by Amanda Tru
Adam nodded. “Thanks for doing lunch with me.”
“It was fun!” London said, reaching across the round table to gather the trash together. “It was a good way to break up the day.”
Adam put his hand over hers, stopping its movements. “London, I don’t intend to rush you, but I need to be clear.”
His gaze sought hers and held, his eyes shining with an intensity that contrasted their warm coloring that today resembled caramel. “I don’t want just friendship from you. I also don’t want to simply take up from where we left off as teenagers. I don’t want puppy love or a downsized version of something deep and meaningful. I want the real thing with a goal of marriage, and I want to attempt that with you.”
His words both touched and terrified London. She understood his desire for a real love and not a paltry facsimile. She wanted it, too. She wanted a lifetime with a best friend and partner she could share life’s tragedies and triumphs. She wanted to hold the hand of a man who had the same power to make her heart beat as fast at ninety years old as it did now.
She just wasn’t sure that man was Adam. She wasn’t sure it wasn’t, but she couldn’t commit to anything more than “wait-and-see.”
London looked down at their hands, feeling the warmth of his encompassing hers as she interrogated every butterfly fluttering through her stomach. Was this him? Was Adam the one she’d been searching for?
“Adam, I don’t—”
“London! There you are! I’ve been looking for you!”
A man slid into the seat between London and Adam. If their round table was a clock with London and Adam at 12 and 6, then their visitor had just confiscated the 9:00 position.
London gasped, yanking her hand from Adam and leaping from her seat.
“Mason! What are you doing here!” she stammered, sure her eyes must be deceiving her.
“I came to see you,” Mason replied, his blue eyes shining up at her in sincerity. “I found out where you worked, but when I checked at the bridal shop, the owner there told me that you came down here for lunch. Actually, it wasn’t the owner. I think it was the owner's daughter. The owner doesn’t seem well. When I walked in, she turned fire engine red and looked like she might pass out. The daughter said she was fine, but I thought she might be experiencing a stroke. Maybe you should check on her when you get back.”
Before London could formulate a response, Mason turned to Adam and stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Mason Bryce,” he greeted, his tone friendly.
“Mason Bryce,” Adam repeated skeptically. “As in the actor?”
Mason shrugged. “I get that all the time. That guy’s totally over-rated.”
London rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to him. Of course, he’s the actor.”
Adam shook the offered hand, though he hadn’t fully abandoned his skepticism. “Adam Caldwell. You know London?”
“Yes, I do,” he said simply, offering no further explanation but standing once again to look at London directly.
“Why are you here?” London asked, not bothering to conceal her hostility.
“To talk to you,” Mason said quietly.
“I don’t think I’m in the mood to talk to you,” London said flatly.
“London, if you’re ready, I can walk you back to work,” Adam offered, coming to her side protectively while keeping watchful glare on Mason.
London took a deep breath, thinking. She wanted to just walk away, but she knew Mason well enough to realize he would simply show up at another time until he got the satisfaction from whatever reason he’d come here. She also didn’t want a scene between Adam and Mason, and the slowly building tension mixing with animosity made her believe that to be a possibility.
Deciding quickly, she turned to Adam. “I’m sorry, Adam. I need to let you get back to work. Why don’t I see what Mason wants? I’m sure that’s the quickest way to get rid of him.”
Adam hesitated. “You’re obviously upset, London. I’m not comfortable leaving you with him.”
“He’s harmless,” London reluctantly admitted. “We used to date. I haven’t seen him in over a year and didn’t expect to ever see him again. If I can talk to him for five minutes, hopefully, I can make that the reality.”
Adam nodded. “Okay, but call me if you need anything.”
“Don’t worry. If it turns out he makes me too angry, I just might need a lawyer. You’ll be my first call.”
Adam’s mouth quirked in a smile. “Don’t worry. I’m a good lawyer. I’ll get you off for any and all crimes.” Adam turned to Mason and warned. “Be careful with her.”
Mason’s breath came out in a half-laugh. “You have no idea.”
Adam reluctantly walked away, and London stood and stared at Mason as if frozen, not saying a word.
He seemed content to stare right back at her. But his gaze seemed to look past her face to search for something deeper, and it was disconcerting. He looked at her as if he were thirsty and she was his water.
Unfortunately, under such a gaze, London couldn’t hide anything. All of the pain and anger from their breakup had only magnified the past year, and all of that vulnerability lay open for Mason to see.
“You look good,” Mason choked out, his voice hoarse.
“That’s a given for you as well,” London said stiffly. “You look exactly like the magazine covers I’ve seen lately.” And he truly did. The man needed no airbrushing. He was six feet three inches of achingly gorgeous man. With his wavy brown hair, electric blue eyes, and killer smile, it was no wonder women all over the world fawned over him. Adding the unshaven stubble of a few days’ growth only served to accentuate his appeal and force London to try to valiantly erect a strong wall of anger and intense dislike directed at every one of his oh-so-perfect features.
“Can I walk you back to work?” Mason asked.
“Depends on if you’ll do that and promise to leave afterward.”
Mason shook his head, “No, I can’t promise that,” he replied honestly. “Please don’t make me. If I say that, then I might end up breaking that promise. I don’t want to lie to you.”
“That’s a change,” London grumbled. After all, lying was the man’s specialty. Then she sighed, “Fine, Mason. But you only have until we get back to the bridal shop. Then your time is up.”
They only made it a few paces before Mason asked, “Is that Caldwell guy your new boyfriend?”
“You really want to waste your time on that question?” London asked.
Mason turned his head her direction, and she felt him studying her. However, she refused to look his way.
His footsteps slowed, and he asked quietly, “I’d rather waste my time finding out how you’ve been.”
“Since we broke up?” London scoffed. “Good! I’ve been good since you’ve been out of my life. I’d ask you how you’ve been, but I kinda already know. At least, I keep track of you on the magazine covers when I pass them by grocery shopping. Seems like you’ve been doing well, too. What has it been? Taylor, Jennifer, Emma, and Megan?”
Mason laughed incredulously, “London, you do know that 99.9% of what they report on those magazines are lies.”
“Hmmm,” London remarked thoughtfully. “That’s still a better accuracy rate than I ever got from you. Everything that came past your lips was always 100% lies.”
Mason groaned softly and touched her arm, drawing her to a stop. “London, obviously you’re still upset, but if you just give me a second to explain.”
London turned on him, her eyes flashing fiercely. “No, I will not. You had plenty of time to ‘explain’ last year, but you never offered true explanations, only excuses. I don’t know why you came, but you might as well turn around and leave. Crossroads can’t possibly be your next filming location. No matter what you’re looking for, you won’t find it here. Leave, Mason, and don’t come back. I don’t want to see you ever again.”
She watched pain sear through his expression, and she didn’t care. Mason was an accomplished actor, and she’d lea
rned long ago that he was unreadable. Every muscle twitch, every emotion that played across his face could well be a carefully-executed lie. She didn’t believe any of it and had come to expect that the man possessed no genuine feelings. For him, all life was a show, and he played the part of the star.
“London,” he breathed brokenly, extending his open hand out as if begging for even a crumb of her mercy.
Before he could say anything further, London turned on her heel and walked away. “If you follow me, I’ll call the police,” she called over her shoulder. “I’m sure a Mason Bryce stalking charge would make for a very nice magazine cover.”
Heart pounding painfully, London practically ran the rest of the way back to the shop. Never looking back once, she fled as if pursued by a villain of her worst nightmares.
In a sense, she was. Mason Bryce had once been the hero of her fantasies, but for over a year now, he’d been consistently cast in her nightmares. No matter how she’d tried to evict him from her life and her mind, his fictitious self still remained. Now, when she thought she’d never see him again, he’d invaded her reality, terrifying her not because of who he was, but because of the way that, fourteen months later, the mere flesh and blood sight of him still made her feel.
“TeraLyn, can I ask you a question?” London asked, pausing on her way back to her side of the store.
Rhonda was gone running errands, and the store was momentarily empty, providing a rare opportunity for London to speak to TeraLyn without her mother’s sensitive ears. Besides, right now, London didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts. She needed a distraction from Mason’s sudden appearance a few hours before, and TeraLyn provided a convenient possibility.
“Sure,” TeraLyn answered, not pausing her movements hanging dresses back on racks.
“Why did you and Adam breakup?” London asked, deciding to forgo any prelude and come right out and ask the question on her mind.
TeraLyn froze, her hand suddenly stopping as it slid a hanger from one side of a rack to the other.
“I’m sorry,” London rushed to amend. “I know it’s personal and not really any of my business, but you mentioned before that you broke up with him. I am curious. If you don’t feel like talking about it, I understand.”
“No, it’s fine,” TeraLyn said, drawing her hands down and turning to face London directly. “Adam is a great guy, almost too great. At least for me. He’s has a lot of goals and is very motivated to achieve them. I just didn’t feel like I fit into the picture of what he wants. I think he’ll be a big shot lawyer in a big city soon. I can’t really picture myself as the wife of someone like that, and I didn’t feel it fair to him to pretend we could have a future.”
London studied TeraLyn’s downturned face. Her dark brown hair was pulled away from her face, revealing porcelain skin. Though she wasn’t beautiful, she was pretty, delicate, and the type of girl any man should be proud to call his.
“TeraLyn, are you sure you’re not selling yourself short? What makes you think you couldn’t be a good wife for a prominent lawyer? Were you just not in love with him?”
“I don’t know if I loved him or not,” TeraLyn replied, her lower lip trembling. “I think I was too scared to let myself feel too much for him. We only dated for about six months, but it was clear to me from the beginning that Adam is meant for more than just Crossroads, whereas I am just a small-town girl.”
“I think you do yourself a disservice, TeraLyn.” London wished she could ease the tension around the other woman’s features and make her see how the world saw her. “You are far more capable than you realize. Did Adam actually tell you he was leaving Crossroads? Maybe you just assumed too much.”
“No,” TeraLyn admitted, “but Adam talks about his dream of leaving Crossroads for a partnership in a big firm. He’s said this was only ever a stepping stone for him.”
“That’s rather ironic,” London laughed. “The reason I broke up with him years ago was because I thought him unmotivated to do anything but stay in Crossroads. Now, you broke up with him because he’s motivated to leave!”
Humor lit TeraLyn’s soft, brown eyes. “That’s funny, in a sad kind of way. I guess people change. Maybe things will work out for you now since your original objection no longer exists. Adam wants considerably more than Crossroads.”
Somehow, that didn’t make London feel as good as it should. It should make her excited to know that Adam had changed into exactly what she had wanted years ago, but it disturbed her instead.
“What about you, TeraLyn? You’ve talked about Adam’s motivation and what he wants, but what about you?”
“I don’t know,” TeraLyn said, smiling sadly. “That’s part of the problem. I don’t know what I want. I just know what I’m not. I’m not who Adam wants me to be. Realistically, I’ll probably take over the bridal shop in a few years. Mom has already talked about retiring early and passing the business to me.”
“Is that what you want?” London asked, noting that TeraLyn turned back to grab a few more dresses, her movements slow and labored. Did she really want to continue doing something that seemed to bore her so much? “I know Rhonda mentioned you were taking classes. What are you studying?”
Alarm shot through TeraLyn’s gaze, and she turned to hurriedly string up more dresses, her movements shifting from bored to frenzied. “I’m just taking a few classes here and there. Nothing major.”
She is hiding something. “TeraLyn, what are you studying? What are the classes you are taking?” London pushed.
TeraLyn sighed and paused. Looking around the shop nervously, she admitted quietly. “Well, I’ve taken a few event planning courses. Mom doesn’t think they’re useful since we just deal with dresses, but I thought they might come in handy.”
London paused thoughtfully, putting a few puzzle pieces together. “TeraLyn, do you want to be a wedding planner?”
At the surprise that lit her face, London knew she’d just hit the nail on the head.
“I’ve thought about it,” she replied, a flicker of excitement deep in her gaze. “But Mom is opposed. She wants to deal with wedding dresses, but not the other aspects. She says making a business too wide is a good way to put it out of business. Sticking with wedding dresses and doing them well is probably the smart thing to do.”
“But is that what you want to do?” London asked.
“You don’t always get what you want.” TeraLyn turned her back, her movements once again hurried and busy. “I wish you and Adam the best. I truly do. I think you’re exactly what he’s looking for. I want him to be happy. If you’ll excuse me, I do need to get these dresses restocked before Mom shows up and thinks I haven’t been working.”
Obviously, the conversation was over.
London thanked her for the chat and returned to her side of the store, but she couldn’t shake her feeling of unease. It seemed that everything about today was destined to disturb her in some way. As if feeling conflicted about her feelings for Adam wasn’t enough, Mason Bryce showed up out of the blue, and now she felt this strange, almost protective concern for TeraLyn. The young woman seemed defeated before she’d even made an attempt to follow her dreams, and London couldn’t handle the thought of the poor girl staying here miserable in the shop year after year, firmly stuck beneath her mother’s ample thumb.
“Hello!” Rhonda called brightly, the ample thumb arriving with the rest of the woman attached. “Has my 3:00 shown up yet?”
“No, she hasn’t,” TeraLyn replied. “I prepped all of the dresses you had in mind for the fitting though. They’re ready.”
“Good,” Rhonda said, but then her voice changed. “TeraLyn, what are these?”
At the disgusted tone in Rhonda’s voice, London turned to see her standing by a table at the back of the shop and using two fingers to lift a corner of a cream-colored piece of material out of a plastic shopping bag as if the whole thing were covered in stinky goo.
“You asked me to stop by that estate sale, so I did,�
� TeraLyn explained. “Those are the things I picked up that I thought might be useful for Fairy Tale Closet.”
“Fairy Tale Closet?” London asked, not caring if they knew she was eavesdropping. “What’s that?”
“It’s a charity program Mom runs,” TeraLyn reported proudly. “She keeps a closet full of formal dresses and such. If a high schooler needs a dress for a dance but doesn’t have the money for one, she can come choose one for free from our Fairy Tale closet. We get girls coming from all over, even Brighton Falls.”
“I love that idea!” London cried, impressed by Rhonda’s thoughtfulness and generosity.
“Unfortunately, these dresses are all horrendous,” Rhonda sniffed disdainfully. I would have never chosen them. I’ll just toss them in the dumpster, and I’ll make sure to go with you to the next estate sale. Obviously, we need to work on your taste.”
TeraLyn deflated like a pricked balloon. Her face fell, and her eyes studied the floor as she valiantly tried not to let tears squeeze out her eyes.
Completely oblivious to the damage she’d just inflicted, Rhonda stuffed the dresses back in the plastic bags and wadded them up, even though London was sure she hadn’t even looked through them all.
“May I see the dresses?” London asked, reaching for the bags. “I love redesigning vintage dresses. If you don’t want them, maybe I can use some of them for my business and also redesign a few of them for Fairy Tale Closet.”
Rhonda offered a condescending smile and patted London’s arm affectionately. “That’s very thoughtful of you, my dear. But you’re a wedding dress designer. I’m afraid the girls don’t want wedding dresses, nor do they want old-fashioned ones. You can have the dresses if you want, but we won’t be needing anything from you. Mr. Snow is very particular that we offer modest dresses through our charity. Even if you created something that wasn’t wedding-ish, I’m sure it would be too risqué for our purposes. You’re such a dear for offering, though.”
London ignored Rhonda and pulled the dresses out of the bag. When she tugged the cream-colored satin out, she smiled in delight. “This is an old wedding dress! Isn’t it exquisite?”
