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Callie pulled Morgan back a bit. “Don’t be so obvious. I don’t want them to see us snooping.”
“Oh this is terrible,” Charlotte fretted, twisting the fabric from the curtain between her fingers. “I hate that they’re fighting again.”
“I love it,” Olivia said, whirling around in a circle. “It’s the best news I’ve had all week.”
“Seriously?” Callie asked. “You need to get out more. Have that billionaire husband of yours take you on a trip around the world or something.”
Olivia turned around and faced the other women. She threw her hands in the air. “Don’t you girls get it?”
“Umm, nope. Not getting it,” Hope murmured. A look of confusion was stamped on her pretty face. She ran a hand through her long, dark hair. “They seem like they’re about to kill each other. And frankly, I feel a little guilty about having a front row seat for this spectacle.”
“Where there’s all this angst and passion, there’s also love. Don’t you see it? They’re so animated and invested in each other. If they were truly done with one another, they wouldn’t be so energized and explosive,” Olivia said in a raised voice. “All this energy they’re utilizing comes straight from their hearts.”
“You’re right,” Callie said with a shake of her head. “They are so into each other. It’s not over between them when fireworks are going off like gangbusters out there.”
Charlotte took another peek out the window. “I don’t know about that theory. Couldn’t it just be that they’re royally angry at one another?”
Morgan let out a chuckle. “Nope. Olivia is right. They can’t quit one another. Neither one of them has moved on. Bless their hearts.”
Charlotte cleared her throat. “I hate to mention it, but Case has been seeing Me
ryl.” Charlotte spit the name out as if it had tasted strangely on her lips.
“She doesn’t count,” Callie said. “Not really. I mean, do we really think that Case is going to walk off into the sunset with someone like Meryl?”
Charlotte shuddered. “Not a chance. I’d have to beg Luke to intervene for the good of humanity. Luke is just about the only one he’d listen to.”
“How is Luke doing?” Morgan asked. Although her voice came out sounding neutral, her eyes were full of keen interest. Luke Duvall, Callie’s brother, had been run down by a car several months ago. Although he’d made a great recovery, it was clear to everyone that something was off with Luke. He wasn’t the same, happy-go-lucky guy.
“He’s great,” Callie said. “Fully recovered from the accident and back to work at Duvall. My father is even bugging him about getting engaged to Violet.”
Morgan placed a hand over her stomach. The smile on her face seemed a bit forced. “Wow. That’s exciting. Another marriage in the Duvall family.”
“I don’t know,” Callie hedged. “Luke seems to be the very opposite of Fancy and Case. He doesn’t seem too eager to tie the knot.”
“Well, if not for family pressures, would he even consider an engagement?” Charlotte asked. The two women exchanged a glance full of hidden meaning. As cousins, both of them knew the Duvall family hierarchy. The demands of the family often dictated business and personal attachments. It wasn’t right, but it was, more times than not, the Duvall way.
“Luke’s a big boy,” Callie quipped. “He’ll figure it all out.”
“I hope so. He deserves to be happy,” Morgan murmured as the women continued to check in on the scene unfolding outside of Savannah House.
“Should we get some popcorn? This might last a while,” Olivia teased, earning herself a gentle poke in the side from Callie and a wealth of laughter from the other girls.
**
“This is ridiculous,” Case said with a sigh. “We now have a not-so-subtle audience gaping at us.” Case jutted his chin in the direction of the first-floor library window. Although the women were trying to be discreet, they were failing miserably.
Fancy darted a glance over at the window. Suddenly, her lips began twitching. She ducked her head down, obviously attempting to hide her mirth.
“You think this is funny?” Case asked, feeling incredulous.
Fancy raised her head up. “Yes. Slightly. You need to lighten up a little bit. Our friends are spying on us. And they’re terrible at it.” Fancy covered her mouth with her hand. “I keep seeing the top of Hope’s head and Charlotte peeping past the curtain. They haven’t changed much since we were kids.”
He felt a smile tugging at his lips. “They haven’t, have they?” he asked, captivated by how laughter transformed Fancy’s beauty into utter radiance. She was as spectacular as the Savannah moonlight. “I guess we are who we are, give or take a few changes along the way.”
Fancy’s face fell. “I hope that’s not true. I’ve changed a lot in the last few years. I’m not as self-absorbed.” Her voice sounded sheepish, as if she’d been guilty of conceit. Personally, he’d never viewed her that way, although she had been a little bit focused on her looks. To her credit, she’d always been caring and thoughtful. So what if she’d had a confident air about her beauty. That was nothing to be ashamed of as far as he was concerned. It bugged him to hear her down herself.
“You’ve always had a kind heart, Fancy. That’s your best asset. I remember how fiercely you used to protect Charlotte when she was bullied in school for being meek. As her big brother, I always wanted to go in and protect her from the bullies, but it’s hard to face them all down. I’d deal with one, then another problem would pop up.”
