Michelle grinned. "Yes, Mother. I was your change of life baby, and I changed your life."

Her mother smiled. "You’ve been a blessing. Now get dressed, or I’m going to send your father in here."

Michelle tightened the belt on her robe and began to pull the Velcro rollers out of her hair.

"Laurant, your bra’s showing," she said. "Just below the straps."

Laurant tugged on the bodice, but the white lace continued to show. "I don’t have any other bras with me."

"Then don’t wear one," Michelle suggested.

Her mother gasped. "Laurant will not go braless into the house of God."

"Mother, I’m not suggesting she go topless. No one will know if she’s wearing a bra or not. The dress is lined."

"God will know," her mother announced. "I’ll get the safety pins."

As soon as the door closed, Michelle said, "She’s a nervous wreck, and so is Daddy. He got all teary-eyed this morning. He told me he was losing his little girl. Isn’t that sweet?"

Laurant pulled out the chair for Michelle so she could sit at the vanity table.

"Yes, it is sweet," she said. "Did you remind him that you and Christopher will be living two blocks away?"

"It’s not the same," she said. "He’s going to cry when he walks me down the aisle, and I’ll be crying too if the church isn’t ready."

Laurant picked up the brush and handed it to her friend. "Do you realize how lucky you are? You have such wonderful, loving parents, and you’re about to marry the most wonderful man. I envy you," she added in a sigh.

Michelle looked at her friend in the mirror. "It won’t be long before I’m helping you get ready for your wedding."

Laurant could have told her the truth then, that it had all been a lie and that she and Nick weren’t getting married, but she kept silent. Today was Michelle’s day, and Laurant didn’t want her friend to waste a minute thinking about anything else.

"Don’t you get all emotional on me," Michelle said. "Or mother will put you to work too. That’s how she deals with tears," she explained. "She had poor Dad running all over town. She’s already made him make two trips up to the abbey. First, she made him go see for himself that the scaffolding was down. Then, she made him go back to make sure the flowers had arrived. And before he drives us to the church, he has to drive over to the Vandermans and pick up Bessie Jean and Viola."

"Bessie Jean has a car."

"Have you ever seen her drive it?"

"No, but I’ve seen the car parked in her garage."

"She doesn’t want to drive. She wants to be chauffeured. She told mother, with so much traffic these days, it’s too dangerous."

"Traffic in Holy Oaks?"

They burst into laughter. "And get this," Michelle said. "She blames the Catholics. Says we drive like maniacs."

They laughed again, but Michelle’s mother put an end to the conversation when she came rushing into the bedroom once more. "Michelle, I’m begging you now. Get dressed." She headed for Laurant, brandishing two giant safety pins. "These were all I could find," she said apologetically as she pinned Laurant’s bra to the lining of her dress.

Michelle was finally ready to leave for the church at twenty minutes to seven. Her beaded ivory wedding gown was a replica of a Vera Wang design she had seen in a magazine and had fallen in love with. It fit her petite hourglass frame perfectly. When she finally turned to face her mother and Laurant, they both grabbed Kleenex to dab at their eyes and wipe their noses.

"Oh, Michelle, you look beautiful," Laurant whispered. "Absolutely beautiful."

"Your daddy’s going to cry when he sees you," her mother announced, sniffling.

Michelle adjusted her veil, then squeezed Laurant’s hand. "Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go."

As she was walking to the door, she called over her shoulder, "Don’t forget to wear the necklace I gave you."

Laurant would have forgotten it if she hadn’t been reminded. At the rehearsal dinner Michelle had given to all the bridesmaids a delicate gold chain as a gift.

It took her several tries to get the necklace fastened. Then she stood in front of the full-length mirror and put on her diamond-studded earrings. The only other piece of jewelry she had on was the engagement ring. She held her hand out in front of her and stared down at the shimmering diamond for a long moment. Tears blurred her vision. Her heart felt as though it were breaking. She thought about taking the ring off and giving it back to Nick right away, but then she changed her mind. She would wait until after the reception. Then she would give him the ring and say good-bye.

Dear God, how was she ever going to get through that? Oh, how she loved him. He had come into her life and changed it forever, for he’d made her open her eyes and her heart to the world around her, and to all the possibilities.

How was she ever going to live the rest of her life without him? Laurant stared at herself in the mirror and slowly straightened her shoulders. Her heart would be broken, yes, but she would survive.

Alone, once again.

Chapter 35

The church was packed. Everyone who lived in Holy Oaks must have been invited to the wedding, Nick decided as he stood in the back of the church, watching the people stream in. Several families tried to go upstairs, but the iron gate that led to the balcony was locked, and there was a hand-printed sign above simply stating, DO NOT enter. Some of them tried to jiggle the lock loose and go upstairs, but then they gave up and went searching for a seat inside the main church.

Two ushers were urging guests to move closer together so that more people could squeeze into the pews even as the mother of the bride was being escorted down to the front row.

Nick was trying to stay out of the way. Laurant was with the bridal party in the vestibule below the balcony. The door was open, but the bride couldn’t be seen. Nick watched Laurant open the closet door and put her purse on the shelf inside. She caught his eye as she was turning around, gave him a hesitant smile, and then walked out of sight.

Michelle’s father had partially closed the double doors leading into the church so that the wedding party could line up and not be seen. He stood with his hand on the doorknob, peeking inside as he waited for Father Tom to come out of the sacristy and take his place in front of the altar. Worried and flustered that he would forget what he was supposed to do or that he would trip on his daughter’s dress and send her flying, he began to pant with anxiety. In a few minutes, he was going to be giving his only daughter away. He reached into the vest pocket of his rented tux and pulled out his handkerchief. It was while he was mopping his brow that he remembered the Vanderman sisters.

"Oh, good Lord," he whispered loudly.

His daughter heard him. She saw the panic on her father’s face, "What’s wrong, Daddy? Did someone faint?"

"I forgot the Vanderman sisters," he told her.

"Daddy, you can’t go get them now. The wedding’s starting."

Her father frantically looked around for help, spotted Nick, and grabbed him. "Could you please go and get Bessie Jean and Viola? They’re probably waiting on the curb, and I’ll never hear the end of it if they miss this wedding."

Nick didn’t want to leave Laurant, but he was the only available man or woman in the vestibule who wasn’t in the wedding. He knew it would only take him a couple of minutes to drive down the hill and back, yet he still resisted.

Laurant saw his hesitation. She got out of line and hurried over to him, her silk skirt rustling about her ankles. "You won’t miss anything," she said loud enough for Michelle’s father to hear. Then she leaned closer and whispered, "It’s over, remember? You don’t have to worry about me anymore."