Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen #1)(117)

Candy loved to shop and she couldn’t seem to stop smiling. They’d gone out the front door of The Cookie Jar and into the next building over. There were party dresses on the mannequins in the window, and Hannah had said they were going to buy something for her to wear to the party tomorrow night.

Mom would love this place! Candy thought, looking around at the thick carpet, the soft lighting, and the closets filled with clothing. There were no racks crowded together and stuffed with clothes that were half off their hangers. Everything was in its own closet, and each closet was marked with a little gold number that told you the size. And instead of just going through the closets by yourself, you told the owner what you needed and asked her to help you choose it.

There were chairs in a conversational grouping in the center of the room, and Candy supposed they were for husbands or friends who wanted to wait while you tried on something and then walked out to model it. Candy was sitting in a pink satin chair while Hannah sat across from her in a pale green chair. The owner was standing at one of the closets, making a selection, and as Candy watched, she chose a dress and carried it over to them.

“This should be nice on you, Candy.” The owner was holding the most beautiful dress Candy had ever seen. “I think wine is your color. You need a deep, rich color with your skin and hair, don’t you think?”

“Oh, yes,” Candy breathed. One glance at the dress and she was in love. She would have agreed that the world was flat as long as she got the chance to try it on.

“Do you need any help?” Hannah asked her.

“No, thanks. I can manage.” Candy held out her arms for the dress and tried to keep from skipping as she walked back to the fitting rooms. It was as light as a feather and it shimmered in her hands.

It took only a second to peel off her jeans and sweater. And then carefully, oh, so carefully, Candy unzipped the dress and lowered it over her head. As it settled into place, she thought she could hear strains of beautiful music. She zipped it up, twirled around on the balls of her feet, and gave a delighted little laugh as she saw her reflection in the mirror. She looked gorgeous, not like herself at all. And she looked older, at least seventeen, and maybe even the twenty she’d told Hannah and Norman she was. She was Cinderella, and she was going to the ball!

“Let’s see, Candy,” Hannah called out, and Candy hurried out of the dressing room to show her.

“It’s lovely on you,” the owner of the shop said, but Candy was concerned about Hannah. Her new friend was buying her this dress and there wasn’t any price tag. Candy had heard of sticker shock when people saw the prices of new cars. Was this dress so expensive that they had to hide the cost?

“You’ve got a great eye, Claire,” Hannah complimented the owner. And then she turned to Candy. “It looks absolutely wonderful, and I think we should get it for the party tomorrow. What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful,” Candy said, sighing deeply. “But…is it too expensive?”

“No.”

Both the owner and Hannah spoke at once, and then they burst out laughing. Even Candy had to smile.

“Claire gives me a discount because I’m her next-door neighbor,” Hannah explained.

“It’s only fair,” the owner said. “Hannah brings me free cookies whenever she bakes my favorites.”

Candy gave a delighted laugh, she was so happy. She was getting the dress of her dreams and it made her look like a princess. The only thing that could make this moment even more wonderful would be if Mom could see her now.





Chapter Ten




Candy had just refilled the carafe and was preparing to make the rounds of the tables when a pretty, very pregnant lady came in. “May I help you?” Candy asked, precisely the way Lisa and Hannah had coached her.

“Don’t I wish! I need to see Hannah. Is she in the kitchen?”

“Yes, she is. But…”

“Hi, Sally,” Lisa came up and took the carafe out of Candy’s hand. “I’ll do the coffee. You go see if you can round up any more Cherry Winks. We’re running out. And take Sally back to the kitchen with you so she can talk to Hannah.”

“I’m Sally, and I run the Lake Eden Inn,” Sally said as Candy led her toward the kitchen.

“And I’m Candy. I’m helping Hannah and Lisa out over the holidays. Are you the one giving the big party tonight?”

“That’s me. Or maybe I should say, ‘That was me.’” Sally gave a little sigh as Candy pushed through the kitchen door and held it for her.

Hannah looked up from the tray of Lovely Lemon Cookie Bars she was cutting and nodded to Sally. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d be decorating for the party.”

“I would be if I had some help. But I don’t.”

“I don’t understand. You said you were going to hire three high school girls.”

“I did, and all three of them called to cancel this morning. One’s sick, one’s grounded because she got home late from her date, and the third one slipped on the ice and broke her thumb. I managed to find one girl who said she’d help out, but she can’t do it alone.”

Hannah glanced at Candy. “Do you want to help Mrs. Laughlin and this other girl decorate for the party?”