. Kitty lifted it out to show an ivory-colored lace scarf underneath, and Lorelei lifted the delicate lace out of the box. “It’s beautiful …”
“Three pieces!” Kitty gushed. “One more reason it’s my pick.”
Lorelei studied the dress. The neckline was trimmed in the same dark red velvet as the sleeves. Tiny red bows ran from the scooped neck to the bodice. It looked like something out of a fairy tale.
“I think she likes it,” Shona told Kitty.
“Ya think?” Kitty giggled.
Lorelei stared at them open-mouthed. “I … I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll wear it,” Kitty chirped. “Or I will.”
“No, you won’t,” Shona said. “And from the look on her face, I’d say we have a winner.” She nodded at Kitty to fold the cloak and put it back in the box. She did, then helped Shona do the same with the dress. “It should fit fine – but if not, call me and I’ll have it altered.”
“That fast?” Lorelei said in surprise. “But Mrs. Clifford at the alterations shop is gone. She always visits her son in California this time of year.”
“Don’t worr
y, I know someone who’s pretty handy with a needle and thread.”
Kitty sighed. “Yeah.”
Lorelei stared at her a moment.
“Oh, it’s not me. Just someone we know.”
“Well, if you don’t mind waiting a few minutes, I’ll run it upstairs,” Lorelei volunteered. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to it.”
“That’s right, you live in the apartment over the shop,” Shona said.
She nodded, gathered up the box and taking the stairs two at a time, hurried to put it away. She left the apartment unlocked. There was no sense locking it when she was right there in the shop. Besides, almost no one knew anyone lived up there yet.
“Remember, call me if it doesn’t fit,” Shona reminded her when she returned. “But I think we’ll be fine.”
Lorelei smiled and, before she could stop herself, gave Shona a hug. “Thank you so much!”
Shona hugged her back. “Think nothing of it.”
Lorelei felt so good in that moment, she couldn’t begin to describe it. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. Was she dreaming?
Shona stepped away. “We have to be going. The party is Saturday, remember.”
“How can I forget?” she teased.
“Oh! Shoes!” Kitty blurted, then ran out the door.
Lorelei laughed. “Is she always that excitable?”
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” Shona commented. “As you can see, I’m the calm one.”
She laughed again as Kitty came back with another box. “Shoes!” she exclaimed and set them on the counter. “I hope they fit. If not, we have access to other sizes.”
“Do you outfit everyone for your parties?” she asked as she opened the box.
“Not everyone,” Shona said as Lorelei pulled out a pair of off-white ankle boots. “But a few people usually have trouble finding outfits, so we try to have it covered.”
“They’re pretty.” Lorelei held them up to examine them. “Are they comfortable?”
“You won’t find out until you try them on,” Shona said. “I have a pair, though, and I’m fine in them.”
“They’re lovely, they really are.” Lorelei brushed a tear away. She didn’t know why she was suddenly so emotional. No one had ever been this generous to her before. And why would they? She was a nobody. Sometimes she felt as if she didn’t exist.
