“And I couldn’t be blessed with a better team of seamstresses.” Cassie gazed at the group of women, her green eyes shimmering with gratitude as they resumed the alterations.
While Dolores fussed with the hem of her gown, and the chatter turned to other wedding preparations, Eliza’s thoughts wandered once again to her evening with Grant. The night had never quite recovered after he’d asked her about Ben’s father. And they’d packed up a few minutes later, riding most of the way home without uttering a word. But the drive wasn’t anything like the comfortable silence they’d shared on the way to the lake. Instead, the air felt heavy, clouded with secrets and regret.
Tiptoeing into Ben’s room, she’d kissed her sleeping son good night, a ritual she’d never missed in all of his seven years. Retiring to her own room down the hall, Eliza had drifted in and out of sleep, fragments of her recurring dream scattered throughout her mind like disjointed puzzle pieces. The teetering tree swing. Ben’s laughter echoing through the branches. The soft, shaggy fur of the family dog. And Grant’s smile… an image much hazier than the rest.
An abrupt rap on the cottage’s front door startled Eliza from her reverie.
The women tittered and squealed, hiding Cassie in case the visitor happened to be Luke.
As they created a human barricade, Penny waved at Eliza to answer the door. “Tell him he can’t come in.”
Shaking her head, Eliza laughed. “We don’t even know it’s Luke.”
Gripping the doorknob, she turned it with a slow, deliberate twist of her wrist, prolonging the suspense with dramatic flair.
“Just open it,” Penny hissed, while the other women giggled, reveling in the excitement.
Flinging open the door, Eliza blinked in surprise.
There wasn’t a single soul in sight.
Poking her head outside, she peered around.
“Well, who is it, dear?” Maggie asked.
“No one.” Baffled, Eliza stepped onto the porch, pausing when her bare foot rested on something cold.
Glancing down, she saw a daisy chain necklace and a plain white envelope resting on the welcome mat. Her brow scrunched in confusion, she brought both of them inside.
“Ooh, what is it?” Penny’s eyes widened when they landed on the unexpected items.
“I’m not sure.” Eliza shrugged, handing them to Cassie.
Maggie smiled. “I think Luke’s inviting you to the Daisy Hop.”
“That’s odd. He invited me yesterday. He made me a crown of daisies and everything. It was quite sweet, actually.” Cassie slid the note from the envelope, her lips curling as she unfolded the crisp white paper.
“What does it say?” Dolores and Beverly asked in unison, peering over Cassie’s shoulder.
Grinning broadly, Cassie handed the note to Eliza. “It’s for you.”
“What do you mean it’s for me?”
“It’s addressed toyou.”
“But who knew I’d be here?”
“As I quickly learned, people have a way of finding things out in Poppy Creek.” Cassie chuckled.
Her pulse fluttering, Eliza scanned the familiar penmanship.
Then, unable to believe it, she read it again.
“We’re dying, Liza. Who invited you to the dance?” Penny pressed both hands over her heart as though it might burst with curiosity any second.
Eliza turned her bewildered gaze toward her friend. “Grant.”
“Are you going to say yes?”
