Page 45 of The Merry Matchmaker

Off to the dressing rooms they went, and Frankie sat in a nearby chair, offering opinions as Elinor modeled the various outfits. The red dress was by far the best find.

“Wow,” Frankie said when Elinor edged out of the changing room.

“Do you think it’s too much?” Elinor worried.

“Too much what?”

Elinor shrugged. “Just. Too much.”

Frankie suddenly got it. “You’re worried that the dress is going to wear you instead of the other way around.”

Elinor bit on her lip and nodded. “It seems more like a Frankie dress. Do you want to try it on?”

Actually, Frankie did. The dress fit perfectly, and seeing her reflection in it lifted her spirits. “I’m going to get this,” she told Elinor, who was in the next room, trying on the pink sweater.

“You should,” Elinor said.

“I’ll let you borrow it if you change your mind about wearing it,” Frankie promised.

“Thanks,” said Elinor.

With that settled, it was back to the task at hand.

The black sweater and pants looked great on Elinor, and the red scarf would dress up the outfit for parties. If Elinor made it to any parties. As Frankie suspected, the pale pink sweater made Elinor look washed out.

“I think you’ll definitely need to wear lipstick with that,” Frankie said.

She sprang for everything, including the sweater that Elinor was so enamored of. “But now we need to get that lipstick if you’re going to wear it,” she insisted.

Frankie managed to convince Elinor to buy a dark pink lipstick, and the makeup expert added blush cream, light brown eyeliner, mascara and an eyebrow pencil that proved she had eyebrows. Frankie smiled, pleased with herself, and Elinor regarded her reflection with awe.

“I feel...” Elinor hesitated.

“Pretty?” suggested Frankie.

“Yes, definitely. But also, uh, conspicuous.”

“You’re just not used to seeing yourself in makeup,” Frankie assured her. “You do want to stand out a little. What’s the point of getting all these fun clothes if nobody sees you in them? And you do want a certain someone to notice you, right?”

Elinor smiled and nodded.

“Well, he will now,” Frankie predicted.

Elinor had yet to confide who that someone was, but it had to be William Sharp, their newest best customer. He would be dazzled, and Frankie could hardly wait to see his reaction to the new and improved Elinor the following day.

8

Frankie and Adele were both ringing up sales on Tuesday when Brockentered the shop. Frankie watched him strolling toward her, smiling, with mixed emotions. This wasn’t going to work, she knew it. She could never feel comfortable dating someone younger than her. And yet her pride wanted her to go out with him again, prove to the world (okay, one particular person in the world) that she still had what it took to hold a younger man.

“You free for lunch?” he asked after her customer left.

“I’m afraid not,” she said. She could feel her mother’s assessing gaze on her. “I’m having lunch with my sister,” Frankie explained, and she wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed that she couldn’t say yes to lunch.

“How about dinner then?” he suggested.

She hesitated.

Stop this silliness right now, advised her saner self.You don’t really have any interest in this man.

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