A workout was precisely what they got. Unfortunately, her mother was in such phenomenal shape that the exercise barely winded her. She whiled away the time with questions that Ruby, trapped inside a storage pod with no exits, had no choice but to answer.

“What’s the name of the man you like?” her mom asked as they wheeled out the third rack of bagged and tagged gowns. They were organized by color and cut, each rack growing heavier as the number of beaded crystals increased.

“His name is Spencer, and I don’t like him. I’m attracted to him, but there’s definitely no liking.”

“I felt the same way about Stepfather Trois. What a pain in my ass that man was. Amazing in bed, though.”

“Mom!”

“What do you get if this dog wins the show?” her mom asked as soon as they managed to wrangle the platform out of the pod. “Is there a cash prize?”

“It’s not about money. It’s about the glory.”

“You can’t live off glory, honey. Believe me—I’ve tried.”

The final question came as they were securing the platform to the roof of Ruby’s car. It had taken some doing to get it up there. This entire enterprise would have been easier if they’d had help, but Ruby would rather die under a cascade of her old gowns than ask Spencer, and Caleb had been strangely loath to accompany her.

Which was just as she figured. A man who peed in a sink and lied about who he was to pick up a woman wasn’t the type you could count on to help you move.

“What happens if the dog loses the show?” her mom asked. This question was so unlike her that Ruby almost lost her grip on the edge of the wooden platform she was holding up. “Don’t look at me like that… I’m just curious. If you’re putting all this time and work into the competition, it’s important to have a backup plan in case things don’t go the way you want. I always did.”

This was news to Ruby. For years, the word lose had been banned from her vocabulary. Runner-up was synonymous with failure, and second runner-up was practically a death sentence.

“Don’t you remember that year I took you to Disneyland after you lost the Little Miss Missy Pageant to that redhead with the gap tooth? You were so devastated, you wouldn’t even take a picture with Mickey Mouse.”

Ruby could only stare at her mother as she secured the final rope.

“I had to bribe you with churros to leave the hotel,” her mom added with a shudder. “Nothing but carbs and sugar in every bite.”

“That wasn’t Disneyland, Mom. It was a roadside carnival that later got shut down for reckless endangerment. And the churros made me sick for three days.”