Chapter Eight
Aylin smiled, finally satisfied with the fit of the gown she’d reconstructed for Lara. The rosy-purple color was perfect with her coloring too. The trick was not to make it absolutely form fitting since Lara was painfully thin. Also, it was designed to drape from one shoulder, where there was some intricate jeweled detail, so Lara’s other exposed shoulder’s thinness wouldn’t be so obvious.
Little did Lara know what Aylin had in store for her, and her goal was to make Lara as confident in herself as possible and not give her the chance to say no when Desiree and Marc appeared, expecting her to perform with them. They’d been amazed by Lara’s voice and couldn’t believe that she’d never been onstage with her mom or sister.
Aylin couldn’t really understand it. But if Lara’s insecurity ran that deep, they couldn’t give her the chance to think too hard about performing because then she’d probably try to back out.
“I can pay for the underwear and hose,” Lara said, looking impatient.
“It’s my treat. Besides, you’re going to need a few more things. Some jewelry for sure. Amethyst and jade would look great with this color gown. Earrings especially would highlight your pretty green eyes.”
“I might be able to borrow something in the performer’s dressing room when I go in for my shift in a little while,” Lara said. “The performers are allowed to wear some of the valuable jewelry that gets auctioned off but there’s also a lot of artisan stuff available too. I’m supposed to help out until the banquet begins. Afterwards, I have to meet my family for the awards ceremony.”
Aylin would have to take Lara’s place in the dressing room, she supposed.
Aylin smiled widely as she backed away from the gown. “I can’t wait until we’re finished so you can see the final result. Now we need to work on your hair.”
“Can you make it look like it does in your sketch?” Lara asked, not realizing how vibrant she appeared. It was hard to believe that she was the same girl Aylin had met only a few hours earlier.
“I’m sure going to try. I’m going to have to restock some of Rene’s products for her. It’s really helpful that she keeps these extra beauty supplies here in the workroom.”
“There are a lot of weddings and dances that are hosted here at the Inn. Rene has handed out keys for the shop to Mom and some of the managers, along with the wedding planner here in town in case of any wardrobe or hair malfunctions.”
Just as Aylin was putting the finishing touches on the smooth upsweep of Lara’s hair, which was in surprisingly good shape considering all the products she must have used to color and shape it, someone knocked on the front door of the boutique.
Glancing into the showroom and through the locked glass door, she was relieved to see it was Desiree and Marc, both dressed and prepared to perform onstage.
“My sister and her husband are here. Give me just a minute. Don’t peek at yourself. I want Desiree to tell me how she likes your hair.”
As Aylin made her way toward the entrance, she grinned, unlocking the door. “Hey. I see Marc brought his guitar. That’ll make it easier, I think.”
“You haven’t told her?”
“No. The trick is going to be not to let her talk,” Aylin said.
Both Marc and Desiree began laughing as they followed her into the workroom.
“I thought Rene was returning to help you finish the bridesmaid gowns?” Desiree asked.
“I texted her after I finished the wedding gown. Since she was almost done with the bridesmaid’s gowns anyway, I told her I’d finish them off tonight since I didn’t have anything else to do. Now she’ll be able to attend tonight’s event which she supposedly does every year, according to Lara. She’s usually closed on Christmas Eve, but she’s coming in to help with the fitting in the morning.”
They made their way into the workroom, where Lara sat patiently waiting.
“Lara? This is my sister Desiree and my brother-in-law, Marc. Guys, this is Lara, the girl you heard on audio,” Aylin said.
Lara blinked, obviously catching the word audio.
But following Aylin’s advice, Desiree didn’t give Lara a chance to respond.
“Don’t you look fabulous?” Desiree exclaimed. “I can sure see the resemblance between you and your mom. You’re not going to need much makeup for the stage. Lara, you’ve got great skin, don’t you?”
Momentarily bowled over, Lara’s jaw dropped open as Marc pulled his guitar from the case while Desiree opened the traveling makeup kit she’d brought along.
Continuing to subtly prevent Lara from talking, Aylin asked, “What do you think of her hair, Dez?”
“Perfect,” Desiree admitted, nodding her approval. “I’m beginning to think that there’s not much that my little sister isn’t good at.”
“I can’t carry a tune, remember? All of you are so talented. As soon as Desiree’s finished with your makeup, Marc is going to play his guitar and practice with you, Lara,” Aylin said, turning to Marc. “What would you like her to sing, Marc?”
“Lara,” Marc said. “It’s nice to meet you. I really love the quality of your voice. White Christmas sounded great, but I think that The Christmas Song would make a more fitting debut of your voice because of that breathy quality you can feed into the lyrics.”
“You do know the words, don’t you? That was one that you sang for me earlier,” Aylin observed.
Desiree had sprayed a thin layer of foundation on Lara’s face, adding a little color to her cheekbones. “What do you think, Aylin?”
“I like it,” Aylin agreed, nodding. “What are you going to do with her eyes? I think that a pretty shade of green and a deep violet liner and mascara would really play them up, don’t you?”
Desiree grinned, giving her a soft elbow in the ribs. “I can’t believe you’re telling me what to do. I love it. Perfect. And let’s go with purple berry lips.”
“Lara says that we should be able to choose jewelry for her in the dressing rooms. A lot of jewelry is being auctioned off, so they like the performers to wear it for display.” Aylin pursed her lips. “Lara, why don’t you use the hotel phone and call the dressing room to let them know you have a friend who’s going to be taking your place and helping them out since you’ll be performing.”
Before Lara had a chance to answer, possibly in protest, Desiree continued where Aylin left off.
“I’m finished Lara. I’m going to have you stand and look at yourself in the full-length mirror while you make your call, since I see that the hotel phone is over on that wall,” Desiree observed, frowning as she reached for Lara’s hand, pulling her to her feet. “We still need some shoes for Lara, Aylin.”
Lara was looking dazed.
“What size shoe do you wear, Lara? Your feet look pretty small. I noticed a really great pair of dark coppery platforms mixed in with Rene’s rentals along with a matching purse,” Aylin said, not waiting for an answer.
Returning with the shoes and purse, Aylin bent down, slipping each of the shoes onto Lara’s feet. “They fit like they were made for you.”
“Perfect,” Desiree said once again, grinning as Marc sat, strumming his guitar.
“Close your eyes, Lara,” Aylin ordered, walking her toward the mirror. After reaching for the hotel phone receiver and asking the receptionist to connect them to the dressing room, she handed the phone over to Lara, ordering, “Open your eyes.”
Lara gasped as she stared at herself in the mirror, the phone receiver in her hand.
“Hello? Hello?” Someone was yelling through the receiver.
“Hi, sorry. Joanie—is that you? This is Lara. I’ve got something I’ve got to do this afternoon, but a friend of mine is going to take my place. I promise you’ll like her. I’ll come along with her and introduce you,” Lara said, sounding incredibly happy as she looked herself over from head to toe.
“Okay, ladies. Let’s practice,” Marc called out from behind them, where he’d been strumming away the entire time.