She smiled, just a little too sweet. “I’ll write down the address. You’ll like him.”
I didn’t notice how tightly she gripped the paper, or how the lilac scent seemed stronger when she leaned closer.
All I could think about was the dress. How wearing it might make it feel like Grandma wasn’t really gone.
I had no idea it would be the first thing to prove I never really knew her at all.
The tailor shop downtown looked like it had been there forever. The faded sign, the dusty window, the bell that rang too loudly when I walked in.
“Be right there,” a man’s voice called from the back.
I stepped inside and immediately noticed the smell.
Fabric. Old wood. And lilac—the same scent Mrs. Kline wore.
“That’s weird,” I murmured.
“Not really,” the man said, stepping out and wiping his hands. “Half the women in this town smell like lilac. Guess it sticks to everything.”
He smiled. “You must be Emma.”
I frowned. “Yeah… how did you—”
“Mrs. Kline called ahead. Name’s Mr. Chen.”
“I brought a dress,” I said, holding it out carefully.
Mr. Chen took it with both hands. “Well,” he said slowly, “this isn’t something you see every day.”
“It was my grandma’s. Lorna.”
He paused. “Lorna… Yeah. I remember her.”
“You knew her?”
“Small town. You cross paths.” He didn’t look at me when he said it.
