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Over the past few years the friendships among the six friends had been fractured. Fancy, who had once been engaged to Callie’s cousin, Case, had felt betrayed by her friends in the aftermath of her broken engagement. The circumstances were complicated, but Fancy had made a terrible mistake in her relationship and turned to another man out of fear and loneliness. Case had found out about her emotional affair and broken off their engagement. Charlotte, as Case’s sister, had felt torn apart by choosing sides. Fancy, believing one of her friends had betrayed her by telling Case about her involvement with another man, ended her friendships with the girls and moved to New York City to pursue a modeling career. Little by little all the friendships—with the exception of her and Callie’s—had eroded. The inheritance from Miss Hattie had brought them all back together for a common purpose.
Not only would the six young women be sharing ownership of Savannah House, but each would be responsible for an area of the resort to oversee. Callie, due to her background in business, would be handling the finances and accounting, while Morgan would be the chef for Savannah House. Olivia was still trying to figure out her role in the scheme of things. All she knew for certain at the moment was that she wanted to deal with the clientele. People were her forte.
Olivia glanced at her watch then jumped up from her seat. “Oops. I better scoot. I’m hosting Mae and Sadie tonight for dinner. And we have a special guest…Hunter.”
Callie let out a squeal. “How exciting. You’ll get a chance to get reacquainted. I know Jax is thrilled that he came back for the wedding.”
Olivia reached out and hugged Callie. “We’re all excited for the wedding of the century. I can’t tell you how happy I am for the two of you.”
Olivia let go of Callie, who was tearing up. “Now we just have to get you married off, Olivia. Remember we vowed to raise our kids as the best of friends.”
How could Olivia forget their childhood promise? It had been their most fervent wish. Olivia wasn’t sure how to respond to Callie’s statement. Although she would love to get married and settle down, she feared it might not happen for her. There hadn’t been a single man who had made her heart beat fast…not since Hunter had faded from her life.
And she knew that the feelings she still harbored for Hunter might stand in the way of living out all her dreams. How could any man ever compete with him?
As she drove back to town from Tybee Island, she uttered a prayer for guidance. Dear Lord, please don’t let me tumble back into love with Hunter. Yes, I have strong feelings for him, but I never want to feel that I’m living and breathing for him and that I might die if he’s not in my orbit. Been there, done that. He already broke my heart once. I can’t afford a second go-round.
**
It was official, Olivia thought as she flung herself on her Queen sized sleigh bed. She was a mess! For over an hour she'd rummaged through her closet like a maniac trying to come up with an outfit to blow Hunter away. She'd tried half a dozen outfits on, finally narrowing it down to a tomato red silk jumpsuit she'd bought at a local boutique and a nude colored sheath dress she'd purchased in one of the shops on Tybee Island. All the clothes in her closet were several years old. Despite the fact that she still had numerous credit cards tied into her father's account, she didn't have the heart to use them under the present financial circumstances. Those days were gone, perhaps forever if Renault Industries went belly up. Impulsively, she grabbed the red jumpsuit and put it on, then quickly brushed out her hair and applied some lipstick and eyeliner.
It would have to do. If only she was a size or two smaller this outfit would be sheer perfection, she thought with a critical eye. As it was the fabric clung to her curves like a second skin, making her feel self-conscious about her shape. Own your curves. Her mother's voice rang out in her head, serving as a vivid reminder of her tendency to doubt herself. Her mother had been her biggest cheerleader in life. She'd always supported Olivia in every endeavor she pursued, whether it was baton twirling or ice skating. When Olivia had complained about her figure and her desire to lose weight, her mother had always encouraged her to walk proudly in the world. Olivia stared at her reflection and smiled at the woman looking back at her. She knew she looked beautiful and that she was simply doubting herself.
A few minutes later, with Rascal following closely at her heels, she opened the door to Hunter, Sadie and Mae. Mae pulled her into her arms for a warm hug and held out a bottle of Merlot for them to enjoy over dinner. Immediately, Hunter's eyes slid over her, a look of male appreciation etched on his handsome face. It immediately caused goosebumps to pop up on her arms.
Ugh. Why did she have to react to every slight gesture or movement on his part? Why was she so weak when it came to Hunter?
Hunter slowly nodded his head approvingly and flashed her a carefree grin. Her stomach began to flutter nervously as he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, his lips lingering for a few seconds too long. When he pulled away from her she could feel the hot rush of warm air against her face as he whispered, “You always did have the most beautiful lips, Liv.”
Liv. It's what he used to call her back in the day when they were dating. Dating? Was that really what it had been between them? It all seemed so long ago, almost as if it happened in another lifetime, an alternate universe. It had lasted all of six months – six glorious months when they'd secretly been boyfriend and girlfriend. One hundred and eighty days of pure bliss.
Olivia and Hunter. The rebel and the rich girl.
She'd loved him from afar since she was a kid, and he'd always treated her like a pesky tomboy, until he'd seen her decked out at the high school dance in tight leather pants and a form fitting lace bustier. That outfit had been tucked i
nto her gym bag and she had switched up her outfit in the school bathroom so her parents wouldn’t balk at the risqué attire.
Olivia smiled at the memory of Hunter pulling her onto the dance floor and slow dancing with her to one of her favorite songs. He'd whispered in her ear, “You have the most beautiful lips, Liv.” And then he'd kissed her, his lips slanting over hers in a possessive, soul-shattering kiss that had left her breathless. And more in love with him than she'd ever been. Or could ever hope to be.
And now, all these years later, he'd spoken the same words to her in a sweet, teasing voice that hinted of their romantic past. Beautiful lips. Those words brought to mind tender kisses in the moonlight and a love so poignant and pure that it had crushed her under its weight.
Mae and Sadie were staring at her strangely while Hunter stood off to the side with a gigantic smirk on his face. He'd distracted her to the point where she had no idea of what Mae and Sadie had said to her. And Hunter couldn't have been more pleased with himself for distracting her with his charm and good looks. She let out a low groan of frustration. He knew what he was doing to her! Of that she felt certain.
“Pardon,” Olivia said as she drew herself out of her thoughts. “I didn't hear what you said.” Since I was too busy dreaming about smooching your too-gorgeous-for-his-own-good son.
Mae patted her on the arm, her sweet face full of concern and motherly affection. “I was just asking if you needed any help in the kitchen.”
“Thanks for asking, but I'm good. I've been prepping the food for most of the afternoon.”
“Where'd you go just now?” Sadie asked as she looked back and forth between Olivia and her brother. “You seemed to zone out for a few moments there.”
Hunter reached out and grabbed his sister by the shoulders, giving her a gentle shaking as he said, “Give her a break. She's making dinner for five people. Not that you would know anything about that, would you?” he asked in a teasing voice. “You can't even boil water.”
Sadie let out a good-natured laugh and bopped Hunter upside the head. “I can't cook, but I do have a mean dialing finger for ordering takeout.”
Olivia smiled at the rapport between the siblings. She'd always wanted a brother or sister. It had never come to pass. Although her parents had doted on her, it had been pretty lonely being the only child living in the stately Renault mansion. At times she'd been filled with a loneliness and longing that could only have been satisfied by a sibling. She had settled for five of the best girlfriends any girl would feel fortunate to have in their lives.
“Let me show you in to the library,” Olivia suggested as she led them down the hall, past a host of family photos hanging on the walls, a grand spiral staircase, a dazzling chandelier and toward a set of alabaster French doors. “Daddy's waiting for y'all in here. No doubt drinking his favorite bourbon and up to his elbows in paperwork.”
