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  Catching sight of her puffy and bloodshot eyes in the mirror, Andrea had to laugh. “I am, aren’t I?” Her hair, damp with sweat, had gone limp, and her mascara had run. With a dab of soap on the paper towel, she did her best to clean her face and put herself back together.

  “This is supposed to be a happy time,” Charlotte said. “Let’s celebrate. You’re going to have fun in Hawaii with Blake. I saw you holding hands over there. Looks like you’re getting along just fine.” Charlotte smiled slyly.

  “We are. It’s going well.” Andrea decided against telling Charlotte about the ring incident. The first chance she got, she would slip away and exchange it for something she’d be proud to put on his finger.

  “Yeah. I thought so. I’m jealous as hell.”

  The two women laughed, and Andrea was smiling when she left the restroom, feeling much better. The guys stood when they returned to the table, each with a concerned look on his face.

  “Everything all right?” Blake asked. He slipped an arm around her and kissed her temple before everyone took their seats again.

  “Yes. I have something to confess,” Andrea said, trying her best to look guilty. She glanced at Charlotte, who nodded. “I’m not Sarah.”

  Everyone looked to Joe, who frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “My name is Andrea Lindholm, and I’m not even from Georgia,” she said, dropping the Southern drawl. “I’m from San Diego.”

  “You’re pulling my leg,” Joe said with a hesitant smile, shaking his finger at her.

  “Sarah had some business that precluded her from attending her own wedding,” Charlotte explained. “When she met Andrea, Sarah got the idea to give her power of attorney and have her stand in as the bride at the wedding.”

  “Holy...” Joe said. “You’re serious?”

  “And on the honeymoon,” Blake said, winking at Andrea.

  Joe wrenched his eyes from Andrea’s face to look at Blake. “You knew? You’re okay with this?”

  “Yep. There’s more to the story, but the bottom line is you can’t tell a soul, especially my mother.”

  “Or Sarah’s father,” Charlotte added.

  Joe returned his gaze to Andrea. He asked the anticipated questions about Andrea or Sarah having been adopted, what would happen after the honeymoon when Sarah returned, and whether they honestly thought she could fool Sarah’s own father. Satisfied with their answers, he shook his head slowly. “It’s uncanny how much you look like her. I have one more question, Andrea.” She prompted him to go on with a raised brow. “Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked with a flirtatious smile.

  That such a gorgeous guy would be interested in dating her was both flattering and intimidating. Before she could answer, Blake took her hand again, this time in plain view above the table’s surface.

  “She’s mine until Sarah comes back and the business deal between Clarity and Gentry-Banks is finished.”

  “Mm-hmm,” Joe said, staring at Andrea with glittering eyes. “After that though.”

  Blake scowled, apparently not pleased with his cousin’s interest and apparently forgetting he’d offered to set her up with Joe. “After that, we’ll see.”

  Andrea didn’t want to admit it, but she liked seeing Blake a little jealous and possessive of her. For the next couple of weeks, she would be his, and she was okay with that.

  Chapter 6

  Early Friday morning, Andrea guzzled her first cup of coffee and fixed another, which she sipped as she dressed for the day. With so many sundresses in Sarah’s closet to choose from, it was hard to settle on one, but her eye was drawn to a light green dress with a sweetheart neckline and fitted bodice that she thought might go with her fake green eyes. Blake was picking her up at two o’clock, which gave her plenty of time to drive to the jewelry store to exchange his ring and pick up her wedding gown.

  With the help of the GPS in Sarah’s car, she reached the store without incident. She exchanged the lion ring for a platinum band with a hammered finish, bordered by inset bands of milgrain. It cost twenty times as much, but Sarah wouldn’t mind, especially if she knew what the alternative was. Blake might be annoyed with her, but he would get over it. He’d already acknowledged that the lion was the wrong choice.

  On the way to the bridal shop, a sale on bathing suits in the window of a neighboring boutique caught her eye. It occurred to her that she was going to Hawaii on Sunday and had nothing to wear at the beach. It was one thing to wear Sarah’s dresses, but there was no way she would put on another woman’s panties or bathing suit, no matter how well laundered. It was an unforgivable invasion of personal space.

  She bought three bikinis and a one-piece, a couple of cover-ups, a hat, sandals and flip-flops, and a cloth shoulder bag to carry supplies in.

  After loading them into the car’s trunk, she went into the bridal shop for her final fitting. The tailor had done an amazing job with the adjustments. The gown no longer looked like something made for another woman but rather for her, not only fitting her well, but flattering her figure in such a way that even Sarah’s closest friends might not notice her bust was smaller.

  With a heavy foot, Andrea raced the clock back to Sarah’s house, arriving only moments before Blake pulled up in his limo. She hung the gown carefully in a spare closet, tossed the shopping bags on the sofa, ran a brush quickly through her hair, and greeted him at the door with a broad smile.

  “You look like you’ve been making mischief.” He kissed her lightly on the lips.

  She locked the door behind her and waggled her eyebrows at him. “I have. I needed a new bathing suit and ended up buying four.”

  “Mmm, I can’t wait to see them.”

  Steven was standing beside the car, dressed in black and white as before, but today, he wore white gloves. When she approached, he opened the door for Andrea and bowed. “Good afternoon, Dr. Gentry.” He offered her a gloved hand and helped her into the car before shutting the door.

  I could get used to this lifestyle.

  To Andrea’s relief, she and Blake were the first to arrive at the country club. She didn’t want to make an entrance and have all those eyes on her at once, inspecting her, judging her, wondering why she looked like Sarah but wasn’t actually Sarah. At least meeting them one by one gave her some cover. While she looked forward to meeting Blake’s mom, who’d sounded so sweet on the phone, she dreaded the moment Sarah’s father arrived.

  The club’s restaurant was elegant and quiet, with high ceilings to cut down on the noise. At mid-afternoon, only one other party was there, and they were on the opposite side of the room. Every table in the place was round, though their sizes varied, and each was dressed in a gold tablecloth and set with wine glasses, water glasses, and silver tucked into cream-colored napkins folded in a fancy pleat.

  The hostess showed Andrea and Blake to their party’s table, and he held her chair while she sat. Once the hostess had handed them their menus and left, Andrea said, “I’m so nervous. He’s going to know I’m not Sarah.”

  Blake took her hand and lifted it to his lips to place a warm kiss on its back. “Try not to worry. He’s going to be so busy dominating the conversation and praising his own accomplishments, he probably won’t even notice you’re here.”

  A gray-haired man walked in wearing a blue and white checkered button-down shirt and a brown sports jacket. On his arm was a slightly plump, middle-aged woman with shoulder-length, brown hair. When the hostess gestured to their table, a trickle of sweat ran down Andrea’s side. “Is that him?”

  “No, that’s my Uncle Roy, the judge who’s performing the ceremony,” Blake said under his breath as he lifted his hand in greeting. “That’s Aunt Becky with him. She’s fun. You’ll like her. Sarah hasn’t met them yet.”

  Andrea sighed her relief. Thank goodness for that. If luck was on her side, Harold would show up last so that his attention would be divided.

  The couple followed the hostess to the table and set his briefcase on the chair acro
ss from Blake. Blake greeted his aunt and uncle with a hug and kiss before introducing them to Andrea.

  “Sarah, it’s wonderful to finally meet you.” Becky gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “My, you’re a lovely young lady. No wonder Blake was in such a hurry to marry you.”

  “Couldn’t let her get away,” Blake said with a wink.

  “Hello, Sarah,” Roy said, taking her hand gently. “I’ve heard so much about you and the work you do for victims of human trafficking. We’re all proud to have you join the family.”

  “Thank you, Judge Williamson, Mrs. Williamson. It’s such a pleasure meeting Blake’s family.”

  “Call me Uncle Roy,” he said, patting her hand before letting her have it back.

  “And I’m Aunt Becky. None of this Judge and Mrs. business. We’ll be family tomorrow.”

  Roy nodded. “Absolutely. If you two have something prepared you’d like me to recite, I’ll take it with me today. That’ll give me time to go over it a few times so I don’t blow my lines.”

  Andrea looked up at Blake in embarrassment and shock. Sarah hadn’t written vows that she knew of.

  “Is there some standard language you can use?” Blake asked. “We are gathered here today. That kind of thing?”

  “Sure,” Uncle Roy said, “if that’s all you want. It’ll be a pretty short ceremony though. What a shame to get all dressed up for a three-minute event.”

  “That’s okay,” Blake said. “At least our commitment to each other will last longer than that. Won’t it, sweetheart?”

  Andrea’s face burned. It felt like a jab as much at her as at Sarah, and it stung. She shoved a smile onto her face. “Twice that, easily. Darling.” Once she got him alone, she would give him an earful. He could pull that passive-aggressive crap with Sarah if he wanted to, but as long as Andrea was portraying his bride, he was going to have to cut it out.

  Roy laughed. “I should hope so. I brought along the marriage license application. Why don’t you fill it out now and save yourselves the hassle of doing it tomorrow before the ceremony starts? Then all I’ll need tomorrow is your signatures, and you can have Joe drop it off at the courthouse to be filed.”

  “Sure,” Blake said.

  Roy pulled a piece of official looking paper from his briefcase and lay it on the table. Andrea leaned over to have a look. It had two parts, one for the first party to the marriage and one for the second. Each section asked for information that Andrea didn’t have. She knew Sarah’s birth date and full name, which were on the driver’s license in her wallet, and she was pretty sure Sarah had been born in Georgia, but she didn’t know Harold Gentry’s middle name, Sarah’s mother’s name, or the states in which they were born.

  “Why don’t you get started,” she said to Blake. “I need to run to the ladies’ room.”

  In the privacy of the restroom, Andrea sent Sarah a text: For the marriage license, I need some info. She painstakingly typed out the pieces of information she needed and waited for the reply. She paced across the tile floor, heels clicking like a clock counting down the time to her discovery. Come on, Sarah. What if she was out of range of a cell tower? What if she wouldn’t answer the texts for hours? Five minutes passed, and then ten. After fifteen, Charlotte came in.

  “Andrea? Are you okay? Blake sent me in to find you.”

  “Oh, God, Charlotte. I need info for the marriage license. Blake’s Uncle Roy wants to fill that out now. I sent Sarah a text, but she hasn’t answered. It’s getting suspicious. Sarah would know these things.”

  “Never fear, my dear,” Charlotte said, digging into her purse. She withdrew a folded piece of paper. “I had Sarah fill this out ahead of time.”

  “You’re a life saver.” Andrea scanned the paper and committed the information to memory, reciting it over in her mind. When she was satisfied that she’d memorized everything, she handed the paper back. “I think I’ve got it.”

  “Do you want to hang onto this in case you have to check something?”

  She hadn’t brought her purse with her, and it might look suspicious if she returned carrying a cheat sheet. “No, I’m good.”

  “Blake’s mom’s here, and Joe. Harold’s the only one missing. Are you ready?”

  Andrea took a deep breath and nodded. “I might need some help.”

  “Remember, keep your chin up and shoulders square. You’re more demure than Sarah is. She’s more brash. Blake and I are there if you get into trouble.” The two of them rejoined the others at the table.

  An older woman with stylishly coiffed white hair was seated between Blake and Aunt Becky. She met Andrea’s eyes. It was obvious now where Blake got his smile. His mother’s face lit up, and she got to her feet, opening her arms for an embrace. In fact, Andrea noticed, all three men at the table stood when she and Charlotte approached. Gentlemen, all of them.

  “Sarah,” she said with a mother’s pride. “You’re looking even more radiant than ever.” She was about five-foot-ten and slender, with a surprisingly fierce embrace that conveyed genuine affection. “Can you believe the day’s almost here?” Gloria Thomas exuded warmth and competence and fashion sense and vibrancy. Either she had good genes or she spent a ton on skin care products and treatments to create a nearly flawless complexion. But for her white hair and a few wrinkles beside her eyes, she could have passed for a much younger woman.

  “Hardly,” Andrea said. Her nervous jitters fell away in Gloria’s presence. The woman inspired confidence while setting her at ease. “It’s been a busy week.” She caught Joe staring at her with a secretive smile from across the table. “Hi, Joe. Nice to see you again.”

  “Hi, Sarah. You’re as beautiful as always.” He winked at her.

  “No flirting with my fiancée,” Blake said, holding the chair for his mom as she sat. He did the same for Andrea and then took his seat between them.

  “Sarah, whatever you did to your hair, it looks lovely,” Gloria said.

  Joe snorted. From the corner of her eye, Andrea caught Charlotte elbow him in the side. “What?” he asked under his breath. “I said the same thing yesterday.”

  “Um, thank you,” Andrea said.

  “I can’t wait to see what you do with it. Are we waiting for Harold?” Gloria asked. “He’s not the most punctual man I’ve ever met.”

  “He likes his entrances,” Andrea said, taking Gloria’s cue. “We should go ahead and order. He might not even show up.”

  Lunch was perfectly enjoyable, and Gloria gave no indication that she suspected the woman she thought was Sarah was an imposter. In fact, she was such a pleasure to be around, Andrea wished for a mother-in-law just like her someday. The food was good but overpriced, and she found herself feeling thankful she didn’t have to pay for it herself. Just as they were finishing the meal, Scotty the wedding planner ducked his head into the room and waved.

  “Looks like they’re ready for us outside,” Charlotte said.

  “And my father isn’t here,” Andrea said with a roll of her eyes.

  “I could play his part if you want,” Joe said. “I’ll get with him tomorrow to go over the details.”

  Blake shifted to the side and pulled out his cell phone, buzzing quietly. This time, instead of letting it go to voice mail, he excused himself and stepped away to answer the call. Andrea wondered whether it was Sarah.

  “Shall we?” Uncle Roy said, standing.

  Blake finished his call in time to pull Gloria’s and Andrea’s chairs out for them as they stood.

  “Is everything okay?” Andrea asked him.

  “Oh, yeah. It was the limo service. Steven had a family emergency.”

  “I’d offer you two a lift home,” Joe said, “but I rode the Harley. Maybe Aunt Gloria will give Blake a ride.” He winked at Andrea.

  “Dream on,” Blake said with a chuckle. “They’re sending another driver. No big deal.” He and Joe talked about the motorcycle while they all followed Scotty outside to a white gazebo on the lawn near the lake.

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nbsp; Gloria hooked her arm in Andrea’s and slowed her pace so that the men passed them. Charlotte cast Andrea a worried glance, asking with raised eyebrows if she needed rescuing. In response, Andrea smiled and looked up at Blake’s mom. Gloria didn’t concern her—she worried more about Harold, and he hadn’t even shown up.

  “Sarah,” Gloria said, “seeing the two of you together warms my heart.”

  “Being with him warms mine,” Andrea said. Gloria would make a much better mother-in-law than Sean’s mother would have. “He’s so wonderful. My friends are always asking if he has a twin brother.”

  Gloria gave a delighted laugh. “He’s a good man, not a perfect man, but a good one. Believe me, I know my son well. Even as recently as Monday, when we met for a quick nine holes of golf, he was tense and ill at ease. I was afraid that you two had been arguing or that he was having doubts about getting married.”

  Thinking about her groom being hesitant made her stiffen.

  “But look at him now,” Gloria said. At that moment, Blake glanced over his shoulder at them and smiled before putting an arm across Joe’s shoulders and saying something into his cousin’s ear. “He’s the most relaxed he’s been in months. The way he looks at you is the way a man should look at the woman he’s about to marry.”

  Andrea smiled at his back, at the playful way he and Joe interacted, at his infectious laugh that carried across the dozen paces that separated them. He’d been a pleasure to spend time with—not at all the stuffy or snobbish prude she’d assumed he would be. If she had her choice of men to fake-marry, he would be her first pick. She couldn’t wait to feel his lips on hers at the altar. “I’m the luckiest woman in the world,” she said.

  “I’m so glad to finally have a daughter.” Gloria squeezed Andrea’s arm affectionately. “I don’t want to meddle in your relationship, but I was sort of hoping we could do some mother-daughter things from time to time, like see a play or meet for breakfast.”

  Gloria’s enthusiasm made Andrea miss her own mother way out in Arizona. Sarah didn’t even have a mom anymore. “I would love that. It’ll be nice to have a mom again.”