beautiful blue-eyed brunette with the glow of love about her. Lauren was about to be married. She held a box from her bakery and was placing delicious-smelling tarts on a silver tray.
“You’re here—finally,” Kara said.
“Yeah, finally,” Lauren grumbled.
“Am I late?” Charlotte asked in surprise as she set down the sandwiches. “I thought I was early.”
“You are, but I’m dying to try on my wedding dress, and I didn’t want to do it without you,” Lauren answered, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Isabella brought it here, along with your bridesmaids’ dresses.”
“I can’t wait to see it. I’m betting you outdid yourself, Isabella.”
“We’ll see,” Isabella said. “The only wedding dress I made before this was for an actress in a soap opera, and she wasn’t really getting married.”
“Did you make these sandwiches?” Kara interrupted with a wary expression as she glanced at the tray on the counter.
“I can make sandwiches,” Charlotte retorted. “I tried one, and I’m still alive.”
Kara grinned. “Just checking.” She unwrapped the tray and tossed the plastic wrap into the garbage. “We have some time before everyone else gets here, so why don’t we go upstairs and try on our dresses? Faith is asleep, and the guys won’t notice we’re gone until halftime or the chips run out.”
“Sounds good to me.” Charlotte followed the others upstairs to Kara’s bedroom, then sat on the bed with Kara while Isabella grabbed a garment bag from the closet.
“I hope it’s everything you imagined, Lauren,” Isabella said, “but there’s still time for changes. I want you to be totally satisfied. Whatever you don’t like, I’ll fix.”
“I’ll take it into the bathroom and change there,” Lauren said. “That way, you’ll get the full effect when I come out.”
“I’ll help you,” Isabella told her. “There are a lot of little buttons.”
As the other two left, Charlotte scooted back on the bed, making herself more comfortable. “You talk too much,” she told Kara.
Kara raised an eyebrow. “Are you referring to something in particular?”
“You told Jason I ran upstairs last night so I wouldn’t have to kiss someone. Now he wants to know who.”
“Oh.” An apologetic gleam filled her warm brown eyes. “I’m sorry about that. Colin was talkingto Jason about why you were up there, and it came out. I didn’t think it was a big deal. It was just Jason and Colin.”
“They’re both cops, and I’m the prime suspect.”
“No one would ever believe you’re a thief,” Kara said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “And you barely wear jewelry. You wouldn’t know a real diamond from a piece of glass.”
“Yes, but the mayor thinks I hate his wife. Theresa or Pamela must have been talking about me at some point, and I can’t figure out why. I haven’t had more than a brief conversation with Theresa since I came back to town last year. And before a couple of hours ago, I hadn’t talked to Pamela since high school.”
Kara raised an eyebrow. “A couple of hours ago?”
“She’s back in town. I saw her at the hospital. Robert called her, and she came rushing to Theresa’s bedside.”
“How did she look? Was she fat?” Kara asked hopefully.
“No, she was the same. Skinny, huge breasts, evil smile . . .” She shook her head, bewildered by her strong reaction. “I don’t know why she bothers me so much. It’s been more than ten years since I really thought about her at all. But when she stepped off that elevator and looked at me, I felt all my teenage insecurity again.”
“Everyone has someone like that in their past.”
“Do you?”
“Becky Saunders,” Kara said instantly. “She beatme every damn time, no matter what it was—a math contest, soccer tryouts, cheerleading. And besides that, she had the most gorgeous tan, and all I could do was freckle.”
“What happened to Becky?”
“Her family moved away after high
“You’re here—finally,” Kara said.
“Yeah, finally,” Lauren grumbled.
“Am I late?” Charlotte asked in surprise as she set down the sandwiches. “I thought I was early.”
“You are, but I’m dying to try on my wedding dress, and I didn’t want to do it without you,” Lauren answered, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Isabella brought it here, along with your bridesmaids’ dresses.”
“I can’t wait to see it. I’m betting you outdid yourself, Isabella.”
“We’ll see,” Isabella said. “The only wedding dress I made before this was for an actress in a soap opera, and she wasn’t really getting married.”
“Did you make these sandwiches?” Kara interrupted with a wary expression as she glanced at the tray on the counter.
“I can make sandwiches,” Charlotte retorted. “I tried one, and I’m still alive.”
Kara grinned. “Just checking.” She unwrapped the tray and tossed the plastic wrap into the garbage. “We have some time before everyone else gets here, so why don’t we go upstairs and try on our dresses? Faith is asleep, and the guys won’t notice we’re gone until halftime or the chips run out.”
“Sounds good to me.” Charlotte followed the others upstairs to Kara’s bedroom, then sat on the bed with Kara while Isabella grabbed a garment bag from the closet.
“I hope it’s everything you imagined, Lauren,” Isabella said, “but there’s still time for changes. I want you to be totally satisfied. Whatever you don’t like, I’ll fix.”
“I’ll take it into the bathroom and change there,” Lauren said. “That way, you’ll get the full effect when I come out.”
“I’ll help you,” Isabella told her. “There are a lot of little buttons.”
As the other two left, Charlotte scooted back on the bed, making herself more comfortable. “You talk too much,” she told Kara.
Kara raised an eyebrow. “Are you referring to something in particular?”
“You told Jason I ran upstairs last night so I wouldn’t have to kiss someone. Now he wants to know who.”
“Oh.” An apologetic gleam filled her warm brown eyes. “I’m sorry about that. Colin was talkingto Jason about why you were up there, and it came out. I didn’t think it was a big deal. It was just Jason and Colin.”
“They’re both cops, and I’m the prime suspect.”
“No one would ever believe you’re a thief,” Kara said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “And you barely wear jewelry. You wouldn’t know a real diamond from a piece of glass.”
“Yes, but the mayor thinks I hate his wife. Theresa or Pamela must have been talking about me at some point, and I can’t figure out why. I haven’t had more than a brief conversation with Theresa since I came back to town last year. And before a couple of hours ago, I hadn’t talked to Pamela since high school.”
Kara raised an eyebrow. “A couple of hours ago?”
“She’s back in town. I saw her at the hospital. Robert called her, and she came rushing to Theresa’s bedside.”
“How did she look? Was she fat?” Kara asked hopefully.
“No, she was the same. Skinny, huge breasts, evil smile . . .” She shook her head, bewildered by her strong reaction. “I don’t know why she bothers me so much. It’s been more than ten years since I really thought about her at all. But when she stepped off that elevator and looked at me, I felt all my teenage insecurity again.”
“Everyone has someone like that in their past.”
“Do you?”
“Becky Saunders,” Kara said instantly. “She beatme every damn time, no matter what it was—a math contest, soccer tryouts, cheerleading. And besides that, she had the most gorgeous tan, and all I could do was freckle.”
“What happened to Becky?”
“Her family moved away after high
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