Sylvia pursed her lips and clenched her fists. She glanced toward Natalie and Lorea and then back at me, gnashed her teeth, and screamed. Natalie cowered in the back, and Lorea’s eyes widened as Sylvia bolted for the door.
The wedding bells above the door chimed, and I turned to Lorea. “I think we just officially made our first enemy in business.”
Lorea shook her head. “Another txori buru.”
Natalie sat on the loveseat in the back room, sobbing. I knelt in front of her and took her hands from her face. “Don’t you let her bully you. I’ve seen you and Brock together, and if there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that he adores you. He loves you, Nat. I can see it in the twitch of his eye, that dimple in his cheek, even the way he stands up straighter when you’re near. You’re a perfect match for him. Don’t you ever forget that.”
“Really?” Natalie wiped her nose, her face a picture of hope.
I nodded.
“Girl, he loves you like a fish loves water,” Lorea said.
Natalie hugged me. “Thank you. I’m so sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to be sorry about,” I said. “Be happy. You’re getting married in three weeks to an incredibly handsome man who wants to be with you, not some plastic surgeon’s pro-bono experiments.”
Natalie shrieked and covered her mouth. “I can’t believe you said that.” We all laughed. Until the police arrived.
Chapter 17
Vintage Hankie Wedding Favors
Collect vintage handkerchiefs in assorted colors. Arrange in a basket, on a cake stand, or in a cut-glass bowl with a placard that reads “For Your Happy Tears!”
Courtesy of www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com
Tony poked his head around the dividing wall of the back room. “Adri, do you have a minute?”
“Did you really call the police?” Natalie whispered.
I shook my head and put a finger to my lips. Lorea snorted, and I left the two of them on the couch, Natalie’s dress rustling as she laughed.
Tony’s suit looked freshly pressed, and the badge clipped to his belt glimmered under the fluorescent lights as he turned.
“Hey, I’ve been trying to call you,” I said.
“I know. I’ve had some problems with my cell phone, but I got it working again.” He patted the phone clipped to his belt. “I came by to tell you we found something significant with one of the wedding dresses.”
“What?”
He held up a clear plastic bag that appeared empty at first glance. With his index finger, he touched the corner of the bag, and I leaned closer. As he tilted the bag I noticed a yellow-brown rock that was definitely not a rock.
“You found—” Cursing myself for opening my mouth, I glanced at Tony.
“Do you know what that is?” He gave me a curious look.
The carpet suddenly held my interest, and I studied the flecks of dark brown and tan in the cream fibers until Tony cleared his throat. The uncut diamond in his evidence bag changed everything. I had to tell him. Now.
Straightening my shoulders, I met his confused stare. “I need to talk to you but not here. Can we go somewhere private—not the police station?”
“Adri, what’s going on?”
I clenched my eyes shut and then opened them. “This is going to sound crazy.”
“I’m listening.”
I lowered my voice and pointed at the bag. “That is an uncut diamond, and I’m betting you found it along the hemline of one of my stolen wedding gowns. I know that because the people who smuggled those diamonds want them back, and they’re watching me.”
Tony’s fingers grazed the handle of his gun as he looked out the front doors. “Where would you like to go?”
“I have a meeting at noon with the wedding planner at the Sun Valley Lodge. It won’t throw up any red flags if you come—as long as you don’t look like a cop.”
Tony shook his head. “I don’t like this.”
“Me neither.”
“I want to ask why you didn’t tell me this sooner.” He frowned. “But I’ll see you in a couple of hours. Please be careful.”
With a nod, I headed back to check on Natalie and Lorea. Natalie had changed out of the wedding dress and looked through the notes I’d made by the fabric swatches in her new wedding binder. She held up the piece with the rose blush on cream linen. “This one is perfect.”
“Let’s get to work, then.” We finalized the details of her wedding, and I showed her the calligraphy samples from Shayla. Natalie loved them.
“I wish I could’ve used her for my invitations.” Natalie studied the portfolio of elegant writing.
“I think it would be a nice touch for the place cards, though, don’t you?”
“Can she have it done in time?” Natalie tapped one of the cards. “If she could do this style on paper that matched the fabric sample you gave me, it’d be lovely.”
“I agree. Shayla can do this for us, guaranteed.”
“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that my mom found about fifty more vintage handkerchiefs.” Natalie’s face brightened. “If we keep hunting, I’m certain we’ll have enough for the wedding.”
“Everyone is going to love that idea.” We had all been collecting vintage hankies for two months to use as wedding favors. I had already hand-painted a sign with dark green lettering that read For Your Happy Tears! I had sanded the edges and given the coat of paint a few distress marks by pounding a flat-edged screwdriver into the wood to mar the surface. The result was a new sign that sported a vintage look to match the hankies, which would be arranged in a basket for the wedding guests.
“I can’t believe it’s less than four weeks away now.” Natalie’s gaze settled on her gown hanging over a dress form while Lorea worked. “I’m glad I had a hard time finding the right dress, because that one is remarkable.”
“Lorea knew it was yours as soon as it came out of the box.”
Natalie bit her bottom
