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“Where’s the baby?” Olivia asked, turning toward Hope. She was hoping to change the subject from Charlotte’s absence. “I haven’t seen her in a few weeks.”

Hope grinned. “She’s with my mom. I knew this meeting was important, so I didn’t want to run the risk of her acting up and disturbing us. I love my little munchkin, but she can get a little rowdy these days.”

During a period when their friendships were estranged, Hope had left Savannah. Upon her recent return, she’d had a baby in tow—beautiful little Ella. So far Hope had not been forthcoming about the circumstances of Ella’s birth, the identity of the father or whether the man in question even knew about his daughter.

“It’s so great to have that support,” Olivia said, immediately feeling a pang at the realization that her children wouldn’t benefit from her own mother’s love and wisdom. The loss of her mother continued to affect her, even in moments when she least expected it.

“I feel blessed to have the help,” Hope said, her face lit up with pleasure.

“It must be hard raising her by yourself,” Fancy said. “Is there any chance her father might help out?”

Olivia let out a gasp. Fancy’s comment was incredibly blunt and bordered on insensitive. Clearly Hope hadn’t told them the identity of Ella’s father. It was a closed subject. Now Fancy was poking and prodding around in a not-so-subtle manner. None of the rest of them had broached the subject of Ella’s father. They were waiting for

Hope to feel comfortable enough to bring it up on her own.

Callie frowned at Fancy. Olivia shook her head. Morgan rolled her eyes.

Hope locked gazes with Fancy. Her almond-shaped eyes were as calm as a lake in summer. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of Ella on my own. It’s not an ideal situation, but we’re making the best of it.”

Bravo! Olivia wanted to cheer. Hope was a sweetheart by nature. Sometimes she could even be a bit timid. She never liked to challenge anyone. It was nice to see her standing up for herself against Fancy, who meant well but could be a little over the top and inquisitive.

“That’s good to know,” Fancy murmured, appearing slightly chastened.

“So, Olivia,” Morgan drawled in a sugary sweet tone. “What’s this about Hunter Rawlings and his return to town? Tell us all about it. Is he still as scrumptious as ever?”

Olivia felt her cheeks warming up. Embarrassment flooded her. How could she talk about Hunter without letting her friends see that she was in love with him?

“As you all know, he came back for the wedding. And he’s doing quite well. As far as his looks are concerned, he looks the same, just a bit more…mature and stylish,” Olivia explained.

“Did you feel the old sparks come back to life?” Fancy asked, wagging her eyebrows at Olivia.

“Let’s just say he still makes my heart flutter,” Olivia said, earning her oohs and aahs from the girls. She raised her hands to her cheeks. She had just surprised herself by being so forthright.

But part of friendship meant sharing yourself with your friends. The words she’d just spoken were the truth. Part of her rejoiced at her ability to put it into words without fearing the response. Everyone was smiling and laughing. No one was judging her in the slightest.

“Okay, ladies. Let’s get down to business,” Callie said in a brisk voice, rubbing her hands together. “Let me close the door so we’re not distracted by the construction. After we finish up here we can get a sneak peek at the progress.” Callie stood up from her seat and walked over to the door and firmly closed it. Immediately, most of the noises quieted down.

Fancy let out a little squeaking noise. “Yay! I can’t wait to see the work that’s been done since I’ve been away.”

Morgan pulled out a notebook from her bag. “I did a little brainstorming. I think it makes sense for me to take over the culinary areas. We could serve breakfast and lunch, then have the guests eat dinner elsewhere. I think from a financial vantage point, we can afford to serve two meals a day rather than three. And since dinner is the costliest meal, it might make sense to omit that one.”

“Or we could do breakfast and dinner,” Fancy suggested. “It might be more expensive, but I’ve been to resorts where dinner is something all the guests really look forward to. Some even like to get all decked out and make a night of it.”

“Good point,” Olivia said with a nod. “My only hesitation is that we have to really focus on the bottom line our first year out. Costs could really skyrocket.”

“Well, that’s my area of expertise. Finances and accounting. I’ll be crunching the numbers for Savannah House,” Callie said with a grin. “It will give me the chance to put my degree to use. And yes, we have to really be cautious about our finances. We’re spending a great deal on renovations and we really don’t have any idea if this relaunch will take off or not.” Callie bit her lip, a gesture Olivia knew indicated her best friend’s uncertainty.

Olivia, as well as the others, knew that there were no guarantees about the future of the resort.

“I think I’d like to be the hospitality person. The liaison to guests and the face of the resort, so to speak,” Olivia said in a firm voice. “I love working with people and I think after volunteering at the youth center for so many years, I’ve made some great contacts in Savannah. I could really put the word out about our relaunch.”

“So would you cover publicity as well?” Callie asked.

Olivia nodded. “Yes, I think that would work.”

“I think that I might like to focus on the interior decorating aspects. I’m really enjoy

ing picking out new furniture and tapestries and paint colors. It’s really in my wheelhouse due to my background in art,” Fancy said. The look on her face seemed hesitant, as if she wasn’t entirely sure the other women would agree.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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