Page 163 of Bookworm

I nodded, and Scarlett suddenly reappeared. "Car's ready," she said.

"Alright then," he said, coming forward and pulling us into a hug. "Charlotte, I know you put a lot of work into this event. Scarlett, I've heard you practicing well into the night.I've got no doubt it'll be a success."

"Thanks, Dad," we murmured in unison.

"You two have fun and be safe."

"Hey Dad, aboutBo," I said as I got to the door, "I'm pretty sure I'm in love with him, but I still don't know if he loves me back. So, you might not even getto have the talk. Just putting it out there."

Dad shook his head. "He'd have to be stupid to let you go, Charlotte.Bo's never struck me as the stupid type."

That sealed it. My dad was officially the best.

"I'll have my talking points ready."

#

Hours later, the charity event was in full swing.Mrs. Jenkins brought several of her friendsfrom bridge club. Theyarrived in a real-life carriage and looked amazing, having gone all out with their regency garb.Everyone kept talking about the wonderful flower arrangements. Mrs. Lee was here somewhere, and I knew she had to be brimming with pride. Meech came through too. The floral picture wall she'd created was a huge hit. There was a line of people waiting to take pics in front of it. Shin was posted as one of the living statues,posing for all he was worth, eating upthe attention. AndI'd gone to findCasey and Natalia minutes ago to report that we'd surpassed our fundraising goal. Wewhooped and hollered, jumping around as much as you could in these dresses.But the group hug we'd shared was part celebration, part relief. We'd done it!

I felt lighter than air.

Like I could do anything.

Like I could be courageous and confess my love.

But that was five minutes ago.

Now, I was standing with my cousins, getting ready to play a few string pieces. Scarlett was giving us all a pep talk. But I couldn't really concentrate because of the two people who'd just walked in.

Bo and Bianca.

Arm-in-arm.

She looked happy, smiling up at him.

He looked…not unhappy.

Bo's frown was in place, but he seemed content.

And he was still touching her.

Maybe I shouldn't have taken so long to untangle my emotions. Maybe I had lost him. Maybe Bianca was the one all along, and I'd never had him in the first place.

Oh, my heart.

It felt like it was caving in on itself.

"Lotte." I looked up to see Viola staring down at me. "We're about to play. You ready?"

"Sure," I said, forcing a smile I didn't feel. "Let's do this."

Freya my other cousin leaned over then. "Awesome job withall this. Feels like we're inCinderellaor something."

"More likePride and Prejudice," Aurora said with a sigh. "Something about the books really makes it come alive. Don't you think?"

"That's just because you dream of having your own library," Freya said back.

"Who doesn't?" Viola replied.

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