Serena grabbed Chloe's hand and said, "Please give me a few hours, some paint, and a really great handyman. I could make this place look incredible, instead of like someone's closet exploded."
"Shh," Chloe chided her.
"I've got your gorgeous wedding dress ready and waiting in the dressing room, princess," Donovan said to Desiree as he came around the counter holding a garment bag. He handed the garment bag to Violet and waved to a row of curtains in the back of the store. "Why don't you two chickies go try your dresses on, and I'll get to know your friends."
Violet sneered at the garment bag. "I'm not wearing any frilly stuff."
Donovan huffed out a breath. "Honey, I had strict orders from your sister, who clearly adores you, not to find anything too girly. No frills, fuss, or muss. Trust me, sugar. You're going to love this dress."
"I'm not wearing heels," Violet insisted.
"He knows." Desiree grabbed Violet's arm and dragged her toward the dressing area. "This is what sisters do when one of them gets married. We try on dresses together. Now, get in there and try it on. If you hate it, you don't have to buy it."
They disappeared behind the curtains. Donovan quickly made his way around the room, chatting with each of the girls. By the time he reached Serena, she could see by the look in the others' eyes that they were all crazy about him.
"You're the Boston transplant," Donovan said as he came to her side.
"I guess that's about right. I'm Serena."
"Yes. The interior designer who's dating Ricky's supposedly hot brother, right?" He waved his hand. "The girls gave me the scoop."
"In seven minutes? They got right down to the dirt, didn't they?" She glanced at Mira, who mouthed, I love him!
"A smart shopkeeper knows how to work a room." He waggled his brows.
"I love your shop. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but may I ask why you haven't organized it in a way that would make it easier for customers to find what they're looking for?"
"You mean why does it look like my kooky Grandma Zelda decorated?" He reached up and touched a stuffed cat sitting beneath a gold lamp in the shape of a woman.
"I didn't mean-"
"Oh, yes, you did," he said in a singsong voice. "And you're right. My grandmother Zelda owned this place until she passed two years ago. That's when I took over. I haven't had the time to make it more appealing."
"I'm sorry about your grandmother."
Sadness washed over him, and just as quickly, a smile lifted his lips. "Thank you. I miss her, kookiness and all. She was a wild one until the day she left us."
"Have you thought about hiring a company to help you redesign?"
He wagged his finger at her. "Are you going to give me a sales pitch for your overpriced Boston firm?"
"No, not at all. I was actually thinking about a friend of mine who owns a small interior design firm here on the Cape. Maybe you know of her? Justine Harkness? She owns Shift Home Interior in Hyannis."
"I don't, but I'd be happy to talk with her. Why don't you give me her information and write down your name so I can tell her you referred me?"
She followed him to the counter, where he gave her a pen and a notepad.
"This might be just the kick in the pants I need to get started."
Serena wrote down her name and Justine's contact information as Desiree and Violet came out of the dressing rooms.
"Holy cow!" Emery squealed.
Serena and Donovan hurried over. Desiree twirled in a peach, lace-up corset maxi dress with ruffles from hips to ankles, and Violet crossed her arms over the knee-length, curve-hugging, sleeveless black dress with a slit up the right side.
"What do you think?" Desiree asked. "I still can't believe I found a wedding dress so easily. I wasn't even shopping for one when we found it."
"You look beautiful," Violet said. "It's … " Her eyes filled with warm emotions Serena had never seen. She quickly schooled her expression and said, "It's perfect."
"It's feminine and breezy. I love it," Mira said. "You'll knock my brother's socks off."
Emery touched the ruffles and said, "It's so you. It's really stunning."
"You make me want to have a beach wedding," Chloe said. "But for that I'd need a man."
"I can help with that," Donovan offered, making them all laugh.
"Desiree, you are the most gorgeous bride I've ever seen, other than Mira, of course. And, Violet … " Serena was at a loss for words. She must have looked it, because Violet rolled her eyes.
Serena carefully uncrossed Violet's arms and walked around her, visually following the gold metal zipper, which started just below her ribs on her right side and wound around her body, across her lower back, and over her left hip, ending at the top of the slit on her upper thigh.
"Let me show you the pièce de résistance." Donovan took hold of the zipper at her ribs and unzipped all the way around her lower back and over her left hip, revealing a sexy path of tanned skin that snaked around her body.
"Holy cow, Vi. You look like a model," Desiree said. "You should wear dresses more often."
"Right," Violet said sarcastically.
Emery walked around Violet, assessing her, and said, "Seriously, you look like you could catch fire."
"I'd do you," Chloe said, "and I'm not into girls."
Violet rolled her eyes again. "You don't have to butter me up. I can wear it for an hour or two, but I'm not wearing heels."
"I almost forgot!" Donovan hurried over to an antique armoire and pulled out a boot box. He opened the top and handed a pair of black, wedge-heeled and fringed ankle boots to Violet. "Harley-Davidson Tybee boots, the hottest boots around for our biker girls. The hidden wedge heel and stylish fringe makes them perfect for dressing up or leathering up."
"These are kickin'," Violet said.
Desiree beamed at her. "Really? You're going to wear the dress and the boots?" She threw her arms around Violet, nearly toppling them both over. "Thank you! I wouldn't have cared if you wore your leather miniskirt and bikini top, but this means the world to me."
"Whatevs, sis," Violet said with a sigh. "Can I change now? I'm freaking starving."
"Yes. Go!" Desiree nudged her toward the curtain. Then she threw her arms around Donovan and kissed his cheek. "You're amazing! Thank you so much for everything. The dress fits perfectly, and Violet looks like a dream. Now I just have to find heels."
"I might have you covered, too, princess." He went to the armoire and returned with another box. "If you like them, they're my wedding gift to you."
Desiree opened the box, and happiness bloomed in her eyes. "I love them!"
She held up a pair of gorgeous sandals, also with a wedge heel, a shade lighter than her dress, with tiny pearls on the thin strap across the front of her foot and on the thin ankle strap.
"With a beach wedding, you want flats or a wedge, and since Ricky's so tall, I thought you'd want the additional height to be closer to his lips." He winked.
"Can you help me with my wedding dress?" Emery asked. "I wasn't going to do anything fancy, but … "
"How about a triple wedding?" He looked inquisitively at Emery and Serena-as did the others.
"Dean and I are not crashing Des's wedding," Emery said. "Count me out."
Serena's stomach twisted nervously. "I … um … no. Drake and I just started dating. We're not even close to being engaged."
"We'll see about that," Desiree said. "Rick and I didn't date long before we got engaged. And look at Em and Dean. When you know, you know."
"Don't fall prey to their pressure," Violet said as she stepped out from behind the curtain wearing her own clothes. "Stay strong, little one."
She'd been strong for so many years when it came to Drake, she sort of hated that expression, but her life was in Boston and his was here at the Cape. "I'm going through enough life changes at the moment. We've only just begun trying to figure out how to be a long-distance couple."
That didn't stop her from thinking about Donovan's suggestion and toying with the idea through lunch at the Red Eye Coffee and Café later that afternoon. Thinking of Drake made her think of making love with him, which reminded her of her shopping list. As the girls chatted about everything under the sun, Serena thought about her earlier conversation with Drake about her impending shopping trip.
You probably want me to get handcuffs or silk ties. His gaze had nearly ignited, and she'd taken it a little further. Or maybe edible underwear? She'd always thought herself to be open to anything and fairly well versed in the bedroom, even if she didn't have hands-on experience with much kink. But with Drake, she had a feeling she came across as a novice. He'd chuckled and said, Baby, you're all I need, but I'm all for exploring a darker side with you.