Alexis and the Lake Tahoe Tumult - Erica Rodgers [30]
“The lady at the front desk said there was a great thrift store down here,” said Bailey. “It’s secondhand, but apparently everything’s really nice.”
“Good,” said Alexis. “I have about thirty dollars for my entire party outfit!”
The thrift store was a gold mine, as far as the girls were concerned. The woman at the register led them to a rack packed full of evening gowns and party dresses.
“Girls don’t usually come looking for these until prom,” she said to Alexis and Bailey. “That’s still a couple months away, so you two have tons to choose from! After you find a dress, the purses and shoes are near the register. Fitting rooms are just through those curtains.”
“Thanks,” said Alexis. She and Bailey had a blast moving through the racks. There were dresses with feathers and sequins in bright colors, as well as simple black gowns. They all looked as if they could have been worn on the red carpet. Alexis and Bailey each took a small pile into the closest dressing rooms and took turns modeling their choices.
Alexis was trying on a long peach-colored dress when Bailey jumped through the curtain into her dressing room.
“Oh, good,” said Alexis. “I need help zipping this up.”
“Forget the zipper!” said Bailey. “Look who just walked into the store!”
Alexis poked her head through the curtain and stared. Chloe, the redhead from the hotel, was laughing with the cashier. The woman pointed toward the back of the store, and Alexis dove back into the dressing room as Chloe headed for the dress rack.
“I guess she needs a dress, too,” whispered Alexis. “Let’s pick our stuff quickly so we can follow her when she leaves!”
Bailey and Alexis tried on the rest of their dresses in a hurry and made their choices on the dresses they liked best. Then they moved to the front of the store to find shoes and accessories. As soon as they had finished, they paid. Then they lingered, pretending to look at jewelry. Alexis kept an eye on Chloe the whole time.
Chloe seemed to be annoyed again. Her phone kept ringing, but she was ignoring it.
“I’m on my lunch break!” she yelled at it when it rang for the seventh time. “Leave me alone!”
“Boss working you too hard, sweetie?” asked the shop owner.
“Not really,” answered Chloe as she hung a teal dress back on the rack. “I think he just has something against free time. That’s him again, making sure I’m going to be on time for our meeting in twenty minutes.”
Soon Chloe checked out at the register. Alexis and Bailey walked outside to wait for her to come out.
“She’s going to meet her boss,” said Alexis. “This is our chance to see who he is!”
“He could be our guy with the red hand and black coat!” said Bailey. Alexis had a feeling Bailey was right, but she didn’t want to get too excited.
At that moment, Chloe came out of the shop and buzzed past them heading back toward the hotels. She was on the phone.
“Yes, sir,” she said. “I’m on my way…. Yes, your tuxedo for the benefit should be in your room…. Yes….
Yes, I have my dress. Yes, I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
She started to put away her phone when the girls heard it sound again. She flipped it open. “Hello? … Well, I’m sorry! I told you the paint was permanent. Did you try lemon juice and sugar, like I told you to? … Okay then. I don’t know if you’ll be able to get it off for the event tonight or not…. No, you’d look silly in gloves. Try the stuff again, and if it doesn’t work, keep your hands in your pockets as much as you can.”
She hung up again, and the girls followed at a bit of a distance. They wanted to get a glimpse of Chloe’s boss without letting her know she was being followed.
“Oh no!” Alexis said. She grabbed Bailey’s arm and pulled her along faster. Chloe was losing them. She had passed the hotel and was headed for a restaurant in one of the casinos.
“No!” cried Bailey. “We can’t go in there!”
The girls sped up, hoping they could get a glimpse of the man Chloe was meeting before she entered the restaurant. They came to a street crossing, and Alexis sighed. A little red hand was flashing at