Page 50 of Silver Hills' Christmas Miracle

“Alright, time to go check out our dresses!” I grinned across to my mother, and she smiled back gently.

“What perfect timing,” she said softly, folding up her napkin and standing.

“Aren’t I just great at planning things?” I winked at her and then glanced at Rook as he stood. I hadn’t had a chance to tell him how amazing his ass looked in those jeans, but I was planning on it. As we gathered our things and left the café, Mom’s security stood to attention as we walked outside. It was strange having them follow us around when I’d grown used to just having Rook. Going back to a team of emotionless people who refused to hold a conversation was tough.

“Do you want me to drive you?” Rook asked, tilting his head toward his car. He had driven us here and was currently our only transport unless we wanted to eject a security guard or two.

“No.” Mom smiled, and she breathed deeply as she buttoned up her coat. “Let’s walk.”

I shot Rook a surprised glance—Mom wanted to spend time walking through town?—then fell into step beside her while tucking my scarf tightly around my neck. There still wasn’t a single hint of snow, which was incredibly disappointing, but everything else was doing its best to pull me into a festive mood as we walked.

Storefronts were decorated to the extreme with tinsel, lights, and artwork depicting everything from the Nativity scene to Santa getting stuck in a chimney. The brightness of those storeswas almost enough to hide the few that had closed down over the summer, and I tried not to look at those. The air was cold and crisp and frost still clung to the sidewalk and the windshields of cars as we walked arm in arm, and every so often, a sharp wind would cut through me like a blade. Not even my warm coat could keep the cold out.

I liked it, though. Nothing compared to the bone-chilling freeze of being stuck in that flooded hole.

“Such a beautiful place when you have time to stop and look,” Mom said distantly.

It sounded like an opening, but I didn’t need to persuade Mom that this place was important. I would be preaching to the choir, and today was supposed to be about just us.

Like the old days.

So I stayed quiet and merely made an agreeable noise in my throat. “People have really gone all out with the decorations this year.”

“Does your friend still work at The Anchor?” Mom asked.

“Melanie? She owns it, remember?”

“Oh! I did wonder how she got time off to cater the ball.”

“She… don’t worry. She’s all covered, I promise.”

“Wonderful.” My mom smiled sweetly and remained like that until we entered the seamstress store.

“Hilda!” I left Mom and hurried forward to greet the elderly woman. She walked around in a threadbare shawl that looked like it held no warmth with a roll of measuring tape looped across her frail shoulders.

“Kitty!” She clutched at me with cold hands. “How good to see you! I wasn’t sure how much longer you would be, but I made some tea.”

Hilda greeted my Mom with a smile and then took my hand, leading us behind the counter and into the back fitting room.Three faded red chairs sat in a half-circle around a small table laden with a giant teapot and several small cups.

“This looks amazing.” I smiled. “How are you? You haven’t been working too hard, have you?”

“Oh, you know me,” Hilda croaked softly. “I don’t do the hard work anymore.”

Hilda retired from her own needlework some years ago and spent most of her time supplying other designers, so it had taken me and Mom some persuading to get her to make our dresses this year. She was being paid handsomely, of course. Now that I was here, the excitement to see my dress was building. Lately, it felt like there was very little to hold onto in the way of happiness, and a glittery dress was just the cure.

“Tea?” Hilda glanced at Mom, and then she paused when her eyes fell on Rook. “My goodness. What do I have to do to get me one of those?”

To my surprise, Rook burst out laughing and dipped his head down. “Send me a letter and pour me a cup of tea, and I’m yours.”

“What a gentleman!” Hilda chuckled, patting him on the arm as she moved past. “The tea is all yours. But you, my dear?” Hilda faced me and clutched at my hand. “Let’s see how you look in your dress.”

I flashed Rook an excited smile and followed Hilda behind the curtain into the dressing room. It was small, hidden away behind a blue velvet curtain. Hilda led me onto the small circular stage, and I sucked in a breath, clenching my abdomen as I looked at myself in the four floor-length mirrors that created an oval in front of me.

Beside me, Hilda busied herself with a dust sheet. “Strip for me, dear.”

“You say the sweetest things,” I teased. Then I obeyed. As I undressed, my Yuletide Ball dress was slowly revealed from the dust sheet and my heart pounced right up into my throat.

“Oh, my God,” I gasped.

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