The front panel, it's a bit poofy. We can't have that at the grand opening reception tonight." Miss Montgomery used her cane to point toward the offending piece of yellow silk.

Lauren smoothed the fabric on the mannequin, then reached down and tugged on the hem. She looked up. "Better, don't you think?"

"Yes, that is better." Miss Montgomery nodded with satisfaction and actually smiled a little, something she'd begun to do over the past month, but still only rarely. She looked resplendent in her Angelina Browning dress. "I think tonight's opening should be quite satisfactory."

"How could it not be? These gowns are amazing." Lauren reached out and touched a satin sleeve. "True works of art."

"Yes, they are." Miss Montgomery turned her attention toward Frances. "That dress suits you very well."

Frances blushed. "Why, thank you." She had beamed all afternoon, and she kept looking down and touching the dress, as if to confirm that it was real. "It's my first designer dress." She nodded her head toward Lauren.

"It's not exactly a designer dress, but I'm glad you like it."

"Hmmph. Of course it is a designer dress. You may not be world famous yet, but you are a designer, you are very good, and you did make that dress. Don't downplay the truth, it's not at all becoming."

Lauren wasn't certain if she felt more chastened or complimented by Miss Montgomery's rant. She decided she would go with complimented and nodded her head. "Yes, ma'am, I'll keep that in mind."

"See that you do."

Half an hour later, the doors were open and a crowd of Los Angeles fashionistas were sipping champagne, eating hors d'oeuvres, and oohing and ahhing over the gowns. Lauren and Chloe were in the background, merely spectators at this event, but Miss Montgomery was front and center, holding court. In spite of her hermit-like existence, the woman could still command an audience. Photographers were there from the major local papers, as well as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. They all wanted a picture of the famous necklace and its reclusive owner.

The police had spent time investigating the murder, as well as Miss Montgomery's necklace and its part in it, and had cleared her completely, leaving Kendall embarra.s.sed in more ways than one. Not only had she missed the scoop on Marisa because she'd chosen to hold back to pressure Lauren, but every single fact she'd named in her recent Randall Edgar Blake article had proven to be gossip and conjecture. Rumor was she'd been fired.

Lauren was perched on a bench beside Chloe, nibbling on a canape and enjoying watching people's reactions to the magnificent dresses in front of them. Several of her friends from design school were there, as well as Professor Navarro and most of the other teachers. While it was still painful to see them in some ways, now that her name had been cleared she no longer carried the abject humiliation around with her, and she could face them with her head held high. This evening was turning out to be a success in every sense of the word.

At least, that was true until she saw Elyse Debowesky across the crowded room. "You know what?" Lauren said. "I think I'm going to step outside for some air." She stood and darted toward the door, working her way around the edge of the room.

Chloe hurried to keep up with her. "You're not leaving here without me. I saw who just walked in, so I know what you're doing. You're running. Why don't you want to sit there and let her see you? She's got to be embarra.s.sed, now that she knows the truth."

"I'm pretty sure that woman doesn't know the meaning of the word embarra.s.sed. She will look at me like I'm the little minion she sees me as-if she even bothers to remember who I am. I can't do it, Chloe. I just can't." The strength of her reaction surprised her a little. This wound went deep-perhaps deeper than she'd realized.

Lauren reached the door and turned to cast one final look over her shoulder in the general direction of Elyse Debowesky. She found the woman staring directly at her, as were the two other women she was currently engaging in conversation. One of them Lauren recognized as a reporter. Lauren hurried out the door and down the steps of the museum complex. She found a bench along the sidewalk and sank onto it. Chloe came to sit beside her.

Lauren held out her arm straight in front of her and could see that her hand was shaking. Chloe watched it, too. "Wow. That woman is totally messing with your head."

"I guess so." Lauren returned her hand to her lap and took deep breaths.

Chloe grabbed her hand and bowed her head. "Father, You know Lauren. You know what a wonderful person she is. You know all the unfair things that have happened to her over the past few months. I ask You to heal the hurt she feels inside. We ask for Your will in whatever direction her life may take as a result of this, but I ask You right now to begin to heal this pain that has obviously been left in the aftermath. Your word tells us that You are near to the brokenhearted and save those who are crushed in spirit. Father, her heart is broken. She is crushed in spirit. Please bind up her wounds and heal her. Amen."

"Thanks, Chloe. I recognized some of Rhonda's verses in those prayers." Lauren smiled.

"Yes. I love praying back scripture. It's always a good reminder as to what we already know to be the truth."

"You're right. Do you know any scriptures about cowering in the corner and being a coward?"

"Um . . . no."

"That's probably because there aren't any telling us to do that, and I think maybe that's what I'm doing. It's not the right thing to do, and I'm not going to cave this time. Come on, let's go back inside."

"Are you sure?"

Lauren took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. I have no intention of going anywhere near her, but I am not going to hide outside. This is Miss Montgomery's big night, and I'm going to be there. For her."

Lauren walked inside, her shoulders squared. Once she entered the room, she fought the urge to again turn and run, and she overcame. She made her way over to the back of the room, where she and Chloe had been sitting before. She glanced toward Miss Montgomery, who was floating among the exhibits, currently devoid of company. She walked over to her. "Are you enjoying your evening?"

Miss Montgomery nodded slightly. "Surprisingly, yes, I am. And you?"

"Very much."

"Except you felt the need to leave the building when that Debowesky woman entered the room." Miss Montgomery watched Lauren closely.

"Yes. I needed a few minutes. But I'm back now."

"Good for you. Whether or not she ever admits it, she has to be ashamed of all that happened."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"I'd say you're about to find out. Here comes one of her entourage heading this way."

Just then Sybil Abbott came to stand between them. "Lauren, you're looking well."

Sybil was Elyse's a.s.sistant. A pleasant enough person on her own, but she had no qualms about carrying out the whims of her boss, regardless of who those whims crushed in the process. "Thank you, Sybil. So are you."

Sybil didn't bother to respond. Instead, she continued on as if Lauren hadn't spoken. "So, you've become something of a celebrity lately, haven't you? The starving fashion graduate, wrongly accused, fighting to stay afloat in this hard business."

"Have I? I don't know. I made a resolution not to read the papers or watch the news immediately after the 'wrongly accused' part of that story hit the shelves. I'll have to take your word for it."

"It is unfortunate how things were misconstrued in the beginning. Elyse wanted me to let you know that your position will be reinstated effective next week." She said this as matter-of-factly as if she were stating that it had begun to rain outside.

Lauren's stomach flopped. She managed a tight response. "That's very kind of her."

Sybil smiled and nodded. "She feels really bad about the way things happened. I think we're all happy to see it resolved."

"She didn't seem to feel too bad about it when I couldn't pay my bills because my internship was terminated."

Sybil's face did color slightly at this. "Of course she did. But what was she to do? She had the reputation of her entire company to protect. At that time, she had to make decisions for the overall good of all her employees, based on what information she possessed."

Miss Montgomery extended her hand. "Charlotte Montgomery. And you are?"

Sybil looked over at her, seeming surprised by her presence. She quickly recovered, shook Miss Montgomery's hand, and offered a brilliant smile. "Sybil Abbott. Personal a.s.sistant to Elyse Debowesky. I'm so pleased to meet you. You must be excited to be the guest of honor."

"I am most certainly not the guest of honor."

"Oh, but of course you are. It was your excellent taste that made all this possible. And the fact that you preserved all your gowns with such great care."

"Anyone who has even a lick of sense in her brain should understand-" She paused meaningfully, long enough to make certain it had sunk in that Sybil was indeed the buffoon without a lick of sense. "They've been asking me to show some of these dresses for decades now. I did not, nor would I ever have done so, had I not found the person with enough talent to pull off these repairs with precision and respect. So, the guest of honor tonight is obviously Lauren. She may not be playing the starring role, but without her, none of this would be happening right now."

Sybil nodded and smiled. "Exactly what we believe. Which is why we are so thrilled to have Lauren back on our team. Things have not been the same since she's been gone." Her smile never faded, but her eyes did dart nervously between Lauren and Miss Montgomery.

Lauren took a deep breath. She needed this job. She knew that she did. The part-time work and the couple of weddings that she had procured would not be the long-term solution for keeping her bills paid. This job would ensure that she could get her foot back into the fashion world, probably even with a leg up. But . . . there was that treaty thing again. The thing that at first looked right and looked easiest wasn't always the right path, and it often led to greater difficulties in the long run. "I'll have to pray about that one and get back to you," she told Sybil.

"Pray about it?" Sybil sounded incredulous.

"Yes, pray about it. You can tell Elyse that I will call with an answer soon."

"You know this offer will not be on the table indefinitely. In fact, it could end at any time."

"Thanks for the reminder. I'll let you know soon."

Sybil turned around and walked off toward her boss. She was clearly stunned.

"Why did you do that?" Miss Montgomery asked.

"Because I really believe I need to pray about it. I'm sure it seems that I should have taken the job without a second thought."

"Absolutely not. Why didn't you just throw that offer right back in her face?" Miss Montgomery asked this in the way that only someone who had never lacked the money to pay monthly bills could ask it.

"It would have felt good, I admit that. But taking what felt like the right path has gotten me into a fair amount of trouble in the past. I'm trying to learn from my mistakes." She glanced toward Chloe and Rhonda, who had just walked up to join them. "As Rhonda would say, I'm going to say my prayers before I make any more treaties."

"I hope you know what you're doing." The tone of Miss Montgomery's voice said she very much doubted this.

"Good for you," said Chloe. "Way to stay strong." She nodded toward the entrance. "Speaking of strong, will you look at what just walked in the door?"

Jasper and Cody were making their way across the room. They were dressed to the nines. Only the uncomfortable look on both their faces gave a hint that this was not their usual world. Cody raised a hand and smiled as they drew closer.

"Cody's looking good, isn't he?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, I'd have to say that he is." Lauren felt her face heat.

"Do you think you're ready for a relationship yet?"

Lauren looked at Cody, felt the b.u.t.terfly feeling that she hadn't felt in a long time, then nodded. "You know what? I think I might be."

"Yes." Chloe gave a fist pump.

"Time for me to clear some room, then." Miss Montgomery smiled as she turned to make her way to the next group, but then she stopped. "You won't be home until tomorrow, is that right?"

"Yes. I'm staying at Chloe's new place tonight."

"When you return, please see to the poinsettias at the gate. I noticed today that they are looking a bit dry. You should probably water them more than you are. Especially the red ones."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll get right on that when I get home tomorrow afternoon."

"I should hope so. Especially since my friend Alice is coming to visit next week. We don't want the neighborhood to be looking shabby, now, do we?"

"No, ma'am. Definitely not."

epilogue.

One Year Later.

Miss Montgomery, will you please do the honors with me?" Lauren held out her hand for her neighbor.

"I'd be delighted." Miss Montgomery made her way out of the small group and over to the red ribbon. She placed her hands on the other side of the oversized shears.

"On the count of three. One, two, three." And just like that, the ribbon was cut and Brides by Lauren was officially open for business.

The building was small, and it was well outside of the downtown area, but it was perfectly suited for what Lauren needed. There was a well-lit front showroom, a midsized dressing area, and a workroom in the back.

Chloe beamed. "This place is perfect for you."

"I couldn't agree with you more," Lauren said. "Fortunately for me, I know a great real estate agent."

Cody ducked his head in mock modesty. "Aw, shucks." He leaned down and kissed her. "I figure since I'm going to relocate to Santa Barbara, it's a good thing I'm selling some real estate here."

"When is your final move?" Chloe asked, although Lauren was more than sure she already knew the answer.

"Not for a couple of months. I'm still transitioning between both offices."

It had been several months ago that Cody had first started talking about relocating because he was "getting tired of burning up the pavement between LA and Santa Barbara." He had asked Lauren her opinion, and she knew that he was basically asking for her approval. His moving here would obviously put their relationship on a fast track. He'd wanted to be sure she was ready.

Her response had been immediate. "How fast can you get here?" They had sealed that answer with a kiss. Lauren was smiling at the memory when Miss Montgomery's voice brought her back to the present.

"I'm sure we'll be seeing even more of you around the neighborhood, then?" Her gaze was fixed on Cody.

"I'd say you can count on it." He grinned and drew Lauren into a hug.

Miss Montgomery nodded. "Well, if you're going to be coming and going up and down the lane, you need to learn how to slow that truck down. Every time you come around, it kicks up enough dust to coat every window in the neighborhood."

Cody had the good sense to look sufficiently chastised. "Thank you for drawing that to my attention. I will make every effort to keep my dust to a minimum from now on." He bowed his head toward her.

"See that you do." Miss Montgomery turned away, but not before Lauren saw her smile.

acknowledgments..