She’d come to Portland to one of Kelly’s boutiques to find a new dress for her gallery launch in just a few days.

Tuesday looked over her shoulder at the mirror behind her. The dress had pretty much no back at all, leaving a lot of exposed skin to the waist. “This back, though, I don’t know if I can carry it off.”

Kelly rolled her eyes. “That dress has been hanging in the display for a month. Five women have tried it on when I’ve been in. Not one looked right in it.”

The bodice was fitted in bronze metallic and led to a skirt of feathers in a fiery hue that worked perfectly with the bodice.

Feathers.

She’d come in to try a few little black dresses and Kelly had brought out one funky dress for every classic LBD she presented to Tuesday in the dressing room.

“Mere mortals can choose a dress that’s flattering and fits well. Every woman should have clothes that make her feel beautiful and special, even if it’s jeans. It’s so rare when something funky and eclectic works perfectly on someone. You carry it. You’re a bigger than life personality. Your beauty is bold and I think you’d be so wasted in that dress.” Kelly pointed to the pretty black cocktail dress on the hanger. “Which I should point out costs two hundred dollars more than the one you have on. That one you’re in now is on sale. Plus you get a discount.”

Tuesday smirked at Kelly. “Discount? And why is that?”

“You’re a contractor of ours. It comes with a fifteen percent discount. Plus it’s been here in the shop for five months and hasn’t moved and I had just decided to mark it down twenty-five percent. It’s forty percent off. It’s perfect for you.”

Tuesday had just recently finished a piece that was all fire, in varying shades of red, orange and amber. A bracelet that wrapped up the forearm. Daring. A piece meant to be worn with something like the dress she had on.

“Your butt. Tuesday, look at it. Ezra needs to see that.”

“You’re supposed to be making me buy the more expensive one, not giving me price breaks until I have no other choice but to say yes and buy this dress.”

“Is that what I’m doing?”

“Don’t try that blonde I’m so innocent thing on me, sister. I’ve had a pretty blonde best friend for over a decade. I’m immune to it. But not this dress.”

“You’re relaunching yourself into the future. This is your gallery opening. You need to look like this. Because I’m thinking the finished product with lipstick and high heels will be a total knockout. The bodice is fitted and even has a place for your boobs to go because that’s not a bra-friendly back and you’re not going to get away with braless with your rack.”

“Rack? Is that a term you learned at model school?”

“That one is courtesy of a thing called life. Oh, and my eight-year-old, who asked me why her teacher would have a rack and was she going to display things on it. I told her to ask her dad.”

Tuesday laughed as Kelly helped her get free from the dress so she didn’t rip it before she’d even left the store.

“All kidding aside. You need that dress. I know it might be sticker shock, but it’s a piece of art and it makes you look like a piece of art.”

“I’m buying it already. Sheesh.”

Kelly beamed and looked even prettier.

“So...are you guys coming?”

“The girls and I will stop by with Vaughan, on our way home from all having dinner with Sharon and Michael.” Kelly pasted on an expression that was more panicked than pleased.

“Wow, that’s some smile. My mom calls that her I’m in church so the Lord says I can’t call you out but you need it. I’ll pray for you face.”

“Ha! Good one. Sharon and I have never really got along. I know everyone thinks she’s fantastic and maybe she is if she doesn’t hate you but it took me two years in therapy not to hate her.”

Sharon was protective of her family. Tuesday could only guess how painful it would be for the woman to decide you were a threat.

“Is Vaughan ever going to tell her the whole story? Why things broke?”

“That’s between Vaughan and Sharon. The only way I can envision this second chance working is for him to make sure he will always be between us because I’m not going to tolerate any shit from her this time around.”

“So, you’re back on again? You’re together?”

Kelly sighed. “It’s complicated. I know you have an opening to deal with on Wednesday night but maybe we could go out Saturday after your stall closes for a drink? I know Jeremy and Ezra are going up to Vancouver for the weekend so I’m not edging into his weekend time.”

He was? Nice of him to tell her.

He’d been very sweet to her that weekend. He’d even told her about Jeremy’s call. But not a freaking word about going away.

They’d both been superbusy, though, and only connected for brief phone calls and texts as she’d readied for her gallery launch and he’d been dealing with the harvest.

“Sounds perfect. We can grab a late lunch and a beer and you can tell me what the heck is going on.”

“Only if you do the same.”

“Sure. If I figure it out before then, I’ll be happy to share.”

* * *

EZRA HADN’T EXPECTED to be so damned busy that week, but they’d brought in the alfalfa, which looked to be a damned good crop that season. So pretty much all his life had focused down to was getting up, going out, dealing with alfalfa and alfalfa-related stuff for twelve to fifteen hours, calling Tuesday to hear her voice and crashing only to start over again the following morning.