At last, Theo looked a little happier.“I had more than enough material.She can definitely tell a good story.”
“Did she tell you she writes children’s books?”
He sat back in his chair.“No, but it should have been obvious she’s a writer.”
“How about this for a story.”Barbara showed Theo the photos on her laptop.“When we were looking for our great-grandmother’s dresser in The Welcome Center, we found at least three rooms full of beautiful old furniture.Pastor John has no idea who the furniture belongs to.If you’re looking for new stories, you could show your social media followers a different piece of furniture each week and try to find the owners.It will be like a treasure hunt.”
“I’ll have to call Pastor John to see if it’s okay to look for the owners.”
“While you’re doing that, I’ll call my sisters.They might know more about the furniture than I do.”Anything that would help locate the owners would be worthwhile—including using the community Facebook page.Her mom might have shared some information she shouldn’t, but she had a highly engaged social media audience.After seeing their feedback about other posts, they’d enjoy connecting the furniture with its owners.
CHAPTER 5
Mabel carefully placed a large cream box in the middle of The Lakeside Inn’s dining room table and smiled at Penny and Diana.“I know you have ideas about the type of wedding dresses you like, but I thought I’d bring my dress across to the inn.If either of you wants to wear it, you’re more than welcome.”
Barbara was a teenager when she’d last seen her mom’s wedding dress.After that, it was carefully returned to its box, waiting, she suspected, for the day one of her daughters became engaged.
She glanced at her sisters.What would they think of the dress?Neither of them wore frilly dresses, and their mom’s gown, with its full satin skirt, sequined bodice, and puffy sleeves was everything a fairytale princess would wear on her wedding day.
“That was really thoughtful of you,” Penny said as she hugged their mom.
“Don’t feel you have to wear it,” Mabel warned as she pulled Diana into the hug.“I won’t be offended if it’s not what you’re looking for.”
Knowing their mom, she’d be terribly disappointed if no one wore it.Whenever she saw a bride, Mabel would tell her daughters how many hours it had taken their grandma to hand sew each of the beads onto the lace, to cut and stitch the fabric into her dream dress.
With Penny and Diana staring nervously at each other, Barbara cleared her throat.“Can I open the box?”
“I’ll give you a hand,” Mabel said.“Hopefully, it’s still as good as the day we packed it away.”
Gently, they slid the lid off, revealing layers of tissue paper lightly placed around its precious contents.
Barbara smiled when she saw the little bouquet of dried lavender that had been left inside the box.
Her mom must have seen where she was looking.“Your grandma said it would stop the dress from smelling musty.I hope the fabric hasn’t discolored.”
Just thinking about her grandma sewing the dress brought a lump to Barbara’s throat.It wasn’t that long ago that their grandma was alive, filling her home with the sugary scent of cookies and cake, and creating memories that would last forever.
Mabel’s hand trembled as she touched one of the sleeves.“It just feels like yesterday that I married your dad.And now look at us.Penny’s getting married in two months and Diana’s engaged.”
A heaviness settled over the room.Grief, loss, and so many emotions swirled inside Barbara.She wrapped her arm around her mom’s waist, wanting to give her some comfort, something to take her mind off the past.“Just wait until your grandchildren start arriving.”
With a sigh, Mabel patted Barbara’s hand.“I can’t wait.Now, let’s see if the dress has survived.”
As they lifted it out of the box, Barbara held her breath.So far, she couldn’t see any yellow or brown marks on the fabric.There were no holes or other bug-related damage, and the glass beads sparkled beneath the pendant light.
Penny and Diana lifted the train out of the box.
“I’d forgotten how heavy it is,” Penny said as she placed the fabric on the floor.“I can see why you fell in love with the dress, Mom.It’s beautiful.”
“I should have unpacked it sooner.”Mabel held a section of the skirt.“I’m not sure the creases will come out.”
“What if we hang it in the storage closet for a few days?”Barbara suggested.“If that doesn’t help, we can take it to the laundromat in Polson.”
Katie rushed into the room.“One of our guests called—” When she saw the dress, her mouth dropped open.“Is that your gown, Mom?”
Mabel nodded.“It’s a little crinkled, but we have a plan for that.”
“You had such a tiny waist.”
