Page 19 of Two Hearts' Subterfuge

Darn. It wouldn’t exactly be a great time to leave his seat.

Besides, he couldn’t believe how proud he was of his sister. He was pretty sure that if he was in her place, he wouldn’t have the courage to stand in front of an audience to perform. The fact that she was the girl he’d always thought the most unlikely to do so just proved how brave she really was.

Once Lara finished performing a second chorus ofWhite Christmason her own, Marc and Desiree joined her, completewith special effects. Ben grinned as snowflakes began flying through the air from above and some of the other entertainers, including Mom and Eve rose to join Lara onstage.

The first thing Mom did was pull Lara into her arms.

And Ben got kind of teary eyed himself because it seemed like Mom wasn’t going to quit crying. It was kind of crazy. Lara was the one who seemed to be holding Mom together for a change.

“Ben?” Dad asked softly. “Lara’s gone through an amazing transformation tonight. I’m so happy to see that my baby suddenly seems to be getting better. But do you have any idea what could have happened to Lara to change her so drastically this past year?”

“No,” he admitted. “And I’m feeling pretty guilty that I didn’t realize just how miserable she’s been. If I had to guess, I’d say something might have happened at school.”

Dad nodded, still looking thoughtful. “Maybe she’ll be willing to talk to someone now. Mom didn’t want to scare her off by suggesting it. She’s been so distant, and we didn’t want to make it worse.”

“I’ll have a talk with her too. Okay?”

Dad slapped him on the back.

“Thanks, Ben. Let’s go greet the ladies, shall we?” he suggested, standing.

Ben stood, following Dad toward the stage.

Chapter Ten

Aylin returned to the dressing rooms wearing a wide smile on her face.

Joanie grinned as soon as she walked into the room. “Aylin. I don’t know how you did it, but I have a feeling that you’re going to have the gratitude of the entire Loughlin family for Lara’s transformation.”

Aylin pursed her lips. “I only pulled off the hair and wardrobe. The real Lara was always there beneath the mask. She just hasn’t been hearing what she needed to hear to have confidence in herself, Joanie.”

“Still. I can’t believe how great she sounded,” Joanie replied, wiping away a few stray tears. Everyone had rushed from the dressing rooms to watch Lara’s performance. “I’d love to have a hug and say thank you.”

“Of course,” Aylin replied, startled as she was yanked into a tight embrace.

They laughed, finally disengaging.

After assisting with reorganizing the costumes and making sure everything was properly put back in place, Aylin gave Joanie a smile.

“I guess I’d better get back to the boutique,” Aylin said, holding her hand in the air. “It was really nice meeting everyone.”

“You too, Aylin,” someone called out.

As she was unlocking the employee door that led into the boutique, Desiree sent her a text.

‘Did u c performance? Wasn’t she gr8?’

‘Amazing! So happy 4 her. What a reaction from family. Just what she was hoping 4.’

‘She’s in a daze. I think she’s going to perform with mom and sister 2night.’

‘GR8! I’ll c you later. Im bck at Rene’s finishing gowns. Shouldn’t take more than 2-3 hrs.’

‘ok.’

There wasn’t too much of a mess to clean up after Lara’s transformation, but after wiping things down and putting products away, she quickly swept the floor, making a list of everything she’d used and wanted to purchase from Rene, leaving it near the register.

Once she had the area organized again, she went back to work on the bridesmaid’s gowns. Two of them still needed some work, including new zippers.

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