The Second Yes

by Amanda Tru

  London watched utter hopelessness cover TeraLyn’s face with the onslaught of words.

  “Despite what everyone believes about you, I hope you know the truth, Mom. This time, you completely shattered your daughter’s dreams, and no amount of pretending to be the victim will change that.”

  With a sob, TeraLyn ran from the store.

  London tried to say something to Rhonda, but the older woman busily cried into the shoulder of her client. “Please, just leave, London. You’ve done enough damage.”

  The two women glared at her with such venom that she stepped back.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be a Christian?” one of the clients demanded, glaring daggers London’s direction.

  Feeling the pain of the question like those glaring daggers had physically found their mark, London turned. She grabbed her planner and left, complete desolation stealing over her. Not only did Rhonda sabotage her in a way that her business would never recover, but she’d done it in a way to lay claim to the victim status. Those women believed the worst of London, and it wouldn’t be long until all of Crossroads believed the same. When the wedding crashed and burned in a storm of paparazzi, she’d also be the most-hated designer in the country. No one would ever trust her with discretion again.

  By the time London got home, she was in agony. She knew she should call TeraLyn, but she had no comfort to offer. Panic rolled over her in waves, alternating with anger and despair. With the wedding in just a couple hours, she couldn’t find a single idea to help the situation. If she called and told the bride and groom what happened, it would completely ruin their day, and they might even cancel. If she didn’t call, their wedding promised to be a complete media frenzy, also ruining their special day.

  Lord, I don’t know what to do! London murmured, wandering aimlessly through her apartment. I’m desperate. I know I can’t fix this, but please tell me what to do!

  She idly meandered to her bedroom window and looked out several minutes without seeing. Then she trod to her closet, thinking to find her slippers. But another wave of emotion caught her before she could locate them.

  Moaning in pain that felt almost physical, she leaned her head to the side, finding the wall with her shoulder and nestling her head in the cool folds of the wedding gowns.

  I can’t fix it. I can’t fix it. The phrase stalked her, repeating through her mind and allowing no escape.

  Who are you talking to?

  The question shoved itself into her mind.

  Well, I’m kind of talking to God, but my prayer is now on repeat. She thought in confusion, wondering if it still counted as a prayer if it repeated incessantly of its own volition. Was she repeating it to herself or God?

  God.

  As in the creator of the universe? The One who holds all things in His hands, created a zillion stars, and keeps atoms together with His will?

  Suddenly, she realized her own foolishness.

  Of course! I can’t fix it. But I know One who can!

  Unwilling to miss any more time, she took hold of her wayward thoughts and really prayed, the meaning and request coming from the desperation of her soul.

  Lord, I don’t have any ideas. I don’t know how, or when, or where, or how much. And I know I can’t do a single thing here. But I’m asking you to be God. You created it all, and right now, there’s a pretty big storm over top me. I feel like I’m sinking. You’re the only one who can save me and calm the seas.

  London took deep, calming breaths, and peace stole into her as if embodied by the cool, smooth material upon which her cheek rested.

  Funny how I own so many wedding dresses, and the only dress that really matters today is the one I can do nothing about.

  She lifted her head suddenly. So many dresses…

  A wild, crazy idea shot through her mind. She stepped back, scanning the long line of wedding dresses standing at attention in her closet.

  But it won’t work. There’s no way I could find the staff to pull something like that off.

  The doorbell rang, startling her away to hurry to answer the front door.

  She looked through the peephole. With a cry of surprise, she pulled open the door to the four women.

  “You’re here!” she cried.

  “Yes!” Brooke replied. “Did I get the time wrong? I thought we were supposed to do a dress fitting this afternoon. I finished the flowers for a big wedding today and then went to the shop for the fitting. Rhonda said you’d left, and she didn’t say where. We thought we’d try you here at your apartment. Is everything okay? Rhonda acted a little strange.”

  London grabbed Brooke’s hand and pulled her inside. “Everything is much better now that you’re here.”

  Geneva, Kate, and Brooke’s friend, Emma, followed behind Brooke, and London closed the door behind them.

  “Sydney couldn’t make it,” Geneva reported. “No surprise there. However, since we have a Sydney copy readily available, it’s not a big deal. You can just make two of whatever dress you’re making for yourself.”

  “Sorry, ladies. We can’t do the fitting now. I need your help.” London led the way through her bedroom to the closet. “Everyone, choose a dress. I need all of you to pretend to be brides.”

  “What do you mean?” Brooke asked while Geneva, immediately accepting the assignment at face value, began perusing the gowns.

  London quickly explained what Rhonda had done and how that spelled disaster for both London and TeraLyn. “But I just got this idea. The media doesn’t know that they were given the correct information. Maybe we can make them believe that it is incorrect. Then, with a little distraction, they will leave the real wedding location to chase after a bunch of false ones, allowing the real bride and groom to tie the knot in peace.”

  “Operation Decoy Bride,” Geneva proclaimed, holding up a dress. “I like it. Can I wear this one?”

  London smiled. “I should have known you’d pick that one. “’The Gavin’ is the funkiest dress in the lot.”

  “‘Gavin?’” she questioned, examining the short, cute gown carefully.

  London nodded, figuring she needed to confess anyway. They’d expect some kind of explanation for the wedding dress supply inhabiting her personal closet. “Gavin is the name of the guy I was dating when I designed that dress, so I call it, ‘The Gavin.”

  “But if all of these dresses are your designs, why are they here and not at the shop?” Brooke asked.

  “They aren’t for sale,” London explained. “They’re all mine. Sometimes I just like to design gowns and keep them for my own collection.” Hopefully, that will be enough to satisfy them!

  A calculating gleam came into Geneva’s eyes. “What do you call that one that Kate is holding?”

  “That’s ‘The Justin’—traditional with a dash of fun,” London answered.

  “What about that one Brooke is holding up to Emma?”

  “‘The Remington’—pure upper-class romance.”

  Understanding dawned in Brooke’s eyes, and she walked over to the first dress on the rack. “London, what is this one called?”

  “That’s ‘The Adam,’’” she answered quietly.

  Brooke groaned. “London, you have one for every guy you’ve ever dated?”

  “Of course she does!” Geneva said. “She couldn’t very well have a dress for some of her boyfriends and not all!”

  “That’s a lot of boyfriends,” Emma observed quietly, which caused Kate to lose control of a load of giggles.

  “A few of them I only dated once.”

  “Ohh, which ones are the one-date wonders?” Geneva asked enthusiastically. Not waiting for a reply, she began her own investigation, pulling out the dresses and unzipping each one.

  Brooke shook her head as if to clear it. “Ok, so I understand the plan and the reason behind your supply of dresses, but this will take a considerable amount of logistics, and the wedding is in less than three hours. I don’t see how we can possibly pull it off.”

  Suddenly,
they heard another voice from the other room. “You’ll just need to deal with it. I have a family emergency. My sister is in trouble.”

  Sydney stepped into the doorway of the bedroom, her finger poised on her phone, ending the call and whatever conversation she’d just been involved in. Her eyes found London and relief cleared lines of stress. “You’re not bleeding. Where’s the fire?”

  With a sob, London threw her arms around her sister. “You came!”

  “Wait a minute, I thought you said you had to work today and weren’t in town,” Brooke said in confusion.

  “Change of plans,” Sydney replied shortly.

  “London, did you call her?” Kate asked curiously.

  “No, she didn’t call,” Sydney said. “I just knew she needed me.”

  She felt me. London exchanged a glance with Sydney and felt tears prick her eyes. For once, the tables reversed. Their connection had worked when she needed it most, and Sydney had dropped everything to come to her rescue.

  “What’s going on, London?” Sydney said seriously. “Tell me what you need.”

  London quickly explained what had happened and her plan to use decoy brides to draw attention away from the real wedding venue.

  Sydney took off with London’s basic idea, and within a few moments, they had a full plan with all the pieces, and even more amazing, London believed that it might actually work.

  “Let me make a few calls,” Sydney said when she finished. “I’ll get the logistics taken care of. I’ll time some choppers to clear the area at the right moment and not let anyone back in for the actual ceremony. We’ll do something similar on the ground. Media will be able to leave the venue to follow the decoys but won’t be able to return. I’ll also leak some of the false info to the media right when they think they’ve been duped.”

  “You can do all that?” Emma asked.

  “Sydney, I don’t want you using your position and getting in trouble because of me,” London hurried to amend.

  Sydney shrugged. “It isn’t difficult. I have long lists of favors I can call in, and this should only take a few. I’m usually the one people get in trouble with, so no worries about me getting in trouble. My contacts will be glad to help, and law enforcement will need to be aware of and handle the situation anyway. They’ll be happy for a plan of dealing with it.”

  “Leo will help,” Emma offered, mentioning her boyfriend who happened to be the Crossroads police chief. “I’m just not sure how much help I’ll be in a wedding dress. I don’t know where to go or how to act.”

  “We’ll just station you with Leo and the other officers,” London said easily. “Seeing a bride in their midst will probably be very distracting!”

  Emma’s high-functioning autism made her doubt her skills in social situations, but London knew she would perform wonderfully if paired with her boyfriend.

  “Oh, good!” Emma said, the lines on her face relaxing slightly. “And I can choose any dress in the closet?”

  “Go right ahead,” London confirmed and then turned to the other ladies. “Everyone choose a dress and put it on right away. We need to move quickly. I’ll also call TeraLyn. That will give us one more bride. I wish Bailey were in town, but both she and Camden are gone to that conference. She would be totally up for this assignment.”

  The other ladies agreed. Bailey was London’s brother’s girlfriend. With her spunky personality, she would not be happy about missing the “fun” of donning a wedding dress and playing a decoy. Chances were good that, given the opportunity, she’d also find a way to promote their matchmaking website while doing it.

  “What we need is a groom for you,” Sydney told London seriously. “If we don’t pull that part off, then the plan falls through.”

  London took out her phone. “I’ll call Adam.”

  The other ladies spread around London’s bedroom to try on gowns, and Sydney took out her own phone and headed for the living room.

  The line rang, and London held her breath, rehearsing in her mind what to say to Adam.

  “Hi, London,” came Adam’s cheerful voice.

  “Hi, I need your help,” she said, coming right to the point. “I’m in a little trouble, and I need—”

  “Legal trouble?” Adam questioned, alarmed. “London, please tell me you didn’t steal those dresses last night after we talked. Have you been arrested?”

  “No, I mean, yes. I mean,” she paused and took a deep breath. “I haven’t been arrested, and that really has nothing to do with what I need help with now. Well, it does, but only because Rhonda got upset. But…,” she paused again, trying to find her elusive train of thought. “Adam, I need you to meet me and pretend to be my groom in order to trick everyone into leaving a real bride and groom alone.”

  “London, I’m not sure about the legality of all that. Is this occurring on public or private property? Who are we deceiving? Could they turn around and sue us for conning them?”

  “Oh, no, it’s not like that. It’s just—”

  “I’m sorry, London, that’s just not something I can do, especially not today. I need to be careful of my reputation and really can’t be involved in deceiving anyone. I would suggest you rethink any intentions in that direction as well. Deceiving others is something the London Hutchins I know would never do. Besides all of that, I’m busy working on a case today. We’re supposed to be in court on Monday.”

  “But, Adam, my business is in big trouble. I need—”

  “If you want to talk about your business, I can set you up with a time to give you some advice. Why don’t you give my office a call on Monday? Oh, gotta go, I’m getting another call. I’ll call you later! Maybe we can go out!”

  The line went dead. London held it away from her ear and looked at it, not even sure what just happened.

  What was she going to do? The entire plan hinged on finding a groom who could pull this off.

  Without stopping to think better of it, London pushed the button and dialed Mason.

  “Hello, beautiful!” he greeted.

  “Mason, where exactly are you?”

  Mason paused. “I’m on an airplane. We’re getting ready to take off. Where do you need me to be?”

  London groaned. “I don’t imagine that plane is heading to Brighton Falls? I’m in trouble. To save my business, I need someone to pretend to be my groom and be convincing enough food to feed the national media. And I need that someone ready to pretend-marry me here in Crossroads in two-and-a-half hours.”

  “You realize that’s like my dream role,” Mason said seriously. “Yes, yes. A thousand times, yes. I’ll be there.”

  “But how—“

  “The flight attendant is glaring at me. The plane is leaving. Gotta go. Ready your ‘I do’s.’ I’ll be there.”

  Once again, London stared down at a phone in her hand, wondering what just happened.

  “Did you find a groom?” Sydney asked, returning to the bedroom.

  “I think so. Mason says he’ll be here.”

  “Perfect. He’ll really play the part. Now, let’s send these brides to their locations. I already called TeraLyn as well. I just pretended to be you. She’s on her way.”

  “You called TeraLyn? She thought that you were me?”

  “Yes, you were busy talking to your two boyfriends, and I need her here right away. Pretending to be you was easier than needing to explain that I am your twin sister. And, of course, she bought it. I play a very convincing London Hutchins.”

  The next few moments flew by, and soon, all the brides stood beautiful and ready to be deployed. It felt strange to see all of them wearing the complete history of her love life, but there was also something strangely freeing about seeing the gowns “live” instead of simply hanging on the rack. The brides were all eager and excited for their assignments, and when the dutiful grooms arrived in full costume, the chaos was almost too much for the small apartment to hold.

  Each bride had called her own groom to play the part, and to his credit,
every one of them showed up, ready to jump wholeheartedly into Operation Decoy Bride. The only one who wasn’t present was Emma’s boyfriend, Leo. She would instead meet him and the other officers at the arranged location to complete their part in the scheme.

  “I’ll see they get on their way,” Sydney told London. “Kate and Dallas will go first since their location is on the other side of Brighton Falls. Then I’ll send out Brooke and Dylan to their location. Geneva is running solo but promised to recruit a groom on the fly if needed. She’s planning to run through downtown Brighton Falls. We both know Geneva won’t need any instruction.”

  “She’ll probably recruit multiple willing grooms as she goes,” London said, smiling at their sister’s well-known charm and enthusiasm.

  Outlining the plan, Sydney continued, “TeraLyn will stay here in Crossroads but will crash a wedding already in session. Well, she won’t actually crash it but will lead the media that direction. She’ll start out near the real wedding location and make herself visible at various locations around town before heading to that other wedding. Then she’ll circle back and change clothes so she’ll be ready to complete her duties as wedding planner when the real wedding takes place.”

  “Sounds good,” London said appreciatively. “Thank you for managing all of this, Sydney.”

  “Oh, this is nothing,” Sydney said. “No one’s life is in danger with this mission. Easy-peasy.”

  London found her way back to her closet to change. She’d already texted Mason the location of the wedding, but she needed to head there now, explain the plan to the real bride and groom, and then hope that Mason showed up in time.

  Several dresses still hung in the closet, even after the other women had taken their pick. Without hesitation, London took down “The Mason.” She slipped it on, feeling the soft folds of fabric hug her body. She looked at herself in the mirror, expecting to feel some jolt of excitement. After all, this dress was the movie star crown jewel of the collection. This was what she’d meant to wear on the happiest day of her life. Even though she wasn’t wearing this for her own wedding, as she’d intended, she should at least feel something, shouldn’t she?