Page 47 of All Dressed Up

Her grip tightened. “What did you say?”

“Mary Reed. She’s here. I can feel her presence.”

He had to be lying. She continued to prune her flowers, pretending that what he’d just said hadn’t rattled her. “How do you know Mary?”

“Let’s just say Emma didn’t get all of her abilities from her mom.”

This had to be some sort of trick. Still, she was more than a bit curious, because like it or not, he was the one who brought up Mary Reed. She turned, leaned her back against her workbench, and folded her arms. “So, you see ghosts?”

He shook his head. “Not see... feel them.”

“Feel them?” she repeated. “What does that even mean?”

“I know she’s near the bench. To the right of you. It’s an energy I can sense.”

An ice-cold shiver ran up Rachel’s back, and she pulled herself off the bench, doing her best to straighten out her fright. She glanced around. “And what may I ask is Mary feeling?”

He closed his eyes for a few beats, finally saying, “She’s frustrated.”

Frustrated?A sarcastic laugh escaped her lips. “Mary’sfrustrated. Poor thing. If she’d lived up to her end of our deal last night, maybe she wouldn’t be feeling so fru—” She bit down on her tongue. She hadn’t meant to go off like that. The last thing she wanted to do was reveal to this stranger her own interactions with Mary.

No. What she wanted was for things to go back to normal, which started with getting this man out of her shop.

And since he wasn’t taking any hints, she marched across the floor and swung the front door open. “I’m sorry, Mr. Taylor. I’ve got a business to run. Please leav—”

“There’s a wedding dress in the chest upstairs.”

She released her hand slowly off the door. How could he possibly know about the antique trunk?

Unless... Was Mary really here?

“Am I right?” he asked. “There’s a trunk upstairs that used to belong to Mary.”

“How did you know that? I thought you couldn’t hear her.”

“I can’t. Whatever she’s saying to me, I’m sensing. Is there a chest of Mary’s upstairs?”

Her gaze met Jesse’s question head-on. There was no reason to lie about it. “Yes.”

“Go see then. I bet anything you’ll find a wedding dress inside.”

But how?Rachel rushed past him toward the back. Mary had said in her note that Emma would get her wedding dress later. Was now “later”?

She skidded to a stop. If Jesse stayed down here and Will arrived, all hell could break loose again if she wasn’t here to intervene. She’d rather not spend any more time at the police station. Not taking that chance, she motioned to the old man with a wave. “Come with me, Mr. Taylor.”

“It’s Jesse,” the man said as they climbed the stairs.

Rachel smiled politely. She’d rather not be on a first name basis.

They reached the landing, and Rachel escorted them into the temporary boutique, turning on the lights. “The trunk is in the next room,” she said, her heart galloping.

Seconds later, she bent down, latched her fingers around the brass handle, and pulled up the hood.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. Inside, cream satin shimmered. “I can’t believe it. This can’t be.” She reached down and pulled out a long, sleek gown. It was simple, yet elegant. “It’s beautiful.”

“Now do you believe me?”

“Is Mary here now?” Rachel asked, unable to take her eyes off the gown.

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