Page 99 of Book Club Confidential

“Coming!” Hallie called. Then, more quietly, she whispered. “It was an ambush!”

Tessa winced. “Hallie?”

“Hurry!” she hissed. Then, the call disconnected.

Tessa called Kate, already en route to Kate’s house and only a few minutes away. She picked her up, then the pair followed Tessa’s GPS to Hallie’s pin.

“You’re sure she’s okay?” Kate asked for the third time in ten minutes.

Tessa took the next turn and slowed to a stop at a red light. “She seemed panicked and unhappy, not in imminent danger.”

Kate kneaded her hands on her lap. “I don’t like this,” she said. “Not after she ran away from you on the bridge that day, then went all squirrelly for a few days. And at book club she was cagey about what she’s been up to. Not to mention she’s getting married this weekend, unless she’s planning to run away, and this is her big goodbye.”

Tessa wrinkled her nose. “She seemed too urgent for that, and she wasn’t alone. She used the word ambush. I think she might’ve been with Bryce’s mom. I definitely heard women’s voices.”

“Hmm.” Kate thought for a long moment. “Oh! I’ll bet this is the special dress fitting Mrs. Haymaker roped her into,” Kate said. “Remember?”

Hallie had mentioned her mother-in-law’s sisters coming into town a few days early and wanting Hallie to try her dress on especially for them.

“That makes sense,” Tessa said, giving the GPS a closer look as they inched through traffic. “And we’re almost there.”

A few moments later, Tessa took the last open parking space outside Magnolia and Vine Bridal Boutique.

She and Kate climbed out and made their way quickly to the shop’s front desk.

“Can I help you?” the attendant asked.

“We’re with Hallie Montgomery,” Kate said. “We’re running late.”

“Of course.” The woman smiled and stepped around the desk to meet them. She wore a simple black dress and heels. Her nails were petal pink, and her hair was slicked back in a low ponytail. “I’ll take you to the bride and her party.”

They followed the attendant to an ivory-and-pink room with a horseshoe of mirrors at the far end. They’d been there before. First to select the gown, then to see the completed alterations.

If Mrs. Haymaker’s sisters were in town already, Hallie’s family would arrive soon. Tessa adored the Montgomerys. They were fun and scrappy. A little too loud for establishments like the wedding venue and this bridal shop. But they were genuine and real, unapologetic, and overtly unbothered. Tessa had envied their freedom since the first time she’d met them.

A group of women wearing varying shades of tan, and jewelry that looked valuable enough to buy a home in Tessa’s childhood neighborhood, turned to look in her direction. Their sleek, silver-and-blond platinum bobs swung with the movement.

“Mrs. Haymaker,” Kate said, switching into debutante mode. She extended a hand, fingers hanging down as she approached. “It’s so lovely to see you again.”

Bryce’s mother greeted Kate with a squeeze and a smile, then introduced her companions. “This is my best friend, Kitty, and my sisters, Sophia, Elizabeth, and Lemon.”

“You remember Tessa,” Kate said.

Tessa stepped closer, exchanging polite head nods with the women. “Sorry we’re late.”

“It’s no problem,” Mrs. Haymaker said. “We’re just getting started. Kate and Tessa are two of Hallie’s ten bridesmaids.”

“Lovely,” Lemon said. “Will you be fitted today as well?”

“They purchased their dresses months ago,” Mrs. Haymaker said with a downturn of her lips. “I wasn’t aware they were coming today, or we could’ve waited to begin.”

Everything about her tone implied she was lying about waiting.

Kate turned a charming smile on the other women. “We met Hallie’s cousins, the other bridesmaids, in Richmond to celebrate, and we visited some local boutiques. Everyone found a gown they loved there.”

The women nodded and grinned approvingly at the information.

Kate had pointedly left out the fact they’d met up at an outlet mall for the sole purpose of finding affordable dresses. When they couldn’t find a style they all liked in every size needed, they each chose something different instead. Hopefully the array of designs would seem intentional instead of chaotic. It wouldn’t have mattered back when Hallie retained a thread of control over her wedding. Back when she’d insisted on a small low-fuss event. Before anyone had stepped in to deny her.