Edith watched Pennie fuss over the conversation, half–expecting her to blurt out that Lucille was pregnant with Justin’s child.
She set her fork aside and fixed Pennie with a steady gaze. “Go on, then. Say what’s on your mind.”
Justin shot his cousin a sharp look, his brow furrowed in irritation.
How did the usually composed Hawksley family end up with someone as impulsive as her?
Lucille, ever the peacemaker, tried to hush Pennie in her gentle way. “Pennie, maybe this isn’t the best thing to say in front of Edith. She’s bound to be upset if you bring it up.”
Edith didn’t particularly dislike Pennie; if anything, it was Lucille’s constant fretting that grated on her nerves.
“Miss Lowell, if you were truly worried about upsetting me, you wouldn’t keep hinting at things you think I shouldn’t hear. If that were the case, you’d simply say nothing at all.”
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Lucille’s face, as if Edith had seen right through her.
She fell silent, sitting stiffly beside Pennie.
Pennie, oblivious to Lucille’s subtle manipulation, jumped to her defense. “Lucille’s only thinking of you! Honestly, you just don’t appreciate when someone has your best interests at heart.”
Justin had reached the end of his patience.
He pushed his plate away, appetite gone, and dabbed his hands with a napkin. “Enough, Pennie. If you have something to say, just say it.”
Pennie pouted, but pressed on. “Justin, Lucille only married that foreign guy for a green card–there was never anything real between them. You weren’t some homewrecker or anything. The two of you broke up
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Chapter 212
because of a misunderstanding, and now it’s cleared up.”
Edith’s heart skipped a beat.
So Justin ended things with Lucille because he thought she was married? But now Lucille was divorced… did that mean-
Her eyelid twitched, and an uneasy feeling settled in her chest.
So, Pennie’s words did matter after all.
Lucille kept playing the damsel, a performance only Pennie seemed to buy. “Pennie, things are different now. There’s really no need to talk about this anymore. Justin is married, and Edith is a wonderful person…”
Justin watched the two with narrowed eyes, amused at how perfectly they played their parts: one blunt, one fragile.
The more Lucille acted wounded, the more Pennie barreled ahead.
Pennie looked straight at Edith, her eyes unblinking. “Edith, please don’t take this the wrong way. I just think it’s better to put everything on the table. It’s best for everyone to be honest.”
Edith pressed her lips together for a moment. “You’re right,” she said quietly.
After a pause, she stood up. “Justin, I’ll go pack my things. I’m sure you and Miss Lowell have a lot to discuss.”
For the first time, Pennie regarded her sister–in–law with some respect. At least Edith wasn’t the clingy type–definitely a step up from that scheming woman hanging around Winston.
Justin’s frown didn’t budge.
He watched Edith leave, his jaw tight.
So that’s how it is. Last night, she’d promised not to throw him to another woman, and today she was already going back on her word.
Once Edith was gone, Pennie took the hint and got up to leave too. Before
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