Page 64 of Sutton and the CEO Forever

“You can’t propose at a funeral,” Katie hissed.

Brian smiled, and her heart flipped over.

“Have you seen Alice’s face? This is obviously what she and Reena would have wanted. I love you, Katie, and I want to marry you. I want to have babies and make messes and trim your rose bushes. Will you marry me?”

There was a collective sigh as everyone held their breath, but then Katie nodded quickly. “Yes, I love you too!”

Later Alice would give all the credit for the romance and proposal to Reena. She would tell anyone who listened that Reena had been trying to get the two of them together for ages and couldn’t meet the Good Lord until she wrapped things up.

34

Two months later…

“Martha, I am positively starving! What do you have on special today?”

The girls had gathered once again in the large corner booth. Candice and Katie were talking wedding plans; there were only a few days until Candice and Knox tied the knot. Sutton looked much more refreshed as she sipped her sweet tea and listened to Martha go over the meatloaf and fried chicken plate.

Natalie was tucked in next to Alice, who inquired as politely as she was capable of when that man would make an honest woman out of her.

Natalie began to laugh. “Alice, we never divorced, while we aren’t living together yet we aren’t separated, either, not legally. It’s complicated.”

“Speaking of complicated,” Sutton said to Candice. “Do you ever regret going against your mom’s wishes to live in New York? She was so adamant about you returning with her.”

Candice smiled, clearly a woman in love. “Does Mark regret his choice to stay in Otterville Falls?”

Sutton shook her head. “No, he said that this is where our family is and where our girls should be.”

Natalie patted her hand. “I feel the same way. You’ve got yourself a good man.”

“I need to find myself a man,” Alice said with determination.

The comment was so out of the blue that everyone stopped what they were doing to turn and stare. Everyone knew what a hard time Alice had been going through since Reena’s passing.

“You want to date?” Martha asked at last. “What’s the criteria?”

Katie nodded. “That is important. You don’t want just anybody.”

Alice laughed. “Are you thinking like original hips or at least fifty percent of his own teeth? Any man I chase would be long since retired, so I can’t say employed.”

Natalie took a sip of her tea. “You know, now that they have the new senior center all jazzed up, there has been quite a bit more attention. If I know you right, I would say you have your eye on somebody.”

Alice smiled, her wrinkles folding into each other in an enchanting pattern. Her weathered hand came out to pat Natalie’s smooth one.

“Why yes, actually, I do. Did you know that Dr. Young’s father has recently come to stay with him? Poor dear lost his wife last year.”

“That’s terrible,” Katie’s face flushed a little when she remembered the little trick she had played on Dr. Young.

“I know,” Alice leaned in, “They say that she was a mean, bitter, old woman. I don’t like to speak ill of the dead.”

Which everyone knew to be the gateway of something nasty to be said about the dearly departed.

“But I can’t help but wonder if the older Dr. Young might be in need of a little TLC.”

“He’s a doctor as well?” Sutton raised her glass. “You know how to pick them!”

Alice snorted. “Says the woman who married a billionaire!”

They laughed, and all raised their glasses.

---