“It looks fine, Lisa,” she said. “Just let me put it on already.”
Lisa decided not to argue with her. She tugged the enormous garment over Molly’s head, zipped it up, and piled the surplus material in a shapeless heap on the ground behind Molly’s ankles. When she was satisfied, she began buttoning up the row of white buttons that ran from Molly’s waist to the back of her neck.
“I hope Sabrina is feeling better,” said Molly. “Will she be at the ceremony?”
“No, she’s not coming,” said Lisa.
“Poor thing,” said Molly, shaking her head. “I don’t want her to miss out on all the fun. I asked Graham if we could stop by your house after the wedding and say hello to her, but he didn’t want to. He said there was no point.”
Lisa finished buttoning Molly’s dress and settled her on the chair in front of the vanity under the watchful gaze of the garden gnome. She curled Molly’s sparse hair, pinned it up, and attached the veil to Molly’s head. Then, she arranged the cloth around Molly’s shoulders and stood back to evaluate her work. To her surprise, Molly had transformed into a radiant version of her former self.
“How do I look?” said Molly.
“Wonderful,” said Lisa. “See for yourself.”
Molly leaped to her feet and gasped with excitement.
“This is amazing,” she said, swirling around in front of the mirror. “I look ten years younger. I can’t wait to show Graham.”
“Are you absolutely sure he’s the one?” said Lisa.
“I’m sure,” said Molly. “It will be like that for you, too, once you meet the right person. You’ll be swept off your feet, and nothing will ever be the same again. Oh, that reminds me—your mother was talking to me about Sabrina’s children, and she mentioned one in particular. I think she said his name is Josh. She told me he’s just the sort of boy she hopes you’ll marry someday.”
“She was probably joking,” said Lisa.
“No,” said Molly. “That’s why I invited his family to the wedding. I wanted to get a good look at him. It’s silly, but I feel responsible for you, Lisa. You deserve the best, and if he’s not worthy of you, I’ll definitely let you know. I’m clever about that sort of thing.”
Lisa wondered if her mother had been persuaded to imagine such a horrible scenario by Sabrina. She stifled a rising feeling of irritation. Why couldn’t Sabrina just mind her own business? It was bad enough for Sabrina to entertain the idea in the privacy of her own mind, but it was even worse for her to tell other people about it.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” she said. “It’s never going to happen.”
“Never say never,” said Molly. “Weddings are magical, and there’s no knowing what wonderful surprises might be waiting for you if you open your heart. Trust me: when Josh sees you in your dress, he’ll forget about everything else. He won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”
Lisa was so alarmed by this remark that she waited as long as possible to change into her dress. It wasn’t until she heard the growing commotion downstairs as the guests arrived and realized the ceremony was about to begin that she banished Molly into the hall, turned the garden gnome around so it couldn’t see her, and climbed into her dress.
It was made of red satin, with narrow shoulder straps, a sash, and a flowing skirt. Lisa was so delighted by her appearance that she gradually decided she didn’t care if Josh noticed her after all. His opinion was irrelevant anyway. She was still admiring herself when she heard the scampering of small feet. Veronica rushed in without knocking. She stopped in surprise when she saw Lisa, and her face became uncharacteristically solemn.
“You look so grown up,” she said.
“I know,” said Lisa. She had always felt more like a child than a woman, but the dress had performed a miracle, and the age difference between herself and Veronica had never been more obvious.
“I feel dumb in these ruffles,” said Veronica. Her dress was more elaborate than Lisa’s, but it made her look younger instead of older. “I don’t know what Mom was thinking. She must have secretly wanted to put us in beauty pageants when we were little. Stephen said I looked pretty, but I think he was just being nice.”
“You look fine, Veronica,” said Lisa.
“Maybe,” said Veronica. “Either way, Mom wanted me to tell you everything’s ready. The guests are all here, and Graham’s getting panicky. I don’t know why people bother with weddings if they don’t enjoy them.” She paused, and her eyes widened. “What’s that noise? You know this house is haunted, right?”
“It’s just Molly,” said Lisa. “She’s trying to get back in.”
“Oh,” said Veronica. “I saw her wandering around at the end of the hall. What’s she doing out there?”
“I didn’t want her making any crazy remarks about me,” said Lisa. “She’s always getting weird ideas, and you know how pushy she can be when things don’t work out the way she wants them to. Come on, let’s go. If we make her wait much longer, she’ll get hysterical. I hope she doesn’t cry.”
“I’d cry if I had to marry Graham,” said Veronica. “Ugh, it’s the grossest thing ever. Do you think they’ll kiss?”
“Of course they’ll kiss,” said Lisa. “It’s a wedding.”
Veronica made a face, but before she could protest, Lisa’s mother arrived and shoed her away. She escorted Lisa and Molly downstairs and told them to wait outside the grand hall where the ceremony was scheduled to take place. The guests took their seats while music played in the background. Lisa peered through the doors and saw Graham standing there with Owen beside him.
She studied Graham’s face. Veronica hadn’t been exaggerating: Graham appeared to be on the verge of losing his
