LITMIR.BIZ

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to having to make any expensive updates at the moment. Heck, she still hadn’t changed the ownership sign out front.

      Taking out his inspection checklist, he started at the door, examining the exit signs and lights that were required to be illuminated when the building was occupied. “You know this extinguisher is too high, right? The handle height should be between three and five feet. This is at least five foot one....”

      Bailey cocked her head to the side. “It’s in the exact same spot as last year.”

      Ethan hesitated. “I really should insist on lowering it,” he said before signing the inspection tag with his initials and the day’s date.

      “Thank you for letting it slide.” Her voice held a note of sarcasm. Ethan could be so uptight about these things. She doubted one inch higher would make that big of a difference in the event of an emergency.

      Heading toward the back, he pushed through the shop door and tested the emergency lighting. “Have you given any more thought to that sprinkler system I suggested?”

      Bailey shrugged, “I mentioned it to Doug, but since I just bought the place, I don’t think it’s quite in the budget at the moment.”

      Ethan clenched his jaw. “I really hate that I can’t insist on it. I should be able to enforce the new building codes,” he said, shaking his head.

      The building had been constructed in the sixties and the standard codes at the time hadn’t required a sprinkler or ventilation system for the permit. Unless upgrades were done, the fire department couldn’t apply the new codes so that the shop failed the inspection. “Look, I promise to check the sprinkler thing out myself, okay?”

      “Promise?” he asked.

      “I just did,” she said as he disappeared through the swinging door toward the bays in the back of the shop.

      The bell chimed again and Bailey was surprised to see Victoria coming through the front door of the garage, wedding planner stuck under her arm and her cell phone cradled between her right ear and shoulder. Bailey waved in greeting and Victoria rolled her eyes, gesturing to the phone.

      “Mrs. Dawson,” she whispered, covering the speaker with her left hand.

      Bailey nodded her understanding. Victoria and Darlene were more acquaintances than friends. As the head of the social committee in town, Luke’s mother was sure to be very hands-on with the wedding preparations. She suspected Victoria had very little to say about her wedding, between Mrs. Dawson and her own mother weighing in on each decision. Grabbing a box of motor oil, Bailey stocked the metal racks along the wall, listening to one side of the conversation.

      “Yes, Darlene, that’s fine. If you think the pale pink Gerbera daisies work better in the bridesmaids’ bouquets instead of the dark fuchsia ones, please go ahead and make the switch, as long as Pearl is okay with it...No, I’m not sure what Luke’s favorite flower is....”

      Bailey hid a smile. Luke, local architect and business owner, didn’t strike her as a man who would have a favorite flower.

      “Okay, thanks, Darlene. I appreciate your help.” The words sounded forcibly polite even to Bailey’s ears.

      Victoria disconnected the call and shook the phone. “Wow!” she said as she approached. “Forty-three minutes of that, just to decide between two shades of pink.... I’ll be happy once this wedding part is over and the house renovations are done.” She let out a deep breath. “Sorry, I’m through venting. Hi, Bailey.” Her shoulders visibly relaxed and her smile was now genuine.

      “What brings you by?” Outside, Luke’s new Ford F250 sat parked on an angle, taking up two stalls. Victoria wasn’t the best driver in town. Twelve years living in New York City hadn’t provided her with much driving experience. “Is something wrong with the truck?”

      “Besides the fact that it’s huge and I can’t park it? No, it runs like a dream. I really wish Luke would drive it when he travels for work,” she said. “You have to stop fixing the old one so well.”

      “I’ll try.” Luke’s other truck was at least thirty years old and Bailey knew he kept it for sentimental reasons, but she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep it in running condition. “Believe me, I’ve told him a million times that the truck won’t last forever.”

      “One can only hope. Anyway, I’m actually here because I need your help with something else.”

      “Okay,” Bailey said, reaching into the box for the last two bottles of oil, and aligning them on the shelf. She broke down the carton and tossed it onto the stack of other stock boxes near the door, scanning the shop for Nick. Nowhere to be found—how unusual. Biting back the annoyance she felt at his relaxed work ethic, she asked, “What can I do for you?”

      “I need you to be a bridesmaid in the wedding.”

      Bailey’s mouth gaped. “I’m sorry, what?” She couldn’t have heard right.

      “My cousin Adele was supposed to be back from her mission trip to South Africa in time for the wedding, but her grant from the university was extended until the end of September. The dress was made to fit her and, well...you’re just the right size. If I have to ask my mom to make a new one or even alter that one, she’s going to kill me.”

      Bailey stared at the bride-to-be, a good excuse eluding her. The last thing she wanted was to be in a wedding party and stand in front of the whole community in a dress...holding a bouquet of flowers. She’d be forced to wear makeup and do her hair...and be in the photos. The mere thought made it difficult to breathe. She remained silent.

      Victoria looked desperate as she moved closer. “I know it’s a lot to ask and it’s really short notice, but please.”

      “Wouldn’t you rather a family member or a close friend? What about your friend Heather from New York? She looks tiny in those photos you have on Facebook of the two of you.”

      Victoria shook her head. “Weddings are not exactly Heather’s thing. If she wasn’t such a close friend, she’d never even have agreed to attend, and her work schedule at Clarke and Johnson is busy—the way mine used to be—so I can’t rely on her. Besides, Luke has always thought of you as another sister. I know he’d be thrilled if you agreed to do it.”

      Bailey hated to disappoint Victoria and Luke, but weddings weren’t exactly her thing, either. They always made her sad when she saw the mother of the bride looking on as her daughter said the vows. Even if she did find someone she wanted to spend her life with, her own mother wouldn’t be there to be part of the wedding, not in the physical sense, anyway. She had been hoping to skip the ceremony and just attend the reception if at all possible. “There has to be someone else.”

      “Bailey, it’s either you or Lindsay, and I can’t ask her for obvious reasons....”

      Bailey nodded her understanding. “She’ll try to steal Luke away at the altar. Yes, I get that, but...”

      “Bailey, please. It would mean a lot to both of us.” She cocked her head to the side. “You get to keep the dress,” she said in an attempt to persuade.

      “That doesn’t really sell it for me, Vic,” Bailey said with a laugh. She owned one dress, a black knee-length formal that worked for both funerals and weddings. She hesitated. “Fine, okay, I’ll be your bridesmaid, but I’ll warn you now—I have no idea what I’m doing.”

      “Neither do I. Don’t worry, Reverend Miller said he will walk us through everything at the rehearsal the day before. Thank you, Bailey.” Victoria looked relieved.

      “Sure.”

      “So I told my mom you would stop by sometime tomorrow to try on the dress...just to be sure.”

      Bailey shook her head. Victoria had really assumed she would say yes. “Okay.”

      “Great, thanks again, Bailey.” Her cell phone beeped with a new text message and she sighed as she

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