Page 14 of Holiday Hook Up

The way the story was told to her by Adam, Mary had been devastated to learn that her true love, a film actor, had been murdered on his way to meet her at his movie premiere in Buttermilk Falls all those years ago. On a spring evening in 1937, she’d stood in line at the Majestic Theater for hours, waiting for him to join her, but he never came. When she learned of his untimely death, she took her own life, hoping to be reunited with her one true love.

“Hey.” Josh gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, “Don’t be spooked. It’s not a big deal. Mary probably would have been tickled to see it going to good use tonight. Did you score a Holiday Hook Up?”

She blinked before saying, “No, I didn’t. Guess this dress didn’t bring me luck. Maybe someone else can try again next year.” She took a step toward the inn but turned around. “Can I ask you something, Josh?”

“Sure.”

“You’ve never been afraid to go after anything you want. How do you do it?”

He studied her for a second. “Want to know my secret?”

“Yes.”

“I’m always scared.” He pointed to the house. “That beautiful brunette inside scared me from the minute she told me she was pregnant.”

Bethany smiled at his reference to Caitlin. “Yes, I heard that was a bit of a surprise. How did you get from that moment to here—happily married and raising your kids?”

“I took a step.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and took one toward her to illustrate. “It’s all about taking it one step at a time. But there’s something else you have to do while you’re taking those steps.”

“What?”

“Don’t ever let the past hold you back from getting the life you want. It’s easier to do that when you take baby steps.”

“Good advice,” she said. Where was that advice to take baby steps thirty minutes ago? What she’d done back there with Adam may have been more of a stampede. Maybe it was for the best that she was in disguise. “I should probably go in and change.”

Saying a quick silent prayer that she wouldn’t be seen, she followed Josh back inside and was relieved to see that the guests had gathered in the main room to pay for their Holiday Hook Ups. While he headed to the bar, she beelined for the stairs. All of a sudden, a hand yanked her down.

“Bethany, have you seen Josh?” Caitlin asked.

“He’s at the bar.” She pointed in his direction and then glanced toward the crowd, unable to spot Adam. She hated the fact that he and Rachel were probably a pair by now, but she needed to change back into her own clothes STAT. “Excuse me.”

“Wait. Are you okay?”

Bethany turned to see concern in Caitlin’s face.

“I’m . . .”Spooked that I’m wearing a dead woman’s wedding dress . . . utterly embarrassed that I threw myself at my lifelong crush mere minutes ago . . . beyond frustrated that at this very moment Rachel and Adam could be purchasing their Holiday Hook Up. Deciding that she really could use a friend to get her through this evening, she grabbed Caitlin’s hand. “I need to talk to you, now.”

She raced up the stairs, ignoring the fact that Caitlin could wipe out any second in her sky-high stilettos.

Stepping into the second-floor guestroom, Bethany finally let go of Caitlin’s hand and closed the door.

“What a weird freakin’ night.” Caitlin walked over to the mirror and adjusted her mini-dress and then examined her bright red lipstick. “Do you know what possessed Adam to agree to Holiday Hook Up with Rachel? I really thought he was finally over her.”

Bethany’s heart sank, only half-hearing the rest of what Caitlin had to say on that subject. Even the amazing kiss she’d shared with him earlier couldn’t stop the inevitable reunion.

She’d deal with her disappointment in front of the TV in her red footie pajamas with a huge bag of greasy chips when she got home. Right now, she needed some answers about this dress. “Have you seen this gown before?” Bethany walked over and stood next to Caitlin in front of the full-length mirror.

“No, and why didn’t you tell me you were going to dress up as a bride? Emma, Abby, and I could have pretended to be your bridesmaids.” She rolled her eyes. “Although, I guess Rachel would have had to be your maid of honor.”

There was no love lost between Rachel and Caitlin, especially when Adam started spending all of his time last summer with her, causing Rachel to have an absolute conniption, but there was no time to get into that now. She stepped back from the mirror. “Your husband said Mary was wearing it the last time he saw her—before she crossed over.”

“What?” Caitlin furrowed her eyebrows and reached out to touch the dress. “Now that I think about it, it does look like the one she had on. It’s hard to tell. It was dark in the theater that night except for the candles on the stage, and we were all up in the balcony, watching her wedding ceremony below. Josh recognized it?”

Bethany nodded.

“Then I bet it’s hers. He sat with her and watched a film before the ceremony.” She touched the lacy sleeve like Josh had done earlier. “Where did you find it?”

“In there.” Bethany spun around and pointed to the hope chest behind them. “I came up to look at the masks. Curiosity got the better of me, so I opened it.” She paused, collecting her thoughts. She really didn’t want to confess to why she’d put the dress on in the first place. “It’s so pretty, and it looked like my size, so I tried it on.”

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