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“I must have looked really bad,” Zoe said, grinning.
Raven wore a silk modern caftan dress in swirls of color that made her look more like a gypsy than ever. Thick gold hoops were in her ears and gold sandals on her feet.
Zoe had never had close female friends, so she was feeling her way in this relationship, unsure exactly what kinds of things women did together.
“I held the suit back for you,” Raven said. “And a few other things I thought you’d like. It didn’t seem fair that you were stuck at home and couldn’t see what was fresh on the floor.”
“Very thoughtful,” Zoe said, mouth quirking. “I can already feel my bank account dwindling.”
“What’s the point of having money if you can’t spend it?” Raven asked, waggling her eyebrows. “Though I’d never say something like that in front of my husband. I’m more of the free spirit in our marriage. He can be a little bit uptight.”
“It sounds like a family trait,” Zoe said, shaking her head. “You should see my spice rack and closet. Everything is color coded and alphabetized.”
“And it makes the creative in you die a little inside, right?” Raven asked, laughing. “Don’t worry. Not everyone in the family is like that. O’Haras, bless them, and the Irish heritage of descending from bards and poets and lovers of nature, are an exacting lot. Despite Anne charging into your house like a general on a mission, she’s the free spirit between her and Mick. She was a Broadway singer you know.”
“Really?” Zoe asked intrigued, thinking of Colt’s mother. “I had no idea. But I can see it. She has quite a presence.”
“She’s not normally so militant, but she’s been married to Mick going on forty years, and Mick, bless his heart, is a good old-fashioned stick-in-the-mud. My husband, Wyatt, and Colt and Hank are a chip off the old block. There’s not an artistic or poetic bone between them.”
“I wouldn’t say Colt is a stick-in-the-mud,” Zoe said, not sure why she was feeling defensive of a man she’d only known a few days. “He’s got a great sense of humor. And he told me he plays the piano. That’s creative. Plus he knows how to do a lot of handyman-type stuff for a doctor. He hung all my curtains and put up shelves.”
“Hmm,” Raven said, giving her a knowing look. “Got his hooks in you, does he?”
“Wha—no, of course not. I’m just observant. It comes with being a writer.”
“Uh-huh,” Raven said. “Come on to the back. You can spend all your money and I’ll pour us each a glass of champagne. And then I’ll give you a rundown on everyone you met.
“Oh,” Zoe said, surprised, as Raven took her by the hand and led her back through the beaded curtain. And then she said, “Oh,” again when she realized she was not in the dressing room area as she’d assumed.
“Like it?” Raven asked, waggling her brows. “It’s Laurel Valley’s worst-kept secret. This is the best lingerie shop in the state.”
“Wow,” Zoe said, recognizing some of the brands from Fifth Avenue in New York.
“Don’t worry. We’ll get you all set up. Colt won’t know what hit him.”
“Oh, no,” Zoe said. “Colt and I—we aren’t—I don’t?—”
“Relax,” Raven said, patting her on the hand. “I didn’t mean to make you hyperventilate. There’s plenty of time for all that. I have great intuition. Just ask anyone. I’m famous for it in Laurel Valley. But you shouldn’t freak out over it.”
“I’m freaking out a little,” Zoe said. “I have no intention of getting involved with anyone, no matter how strong the attraction. I just got out of a marriage that made me become someone I didn’t even recognize. And I almost lost everything because of my own need to be loved. I was desperate and stupid. I can’t go through that again.”
“Oh, honey,” Raven said, pulling her close and giving her a quick hug. “Marriage isn’t meant to be hell. You were just married to the wrong guy. Hell follows men like that around and you just got caught in the middle of it. But there are a lot of good men in the world. Colt is one of them. I promise. Now you’re smarter and wiser, and you’re stronger too. You just need some time to get your sea legs under you, that’s all.”
Raven pushed her back into a pink velvet chair and then poured two glasses of champagne.
“Now sit back and relax, and don’t trouble yourself with loving Colt. There’s plenty of time for that. Now is for fashion and feeling good.”
“Oh, but I left Chewy outside,” Zoe said, biting her lip. “I don’t want anything to happen to him.”
“I’ll have one of the girls bring him back,” Raven said. “He seems like a civilized dog.”
* * *
A couple of hours later, Zoe’s head was spinning and her wallet was a little lighter. Her head wasn’t spinning because of the champagne—she’d only had a sip—but she was starting to think maybe she’d overdone it on her first outing. Though to be fair, Chewy looked as if he’d been through the wringer too.
“You’re looking a little pale. Are you feeling okay?” Raven asked, packing up the last of her purchases.
“Just a little headache,” Zoe said. “It comes and goes.”
