Page 17 of Seductive Nights

Grace hugged Hanna warmly, and Sid shook Quinn's hand. "That will be a great day for sure."

Jace tamped down the bit of jealousy these four shared and asked, "Are you partaking in the wedding conversation, or would you rather have your own table?"

Hanna turned to Grace. "Please join us. I'd love input. Since you've just gotten married, you have a lot to offer. If it isn't too boring for you."

"No, not boring at all."

Grace turned her face up to Sid. He grinned. "I'm in for that."

Jace led them to a table in the corner and made sure they had drinks. He happily sat at the table with his friends, notebook in front of him, and began jotting down the things Hanna and Quinn told him they wanted.

Hanna started. "We'd like a simple meal, buffet style, on the beach. We'd love the evening sun behind us. It'll be fantastic for pictures.

Jace asked, "What about decorations?"

"Gosh, I hadn't thought about decorations."

Grace chuckled. "How about if you let me help with that? I'd like to be involved in some way if I can."

Hanna nodded and smiled at her new friend. "You've got it. If you want to help with that, I'll be happy to take that help."

"Good," Grace laughed. "I'm happy to do that."

Sid leaned forward. "She's pretty good at decorating, so she won't let you down."

Hanna shook her head. "I didn't think for one second that she would let us down, or I wouldn't have accepted her invitation to help so eagerly."

"Fair enough."

Jace found himself growing edgy. He had so much excitement running through him right now that he couldn't wait to get things rolling. It would be a long week.

10

The front door opened, and Carley called out, "Margo, I'm here."

Margo stopped tossing Logan's clothing in boxes and stepped from the bedroom to greet her sister. She hurried down the hallway, and Carley appeared around the corner and rushed into her arms. The instant her sister hugged her, Margo burst into tears. Carley's arms tightened around her, and that made her cry all the more. They held each other for a while, heart to heart, until Margo's tears finally subsided.

When she pulled away, she swiped at her cheeks with her fingers and looked around for a tissue. Pulling one from the box, she dabbed at her face. Carley did the same.

Carley took her hand and led her to the sofa. They sat side-by-side, cleaning up their tears. Carley finally said, "That's the first time you've cried, Margo."

"No, it isn't."

Carley's smile was small. Almost a frown, actually. "When did you cry? When Logan took his last breath, you stood there numb. The only time tears came to your eyes was when we were all here in the kitchen laughing, and you said the laughter made you cry because it had been so long since this place sounded happy."

Margo's head tilted to the side as she rethought all the moments since Logan entered the hospital. "I hadn't realized."

"That comment stuck with me since then." Carley shifted and turned toward her so that they were facing each other. "Margo, aside from what you know about Logan's indiscretions, had you been happy before he died? You said this place hadn't seemed happy in a long time. Why?"

Margo swallowed. It felt like her body deflated and her shoulders sank. "I don't know why I said that."

Carley took her hands and held them in hers. "Tell me the last time you and Logan laughed. Really laughed."

Margo swallowed the large knot that formed in her throat. She took a deep breath, but nothing came to her. Her eyes watered again, and she blinked furiously to stem the flow. Staring into her sister’s pretty blue eyes, she swallowed again. "I can't recall." She sniffed. "That's even sadder than Logan passing. It has been a very long time since he and I sat here and had a good conversation."

"I wondered. You used to enjoy an evening drink out on the deck. When was the last time the two of you did that?"

Margo took a deep breath. So deep her lungs burned. She let it out slowly. She nodded her head slowly. "It's all making sense now, isn't it?"

---