Fuck. It was a painful reminder of how Eden had stood before me in a petticoat and that bustier. The memory squeezed around my heart like a vise.
“Hi there,” I called, offering a smile as her dark eyes landed on me. “Let me know if I can help you find anything.”
“Thanks,” she replied. Her voice was bright and bubbly as she moved toward a display of vinyl collectible figures.
I debated whether it was rude to return to unpacking boxes with a customer in the store. Even after four years of owning Dueling Dragons, there were times I felt like I was brand new to customer service. When the woman disappeared from view,I decided I’d stay standing and enter the inventory I’d already unpacked into my spreadsheet.
A few minutes later, she wandered to the counter with a vinyl collectible of Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender in hand.
“Just this?” I asked as I scanned the barcode.
“Yeah, my godson’s birthday is coming up. You have some great stuff. I’m sorry to say this is the first time I’ve been here.” She paused, bright red lips parting when they landed on my name tag. A strange look crossed her face before she added, “Milo, is it?”
I smiled briefly and turned the card reader toward her for a signature. “Yep, that’s me.”
“Hey, do you know if there are any comic conventions nearby? My godson is getting really into cosplay lately, I wondered if there was anywhere I could take him.”
“You just missed the one in the city last month, but there are quite a few within a couple hours of Spruce Hill.” I handed her a business card. “If you check the website, there’s a link to events around the area.”
Her smile was blinding. “Fabulous. Thank you, Milo. It was very nice meeting you.”
Before I could ask her name or verify whether she was the owner of the shop going in next door, she had flounced out the door, her blonde curls bouncing in her wake.
“What just happened?” I asked the empty store as I stared after her.
I replayed the entire interaction in my head, though she’d barely spent five minutes in the store, then shook my head and forced myself to get back to work.
Maybe mysteries were just the new fact of life around here.
Chapter Four
Eden
ThingsmovedquicklyafterRob worked his magic on the corner of the floor. I knew whatever he’d done involved replacing the subfloor and a chunk of carpet, but it looked good as new, cost me nothing thanks to my cousin’s insistence that it was a gift, and the wretched odor was officially gone.
Since Addie had declared herself my assistant, she helped out with almost every aspect of getting the store ready to open. On the Tuesday before our grand opening weekend, she strolled in with an Avatar: The Last Airbender figure in hand and an unconvincingly innocent smile on her face.
“What? What is that look?” I demanded.
“Nothing, just stopped next door to get a gift for Anna’s son, Dylan. Have you been over there yet?”
“No,” I said absently, adjusting the position of one of the mannequins in the front window.
Addie propped a hand on her hip when I glanced up at her. “You’re coming with me to Dylan’s party, aren’t you? You should go over and get him a gift, support local businesses. Besides, you really ought to introduce yourself to the other shop owners on the block.”
Since that was already on my to-do list, I held up my hands in surrender. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll do it tomorrow. I want all of this ready to roll before we take down the paper for Friday.”
“Of course,” Addie murmured.
Something in her tone struck me as odd, but she turned her focus to helping me with the display and the thought went straight out of my head. In the end, though, the window displays looked absolutely immaculate. We’d decided to play up the Garden of Eden theme, draping garlands of ivy and flowers around mannequins dressed in some of my favorite items in coordinating colors—a mint nightgown with floral lace straps and a slit up to the hip, an emerald negligée set with pink rosettes across the bust and a matching robe, and a sheer black bodysuit with gold sequined snakes creeping up the ribs.
And in the center, a corset of apple-red satin with matching panties, both covered in creeping silver vines.
I just hoped my shoppers would love the items as much as I did.
By the next morning, my suspicions returned in full force when Addie called to remind meagainabout Dylan’s gift. My cousin was up to something, I just had no idea what.
“I heard you the first time, Adelaide.”
