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As she opened the set of French doors her father jumped up from his desk, a look of joy lighting up his face as he laid eyes on Mae. At almost sixty years old, Jack Renault was still an impressively handsome man, despite the fact he was sporting an extra spare tire around his midsection and a smattering of wrinkles on his face. The silver streaks threading his dark hair added a distinguished air to his appearance. His skin, the color of a pistachio shell, was the result of his multiracial background – a white Irish father and a black Caribbean mother. She watched her father rush towards Hunter and extend his hand in a heartfelt handshake.
“It's great to see you back home where you belong,” Jack said in a loud baritone voice.
Hunter moved in to shake Jack’s hand. His expression appeared a bit guarded. “It's good to be back home, Mr. Renault.”
Jack threw his head back and laughed uproariously. “Mr. Renault? What's with all this Mr. Renault stuff? Call me Jack. I'm fixing to marry your Mama, after all. That'll make me your Step Papa.”
An uneasy look settled over Hunter's face and he seemed almost startled by the words coming out of her father's mouth. Olivia studied him for a moment, trying to gauge his emotions. Was this wedding between their folks an unwelcome event for him? Did it bother him that his mother would soon become Mrs. Jack Renault?
For a moment she searched her memory for any incidents in the past between her father and Hunter. The only event that stuck out in her mind was the night they'd stumbled across him stealing the ham outside in the yard. Although she knew Hunter had been humbled that night, she also knew that her father had shown compassion toward him. And mercy. She had no idea if Hunter had viewed it as a significant moment in his life, but in her youthful world it had been a watershed moment. It had been one of the first times she'd seen her father show his humanity. The event had changed Daddy. She knew it with a deep certainty. After coming face to face with Hunter and the stolen ham, Jack had become kinder and gentler, less focused on his next dollar and more focused on the world around him. After that night he'd become a better father, a better husband, and ultimately, a better human being.
She would always be eternally grateful to Hunter for giving her father his soul back.
**
While Olivia had been putting the finishing touches on dinner, Hunter hung out in the drawing room with Mama, Sadie and Jack. Since the moment he'd arrived at the Renault mansion he'd been treated to down home southern hospitality. He'd been transfixed by the sight of his mother and Jack sitting together on the sofa and holding hands as if they were teenagers. To tell the truth, it had freaked him out a little. The only man he'd ever seen his mother hold hands with had been his own father, who'd been her high school sweetheart and the love of her life. She'd love him passionately until the day he died. And she had grieved his death fiercely.
When had Jack and Mama fallen in love anyway? The romance between the pair puzzled him. What did they have in common? Was it friendship that had brought them together? Were they two widowed people who'd come together in loneliness and grief?
Whatever the circumstance, he couldn’t deny that it didn’t sit well with him that his mother was marrying Olivia’s father.
Amid chatter from Mama and Sadie about Jax and Callie’s wedding and Jack praising Hunter for his latest acquisition, Olivia returned to the library and announced that dinner was being served. He couldn’t take his eyes off Olivia as she led them into the dining room and invited everyone to sit down at the beautifully set table.
Why couldn’t he get his mind off the idea of pressing a romantic kiss against her lips? He let out a low groan of frustration. What was it about Olivia that always made him feel so out of control? He was a businessman who had carved out an empire for himself utilizing his mental prowess and discipline. Yet having Olivia so near to him was driving him crazy.
There was just something about Olivia Renault herself that inspired these feelings, he acknowledged. She'd always done this to him, mesmerizing him as no other woman ever could. She made him feel as if he was a flame on its way to becoming an inferno. It felt as if his chest could burst with all these suppressed emotions. Clearly, time hadn't changed a thing between them. His feelings for her ran as deep as the Savannah River.
True to her word, Olivia had cooked up a storm, filling the table and his plate with an array of southern delights. The aroma wafting around the room was heavenly.
“Let’s hold hands and give thanks,” Olivia said, darting a quick look in his direction. He was seated at her left. He reached out and clasped hands with her.
“Hunter?” she asked questioningly.
He bowed his head, wondering for a half second if Olivia was testing him. Perhaps she wondered if he still knew how to say grace.
“Lord, thank you for this food that we are about to receive. And bless the hands that so lovingly prepared this feast for us. I thank you for being so graciously received in this home tonight and for the blessing of being home with my family. Amen.”
He noticed his mother wiping away a tear. Sadie smiled at him from across the table while Olivia shot him a glance full of approval. As they all dug in to the food, a companionable silence settled over the table. They made light conversation about goings-on in Savannah and mundane topics like the weather.
Once he’d finished his meal, Hunter felt compelled to compliment the chef. “That was fantastic! I haven't had a meal like that since -.” Hunter darted a glance in the direction of his Mama and grinned. “Not since Mama cooked me her chicken and dumplings a few years ago when she came to visit me in New York.”
“You've really outdone yourself,” Mae said, a look of appreciation evident on her face. “It was delicious.”
Sadie wiped her mouth with her handkerchief and said, “One of these days, you're going to have to give me a crash course in southern cooking. Mama tried, but she’s given up on me. I’m pretty hopeless.”
Hunter winked at Olivia. “Her future husband will be indebted to you.”
“That's incredibly sexist! Maybe my future husband will be cooking my meals. Ever consider that possibility?” Sadie asked.
“I hear that!” Olivia said as she high-fived Sadie.
“Olivia was the one who planned the entire menu. Not to mention the fact that she cooked it all herself. She’s quite a fine hostess if I do say so myself,” Jack said in a voice filled with pride for his only child.
Hunter turned towards Olivia with a broad grin, his brown eyes dancing with mischief. “Is that right, Olivia,” he asked in an affected southern drawl. “Are you the hostess with the mostest?”
“Hunter, mind your manners,” Mae said as she flashed her eldest son a look of reproach.
Olivia gave Hunter a frosty look, her lush, full lips upturned in a half smile that didn't make its way to her eyes. “Why yes. From the time I get up in the morning, till the time I lay my head down at night I dedicate myself to the art of being a hostess. Why just the other night we entertained half of Savannah at Riverbend. And it was little ole me who did the cooking.” Olivia’s voice dripped wi
