Charlotte nodded, suppressing a grin. Clearly, she’d made Mr. Mayhew a tad uncomfortable. As soon as he strode out of the room, a fit of giggles erupted. Charlotte raised her hands to her cheeks. She knew she was blushing.
“Now that was funny,” Callie said, chuckling. “He looked like he might burst into tears.”
“And now I’m crying,” Fancy said, laughing so hard it was causing her face to turn crimson.
“We desperately needed that laugh,” Hope said, wiping away tears of laughter from her eyes.
“What possessed you to hug him like that? He’s not exactly a teddy bear,” Olivia said, clutching her stomach as she continued to roar with laughter.
Charlotte shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed. She wasn’t the impulsive type, nor was she very demonstrative. The impulse to hug him had come out of nowhere. She’d felt grateful to Mr. Mayhew for his guidance, and a tad emotional about the possibility of someone
“I think we should contact an attorney immediately. I can call Case to get a recommendation,” Fancy offered.
“Great,” Charlotte said. “Callie, can you find out about Parker so we have all areas handled?”
“I’m on it,” Callie said, getting up from her chair and making her way out of the room.
Fancy followed right behind her, ostensibly to call her fiancé about obtaining legal representation.
“I’m going to have to figure out how to deal with this from a publicity angle. If the papers get wind of this it could really blow up and become a nightmare for us,” Charlotte said, chewing her lip. So far her job as publicist for Savannah House had been a breeze. It had taken her a while to figure out what her role was in the bed and breakfast. Although Olivia had initially planned to do publicity, it had been apparent that being liaison for guests and handling all guest-related issues was more than enough for one person.
Charlotte had stepped up to handle publicity and the public image of Savannah House. It suited her temperament and it made her feel invigorated. She loved being one of the owners of this historic resort and handling publicity allowed her to promote the resort in a way that led to more guests and a more visible profile.
“I better head off to the kitchen.” She glanced at her watch. “Breakfast is in a half hour.”
Callie came walking back into the room followed by Fancy.
“Parker can’t help us out due to other work commitments.” She made a face. “He did refer me to someone local. He says he’s one of the best security experts in the country.”
“That sounds amazing,” Hope said.
Fancy and Callie exchanged a loaded glance.
“What’s going on?” Charlotte asked. She knew both women well enough to know that there was a hitch somewhere.
“Who is it?” Hope asked.
“Marc Cabron.” Callie tossed the name out like a live grenade.
All eyes swung toward Fancy. She shifted from one foot to the other.
“No way!” Charlotte said in a raised voice. “I object to working with that guy.”
Callie held up her hands. “Just hold on. Parker is tied up for months on projects. He says Marc is the best in this area. His company is really up and coming. For the last few years he’s been working overseas for major corporations and high-profile clients.”
“I have no problem working with Marc,” Fancy said. “He’s not a villain.”
“But will my brother have an issue with it?” Charlotte asked, referring to Case, Fancy’s fiancé.
Two years ago Fancy and Case’s engagement had been blown to smithereens after a friendship had blossomed between Fancy and Marc, an old high school friend. Although no lines had been crossed, Marc had fallen in love with Fancy. Case—proud and jealous—had broken off his engagement to Fancy after discovering that Fancy had been spending alone time with Marc while he was away on business. Thankfully, Case and Fancy had worked through their issues and gotten engaged again. Their holiday wedding was three weeks away.
“He shouldn’t. I honestly don’t think he will. Case has evolved in the last two years. Listen, guys. I know it may sound strange, but Marc is a really good guy. I don’t want him to be vilified because of the past. It isn’t right. People make mistakes. They shouldn’t have to suffer forever because of it.”
“I agree. He’s a really nice person.” Olivia chimed in. Charlotte glared at her. Olivia shrugged. “I’m just saying.”
“But it could get messy,” Hope interjected. “What if he still has feelings for Fancy.”
“I don’t believe that to be the case. I really don’t want to dredge up the past, but Marc was grieving for his fiancée, Gretchen, when he developed feelings for me. Truthfully, I don’t think his feelings for me had much substance.”