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Epilogue
Carrington straightened the basket of flowers on the side table. The food should be coming out any minute. She’d just watched Sariah and Kane get married in the gardens behind the Art Museum. The reception was about to start in the grand ballroom of the old mansion. The room was lined with paintings and pottery.
It was dicey for her to run this wedding, because she was doubling as the maid of honor. Kane and Sariah wanted their wedding to be a small, intimate affair close to home with their friends and family all around them.
The caterers brought the food out, and Carrington made sure they were arranging it correctly. The reception was due to start in fifteen minutes. The guests were still outside, socializing while the bride and groom took photos. They’d gotten photos with Carrington and the rest of the wedding party a few minutes earlier. That left her free to make sure the food made it out okay.
When she was satisfied that the food was in place, she headed back outside. She spotted Sully and Aubrey Wheaton in their bridesmaids’ dresses talking to Bryant Hodges. She’d had secret feelings for him for years. He’d always kept her in the friend zone and openly told her that he’d wanted Sully. Carrington knew Sully wasn’t interested in him though. It was a big mess.
Carrington had put off dating for years for stupid Bryant. Seeing Sariah finally settling down and being happy with Kane was a moment of awakening for Carrington. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life pining after a guy who didn’t want her back. It was humiliating. That was why she never told anyone about her feelings for him. She acted like there was no one in town for her.
She’d wanted Bryant for five years. Now, looking back, she realized what a waste that had been. He’d been friends with her all that time, and he still saw her as a sister.
Carrington was sick of being single. She was ready to find something real. But she didn’t see anyone available she was interested in, other than Bryant. But she wasn’t going to pursue him anymore. She deserved someone who saw her for what she was worth. She was sick of hearing him talk about how amazing Sully was. She loved Sully, but it had gotten old fast when it was coming from the guy she’d wanted for herself.
She needed to pull her head out of the clouds and focus on the pressing situation around her. The museum wasn’t doing well. They were heavily in debt, and the building needed some major repairs. She was struggling to pay back the loan she’d taken out, and the bank wasn’t willing to give her another chance or to extend her more credit.
She had to come up with a solution, and fast. But she’d been wasting too much time hanging out with a guy who didn’t actually want her. She deserved better. She just wasn’t sure she would find her Prince Charming.