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“It was a tough situation, Marc. But I really appreciate you coming clean with Case about it after all this time. I know it couldn’t have been easy to revisit the past.” She let out a deep breath. “For the record, I was the one who was engaged, Marc. I should have realized that I was leaning on you because I was feeling lonely. At times I used you as a substitute for Case. You were always there for me to talk to or go to the movies with or laugh with about something funny. By themselves those aren’t bad things, but when you take into consideration that Case had no idea I was spending so much time with you and the way you ended up feeling toward me, it looked pretty bad. I made myself look dishonest.”

“And you lost Case because of it,” Marc said, bowing his head down. “I’m so sorry things came to a head like that.”

“I never imagined things would get so crazy, but I should have. Case has so much pride. And I wounded him terribly. In the end, we couldn’t make it work.” She shrugged. “It’s unfair for you to blame yourself for that.”

“I’m back to stay, Fancy. I left as penance for what happened. I didn’t want to cause any more hurt or pain, so I took off. But now, with my father being so sick, I have to be here in Savannah.” He looked at her, his eyes full of a plea for understanding.

“I understand completely. I headed to New York to get away from the pain of losing Case, but in the end, Savannah called me home. I imagine it’s no different for you. Savannah is where you should be, Marc. Your heart wouldn’t be whole unless you stood by your family in their time of crisis.”

“I wish we were still friends, Fancy. And more than anything, I wish your heart hadn’t been broken. I’m not in love with you anymore, in case you were wondering.” Marc’s lips twitched. “I sort of think I transferred all my feelings for Gretchen to you, if that makes any sense. It felt so real at the time, but in the end, I was still mourning her death when I left Savannah.”

“You went through a traumatic time, Marc. Losing her was such a terrible blow. I can’t imagine how awful it must have been for you.” She looked at him, noticing for the first time the dark shadows underneath his eyes. “Please know that you’re in my thoughts and prayers. I want you to be happy.”

“I want that for you too, Fancy. Take care.” With a nod of his head, he was gone.

As Marc walked away, Fancy felt the full weight of everything that had transpired two years ago pressing against her chest. Marc had been branded as an evil manipulator by the Savannah gossips. It couldn’t have been further from the truth. He was a wonderful man.

For Fancy, he’d always been a fantastic friend. She’d never even considered him in any romantic way, although she’d crossed a line in the sand by going to his apartment, eating out with him and confiding in him about her relationship with Case. She’d complained about Case’s long work hours and his inattention to her. That had been disloyal. Those had been bad moves on her part and a reflection of her immaturity.

The days of her bashing herself for her youthful mistakes were over and done with. She couldn’t move forward if she kept focusing on past indiscretions.

If nothing else, she had grown and matured from enduring the very worst experience of her life. If things continued to go well between her and Case, she wouldn’t ever make the same mistakes. She would turn to him and tell him how she was feeling. She would be honest and open and vulnerable. She would try to be mature and understanding about his work commitments.

She would love with all her heart and soul. She would be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. Fancy had changed. She was no longer the impulsive woman she’d once been. And she hoped and prayed that Case recognized it.

**

Case and Fancy continued to see each other over the next week on almost a daily basis. Although Case kept reminding himself to go slow, it seemed that his heart had no intention of listening. As the saying went, the heart wants what it wants. And he wanted Fancy in all her wondrous glory. He’d loved this woman for as long as he could remember, yet the present-day Fancy was a different woman than the one he had been engaged to. She was more grounded and wise.

Fancy cared less about appearances and more about substance. She listened more and seemed to be taking it all in.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until rumblings of gossip began to circulate. Once again, there were whispers about Fancy and Marc. This time around, rumor had it that they were meeting up in secret and that Fancy was consoling him as he dealt with his father’s illness.

The chatter reached Case’s ears quickly, like out-of-control flames spreading like wildfire. All of a sudden it felt like two years ago when his whole world had imploded amidst gossip and lies and secret relationships. Back then, rumors had spread all over Savannah about Marc and Fancy and himself. It had been brutal and humiliating and deeply hurtful. The gist of it had been that Fancy and Marc had engaged in an affair behind his back. Then, when he’d broken off his engagement with Fancy, the rags had published stories about Fancy leaving him for Marc, followed by stories that he’d been ordered to break off his engagement by his family.

That particular rumor hadn’t been far from the truth. When the gossip had reached his father’s ears, the fallout had been immediate.

“How could you have allowed this to happen?” Lincoln Duvall had barked at him. “This scandal is dragging the Duvall name through the mud.”

“She’s my fiancée, Dad. I don’t own her. Nor do I control her,” he’d said in a defiant voice.

“Well, maybe you should, Case. This is humiliating. You know I hate to see the Duvall name dragged in the mud.”

“It hasn’t been pretty, but we’re trying to work through this. I love her.”

“Love is one thing, Case. Pride is another,” his father had snapped at him. “Do you want to be talked about behind your back for the rest of your life?”

Case had always craved his father’s respect, ever since he was a little boy. More times than not, he’d earned it. But going head to head with his father over Fancy hadn’t been pleasant. And although his decision to break off his engagement hadn’t been due to parental interference, it certainly hadn’t helped the situation.

Case shook off the memories from the past. He wanted nothing more than to move on from it and build a strong foundation for the future. But the sudden flurry of gossip involving Fancy concerned him. Where was it coming from? Was there the possibility that Fancy had met up with Marc? If so, could he even be upset about it when he didn’t have a claim on Fancy? Although they were seeing each other, neither one had mentioned anything about being exclusive.

He’d invited Fancy over to his townhouse this evening for an intimate dinner for two. Perhaps he could find a way to ask her about Marc without mentioning the gossip swirling around Savannah. The last thing he wanted to do was make her f

eel as if she was being examined under a magnifying glass.

Although he had been tempted to whip up a meal for Fancy, he still wasn’t confident about his cooking skills. He’d been taking cooking classes every Monday night for the last four months. So far he’d learned how to make a few dishes: salmon croquettes, Fettuccini Alfredo, shrimp and grits, as well as crab cakes. As soon as he perfected his culinary skills, he was going to surprise Fancy with an elaborate meal. But that day hadn’t arrived yet. No, it was far better to have the dinner catered by one of his favorite Savannah chefs. He grinned at the idea of hiding the evidence and making Fancy think he was a master chef. He let out a chuckle. That might be fun.

Hmm. He was starting to think long-term about Fancy. It had happened rather quickly. Or so it seemed to him. One minute he had decided to broker peace between himself and Fancy. The very next moment they’d been locking lips in the moonlight. All he knew for certain was that he’d never stopped loving this amazing woman. And from everything that he’d seen about the new and improved Fancy, he felt certain she’d grown and matured over the last few years. That growth was important to Case. He too had matured, both in his faith and in his temperament.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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