“And I thought he was rather taken with her.”
“Really?”
Cassandra smiled. “Yes. Money marries money. What can I say?”
Nothing, Lena thought. The woman had basically said it all. Now it was her time to speak, and what she had to say would definitely burst the woman’s bubble. Maybe it was the fact that she was sick and tired of the Cassandras and Jamies of the world who thought good things should happen only to them because they were born with silver spoons in their mouths, or perhaps it was because Cassandra, as usual, had rubbed her the wrong way.
Whatever the reason, Lena had had enough. “I hate to disappoint you and your cousin, but when Morgan returns to town we’ll be announcing our engagement.”
Cassandra blinked and then burst out laughing. “If you think Morgan is going to marry you, then you are a fool. Everyone knows he wants the perfect woman, and trust me you’re far from perfect. Your lack of pedigree, your appearance, your profession. You are definitely not what Morgan Steele needs in a wife, so if he asked you to marry him it had to be during a weak moment when he wasn’t thinking rationally. Men marry women they will be proud to be seen with. Although I really don’t care for Kylie or that woman Bas married, I have to admit they look decent enough. I can’t say the same for you.”
Anger tore through Lena and she came close to slapping that smile off Cassandra Tisdale’s face, but she wouldn’t let the woman know how much her words bothered her. Instead she said, “Thanks for dropping by, Cassandra, and unless you have a house you want me to sell or you’re looking to buy one, I really have work to do, so please leave.”
“Less than a month.”
Lena raised a brow. “Excuse me?”
Cassandra tilted her head back and gave Lena a haughty look. “Jamie has moved here, and like I said, she and Morgan have dated before and if I recall they got rather cozy. I bet that, engaged or not, in less than a month she’ll have Morgan and you won’t.”
And then she turned and breezed out of the office with the same air of phoniness that she’d breezed in with.
“What a witch,” Jocelyn Steele said, putting down her cup of tea. “I can’t believe Bas could have been engaged to marry such a creature.”
Jocelyn had joined Kylie and Lena for lunch and Lena told them about Cassandra Tisdale’s visit.
“Honestly,” Kylie said, sipping her tea. “I think the brothers knew Bas would come to his senses before the wedding. Chance even told me such. And he was right. When we got back from our honeymoon we found out that Bas had broken the engagement.”
“Well, I’m glad I’m the woman he chose,” Jocelyn said, smiling. She then turned her attention to Lena and smiled. “So, are you and Morgan really getting married?”
Lena wanted to hold her head down in frustration. She hadn’t told Morgan of her decision, but she hadn’t wasted any time throwing it in Cassandra’s face in anger. “I never gave Morgan an answer. I’m supposed to tell him what I’ve decided when he returns.”
“Well, you might as well have told the entire town,” Kylie said, grinning. “I bet it will be spread all over Charlotte by morning. And I hope you don’t believe that garbage Cassandra said about her cousin being able to turn Morgan’s head in less than a month.”
Lena sighed. She had seen Cassandra’s cousin and had to admit the woman was a beauty. How would Morgan react if the woman did turn her attention his way?
“Don’t think it, Lena.”
Lena lifted her head and met Kylie’s gaze. “Don’t think what?”
“That anything Cassandra said is true. Morgan is not the type of man who would be interested in a woman like Jamie Hollis. I told you what really happened that night at the governor’s ball. She claimed a headache and asked Morgan to take her home.”
“They’ve dated before,” Jocelyn said.
“But still,” Lena said softly, “Jamie Hollis is pretty, she’s a socialite, her father is a senator, she comes from money…”
“Evidently none of those things matter to Morgan, Lena. He’s made his choice,” Kylie interjected. “And as far as I’m concerned you’ll be bringing far more to the table, something that Morgan admires. Genuineness. You’re not superficial. What people see is what they get. I personally think that’s the best quality of all.”
Later that night before getting into bed Lena decided she needed to call Morgan. She preferred that he hear about her conversation with Cassandra from her than from someone else. She braced herself when she began dialing his cell phone.