Page 87 of Bodyguard By Night
“Here?”
“Yeah. Evidently, she is a satellite shop for a place in New York City.”
“We should have done the tux thing while we were out there yesterday.”
“We had enough going on.” And truthfully, I’d forgotten—again. The minute I’d found out how much was going on behind the scenes in Willow’s life, nothing else had mattered.
Her wide smile faded. “I forgot about it for a minute.” She sipped the last of her coffee and tossed it in the trash can.
I wished I could.
I did the same then opened the door for her. The space was airy and painted a neutral gray, leaving the clothing to provide all the color. Bright dresses in wild shades, a rack of vintage T-shirts and denim, and a dais chock full of Doc Martens in a rainbow of colors filled the front of the store.
Chaos dropped her purse by her feet and whipped out her phone.
I rolled my eyes and picked up her bag, letting her wander. Knowing she’d be distracted for awhile, I went to the counter.
An older woman in a tailored blue suit smiled at me. “Can I help you?”
“I called about a fitting for a tux. Ransom Douglas.”
“Ahh, yes.” She opened a ledger and flipped pages. It appeared vintage wasn’t just the name of the shop. “Em is in the back. Give us just a second. We’ll get you set up.”
“Thanks.”
I leaned against the driftwood counter. It had a poly veneer to protect it from the human element, but it had the same vibe as the sign outside. Old meets new with a bit of artistic flair.
Chaos held her phone over her shoulder as she flicked through a rack of T-shirts, then like a drunken bee, she moved to the dresses, boots, and back to the shirts. Within the time it took for the woman to summon the tailor, she collected an armful.
“Mr. Douglas, you finally came in to see me.”
I turned toward the musical voice. The woman had pink hair that reminded me of cotton candy from the fair. It swooped over one eye and over her shoulder in waves. She wore a loose dress that moved with her. She held out her hand, shaking firmly before letting mine go. “I’m December, but you can call me Em.” She peered around me. “I see your friend is doing okay with shopping.”
Chaos turned with a big smile. Another half-dozen shirts had landed on her pile. “This place is amazing. I’m going to bust my clothing budget and then some.”
“Anything can be altered to fit. I do them on premises.”
“Oh, really?” Chaos’s eyes lit up. “Nothing ever fits me.” She laughed. “I’m all legs and no chest.”
She was a bit more than a mouthful and that suited me just fine.
“We’ll take care of you both. Why don’t we go get you set up?”
Chaos hugged her pile tight. “This is going to be amazing.”
Amazing andnotquick. Fast was not a word in Chaos’s vocabulary.
Or mine anymore, apparently.