She found herself heading toward the parking lot where Jack had left the truck
while they’d dined at Ruby and Mike’s place. Returning to the scene of the crime didn’t help her to let go of the afternoon’s bizarre events, but there was obviously something weighing on her subconscious mind. Across the street from where she stood was the
lingerie boutique that had been the source of Lydia Bain’s contention when she’d
slammed into Liza and Jack. Evidence of the wreck still remained in the street, as glass from the broken headlights was still scattered about.
A devious smile played on Liza’s lips as she crossed the street and walked into the
boutique. She noticed the clothes rack with the nighties had been moved inside. No
doubt Mrs. Bain had something to do with that.
As she entered the cozy shop, Liza was greeted by a petite blonde who looked all of
twenty-two. “Hi,” she said with a shy smile. “I’m Ginger. Anything I can help you
with?”
“Hi, Ginger. I’m Liza. New to town and in desperate need of a few things.”
A blind man wouldn’t have missed the smile on Ginger’s face. She lit up like a light
bulb as excitement oozed from her every pore. “Oh that’s great! What are you looking
for?”
Trying to keep the conversation light, Liza said, “I noticed your rack of nightgowns
earlier. I spotted one I really liked.” She moved toward the lingerie Ginger had brought inside and quickly selected one. A red lace-and-satin number. “Here it is.” Lifting the hanger off the metal rod, Liza inspected it for all of two seconds and added, “Mm-hmm. This is it. Does it come in any other colors?”
“Hot pink, champagne, midnight blue and, of course, black.”
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Calista Fox
“Lucky me. I’ll take all of them in a medium.”
Ginger’s jaw fell slack. “You want five nighties?” Her thick southern accent put a heavy emphasis on the word “five.”
“And I’ll need panties to match,” Liza said without missing a beat.
The pretty shop owner simply stared at her, jaw still hanging open. Clearly that was
bound to be everyone’s response to Liza. Luckily, she was rapidly growing a thick skin.
Besides, it felt good to help Ginger. Didn’t take a Wall Street stockbroker to see this woman’s net shares were in the toilet. The racks were overflowing with sexy lingerie.
The round tables in the center of the room were piled high with panties and stockings.
In fact, Liza might be her only customer all day.
She bustled about the place, checking out the various accessories Ginger had on
display, such as the thigh-highs with lacy tops and decorative ribbing to keep them in place, matching garter belts, four-inch-heeled slippers and feather boas. When she
reached the glass shelves with the massage oils, edible body paints and sexy games,
wild horses couldn’t drag Liza away from her new mission.
By the time she’d made her selections, she had an armful of goodies that she
dumped on Ginger’s counter. She wanted to help Ginger, but she also thought Jack
Wade could help her make excellent use of all of these naughty products. Something
she’d never tried with Peter.
“Oh!” The petite blonde stared at her in obvious shock. “You really want all of
these?”
“You bet. Beats waiting for mail order.”
Ginger frowned and Liza heard a little click in her own brain. Something was amiss
here.
Probing as nonchalantly as possible, she asked, “How long have you been open,
Ginger?”
“Just over a year,” she said as she started to ring up the purchases.
“And how are sales?”
Her smile faltered. “Oh well, you know. With the economy and all…” She shook
her head, went back to keying in SKU numbers.
Liza asked, “Were sales good when you first opened shop?”
“Yes!” She beamed, despite herself. “I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I’d dreamt of
opening a place like this since I was maybe sixteen or seventeen. Saved every penny I had from the time I started stocking shelves at the grocery store when I was just
thirteen, knowing I’d build a niche somehow. I didn’t go to college, just kept working until I could afford the rent here and the merchandise. When I finally hung that ‘Open’
sign on the door…” Another sharp shake of her head as tears suddenly pooled in her
big green eyes.
Tugging on Liza’s heartstrings, the girl almost made her cry. There was no
mistaking Ginger’s pride in her accomplishment. Her desire to succeed at all costs. This 98
Devil in Texas
woman had worked hard to make her dream come true, tainted though it was now.
Liza’s heart went out to the girl because she could tell by the overstocked racks that sales were less than stellar.
“I’m sorry,” Ginger said as she fanned her face with one hand. Her efforts to
contain her emotions were futile. A thin stream of tears slid down her lovely face and it was all Liza could do not to reach for her and hug her as she cried. “I just… I wanted this to be the kind of place women felt at home visiting, you know? To shop here for
themselves, buying pretty, silky things that’d make them feel sexy and desirable. And yet…” Her head ducked toward the cash register so that her blonde curls fell across the side of her face, effectively hiding her distress.
Liza’s heart constricted. Ginger was the sweetest little thing and here she was, torn down by narrow-minded people like…Lydia Bain.
Liza never claimed to have a mild temper. It flared now and her fists balled at her
sides. “So how are you staying afloat?” she asked between clenched teeth.
“I’m not. Not really. The bank’s given me another month to make up a couple of
back payments. But I’ll inevitably close the shop.”
“How much do you owe?” Liza asked, not at all sure where that question came
from or why she’d posed such a personal query.
Ginger’s pale cheeks flushed bright red as she admitted, “Few thousand.”
“Hmm.” Liza did some quick calculations in her head, mentally brainstorming the
situation as Ginger carefully wrapped the nighties in floral-scented, pink-colored tissue and sealed them with sparkly red stickers in the shape of lips.
As she loaded everything into a large shopper’s bag, Liza said, “I’m from New
York, if you haven’t guessed. Just moved here. I don’t know that much about Wilder
yet, but if sales were good when you first opened and now they’ve tapered off, I’m not wholly convinced it’s the economy. Women still need panties, even in tough times.”