Read Online Sweet Justice by Cynthia Reese - Free Book Online Page B

interview stage that if she were looking for high volume, it wouldn’t be here—BASH had to mix casual wear with formal wear in order to make it through the year, but the store had a steady business.
    Still, Mallory felt calmed by the familiar surroundings of swishing silk and cotton, high heels and the warm, earthy smell of leather bags. And in Eleanor, she’d found a compatriot who understood the importance of line and style and fit.
    It was just after Mallory had downed her PB&J that the door alert rang out and a group of three ladies came in. Two were a few years older than Mallory, comfortably but stylishly dressed, but the third woman wore a shell-shocked expression. She looked as though BASH was probably the last place she wanted to be.
    The woman was in her sixties, her gray hair in a no-nonsense bun, her face devoid of even a trace of makeup. She was slim, but the khaki mom-jeans-style trousers and the baggy cardigan and button-down shirt did nothing for her. What made her beautiful despite all that was the way her sky-blue eyes sparkled and her warm, self-effacing smile seemed to light up the shop.
    â€œMy heavens, can’t I go down to the mall and get something? Or just wear a church dress?” she was asking the two younger women.
    â€œNow, Ma, no, we talked about this. This is Daniel’s wedding. You got dressed up for my wedding, and for Cara’s, so—”
    â€œWhy can’t I wear one of those dresses, then? I’ll bet they’ll still fit,” the woman protested.
    â€œMa! You still have the dress you wore to my wedding? That was fifteen years ago! It’s so out of style, you probably couldn’t even give it away.”
    â€œStyles come back in, don’t they?” the older woman replied in a reasonable tone. “And I don’t think...” she gestured to a trendy above-the-thigh strapless dress on a mannequin “No, that’s not quite right for me .”
    Mallory decided the woman had a realistic view of style, unlike her prior customer, who had insisted that if she had it, she should flaunt it.
    The time was right for Mallory to approach her customers. “Hi, there.” She extended her hand. “I’m Mallory. Are you looking for something to wear to a wedding? Can I help you find something?”
    â€œWell, aren’t you cute as a button? Mallory, you say? Just call me Ma, everybody does.” Beaming, the woman grabbed the proffered hand. “Now, you, you’d look mighty fine in that number—” she indicated the mannequin “—but if you don’t have anything...eh, a little more sedate, then one of my church dresses will have to do.”
    Mallory laughed. “We do, in fact, have something a little more sedate. Can you tell me more about the wedding? When is it?”
    â€œNot till the spring, so gracious only knows why they’re dragging me out this early to look for a dress,” Ma grumbled. “It’s going to be in late May, outdoors at our farm. I don’t need to get all gussied up for that, now do I?”
    The two younger women, her daughters, Mallory guessed from the marked similarity she saw in eyes that were now rolled heavenward, groaned. “Yes, Ma, you do have to get all gussied up. This is for Daniel and Kimberly,” the younger one said. “Now, you made such a fuss over the china patterns—this is no different. It’s just like—”
    â€œNo, it’s not. China, you got to live with, but a dress? I’ll wear it once, and then the next time I try to wear it, you’ll both be telling me it’s out of style.”
    â€œWhat if...” Mallory surveyed the woman. “What if we get you something classic and simple, something that won’t go out of style and you can wear to other things?”
    â€œMaybe another wedding?” Ma said hopefully. “Because my other son is getting married soon, too.”
    â€œMa!”