Ava gasped. “Wednesday now? When did that happen?”
“I just found out today. She’s had another snafu with the Martin wedding.”
Her mom inhaled a deep breath and released it. “What you’re doing is wrong, Hope. Mostly to Brent, but also to his family. I want you to march out there and tell them all the truth.”
“But I can’t.” Her heart hammered. “It’s already too late.”
“It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
“Tell that to Grandmother Margaret.”
“What has Brent’s grandma got to do with anything?”
“A ton.” She seized this angle. “It’s all because of her that this happened, anyway.”
“Your impersonating Jackie?”
“Yes.” Hope nodded, attempting to lure Ava in. “She doesn’t like our family.”
Ava’s eyes flashed. “What?”
“Doesn’t think we’re good enough.”
Her mom huffed. “Well. She’s got another thing coming.”
“I know, right? It’s totally insane. We Webbs are every bit as worthy as that stuck-up old woman.”
“Of course we are. We’ve always been.” Ava briefly studied the ceiling. “We did actually live on the other side of the railroad tracks downtown, but still, that doesn’t mean anything. We’re good people. Hardworking and hon—” She cagily eyed her daughter. “Hardworking, anyway.”
“I know this looks bad,” Hope begged, “but you didn’t see the ‘eye’ that Grandmother Margaret gave me.”
“Which eye?”
“That appraising eye. Sort of like this.” Hope did her best to imitate Grandmother Margaret’s cold assessment of when she arrived.
Ava sank back in her chair like she’d been physically shoved.
“That doesn’t look very friendly,” she said with a scowl.
“It wasn’t. Mom, here’s the truth. I didn’t come here planning to pretend to be Jackie. I was going to explain about her work problems and see if I could help out with things until she arrived. But then, Grandmother Margaret and the others ambushed me in the driveway. Elsa was there, but she was actually nice. Grandmother Margaret, though… She couldn’t wait to say how surprised she was that I’d turn up for my own wedding.”
Her mom gasped. “How crass.”
“Yeah, exactly. Very rude. And then, Brent showed up, and somehow everybody thought—I mean, just assumed—I was Jackie, and with Grandmother Margaret staring me down in her super unfriendly way, I didn’t know what to say.”
Ava set down her mug. “Does Grandmother Margaret still think this? Is she dead set against the marriage?”
“She’s not one hundred percent behind it, I can tell you that.”
“Well.” Ava set her chin in an indignant manner. “That’s not really her business, is it? The ones who decided to get married were your sister and Brent.”
“My thinking, too.”
Her mom studied her fingernails, which were painted a shade of burgundy bordering on deep purple. Scarily, it kind of matched her lipstick. “I still don’t like what you’re doing, but I’m beginning to understand it. But Hope”—her eyebrows rose—“how long can you keep this up?”
“It’s just until the day after tomorrow, and tomorrow’s going to be busy. The guys won’t even be around for most of the day. They’re going sailing.”
“That’s something, at least.”
Hope grasped this ray of light. “So, you’ll help me? You won’t spill my secret?”
Ava pursed her lips. “Now, I didn’t say that.”
“Mom, please. It can’t all unravel now. Imagine the huge blowup that would happen if everyone found out that I’m Hope, not Jackie. It would ruin the wedding. They’d probably call it off.” Hope frowned, then said sourly, “Which is just what Grandmother Margaret wants.”
Her mom sighed, but Hope could tell she was caving, so she decided to heap on a little sweetener. “And this wedding has to go on. It’s going to be so beautiful. Just perfect. And the minute Jackie gets here, she’ll know it’s true. She’ll be so, so happy about the change in Brent, and now the two of them will have a chance. A real chance at their happily ever after, and the reception’s going to be great. There might even be a chance for singing.”
“Yeah?” Ava’s face lit up. “That could be fun.”
“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Hope said, nodding vigorously. “And you know what you’ve always said. That you want to sing at your daughters’ weddings.”
“I do actually have a song picked out.” She grinned. “Because I was hoping.”
“Perfect! No guarantees, okay?” Hope rushed to add. “This is Jackie’s wedding, so totally her call. But I’ll certainly put in a good word and suggest it.”
“Would you, Hope? Aww. That would be so nice. Really.”
“You’ve got it, Mom.”
They sat there in silence, staring at each other, as what they’d just agreed to sank in.
After a few moments, Ava said, “We’ve been down here awhile. You’d better get dressed. I’ll go back to the main house and hold down the fort.”
“Thank you.” Hope stood and gave her mom a hug. “Just maybe don’t play that video.”
“Which video?” her mom said all innocent-like.
“That one from Debbie’s wedding.”
“But, you said—”
Hope pulled away and pasted a smile on her face. “I mean, not yet. No guarantees, remember?”
Her mom patted her cheek. “Sure, sure. No problem.”
…
Hope dressed as quickly as she could, her head pounding. She had to rejoin the others before her mom made a mess of things—by either accidentally outing her as Hope or playing that karaoke video from her cousin’s wedding. She scooted up the garden path, spotting Ava standing near the firepit. She held out her phone and had captured Parker, Elsa, and Chad’s rapt attention.
Elsa nodded politely while Parker stared gobsmacked at the small screen, his arms still loaded with tinder for the outdoor fire. Meanwhile, Chad swirled his drink and took another long swallow. Intervening now would be pointless. Ava was already showing off her singing skills, which honestly weren’t great.