Revel (Second Chance Romance #1)(25)

Declan stopped to kiss her softly on the mouth, “You’re flailing. Don’t flail. It’s all okay. What’s the worst that can happen? They hate you? It’s not likely, but even if they did, it would probably only make me love you more.” He grinned.

“I’ll go with the Lily,” she said, sashaying back to her walk-in closet and sifting through the rack of clothes hanging there. “It’s Charleston. I can never go wrong with some Lily Pulitzer, right?”

“I guess,” Declan said, collapsing on Charlotte’s bed. “I’ve never known what the big deal is about her. The prints are so weird.”

“She’s classic,” Charlotte was muffled as she spoke to him from inside the closet. “Jackie Kennedy wore Lily!”

“I’d rather be with a Marilyn,” he said. “And you are definitely a Marilyn.”

“Well, I kind of hope not,” Charlotte said. “It didn’t work out very well for her.”

Declan shrugged, “It doesn’t work out very well for any of us in the end.”

Charlotte stiffened.

“Shit,” he said, suddenly realizing how it sounded. “That was a shitty thing to say. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to dismiss…”

Charlotte smiled, “It’s fine. I’m not that sensitive about my mother. And its kind of true, isn’t it? So we might as well enjoy the moments we have.” She held up the dress to examine it more closely. “Yep. This’ll work. If I can tame this wild mane of mine, I might just look like a respectable Charleston girl.”

********

It was strange to enter the main house. Charlotte saw the outside of it every morning, and admired the Roman Tuscan columns and the moss-covered stone steps that led to the large, wood paneled door of the DeGraff home. It had two stories of sweeping, wrap around porches. It was something out of a movie, Declan’s house. And going inside it made her very nervous.

When they walked inside, they were greeted by a grand foyer with double staircases cascading up to the next floor, a considerable chandelier hanging high above between both sets of stairs.

“Wow,” Charlotte couldn’t help but utter. “This is beautiful.”

Declan took her by the hand, “The dining room is this way.”

They walked through numerous rooms to get there; a library, an office, and a home gym. Charlotte was speechless.

The dining room consisted of a long mahogany table that could fit at least twenty but was set for four people, all on one end.

“I can smell dinner already!” Declan declared. “What do you think?”

“I think I need to catch my breath,” Charlotte said. “You grew up here?”

“Yep,” he replied. “So did my dad. And his dad. And his… Well. You know. The DeGraffs have been around a while.”

“I see,” Charlotte said, suddenly nervous. She wiped her hands against the side of her dress. “Is your mom from here too?”

“She’s actually from Alabama. Mountain Brook,” Declan said. “She met my dad at her sister-my aunt’s-debutante ball. He was an escort.”

“Romantic,” she said. “Like something out of a…”

“There you are!” a voice called from behind them.

They both turned to see Anna DeGraff standing behind them. She was a tiny woman, shorter than Charlotte, but classically beautiful with styled blonde hair and big blue eyes like Declan’s. She wore a lavender kaftan and flats. Large diamond earrings hung from her ears, so heavy from the weight of the stones that they stretched her earlobes a bit.

She looked like money.

“Hey, Momma,” Declan said, stepping forward and bending down to wrap his arms around her. “You look nice.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” she said, her eyes on Charlotte. “And this must be our summer tenant. Well, don’t you look lovely?”

Charlotte smiled, “Thank you, Mrs. DeGraff. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Please, dear. Call me Anna,” she replied with a comforting smile. “I hope y’all are hungry. Antonia has made quite a meal for us tonight. Have you ever had a Lowcountry boil, Charlotte?”

“No, ma’am,” Charlotte said.

“Oh, you’ll love it,” Anna replied, motioning for them to sit down in the seats across from her as she gingerly sat down in her own chair. Demonstrating the decorum he’d begrudgingly learned at countless cotillion classes, Declan stood until his mother was seated and then offered Charlotte a chair, which he pushed into the table once she was comfortable. “It’s sausage, crab, shrimp, corn-on-the-cob, and red potatoes. It’s a staple around here, we have it every so often. It’s nothing fancy but it’s our favorite meal here. Right, Declan?”

Declan nodded, “I could eat it every day.” He squeezed Charlotte’s knee under the table.

“Your daddy should be here shortly,” Anna said. “Until then, Charlotte, why don’t you tell me about yourself? You go to the college?”

Charlotte nodded, “Yes, I plan on being pre-med once I get all of my general prerequisites out of the way. I’m about to be a sophomore.”

“Oh, how lovely!” Anna said. “I like an ambitious girl. You want to be a doctor?”