A Second Chance [COMPLETED]

Chapter 41 - "I love you, Hunter Embrey."

4 Years Earlier - June

Lennon skipped down the sidewalk, the hot concrete stinging her bare feet, but she was too excited to notice. The end of her ponytail tickled her pink and freckled shoulders. She cut across the front lawn, leading to the yellow house, and leaped up the front steps. A warm howl rang out a second before she pulled the door open.

"It's just me, Beau," she called out.

She sauntered through the swinging kitchen door. Her eyes darted around the empty space.

"Charlotte?" she called out, pulling open the door to the pantry.

"I'm in here darling," Charlotte answered.

"Ok," Lennon called back.

She grabbed a box of crackers, then followed the path of Charlotte's voice into the dining room.

"What are you doing in here?" Lennon asked, her mouth full of crackers.

Her eyes moved over the neat piles that were stacked on the table.

"I thought we could work in here," Charlotte said.

Lennon sat, pulling her leg up under her.

"Lennon Griffin get your dirty feet off my chair!" Charlotte said.

"It will be Lennon Embrey pretty soon!" Lennon said, but she did as she was told.

"Does Hunter know you already plan to disgrace the family name?"

Lennon's head went back as a loud, rolling laugh burst from her.

"Does he also know his fiancée is running around like a lunatic without shoes?" Charlotte asked.

"You're son isn't marrying me because of my refined southern air," Lennon said, putting on her best impression of a pompous, Southern accent.

"I'll have you know a refined Southern air is more then just a pompous attitude," Charlotte said

"I'm not knocking your debutant days," Lennon said.

"Of course you aren't," she said. "Because I was the best debutant all of North Caroline has ever seen."

"Did they teach you how to plan a wedding at your debutant classes?"

"No. I figured that out on my own. Speaking of, we should get started," Charlotte said. "Now I picked this up the other day."

She held up a fancy notebook with a the words wedding planner scrolled across the front.

"According to this prep checklist we are very behind," Charlotte said. "You've already been engaged for almost a month and we have yet to set a date. Any thoughts on the date?"

"How about the end of August?" Lennon tossed out.

"You and my son!" Charlotte laughed. "Did you talk about this?"

"No."

"Well you both seem to think it doesn't take time to plan a wedding. He suggested the same date."

Lennon couldn't hold back her giddy smile, just thinking how in sync she and Hunter were.

"Why doesn't August work?" she asked.

"That's only a month and a half away," Charlotte said. "That will never be enough time to find a venue or caterer or florist. It's barely enough time to send out invitations."

Lennon's eyes grew wide at all the details. She had always imagined a small backyard wedding.

"Besides," Charlotte continued, "a little time between the engagement and wedding isn't a bad thing. It would let you seriously think about the decision you two are about to make."