Confusion crossed their faces as he once again revealed too much of his true identity. He gritted his teeth. Denis raised an eyebrow, and Haley hugged her arms around her waist. Mistrust leaked from their eyes. Undercover tactics were practiced in the field and sometimes one totally screwed up. New to the private investigator game, he assumed he’d make mistakes, but for this one, he deserved a kick in the ass.
While he contemplated his stupidity, Lily came to his aid and said, “Jake used to be a police officer. He knows more about these things than we do.”
She clapped her hands together and her face brightened. “I do have some good news. I have two dresses here that you can try on. One of them is from the same designer you like. If you want it, for your troubles, I will give it to you at cost. My seamstresses are here. You can be fitted and take the dress back with you.”
“Money is not the issue, dear.” Pam sipped her tea.
“What choice do I have?” Giselle stood up, her chair bumping into the wall behind her. She threw her napkin next to her untouched muffin and followed Haley into the back of the house.
“Ladies, Denis is on hand if you need anything. I’m going to assist Giselle.” Lily pushed back her chair, careful not to hit the wall behind her, and chased after the bride.
Several minutes later, Giselle came back, red faced with puffy eyes. “I didn’t like them. Not one. I want the big ball gown. My gown.”
Feisty Grandma stood up. “That’s done then. Young lady, you’ll be hearing from our lawyer. Best be thinking about another occupation because it’s not true what they say about bad press being better than no press. Bad reviews can kill a business.”
“Wait, please. I may have another solution.” Lily swallowed and took in a long, deep breath.
Whatever she was about to say wasn’t going to be easy for her. Something she dreaded. Her face pinched in pain. “This morning I received a shipment of dresses from an exclusive Italian designer we’re hoping will join our bridal shop. I haven’t opened the boxes yet, but I know at least two of them are ball gowns.”
Denis gasped and covered his mouth with his hand. When he got over the shock, he said, “Lily, you can’t. They’re not for sale. Those are one of a kind. No one has even seen them yet. You were going to have a big reveal at the runway show if we snagged the designer.”
“Momma, one of a kind? What do you think?” Giselle’s expression went from disappointed to dreamy.
“Couture? No one has one like it?” Feisty Grandma took a sip of tea. “Sweet baby girl, why not look at them?” She glowed as she addressed her granddaughter.
Lily nodded at no one in particular. Her body remained tense, her hands wiping against her black pants as they slid down her thighs. “I have to speak with the designer first. These are samples she designed for us exclusively. If she joins our bridal shop, then these dresses may become part of our collection. She may not want to sell them yet.”
“I’m losing my patience, young lady. Call the designer now and show us these dresses. Denis, we’ll need more tea.”
“Yes, of course.” Denis beamed at the three women. “Try the pumpkin muffins. They’re to die for.” He lifted the tray and tea pot and paraded back to the kitchen.
“I’ll call my sisters. They’ll reach the designer. Haley, I’ll need you in the back.”
Lily left with Haley behind her. Neither women swung their hips as much as Denis had. Haley’s shoulders slumped as she followed Lily. What burden did she carry? Something more was going on with her.
Several minutes passed and Jake used the time to interrogate the women. They had no idea his questions were more than polite conversation, and by the time Denis came back with more tea, Jake had learned all about Giselle’s intended—a congressman’s son whose family history included plantation owners who never lost their land during the Civil War, and from what they didn’t say, Jake gathered these ladies themselves had more money than all the guys in his former precinct and their families combined. Feisty Grandma was right. Money was no object to them.
Denis poured out the tea and joined them at the table. “My beautiful bride, you will have a wonderful wedding dress yet. Lily has been known to produce miracles. Wait and see.”
Haley came rushing in, out of breath, and wringing her hands. “Lily’s talking to the designer right now and wants Giselle to come back with me.”
Her overly dramatic responses were beginning to rub Jake the wrong way. He could understand Lily’s nervous behavior. Her business depended on satisfied customers. If her clients weren’t happy, her shop would eventually close. But why was Haley invested?
When they left, Denis said, “That’s good news. She wants to meet the bride. Designers love to do that. You live near Savannah? I had the most perfect lunch along the river once. The best omelet and sweet tea. Gorgeous view.”
As Jake soaked in the atmosphere and listened to Denis’s chatter, he was convinced that Lily’s manager cared about her. Jake could tell from how Denis’s face brightened each time he said her name that the guy was half in love with her. Not that that was a concern either way for Jake. Jake found her intriguing, yes, beautiful, no question, and maybe under different circumstances, would ask her out for a drink, but his focus had to be on his work. He planned to concentrate solely on this case. Besides, Jake was pretty sure Denis played for the other team, but still, the guy caused a pang of jealousy to hit him in the gut. He shrugged off the feeling as a natural guy thing. Even if Jake wasn’t interested, he didn’t want any other guy interested in Lily either.
Who was he kidding? He was lying to himself. Lily was more than a beautiful woman to him, and he hadn’t a clue as to how to handle the unexpected feelings that crept under his skin.
After tea, Denis cleaned up in the kitchen, and the rest of them moved to the comfort of the living room. Grandma and Pam sat perched on the end of the couch, and he sunk into a chair. Leo rested by his feet. Soon, commotion streamed into the room from down the hall. The noise got closer and a brilliant bride appeared in a sparkling, voluminous white gown with Lily and Haley trailing behind her.
Giselle beamed at her mother and grandmother, who in turn smiled. Within seconds, both dabbed at their faces with the tissue in their hands. Pam rose. Tears welled in Giselle’s eyes as she brought her hands in prayer form to her lips. Jake looked from Lily to Haley, both optimistic. Clueless about fashion, Jake didn’t have to use his undercover cop skills to realize this was the bride’s dress.
“You look absolutely stunning!” Denis came in from the kitchen, drying his hands on a dish towel. “Magnificent!”
“You do look fabulous in this dress,” Lily said. “I know it’s not the one you came here to see, but how do you feel?”
Giselle nodded and teared up. “It’s perfect. I can’t believe I like it better than my first dress. And I love this veil,” she said, fingering the lacey material.
The illumination of the dining room chandelier and various lamps in the living room reflected off the fabric, which glittered. Giselle stood radiant. Jake rubbed Leo’s head and breathed a sigh of relief. Lily had created a miracle.
After a lot of hugs, kisses, and tears, all the ladies, including Feisty Grandma, started to walk toward the back of the house to finish the sale of the dress.
Jake said, “Haley, hang back a minute, would you?” The words came out more like an order than a question.
Haley hesitated, turning to Lily for guidance. She obviously wanted to follow the bride and her entourage instead of lingering behind with him.
“It’s okay. I’ve got this covered,” Lily said. Then she ushered everyone out of the room, except Haley.
“Lily tells me you’re new around here. You came with glowing references.”
“Yes.”
“I know you’re from South Dakota. New Jersey must be a re
al culture shock for you. We turn on alarms here for instance.”
“Oh no, it’s like New York, in that way, you know. I was working for one of the biggest bridal shops in the city and living in Brooklyn for a couple of years before I came here.”
“Yes, Lily told me. Working for a renowned New York City bridal shop and living in Brooklyn? What made you leave the city life to come to live in a peaceful and quiet New Jersey beach town? I don’t mean to make light of Lily’s accomplishments, but isn’t her shop a step backwards in your career plan?”
“Oh no. I was an assistant in sales there. Here I can actually be a salesperson and be Lily’s assistant. I’ll learn from working here. See more of the process, eh? Besides, her family’s shop has a sterling reputation, and she and her sisters planned to expand. I’m starting from the ground up with this place. It’s going to go far. You’ll see.” Haley smiled, but Jake didn’t miss the sudden slip of her South Dakotan accent or the way she kept wringing her hands together.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Haley.” Lily came back into the room, flushed with excitement. “What else have you been talking about?”
Jake chimed in. “Haley thinks New Jersey is similar to New York. I guess you didn’t lock your doors in Brooklyn either?”
Haley gulped. “Oh no, my brother Fernando always made sure of that. Our parents died when we were young, and he’s been protecting me ever since.”
“Sorry to hear that,” Jake said, absorbing this tidbit of information. “Must be tough on him now that you’re here and he’s there.”
“He moved with me, to Brooklyn.” She looked away for a second. “He, uh, stayed there when I moved to New Jersey.”
“I’m originally from New York. Long Island. My mom, grandmother, and sister go into the city a lot to see Broadway shows. Their favorite Italian restaurant on Restaurant Row is Francesco’s. Ever go there?”
Haley shook her head, and Lily frowned. He got her warning. You’re not a cop anymore. But something was off about Haley, and Jake decided to keep digging. “Which one is your favorite? Maybe I can give your recommendation to the ladies in my family?”
“I didn’t go out much in the city. My brother did a lot of cooking for us at home.”
“You must have gone out with people from work. Your bridal shop wasn’t too far from the Theater District.” Jake shot a glance at Lily for assistance, but she crossed her arms and tapped her foot. He wasn’t going to get any help from her. “Something I said?”
“Don’t they have bait and tackle shops in Long Island? If your family lives there, why wouldn’t you open up a shop closer to home?”
Damn. Lily snared him in a trap he created himself, and now he’d have to figure out a way to get free.
Chapter 8
Guess lying was not his strong suit.
Laughter and giddiness from the back of the house got louder as the other women reached them. Saved from the blushing bride. At least for now.
From the confused, but determined expression on Lily’s face, Jake knew he was in for a slew of questions. He’d need some time to come up with a reasonable explanation as to why he and his father would rent a shop in another state when he lived on an island and would have had plenty of opportunity to start a business there.
He may have gotten a reprieve, but he wasn’t going to allow Haley time to cover the holes in her story. He had to focus on the girl’s background.
Giselle, dressed in her street clothes, gave Lily a huge hug and thanked her. Lily turned to Haley and said, “Our bride’s ready to leave. Would you carry her dress out to her car? I’ve already put it in a garment bag.”
“That was quick,” Jake said, impressed with the speed and efficiency of her staff.
“Yes. Giselle will have her dress fitted by her own seamstress back home.” Lily sighed and looked at Denis.
Denis swooped in and put his arm around her. “Good news is you turned a terrible situation into a brilliant one and made her a happy bride. That dress is glorious. Bad news is you no longer have that dress to show. Better news? I think you already know the answer.”
She patted his hand on her shoulder. “You know me too well. I loved the gowns we received from this designer. We have to entice her to join our team.”
Haley scurried off, got the dress, and after a long, drawn out goodbye, served with several hugs, “Thank yous,” and more tears from the Georgian women, Haley led them out, and Denis went to the back of the house to finish his work.
Jake let out a heavy sigh. “Finally.” About to ask Lily more questions about Haley, the house phone rang again.
Lily excused herself, then came back in under a minute. “That was Aunt Bee. She said she wants to show you something. I’m curious to see what she has, but she said for you to come alone,” Lily said in a dramatic voice that sounded like an old Hollywood actress.
The intriguing request persuaded Jake to rush outside and he jerked his back in the process. He rubbed the sore spot, curiosity winning over pain, as he watched Lily and Haley waving off the bride and her family.
“Haley, let’s go inside. We have to get busy canceling appointments and rescheduling. Denis has already started,” Lily said.
Mrs. Bailey waved to Jake from her porch.
He marched over and followed her inside. “Whatcha got for me, Mrs. Bailey?”
“I heard about Sam. Shot dead. In the head. Got what he deserved.”
Jake raised an eyebrow. He guessed the chief released a statement. He waited, not sure how much information was revealed. Didn’t want to tip his hand.
“I knew something was going on. Chief can’t keep anything from me. I got him to spill. Says I have to keep mum until he tells the public. I can keep a secret. Didn’t tell Lily I knew, did I? She’s better off without that bum, but she’s in shock. I didn’t want to upset her further with customers at her house.”
Again, Jake listened.
The old gal kept talking. “How’s Lily?”
She didn’t say anything about Sam in a wedding gown, and neither did he. As far as he knew, only he, Lily and the police knew that fact. And the killer of course. Maybe the chief planned to withhold that information. “She’s doing okay. Under the circumstances.”
She held a newspaper in her hand. “Thought you might like to see this. It’s Lily’s and what’s his face’s engagement picture. I remembered I had it. See everyone’s trying to get me to throw out my papers, but you never know when something’s going to come in handy. Like now. Bet Lily doesn’t even have a copy. Her sisters made her have a bonfire ceremony or some silly thing girls like to do nowadays. They burned all the pictures and mementos she had of that imbecile to help Lily feel better. Not that she had a lot of pictures of him. I recall him being a bit camera shy.” She pushed the paper at him. “See his beady eyes? Can’t trust anyone with those kind of eyes.”
Jake held back a grin. He didn’t want to tell her that the shape of a person’s eyes technically didn’t equate to a person’s honesty, but he doubted he could convince her otherwise.
He studied the picture, mentally comparing the photo to the one his client had shown him, and recognized Sam as the person his client hired him to find. He read the short caption. The clipping mentioned Lily, her bridal salon, her parents, and that she was a life-long resident and talked about where she attended college. Details were slim concerning Sam, except that he was employed as a lifeguard.
“Mind if I keep this?” He pointed to the picture. “I want to see if I can dig up some more info on this guy.”
Mrs. Bailey stepped back and shook her head. “Oh, no. I wanted to show it to you, but it belongs here.” She pointed to a stack of newspapers piled waist-high like blocks on a Jenga game. One level of the tower, twisted, a newspaper removed, the tower sturdy. “You can put it back right there now.”<
br />
“I promise I’ll take good care of it.” He offered his most charming smile, the one that always won over his grandmother.
“Why don’t you take a picture of it with your phone? Isn’t that what all you kids do anyway?” she said. Mrs. Bailey tightened her grip on her cane and her arms began to tremble. She shook her head again. “That’s mine. I showed you that because the chief said you’re helping Lily. Thought you might want to see what Sam looked like before . . . you know.”
At first Jake was surprised by her hesitation, but then he focused on the piles of paper causing tight walkways throughout her house and the overabundance of furniture and collectibles of cat paraphernalia. The clutter was more than a lifetime’s worth of stuff an old lady acquired, this was an obsession.
In his years as a cop, he had seen far more severe cases. People who hoarded animals and even garbage. Mrs. Bailey demonstrated some of those same traits.
He would have used his phone, but noticed the last few pictures he had taken were fuzzy. A PI needed a good camera. “The camera’s shot.” Buy a new phone ASAP. He decided on a different approach.
“Tell you what. How about I run to the mart and make a copy? I’ll be back in a few minutes with it.”
Once again, she shook her head no. Then her expression lightened. “Lily has a copy machine in her home office. We can go over there and while she’s not looking, make a quick copy. I don’t want her to see this picture again because it would make her sad.”
“I didn’t think you could leave the house in your . . . condition.”
“What condition?” She looked at her cane. “Oh you mean this? I can leave the house, but I choose not to most of the time. Why should I when everything I need is here? The supermarket and pharmacy deliver. Friends visit and bring me other things I need. I shop online. I rarely go to the doctors, but when I do, I leave. You can give me a hand down the front stairs.”
Forever Hold Your Piece (The Becker Sisters Bridal Series Book 1) Page 7
