Page 21 of Save the Dance

“I’ve always loved pretty containers,” she answered with a sigh. She’d begun collecting any that caught her eye when she was in grade school. Her favorites were stacked in the closet of her old bedroom in her parents’ house.

“Then you’re sure to like these. They’re one-of-a-kind creations.” Ever the gentleman, Jason held the door for her.

Where bakery products had crowded the shelves of Nick’s display case and flowers had been everywhere she looked at Forget Me Knot, here, only a handful of boxes had been artfully arranged on display stands. Recessed spotlights highlighted intricate carvings that covered the sides and lids. On one, a bride and groom toasted each other with champagne flutes. Another featured a horse-drawn carriage.

Jason’s long strides led the way to the counter where a young woman stood. He made the standard introductions, and Tara shook hands with Helen Berger, the co-owner of The Memory Box.

“I must say, I’ve never seen anything quite like these.” Tara ran one finger along the edge of a box lined with velvet. The workmanship was every bit as good as some of the pieces she’d seen on display in New York art studios. “These are exquisite. I want to buy one, and I’m not even getting married.”

“B-brides do buy m-most of our boxes,” Helen admitted with a charming stutter. “We have a wide variety of patterns you can choose from, or we’ll help you design something perfect, j-just for you.” She walked over to one that featured a chubby-cheeked baby. “S-see?”

Tara’s midsection tightened. For an instant, she pictured herself cuddling a baby with Jason’s gray eyes and dark hair. She blinked the image away. All that talk of weddings back at I Do Cakes had addled her mind. Much as she wanted a family of her own, she hadn’t even started looking for her Mr. Right. Whoever he turned out to be, it wouldn’t be Jason. Her current assignment would see to that.

She wrenched her gaze away from the carving. She needed to focus on the task at hand if she had any hope of getting ahead at Weddings Today. “Where do you get all these?” she asked, hoping Helen would admit she stocked cheap imports.

“My brother starts with oak or black walnut and hand-carves each exterior panel. Once he’s satisfied, he and my dad stain the pieces and treat them to several layers of protective polyurethane. After that, they assemble the units. Mom adds the lining. She also handles our website.”

“A family business.” She could relate to that. Her sisters were very much involved in her dad’s restaurant. “And you run this wonderful shop.” Tara gestured to the attractive displays, the muted wall colors.

“Yes.” Helen smiled. While they chatted, her slight stutter had eased until it was barely noticeable.

“How’s business?” She glanced around the empty shop. No brides or grooms browsed the aisles. Why was that?

“Excellent. For custom designs, we have a three-month waiting list. While most of our orders come through our website, we get a fair amount of walk-in customers. The weekends are usually pretty busy.”

Tara’s fingers itched to trace the carved drawings. To keep them busy, she flipped open her notebook. While Jason stood in the corner quietly talking on his cell phone, she asked the first question on her list. “What do you do when someone isn’t happy with their purchase?”

Helen bit her lip. “We take precautions to make sure that doesn’t happen. Every customer approves a series of drawings before Brett, my brother, carves the first notch. He sends them photographs of the work in progress. It’s rare for someone to be unhappy with the final product, b-but, I won’t lie to you—it d-does happen. On those occasions, we give them their choice of a full refund or having us start from scratch with a new design.”

Tara had never heard of such a generous return policy for a custom item. With a sigh, she closed her notebook and slipped it into her purse. She wouldn’t waste any more time looking for problems in The Memory Box. The store, like everything else she’d seen in Heart’s Landing, was utterly delightful.

She smothered a groan. It was beginning to look like her only hope of getting a promotion lay in uncovering some terrible truth about Captain Thaddeus.

Chapter Seven

Stepping from the shop into the bright midday sun, Jason dropped his sunglasses into place. “The mayor sends his apologies. When I spoke with him on the phone this morning, he sounded a little stuffy. He said his allergies were kicking up. It sounds a little more serious than that. He has a fever.” He studied Tara to gauge her reaction.

“It’s just you and me for lunch, then?” She stared up at him, her shoulders softening while the faintest trace of a smile played across her lips.

When Tara wasn’t disappointed or angry at the change of plans, he took it as a good sign. “If that’s all right with you,” he said, breathing easier.

“Actually…” Her footsteps slowed.

“Yes?” He braced himself for bad news.

“After gorging myself on that wonderful cake, I don’t think I could eat another bite. I’d just as soon skip lunch and return to the Captain’s Cottage.”

“That’s fine with me.” Though the owner of the White Dove Deli would be disappointed, he’d make sure Tara had another chance to visit the sidewalk cafe.

As they retraced their steps to the car, Tara stopped several times to take pictures. The little breaks gave him a chance to think about how things had gone so far, and he was surprised that he hadn’t minded showing her around as much as he’d thought he would. She wasn’t the jaded New Yorker he’d been told to expect. Instead, she came across as a down-home girl trying to make it in the big city. Bright and witty, she was probably good at her job. She had to be, or she’d never have landed this assignment. He wished her luck. He wanted her to succeed at it as much as she did. Maybe more.

Yet he couldn’t help the feeling that something about Tara’s overall reaction this morning had been a little off. There’d been a few times when it had seemed as though proving that Heart’s Landing deserved its stellar reputation was the last thing she wanted. Which was ridiculous, right? If Tara had come to Rhode Island intent on making sure the town lost its number-one rating to another competitor, wouldn’t she constantly complain, build a huge mountain out of every tiny molehill? That was what he’d do. And he wasn’t alone.

When he’d managed one of the smaller convention centers in Boston, he’d sometimes dealt with performers who were less than impressed with the venue. There’d been eye rolls—lots of them. Bored sighs. An occasional yawn or two. The kind of reaction he’d expected from Tara if she intended to grade them harshly. But on the whole, her responses had been enthusiastic. That, as much as anything, had convinced him she was exactly what she claimed to be—their best chance at retaining the title of America’s Top Wedding Destination.

“So, what’ll you do this afternoon?” he asked when they’d reached the car. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“No, thanks. I need to type up my notes from this morning. I want to do that while it’s all fresh in my mind. Then, I might read in the library some more, as long as I won’t be in anyone’s way. I want to dig into Captain Thaddeus’s logs and journals.” She brushed a hand through her hair.

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