Seducing Megan: Prossers Bay Series Novella by Unknown

spirits and it was about more than their friendship. They had been so amazing when she’d turned up in Prossers Bay when the girls were babies. She’d stayed at the camp, in the best of the cabins, for a couple of months until her tenants left and she could move back into this place.
    Nothing had been too much trouble and they had fussed over her, enveloping her and the girls with their love. If she hadn’t had Jeanne, as well as Abby and Stephanie, who’d all helped with the furnishings, she didn’t think she would have managed on her own. Determination only went so far when you had two babies keeping you awake most of the night, and not sleeping too much during the day either.
    Switching off the laptop, since she had no idea what she was looking for, she snuggled into the sheets and pulled her book towards her. Just a chapter or two, then she would have an early night and tomorrow she’d pop into Mary Anne’s during her lunch break.
    ***
    Mary Anne was a widow who took great care of herself. She had that indiscriminate age thing happening, where you imagined her to be anywhere between forty-five and sixty. She wore clothes like an Italian woman – classy, yet casual, immaculate, yet seemingly without effort. Her make-up was always so beautifully applied that whether you saw her in her shop or on the street, she always looked radiant. Her blonde bob swung across her cheeks as she came to the door to greet Megan.
    “Megan, what a nice surprise. I haven’t seen you for such a long time. How are those delicious girls of yours?”
    “Hi, Mary Anne. The girls are wonderful. Finally settling into the long hours with me working full-time.”
    “That’s good. I did hear that you were working at the resort. Jordan Lambert is such a nice man, and I might add, not too bad on the eyes. I hope that you’re taking good care of yourself while you’re working so hard?”
    Megan laughed self-consciously. “I try.” She hadn’t put herself first for several years, so just being here, looking for a new dress that she probably couldn’t afford yet, seemed very selfish.
    “Now, I don’t suppose you’ve come to chat as you’re probably on a break, so I’ll let you browse, or did you want some suggestions?”
    “I would like a bit of help, actually. I’m hosting an event at the resort, and it’s going to be pretty fancy. I’ve been out of the loop for so long that I’ve really got no idea what would be suitable.”
    “I see.” Mary Anne put a finger to her lips and tapped several times while she looked Megan up and down. Her eyes suddenly lit up. “I think I have just the ticket. Pop into the changing room and I’ll bring you something.”
    She ran into the back of the shop and, after a bit of rustling, returned a few minutes later with a wrapped dress. She hung it on a hook just inside the door of a cubicle and as she removed the covering with a flourish, Megan gasped. The dress was gorgeous – like nothing she’d ever owned before, not even in Auckland when she was managing top events every other week. It was ankle length, or maybe it’d be floor length on her short frame, with a slit up one leg. It was the color of caramel and had only one shoulder strap. It looked very slim fitting and Megan instinctively sucked her stomach in.
    “I think it’s a bit out of my league,” she said in awe.
    “Nonsense, dear. This is made for you, even if it wasn’t literally, I’d take a bet that it’s a perfect fit. Please, humor an old lady and try it on.”
    “How much is it?” Megan’s hand was already on the dress but she snatched it back when Mary Anne answered.
    “Horrendously expensive, but try it on anyway. Now, calm down. The woman who ordered it decided the color didn’t suit her, a fact I had mentioned several times, but she spends a lot in here and recommends me to her friends, so against my intuition I let her order it. As you can see, I was left with it. I can’t return it since it’s a one-off, and