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“I think I’d like another one,” Charlotte said, emitting a satisfied sound as Morgan handed her another mushroom cap.

“Mmm. It’s so yummy. But why are you making these? Mushroom caps aren’t exactly lunch fare.”

“I’m doing a dry run for the wedding. I’m making a few appetizers for the reception,” Morgan explained.

“I can’t believe it’s coming up so fast,” Charlotte exclaimed. One of these nights she needed to take Case out to dinner as a pre-wedding treat. It would give her a chance to talk to him alone before his big day. Charlotte felt a twinge of wistfulness. She prayed their relationship would always be close. She knew marriage changed things and that her brother would have new priorities and responsibilities.

“It’s so exciting,” Morgan said with a squeal. “They’re so great together. It’s really inspiring to see a couple who ended their engagement rebuild their relationship and make the decision to recommit themselves to one another.”

“God’s been with them this entire journey,” Charlotte said. “They’ve done a lot of hard work to get to this place in time. I’m really proud of them.” Charlotte fought against a rising tide of emotion. There was no need to cry over this, she reminded herself. It was so incredibly joyful.

“By the way, we’re having a meeting for a few minutes after the lunch crowd is served. Marc sent over his report and we’re going to briefly talk about where to go from here.”

Charlotte sat up straight in her chair. “Did Marc stop by this morning?”

Suddenly, all her nerve endings were crackling. She’d be so sad if she’d missed seeing Marc. Uh oh. Her thoughts were betraying her. She had it bad.

Morgan frowned. “No, his assistant brought the file over.”

“Oh.” Charlotte tried to hide her disappointment from Morgan. She had to put a mask on at the moment and she didn’t enjoy it one bit. For the first time in her adult life she was over the moon about someone. And even though she had wanted to keep things hush hush regarding her relationship with Marc, it was proving to be more difficult than she’d realized. Honestly, she felt so happy about it she wanted to shout if from the rooftop of Savannah House.

“Are you okay?” Morgan asked. “Penny for your thoughts.”

“I’m fine. All this talk about the wedding is making me feel nostalgic. I remember when we were kids and we played wedding. Who would’ve thought there would be so much falling in love and weddings so close together.”

“You’ll be next,” Morgan said with a pearly grin. She wagged her finger at her. “Just you wait and see.” With a laugh, Morgan took her silver platter and left Charlotte’s office. Although Charlotte tried to focus on work matters, all she could think about was Marc.

By the time the meeting rolled around, Charlotte was in a bad state. As a rule, she hated keeping secrets. She sat down in a comfortable plush armchair and tried to focus.

“We need to brace ourselves for a lawsuit,” Callie said with a somber expression. “Most likely he won’t prevail according to Mr. Mayhew. He said Miss Hattie’s will is air tight.” Mr. Mayhew had been a close friend of Miss Hattie. He had known her quite well.

“But he could drag this out in court and smear us in the media,” Olivia said, rolling her eyes.

“It doesn’t make sense why a good looking, financially well off artist would take this route,” Hope said with a frustrated sigh.

“So you think he’s good looking?” Morgan asked with a smirk.

“Umm. Yes. Most women with eyeballs would agree.” She reached over and pulled his photo from the file and held it up. “He looks like a movie star.”

“I don’t care if he’s Brad Pitt’s twin,” Fancy said in a sharp voice. “He could really tie us up in legal fees for quite some time.”

Charlotte tried her best to pay attention and keep up with the conversation, but her thoughts were muddled at the moment. “Charlotte! Charlotte!”

She snapped to attention at the sound of her name being called. Five pairs of eyes were trained on her.

“I’m sorry. I missed that,” she said, feeling rather sheepish. She had no idea what the ladies were talking about.

“Are you all right?” Fancy asked, her brow furrowed with worry. “You seem a little scattered today.”

Charlotte bowed her head. She didn’t like the idea of lying to her friends. It didn’t sit well with her to hide Marc away as if he was a dirty little secret. In truth, he was wonderful. In her eyes he was the rainbow after the storm. She was falling for him. She couldn’t stop thinking about him. Not seeing him for the last two days had been torture, even though they had spoken last night for hours on the phone after he’d left his father’s house. She refused to be selfish. Time spent with his father was crucial.

She let out a groan of frustration. “I can’t focus. Don’t get me wrong. I know this conversation about Grayson Holloway is important, but there’s something else pressing on my heart.”

“I knew something was bothering you,” Callie said, turning toward Olivia. “Didn’t I tell you that, Olivia?”

Olivia shook her head at Callie. “Yes, you did mention something like that, but that’s not the point. Let’s listen to what Charlotte has to say.”

Callie looked sheepish. “Go ahead, Charlotte.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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