Point of Attraction by Margaret Van Der Wolf Read Free Book Online

apron uniform
top and flipped out her long luminous wine colored hair from under
the apron so it fell loosely about her shoulders and down her back.
“Someone came in afterwards,” she reasoned while snapping the side
tabs, “saw Raggs sitting there, and took her. That’s all. She’s
probably in the arms of a little girl right now.”
    “Brandy, will you please shut up,”
Emmee snapped, putting her long, neatly manicured, fingertips at
her temples while closing her eyes in a plea. “Just zip
it.”
    “Stop, stop,” Georgie said. “The both
of you. Stop.”
    “Oh, Georgie, I’m sorry,” Brandy said,
reaching for her, but Georgie waved at her that it was fine and she
understood. “I didn’t mean to be insensitive. I know how much you
love the little thing.”
    “It’s fine.” Georgie knew
that to most Raggs was just a rag doll.
    “God, Brandy, can you just stuff a
towel in it!” Emmee hissed under her breath while handing Georgie
an apron top then shook out her own to put it on. “But I do think
that Mason fellow on the answering machine has a point. You should
call the police on this.”
    “It can’t hurt,” Brandy added, then
shot Emmee a puzzled raised eyebrow. “What fellow?”
    Emmee shook her head and Georgie sighed
deeply. Perhaps they were right, she thought and said, “One Amber
Alert coming up for a Raggedy Ann doll.” She shivered in the still
cool shop and flipped on the neon OPEN sign. It took another deep
breath before she could pick up the phone.
    After being switched from this
department to that department, being put on hold, then transferred
from this officer to another officer, Georgie finally said,
“Actually, the doll was a collector’s item. Yes, a classic,
personally signed by the maker, and worth more than a few thousand
dollars.” There was a pause. “You will? Thank you.” And with a
smile to the girls, she hung up. “They’re sending out an officer to
get all the details.”
    “A collector’s item?” Brandy asked.
“Your Raggs was a collector’s item?”
    Georgie raised her chin and narrowed
her focus. “I have a few Raggedy Ann Dolls. So that would make me a
collector, right?” It wasn’t a question, but a dare for Brandy to
deny the remark.
    “I would say so,” Emmee agreed, pulling
at her spiky blonde hair while spritzing it as she looked in the
mirror.
    “Personally signed by the maker?”
Brandy countered.
    Georgie pointed at Brandy. “My mother
made Raggs for me and embroidered her name on it in case I lost her
at the hospital. They’d know who she belonged to.”
    “There you go,” Emmee said with her
traditional flip of her hands.
    “Okay, okay,” Brandy relented, then
asked, “But what about it being worth thousands? Huh?”
    Georgie arched an eyebrow and stared
hard at the younger of her two stylists as she handed Brandy the
slip of paper with the names and phone numbers of the persons
wanting an appointment with her. “Are you saying you don’t think
Raggs is worth thousands to me?”
    The young stylist’s blue eyes dilated
to the size of silver dollars, and faded almost to that shade, as
she looked to Emmee then back. She took a deep breath and smiled
wide with beautiful teeth.
    “Millions, Boss Lady, millions.” She
back-stepped her way to her styling station. “Yes, ma’am, worth
millions.”
    Emmee grinned, but held back a snicker
as she shook her head, fear gone from her eyes, and took her
messages from Georgie. She pushed the ON button to the shop radio.
“Oh, oh. Here comes Jeffrey. I forgot to tell you. He’s your first
appointment.”
    “Oh, my God,” Georgie said, “you’re
kidding. I’m surprised he came. I thought he’d be mad.”
    “Why?”
    “Long story,” Georgie said, and let her
lips pull back into a big smile and turned at the opening door.
“Good morning, Jeffrey.”
    “Hi,” Jeffrey murmured, eyes casting to
the ceiling, the girls, then settling on the floor; everywhere but
directly at