After Tony left, Lorea and I tidied up and attempted to get some work done, but neither of us was very successful. I heard a sniffle and walked to the back room where Lorea was sewing.
“Lorea?” I crouched beside her and put my arm around her slim frame.
She attempted a smile but failed. She wiped at the tears escaping the corners of her eyes. “Sylvia’s going to kill me,” Lorea sobbed. “She’ll ruin us. You know how she is with her lawsuits.”
“Maybe we should call a lawyer.” It was something I didn’t want to do, but I couldn’t soothe Lorea’s fears when the same thought had crossed my mind.
She lifted her head. “Do you know any who could scare her off in case she tried to sue us?”
“First of all, I’m going to find that dress. And second, Sylvia wouldn’t have grounds to sue if we offer her a full refund and a replacement dress.”
Lorea didn’t look convinced, but she wiped her face and let out an angry huff. “I can’t believe this is happening when we were so close to making this dream a reality.”
“Your dream is still coming true. We’ll figure this out, and don’t forget we have Natalie’s dress.” Not thinking of diamonds, I repeated to myself. I pulled out my cell phone and started scrolling through contacts.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to see if I know any lawyers.” My mouth turned down. “But the only one I know lives in Phoenix.”
Lorea stood and picked up her pincushion. “Have you heard about the new divorce lawyer in town?”
“No, should I have?”
“Natalie’s mom, Kaly, was telling me he’s been keeping the courts busy.”
Stowing my phone in my purse, I lifted my shoulders. “Well, people do get divorced—they say over half of all marriages end in divorce these days.”
Lorea tsked. “I know. It’s just that he’s such a cynic that Kaly swears he could make even someone like Natalie want to get a divorce. He hates the idea of marriage.”
“And how did she come by all this info?”
“Kaly’s brother is in the process of getting divorced. His wife hired the new lawyer.” Lorea smoothed the fabric on one of the gowns. “Anyway, Kaly warned me about him because she was concerned. He’s been advertising his services for prenuptial agreements.”
“Why is that a concern?” I toggled through a list of expenses on my computer and tried to figure out how much I could afford to spend on a security camera.
“Because when people meet with him for a prenup, he talks them out of getting married. But the bigger reason is, he’s friends with Brock. I guess he’s doing the prenup for Natalie.”
“I can see why that would have Kaly worried.” Natalie’s mother was a born-and-raised Idahoan, and she was as genuine as you could find. It was probably hard for her to wrap her mind around why a prenuptial agreement would be needed in the case of her sweet daughter. “And who is he?”
“I can’t remember his name,” Lorea replied. “People are saying he’s pretty tight-lipped about his past. They’re not even sure where he came from because he’s so vague, but he’s good at what he does.”
“Well, let’s just hope Sylvia’s dress turns up so we don’t have to worry about lawyers. I’m going to make a few calls about installing a security system.”
Thirty minutes later, I had an appointment scheduled on Saturday for installation of a surveillance camera. Just before noon, Walter Mayfield tapped on the glass. He wore a concerned look, so it was a safe bet he had come to offer his condolences or perhaps to check on the future payback of his loan.
“Hi, Walter.” I opened the door for him. “I guess you heard the bad news.”
“No specifics. Tony said there was a break-in, and he needed to check the area.”
“Some of our wedding gowns were stolen,” I said.
Walter flinched and his forehead creased with worry, but in the next breath he composed himself, giving us his usual smile. “The important thing is that you girls are okay.”
“Thanks, Walter,” Lorea said.
His smile was the thing I liked most about his appearance. Walter was in his fifties, with silver streaks running through his dark hair. He wore an ornate wedding band he had designed himself. Mayfield Jewelers was known for the outstanding quality of their diamonds, and his ring had three beautiful stones embedded in the band. “I have some insurance, so I’ll help Lorea pay you back,” I said.
Walter waved his hand. “I’m not worried. I wanted to check on you and let you know I’m heading out of town for a diamond-buying trip to Belgium. Hopefully, things will be looking better by the time I get back.”
“Oh, I thought you weren’t leaving until October,” Lorea said. Walter usually went to Belgium twice a year, so it was surprising for him to leave during wedding season.
“That was my original plan, but my cousin had some frequent-flier miles that were about to expire. He also invited me to a family reunion in Wisconsin on my way out, so I moved things up.”
“That sounds nice,” I said. “But we’ll miss you.”
“Gracie is running the store for me. She has a great eye for matching each bride to the perfect ring, so keep sending your clients over.” He lifted his hand. “I’ll be back in two weeks.”
“Bring us back a souvenir,” Lorea said with a wave. “Like a diamond.”
“Or chocolate,” I said.
After letting Walter out the front door, I made the decision to take a much-needed lunch break. It was silly, but I wanted to try to find Sylvia’s dress, and I needed some brain food in order to think up some ideas. “I’m frazzled. I’m going to Smokehouse BBQ for
