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  All Tyson wanted to do was escape until a hand captured his and he turned. “I promised you a dance,” Pearl insisted as she pulled him to the small dance floor where couples had gathered.

  “I’m not good at this,” he mused as he pulled her to him.

  He was well aware of the looks coming from those that knew them. This wasn’t a dance between people who were acquaintances. It was obvious there was more between them.

  She pulled the daisy from her hair and tucked it into the back of his boutonniere. “A little keepsake from our first dance.”

  “Trust me,” he whispered as he pressed his cheek to hers. “This isn’t something I’ll ever forget.”

  “Where did your sister go?”

  “I don’t know. Overseeing I guess.”

  “I didn’t mean to hurt her,” Pearl confessed as she looked up at him. “I’m so sorry for all of this.”

  Tyson shook his head. “Don’t be. Don’t ever be sorry for this. I love you. I told you I did.”

  “I know, but…”

  “No buts. There has to be a time when I get to make my own decisions. And I’ve decided to make one.”

  “But at what cost?”

  He pulled her to the corner where it was dark and private. “She’s going to let this go. I won’t let this become a problem. I gave her my word, and I broke it. But I’ll fix it.”

  Pearl smiled as she eased against him again. “And what decision did you come to that is going to be all yours?”

  “I think we should get married.”

  Pearl staggered back and looked up at him. “You what?”

  “Wrong decision?”

  “Unexpected one.”

  “You said you didn’t want all of this,” he motioned to the room and the people around them. “You wanted something private.”

  “A marriage isn’t the wedding.”

  “I understand that.” He let out a ragged breath. “Listen, I love you. That much I know.” He gathered her hands. “I’m not versed in people skills, such as you are. I don’t have a family like yours that rallies around one another. I only have Lydia, but I can manage her.”

  “Manage?”

  “Pearl, I’m trying to be somewhat romantic here. I want to marry you. I want to take off and do it just as you said you wanted to. Just the two of us.”

  Her eyes went moist as she lifted her hands to his face. “I didn’t expect this,” she sighed. “I love you. But I can’t let this tear apart your family.”

  The tears streamed down her face now, and he realized he was frozen. He couldn’t even wipe them away.

  “What are you saying?”

  “I can’t. I can’t marry you.” She’d taken a breath as if she had more to say, but she didn’t. She only turned away and ran out of the Garden Room and disappeared.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  No one had called. No one had stopped by. Somehow she’d missed everyone’s radar when she’d run out of Susan and Eric’s wedding.

  She’d let her cell phone die and stayed off her computer and social media all Sunday.

  The only person she’d expected to hear from was Tyson, but even he hadn’t come around.

  For the first time in her life, she hated going into work on Monday morning. Had she not scheduled an appointment with a bride at ten, she would have sulked and stayed in bed. As it was, she dragged herself to work in her best suit hoping it would shroud her in professionalism.

  The bride had called and rescheduled her appointment, which irritated Pearl though she understood. Later that day she knew someone would be coming in with all the tuxedos from Eric’s wedding party. Of course, the thought had crossed her mind, would it be Tyson?

  After the UPS driver, the Fed Ex driver, and the postal carrier had dropped off packages at her store, the door opened again. When she looked up, she couldn’t help but smile when she saw Sunshine walk through. Her father had been right to name her that. She undoubtedly brought the sunshine into people’s lives.

  “It’s nice to see you,” Pearl said as she moved from behind her counter toward her.

  “I stopped by to bring you another thank you note.” She handed her another envelope with her name written in calligraphy. “The flowers you sent were very thoughtful. My uncle might stop by to thank you as well. He was very moved.”

  “It was my pleasure. I was so sorry to hear about your father’s passing.”

  “Thank you. It was hard to watch him the last week. It just all went so quickly,” she spoke softly. “But we were all there with him.”

  “That’s important.”

  “Your friend Lydia was at the services yesterday. My uncle introduced us. Her brother was with her.”

  Hearing that stabbed into Pearl’s chest. She’d been so preoccupied with feeling sorry for herself, she hadn’t even realized that Sunshine’s father’s services were yesterday. She’d planned to go.

  But hearing that he was with Lydia solidified her choice. She’d been right to reject his proposal. Lydia was more important.

  “I’m glad they were there,” she managed without the emotion shaking her voice.

  “My mom didn’t let me in on it, but she said it was a big deal to have Lydia there.”

  Pearl just nodded. Having Lydia purposely go where Phillip Smythe would be was a big thing.

  Sunshine looked around the store. “It’s quiet in here today.”

  “My appointment canceled. I’ve been taking inventory so I can plan for the move next month.”

  “That’s very exciting. You know, I’m in between jobs right now. If you ever need help, let me know. I owe you for what you’ve done for me.”

  Pearl thought, for only a brief moment. “Do you mean that?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’ve been thinking about the need to hire someone to help out. First of all, I’m all alone. So I don’t take any time off. Which is okay. That’s by design too. But with the new store, I’ll need to divide my time to oversee its construction. Having someone around would be a blessing.”

  Sunshine’s face lit. “Whatever you need. I’m your girl. I love all this stuff. I’m a quick study too.”

  For the first time since she’d walked away from Tyson, Pearl smiled. “C’mon, let’s have a crash course in fittings.”

  The afternoon had taken a turn, that was for sure. Pearl and Sunshine had played dress up.

  She let Sunshine pick out a dress to try on and then walked her through clipping it so that the bride could see what it would look like fitted correctly.

  “Now you,” Sunshine said. “Let me try.”

  Pearl bit down on her bottom lip. “I have one.”

  She retrieved the dress she’d always kept in case. It had been a long time since she’d tried it on and now it only made her sad to retrieve it. But for Sunshine, she did.

  Feeling the satin under her fingers again only made her long for Tyson. She held back the tears that threatened. It wasn’t meant to be, she thought.

  Sliding the dress over her body, she thought back to the day the dress had come into the store. She’d unpackaged it and promptly put it on a mannequin in the front window. It was her mother that stopped a few days later and told her it wasn’t pretty enough.

  Pearl had looked at it before she’d undressed the mannequin. Her mother was right. It wasn’t pretty. It was elegant.

  There wasn’t much fuss to it. It was a straight skirt and off the shoulders. The lace that defined the neckline was minimal, but oh, so elegant.

  It was exactly what Pearl had always wanted. Nothing too fancy. Something that she could wear in her untraditional wedding, should she ever have one.

  “C’mon. I want to see,” Sunshine’s voice chimed from the other room.

  Pearl stepped out, and Sunshine’s hands went straight to her mouth. “Oh-my-word. You are stunning.”

  “I don’t know about that. This is eight years old now.”

  “It’s the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen.”
r />   Pearl stood on the platform in front of the three-way mirror and looked at herself. It was the most beautiful dress she’d ever seen too.

  “What kind of veil?” Sunshine asked walking toward the rack.

  “No veil,” Pearl said, still studying herself in the mirror. “Only a ring of daisies.”

  Sunshine rested her hands on her chest. “Yes. That’s it.”

  When the door opened, they both turned to see Bethany walking through with Susan’s sister. Each had an armload of tuxedos.

  Bethany stopped. “Oh, look at you.”

  Pearl was quick to move from her pedestal. “We’re just trying on dresses.”

  “I’m learning how to fit them,” Sunshine said.

  But Bethany’s eyes didn’t wander. “Pearl, it’s exquisite. You look fabulous.”

  “Thank you. It’s something I’ve saved.” She moved toward them. “Let me take those from you.”

  Sunshine followed suit and took the stack Susan’s sister carried.

  “They’re all there,” Bethany said. “Dane thinks his bow tie is in a pocket. If you don’t have it let him know.”

  She laughed. Usually, that was the most lost item.

  “Did Susan and Eric leave for their honeymoon?”

  “Yes,” Susan’s sister said. “Eric was quite nervous to leave everything behind. But I think he’ll get over it when his toes are in the sand.”

  Pearl felt the pang of sadness creep through her.

  Bethany and Susan’s sister visited for a bit longer, and then they were off to finish tying up the small details of after wedding items.

  Pearl changed out of the wedding dress, hung it back in its bag, and back on the save rack in the back room. Then she went about teaching Sunshine how to catalog the tuxedos that were returned so that they could ship them back.

  “At the new store I’ll have room to carry a small selection of rental tuxedos,” she told Sunshine.

  “That’s very exciting. I’m really happy for you. It must be wonderful to work in a field that you love.”

  “It is.”

  She took down the next tuxedo from the rack and immediately she knew it had been Tyson’s. She could smell his cologne lingering on it.

  It took every ounce of willpower not to bring it to her nose and linger in the smell.

  As was the process, she checked the buttons and the fabric for any damage. Then she slid her hands, carefully, into each pocket.

  Inside the tuxedo pocket was the daisy she’d tucked into his lapel with his boutonniere last night. Wrapped around the stem was a small, jagged piece of paper. I’ll never forget was written across it.

  Tears immediately began to choke her, and she fought them off, but to no avail.

  “Pearl, what’s wrong?” Sunshine quickly moved to her with a tissue she’d pulled from the box. “Is everything okay? Are you alright?”

  Pearl nodded as she dabbed her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  Sunshine noticed the flower and the note. “Did that mean something?” she asked.

  “For a very short time.” For the first time all day, her cell phone rang, and she was glad to have the distraction. “Hey, Donald,” she answered and listened to the very excited man tell her he needed her at the new location A.S.A.P. “Can it wait until I’m done here?” She nodded as he protested. “I’ll be there in half an hour,” she promised as she disconnected the phone.

  “What can I help with?” Sunshine was already standing there waiting for direction.

  “Do you think you can just watch the store for an hour? I have to run to the new location. I won’t be long, and we don’t have anything going on today.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Sunshine said as she reached for Pearl’s hands. “Take your time. I’ve decided that this is where I need to be. With you. You are in need of some time and not just an hour to run and take care of things. I want you to know you can count on me.”

  “I appreciate that. I’ll work on letting go a little,” she chuckled. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Pearl could see Donald inside the shop before she arrived. He had swatches laid out on the floor and his design book open on his lap.

  She walked through the door, and he jumped to his feet. “Oh goodie, you’re here. Lydia let me in. We were working on the reception hall. O.M.G. you’re going to die when you see it.”

  “I’m sure it’s going to be amazing.”

  “Uh-huh!” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the cheek. “I heard about your breakup."

  That meant Tyson had talked to Lydia as he'd said he was going to. If he were going to handle it, she would have thought they'd have come to discuss it with her. Instead, it had been given the finality of a breakup. That was fine. That was essentially what had happened.

  "It kills me. He’s so sexy,” Donald added with a pout.

  Pearl stepped back. “It’s fine. Really. So what do you want to show me?”

  Donald went to work and began showing Pearl the swatches he’d put together for flooring, paint, and furniture. She was sure, in the end, that trust fund she’d joked about was going to be toast.

  His ideas were genius. There was a reason her mother always used him in everything she did.

  Donald’s phone rang near the end of his presentation. “Another job. I’m just the golden child of design these days,” he marveled at himself. “I’ll just pick this up and head out. We start on Monday.”

  “Really? That soon?”

  “Darling, if we don’t get a move on, we will not be ready for your big opening. Lydia and I have been planning it. Gia Gallow is even making a special trip back to Italy to get some new goodies for her store. Oh, this is going to be lovely!”

  She watched him hurry about, and then he kissed her before he ran out the door. Suddenly, she was alone in her new space.

  Pearl sat down in the middle of the empty room and let the silence surround her. This was what she’d always wanted. It was going to be the most amazing store ever.

  But there was something missing.

  She didn’t want to think about it. Her heart was broken, and she’d done it to herself. But she couldn’t see Tyson and Lydia losing what they had. Pearl already felt as though her parents weren’t a big part of her life. What would happen if her sisters and brothers disappeared too?

  Tyson and Lydia needed each other, and if that meant she stepped out of the way, then she would do it.

  Pearl turned her head to the door when she heard footsteps.

  “I saw Donald leave. I just came to lock up,” Lydia said softly as if she were afraid to speak to Pearl.

  “I’m done.” Pearl stood.

  Lydia moved inside and shut the door behind her. “I think we should talk.”

  “We’re fine. Really. You and I are partners, and we need to just move on as such.”

  Lydia shook her head. “I heard what you did.”

  “I didn’t do anything except go behind your back." Guilt churned in her stomach. "We knew how you felt about everything, and we went with our lust. I guess the old Pearl is still in there. I didn't think about anything but myself.”

  Lydia walked in closer. “I don’t think so.” She tucked her hands into the back pockets of her paint-stained overalls. “Yes, you both lied to me. You hid something from me that I felt adamant about.”

  “See? The old Pearl. Not someone you probably want to be friends with, let alone partners.”

  “On the contrary.” She kicked her foot against the bare floor. “I tried love once, and it didn’t work out. I supplemented that loss with business.”

  Pearl understood that concept very well.

  Lydia looked around the bare room as if to keep her eyes focused away from Pearl. “So my mom made mistakes. I made that personal. I used it against you and Tyson. I needed his investment.”

  “We’re all partners. Lydia, it’s okay.”

  “He loves you.”

  “It was an affair. A q
uick affair that didn’t net any bonuses,” she said as convincingly as she could.

  “He told me he proposed.”

  “Out of spite, I’m sure.”

  Lydia shook her head again and looked at Pearl. “He’d never do that. I want to offer you my share of the business for free rent. We can work out numbers later. But then you and Tyson will own the building, and I won’t be in the way.”

  Pearl moved to her and pulled her into her arms. “You were my partner first. Tyson and I will recover. I will never, ever come between a brother and sister. I will not be the reason a family gets torn apart.”

  “He’s miserable,” Lydia whispered in Pearl’s ear.

  “He won’t be miserable forever.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” Tyson’s voice rumbled from the doorway.

  Pearl and Lydia stepped apart.

  “Lydia and I were just talking business,” Pearl’s voice shook.

  “Cutting me out?” He shoved his hands into his front pockets and leaned against the door jamb as he’d done so many times before.

  “If you want out, I’ll find the financing,” she offered.

  “I didn’t say I did.” He walked toward them. He stood behind Lydia and placed his hands on her shoulders. They both focused on Pearl. “Family is very important to both of us.”

  “I understand that. That’s why I didn’t accept your proposal. I won’t be the reason you two are torn apart. There have been too many lies told, and I don’t want to be a part of that anymore. Like you said, we weren't any better than our own parents.”

  He stepped around Lydia and closer to her. “Lydia,” he said without looking at her. “Did you ask her about the buyout for free rent?”

  “Of course.”

  Pearl narrowed her eyes on him. “You knew about that?”

  “I thought it was a fair trade. Crunch the numbers. It works in her favor.”

  Pearl swallowed hard. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”

  He reached for her hands, and she fought the urge to tug them back, but his skin on her skin felt so nice.

  “Lydia and I, we’re as tight as a family can get. The Walkers, well, they’re a tight-knit group. Seems as though we’re supposed to all be family.” He raised his hand to her cheek. “We want you to be part of our family.”