Page 32 of Finding New Dreams

I stepped forward, carefully avoiding her train, and fumbled for the zipper, but the damn thing kept slipping from my grip. “Can anyone work this thing?” I grumbled. “It’s basically a sesame seed dipped in oil.”

She laughed, but I caught the slightly hysterical pitch to it. I looked at her in the mirror again. Her eyes were a little glassy now and she was blinking rapidly.

“Hey, it’s fine,” I said quickly, frantically trying to keep hold of the zipper. “I’m sure one of your bridesmaids will be much better at this than me.”

She gave me a tremulous smile and shook her head. “It’s not that. I just… Do you think Mom and Dad will actually come to the wedding? Dad agreed to walk me down the aisle.”

I gave up on the zipper to give her shoulders a squeeze. “They will. You know they wouldn’t miss it. They’re Mayor and Mrs. Higgins. And this will be the event of the season,” I added in a posh voice.

She nodded, her fingers tracing over the beaded pattern of her dress.

“But if anything happens, I’d love to walk you down the aisle, Chloe Bear.”

She smiled at me. “Really? You would do that?”

“Of course! You’re my little sister, and Hunter seems like a great guy who loves you. I’m with you all the way.”

She reached back to squeeze one of my hands. “Thank you, Flynn. That means the world to me.” She bit her lip. “To be honest, I wasn’t even sure you’d make it in time. You’ve been so busy, and you kept changing plans…”

My heart twisted in my chest. I released her shoulders but hitched a smile on my face. “And I’m a bit of well-known flake, right? Well, not about this.”

She faced me, her forehead scrunched. “I didn’t mean it like that. We’ve been leading our separate lives for so long now, it was hard to imagine you being back here.” Grabbing my hands in hers, she held on tight. “But I’m so glad you are, Flynn. That’s all that matters to me. I honestly wish it could be for longer.”

“Don’t worry about it. Can’t change who I am, right? And I have to go back after the wedding. But I’ll come visit more. Promise.”

She nodded, blinking away more tears.

“No more tears,” I commanded gently, cursing myself and my parents at the same time for making her feel this way. “You look beautiful. And aside from the demonic zipper, this dress is perfect for you. Hunter’s going to lose his mind when he sees you. Where is he, by the way?”

“Oh, I made sure he was busy at the lodge. I just want to be absolutely sure this dress fits before I take it off.”

My finger shot up in the air as I got an idea. “Hang on, hang on. Where’s your junk drawer?”

She frowned. “Drawer next to the oven. What—”

But I sped off, and after finding what I was looking for, I jogged back and held up the unbent paper clip for her to see.

Laughing, she feigned adoration. “My brother, the genius!”

After I used my little contraption to yank the zipper up and complimented her again, I pretended to get a call.

She waved me out, already eyeing herself critically in the mirror.

Beyond distracted, I showered quickly. Pretty sure I shampooed twice. But under all the thoughts and emotions was the desire to get it all out in art form. That was usually when things made the most sense to me. Or at least it calmed me down enough to sort through the mess sticking between my head and my heart.

Once again, I walked to the studio, barely noticing the racing clouds or the waving neighbors. I let myself in to Exquisite Moments an hour before opening time.

I hesitated outside the door to Rose’s personal studio, wondering for the first time if maybe she was using it.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open and couldn’t decide if I was relieved or disappointed that it was empty.

I bustled around for a few minutes, shrugging out of my jacket and setting up a new canvas and painting supplies.

Then I sat.

And sat.

I didn’t know how long I’d been sitting there staring at the empty canvas when Rose opened the back door and stepped inside on a gust of spring air.

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