Page 27 of All Dressed Up

Seriously? Rachel shook her head. “Cryptic Mary strikes again.” She flipped it over, flashing it to Donovan.

“Now,” her brother read the card. “What does she want to happen now?”

“Like I freakin’ have a clue. You know what? I’m done.” Rachel gathered up the cards and threw them in the trash can. “I have no idea what any of this means, and honestly, I’m tired of her bossing me around. It’s creepy, and it’s pointless. If she wants me to do something, she’s going to have to spell it out with more words and stop barking orders. Let’s go eat.”

She reached for her store keys. Since the Buttermilk Tavern was out of the question, they could go for burgers at the Star Lite. It’d been a while since she had one of Mel’s BBB Burgers, and a well-done one smothered in blue cheese with blueberries and bacon sounded amazing right now.

“Not so fast. I want to see something.” Donovan bent down and retrieved the cards out of the trash can. He laid them on the counter.

Dammit, Donovan. Why couldn’t her sleuth of a brother let it go? It reminded her of the time he wouldn’t drop the fact that she was the one who put the tiniest dent in their parents’ car. It was barely noticeable, but he’d shown their mom and dad a series of pictures he’d taken with his phone that pretty much implicated her.

Instead of a chef, he should have been a detective.

Frustrated, Rachel folded her arms and looked over her shoulder, her gaze zooming out the glass toward the Buttermilk Tavern. Were Will and Amber enjoying dinner now? Would there be dessert—aka sex—later at his place?

The last thing she wanted to do was stay here knowing the man she loved was a few feet away making dessert plans with another woman.

Loved?!Her knees began to wobble at that admission. Oh, hell. She was in love.

And if she was honest, she’d been feeling that way about Will for quite a long time. Defiant, she steadied her stance and watched her brother move the cards around. Whom she wanted didn’t matter if Will had developed strong feelings for another woman. “What are you doing?” she finally asked.

“Just seeing something.” Donovan slid the cards in the order Rachel had received them. “I think Maryhasspelled it out for you.”

“How?” She really doubted it, but fine, she’d amuse her brother and let him explain.

He pointed to the first card. “This card you found in Mary’s trunk is telling you to open MR Wedding Events.”

“Yeah, and it made absolutely zero sense. Still doesn’t. I have my own business that’s doing quite well.”

“Right, but it was the first you received, yes?”

“I told you it was,” she said, not bothering to mask her frustration.

“Calm down. Let’s just see something for a minute.” He put his finger on that card and moved it all the way to the left. “The second told you to get the purse, which you did. Let’s move that card to the side for now since you accomplished that request.” He pushed it all the way to the right. “That leaves us with ‘Upstairs!’ and ‘Now!’” He positioned both cards next to the first. “I think you have your instructions,” he said, his voice oozing out smugness. “Pretty clear to me.”

“What’s pretty clear?” Rachel came around the counter, eyeing each card. “I don’t see it.”

“Seriously? I thought you were the smart twin. Read what she’s telling you to do.”

“Give the card to the woman who opened the trunk. She is to open MR Wedding Events. Upstairs! Now!” She turned to her brother. “Mary Reed wants me to open a wedding business upstairs now.”

He pointed a finger in her direction. “Bingo!”

“But I don’t have inventory for a store.”

“Um...” Donovan walked over to the rack and pulled out two wedding dresses, hoisting them in the air. “I think you do.”

“But they’re Will’s dresses.” Rachel let that sentence sink in. There were a lot of wedding gowns in here, and Will would have to take them somewhere. “Wait. Could she be talking about my making the upstairs a temporary home for the Belle Bridal Boutique?”

Her brother shrugged his answer. “What Mary is suggesting is always a mystery, but I don’t think this is a far stretch.” He chuckled. “She might want commission if she’s suggesting a name change to MR Wedding Events.”

Rachel took a minute to think it over. Making a temporary space for Will to run his mother’s business wasn’t a bad idea. With all his summer clients, Will would need a place while he sorted out the damage to the Belle Bridal Boutique.

She tilted her head back, looking straight up. But would the upstairs work?

It could...

With a few hands, it wouldn’t take long to convert it into a makeshift shop for Will to conduct business. With the two connected rooms and the old hardwood floors, it could be quite charming.

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