Page 1 of All Dressed Up

PROLOGUE

Gwendylyn Stevens made her way across the brightly lit football field, her pale pink maid-of-honor dress flowing in the cool, gentle breeze.

It only took her seconds to reach the metal bleachers. She took an available seat in the first row next to a young girl wearing a red sweatshirt and jeans, her long blond hair pulled up in a high ponytail, her nose buried in a book.

She’d spent a lot of time sitting with the pretty teenager—her granddaughter—mostly across from her in a vinyl red booth every Sunday afternoon as Emma Stevens waited in the Star Lite diner with her heart full of hope for a reunion that never came.

She patted Emma’s shoulder. It would soon.

“May I join you?”

Gwendylyn looked up to see her best friend, Mary Reed, still in her beautiful, vintage wedding dress that wasn’t so old the first time she wore it. She loved having her finally here; it had been an eternity.

It also was much more fun matchmaking with a partner in crime. She’d need the extra help to pull off the merging of two hearts that didn’t want to be merged. “I take it you still haven’t left for your honeymoon.”

Mary’s face lit up. “Not when there’s more work to be done. I’m guessing my husband and I have a lifetime.” She paused, bunching up her dress to take a seat. “Or is it deathtime in this place?”

Gwendylyn couldn’t help but chuckle. She’d missed her feisty best friend’s sense of humor. She’d been a lone wolf for so long. Too long. “Time as we understood it is relative up here. You’ll get the hang of it.”

Mary placed her hands on her gown, smoothing the material around her legs. “Like I’ve gotten used to wearing this dress all the time. Got anything else I can put on?”

Gwendylyn hadn’t given it much thought, but they’d both been wearing the same special clothes since Mary’s wedding. With one snap of her fingers, both outfits were replaced with blue jeans and colorful wool sweaters, more casual for two dead ladies.

Or living spirits as she preferred.

Mary clapped her hands once. “So, Gwennie, now that Bethany and Adam are engaged and Donovan and Zoe are enjoying their start to happily ever after, who’s next for us to get together? Betty and Mel?”

Gwendylyn shook her head. That was one pair she’d never had to worry about. Their love and respect for each other ran deep. The two didn’t need her help, or Mary’s for that matter.

Although, Betty would probably get a kick out of seeing her name in Mel’s cake batter. She chuckled. When the time was right, Betty would.

Mary took in their surroundings, eyeing the spectators sitting all around them. “I don’t recognize this place. Where are we?”

“The Buttermilk High School’s homecoming game.” Gwendylyn pointed to the football field.

“Well, these seats aren’t as comfortable as the ones in the Majestic Theater.” She sat back down, wrinkling her nose. “And it’s a bit chilly. Why are we here?”

“This was an important night. It devastated someone.”

“Who, and what do you mean by ‘wasan important night’?”

“It happened more than fifteen years ago.”

“Oh.” Mary gave Gwendylyn’s arm a playful punch. “You’ve been holding back on me. You didn’t tell me we could time travel in this place. Neat.”

Gwendylyn smiled over at her dear, old friend. There were many things Mary would soon discover about her new dwellings. Though Mary was a more experienced witch, Gwendylyn had spent more time in the hereafter and had honed some new magical skills, including going back to the past. She was looking forward to showing her friend the ropes. She nodded to the grassy field. “This particular moment had an impact for several of our loved ones.”

Mary watched intently as the young players warmed up, the practice footballs soaring through the air. “I think I saw this in a movie.”

“What? Football?” Gwendylyn couldn’t help but chuckle. Since her best friend had died in 1937, her modern-day knowledge had been relegated to movies played at the Majestic Theater where her spirit had been trapped for decades. She’d seen hundreds of movies over the years.

“So, what happened tonight?” Mary asked, her question full of eager wonderment.

“A heart was broken so badly I have yet to be able to repair it.”

“Whose heart?” Mary looked around. “Everyone we know is matched. Emma’s marrying Jason. Abby and Brandon are pumping out the children. Josh and Caitlin”—she paused, laughing—“still act like they are on their honeymoon. I can barely check in on them without getting an eyeful.”

“It’s probably best for now to give them their privacy.”

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