Free Flower Girl World: Rosie and the Wedding Day Rescue by Lynelle Woolley Page A

in a fit of laughter. “Rosie has to wear a dress?!”

    Max knew his sister well. She was not a big fan of dresses. To be a detective, Rosie had to crawl on the ground and hide in all sorts of places. Those were not good activities for a dress.
    â€œMax, stop laughing and get off the floor!” Mrs. Anderson said as she returned to the kitchen. “Rosie is going to be a beautiful flower girl. She only has to wear a dress for one day, and it will make Greta very happy.”
    Rosie felt dizzy. She fell back on the couch and covered her face with her hands.
    â€œOh, no,” she thought. “What have I gotten myself into?”

Chapter Two
    It was storming on the day that Rosie and her mom planned to meet Greta. When they arrived at the mall, the place was packed. Rosie remembered one other time when it had been this crowded. It was the day teen pop star Gaby Snow was there to sign autographs. As one of Gaby’s biggest fans, Rosie waited in line for two hours to meet her, with no bathroom breaks!
    Rosie wished she were seeing Gaby today instead of buying a dress. As she and her mom walked through the mall, Rosie dragged her rain boots as if they were filled with slushy mush.
    â€œThink of it as detective work,” her mom said, walking briskly. “You’re on the search for the perfect flower girl dress.”
    Rosie scowled. Dress shopping was not detective work; it was torture!

    â€œRosie, we have to hurry. We don’t want to keep the other flower girls waiting.”
    Rosie froze right in her tracks. “What?” she asked. “I didn’t know there were other flower girls.”
    â€œYes, there are two,” her mom said, grabbing Rosie’s hand to pull her along. “They are from out of town, and they’re here today to help pick out the flower girl dress. Isn’t that great?”
    â€œWhat’s so great about it?” Rosie said under her breath. She didn’t like surprises. And now she was afraid there might be more.
    â€œThis must be it,” said Mrs. Anderson, stopping in front of Bettina’s Boutique.
    Rosie’s mouth dropped open. It looked like someone had set off a pink bomb inside the store. There were pink walls, pink decorations, pink carpet, and, of course, pink dresses everywhere. Rosie was planning her escape when a saleswoman with curly, carrot-colored hair approached them.
    â€œHello, ladies. I’m Bettina. How can I help you?” The saleswoman’s voice squeaked with glee.
    â€œWe’re meeting Greta Goodwin to pick out a flower girl dress,” Rosie’s mother replied, looking around the store for Greta.
    â€œShe isn’t here yet, but this young lady is waiting for her too.”

    Bettina motioned across the room. Sitting in a lounge chair was a girl with big, brown eyes and two long, blond braids. In her lap Rosie could see a huge, fluffy purple ball of yarn. The girl was busy knitting.

    Rosie’s mom approached the girl, dragging Rosie behind her.
    â€œHello, I’m Mrs. Anderson, and this is my daughter, Rosie. Are you in Greta Goodwin’s wedding too?”
    â€œI’m Iris,” the girl replied. “I’m one of Greta’s flower girls. Greta is from Philadelphia, just like me. She was my babysitter before she went to college.”
    Mrs. Anderson grinned. “You and Rosie have a lot in common. What are you knitting? It’s beautiful, don’t you think, Rosie?”
    Rosie knew her mom was trying to get her to talk to Iris. Instead of answering, she responded with a smile, the kind where the sides of the mouth go up and down really fast.
    Iris didn’t seem to notice. “Thanks,” she said. “It’s a scarf.”
    Iris got up to show off her knitting. Rosie wasn’t interested in the scarf, but something else caught her eye.
    Iris was wearing a T-shirt with sequins and a picture of Gaby Snow! “I like your shirt,” Rosie blurted