The Bachelor And The Beauty Queen. Carolyn Hector

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      “Safe to assume the sign is good for us?” Andrew asked, pulling her into his arms and then dipping her backward, causing Lexi to gasp. “Did they call you from the road?”

      Lexi straightened herself upright and shook her head. “I only saw the pending sign when I pulled up. I hope they left a message on the machine. Did you hear anything?”

      “I haven’t checked yet,” said Andrew.

      “Uh, no, ma’am. I don’t care what day of the week it is.” The corners of Chantal’s mouth turned upside down as she shook her head back and forth. “You haven’t dressed like this because you’re a businesswoman now, a consultant, the owner of a one-of-a-kind dress shop with a reputation for being the good-luck charm for every girl that comes here for a dress. Everyone knows a dress bought from your shop is guaranteed a placement, if not a title, in any pageant. If one of the sponsors or parents comes in here while you’re dressed for the club, you’re going to lose a lot of credibility with the mothers bringing their kids in for the pageant workshop.”

      With Chantal following Lexi into her office and rattling off the agenda for the day, Lexi picked out more appropriate work attire from the closet. She chose a red A-line skirt and matched it with a scoop-neck red-and-white polka-dot sleeveless blouse.

      To generate an interest in pageants in town, Chantal had set up a workshop for two Saturdays a month where kids could learn the art of energetic and confident pageant walks. She spent at least thirty minutes of each workshop making the girls practice holding their wrists and hands in a cupcake-like style. Her team, made up of Chantal and Andrew, helped hone talents and emphasize their beauty.

      The classes ended up overcrowded with young parents eager to find a venue that would put their kids on track for a reality show.

      As a business major at Lexi’s college, Chantal had recognized the full potential of Grits and Gowns by adding pageant coaching. She had approached Lexi and asked her to take Chantal on as an intern to help maximize the boutique. “Roll your eyes if you want, Lexi Pendergrass,” Chantal continued, “but you know I am right. Expanding costs money. So I need you to dress appropriately for the kiddies at the fair trying to win one-on-one time with you.”

      Chantal quickly crossed the room and took hold of Lexi’s elbow, steering her toward the dressing rooms. “I’m making sure you don’t ruin your reputation—because of what some jerk said to you,” Chantal scolded. Her eyes darted outside the large glass window. “We have a lot at stake here. Your pageant workshop was so successful. Let’s concentrate on the next few paying classes.”

      “Fine.” Lexi sighed at Chantal. “I’ll go upstairs and change.”

      “On second thought—” Chantal snapped her fingers “—I made sure we have all the dresses ready for pickup for the Peach Blossom Pageant tonight.”

      At the beginning of every summer, the town held its annual Four Points County Fair. Lexi had once held the title of Miss Peach Blossom. Once she was in high school she went on to bigger pageants.

      “The girls’ dresses are already steamed and in the back for them to try on,” Chantal said. “I need to go over to the hardware store and get the tape so the girls know their marks when they’re walking.”

      “Don’t worry about taping anything.” Lexi snatched up her keys. “I’ll run upstairs to the loft. I’m sure I have some.” A few months ago she’d purchased a condo in the downtown district after spending several months living out of the loft above the boutique.

      “Well, hurry up.” The bell above the door jingled. A strange vibration filtered through Lexi’s veins when the man stepped fully inside. The afternoon sun glowed behind him, but warning bells went off in the back of her mind as she realized the visitor’s identity. The room went silent with awkwardness.

      “Mr. Reyes?”

      The way his black eyes pierced her, she felt naked, exposed. She reached for the collar of her T-shirt and gave the material a modest tug. Mr. Reyes’s eyes focused on the two other people in the room before settling his glare on Lexi and giving her body a once-over. Once again, he earned a perfect ten on her personal score card in overall appearance and stage presence. Decked out in khakis and a white button-down Oxford, he commanded the attention of everyone in the store. Even the music stopped when he walked inside.

      She didn’t scare easily, not really. At least not usually. Lexi folded her arms beneath her breasts and raised an eyebrow, hating herself for giving him a perfect ten for his walk. He’d strutted into the shop with confidence. “May I help you?”

      “I just was looking for Mr. and Mrs. Foxx.”

      “They’re gone.” Andrew perked up and offered. “If you would like coffee, I can make you some while we wait for them to return.”

      Mr. Reyes gave a tight smile. “No, but thank you for the offer. I came by to get the keys. They didn’t happen to leave them with you, did they?”

      “Keys?” Dread washed over Lexi. In the back of her mind, she replayed his eyes scanning over the model of her planned expansion. She mentally calculated the price of his suits, guessed the ballpark figure of his net worth. Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. A tear threatened to form in the corner of her eye. The lack of a phone call and the Sale Pending sign next door... The blood rushed to her head and swelled against her ears.

      “Yes, the property next door.” Mr. Reyes gave a half smile, clearly enjoying dropping this news. He pointed toward the space standing between her boutique and the coffee shop.

      “Mr. Reyes, I am busy.”

      “Yes, you are.” His voice trailed off as his eyes cast disapprovingly over her. “Please, since we’re going to be neighbors, call me Stephen.”

      As a former beauty queen, Lexi held her composure with a stiff smile. All this over a dress? What a petty man. Contestants received extra bonus points based upon behavior. Stephen’s score now dropped to a zero.

      “Neighbors?” Andrew asked for her.

      “Well, we need to go over the legalities,” he said casually, “but I need a place to move my business, so I put a bid on the place next door.”

      “This is ridiculous!” Chantal spouted what everyone thought. “You seriously outbid her because of a dress?”

      Stephen’s attention turned toward Chantal for a brief moment, then to Lexi. Unlike Chantal, Lexi did not cower. She squared her shoulders and jutted her chin forward.

      “You gave me some sound advice,” he said to her. “You told me I needed to keep a better eye on my niece, so here I am—making sure she never sets foot in this shop again.”

      Silence fell over Lexi, who was not sure what to say. “I did promise we weren’t done.”

      “All this because you think I sold your niece a dress?”

      “I don’t think,” he clipped.

      Lexi inhaled a sharp breath. “I would like to meet this niece of yours. No one here has sold my personal dress to a child.”

      “So now my niece is a liar?”

      “I am saying there has been a mistake.”

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