Free The Heart of Lies by Debra Burroughs Page A

night and told him about the engagement. He told her he’d already planned to be here in the next day or two, and he’ll be able to stay for a couple of weeks or so. That might be why Maggie wants the wedding so soon, so her son can be there.”
    “Could be. It’ll be great to see that kid again. I’m sure Maggie is thrilled.”
    “Over the moon is how she put it,” Camille replied.
    “What about Lucas’s friends and family? Can they get here that quickly?”
    “Don’t know, Maggie didn’t say. I guess we’ll see.”
    ~*~
    As soon as she finished her conversation with Camille, Emily phoned Maggie.
    “Hey, Em, I was just fixin’ to call ya,” Maggie said. “I wanted to invite y’all to my engagement party Friday night.”
    “I just got off the phone with Camille and she filled me in.”
    “Then y’all already heard that the weddin’ is goin’ to be two weeks from Saturday?”
    “Yeah, Cam told me. Where are you holding it?” Emily asked.
    “Well, that’s another reason for my call. I was wonderin’ if we could have it in y’all’s backyard. You have such a beautiful garden, all the flowers and rose bushes, and that lovely white gazebo that Evan built would be perfect. It’s goin’ to be a small, intimate weddin’ and I just thought…”
    “Absolutely, Maggie, anything for my friends.” Although Emily was happy to offer the garden, the truth was she hadn’t been back there to enjoy the beauty of it for quite some time. She’d paid a local landscaper to keep it mowed and trimmed because it had been too painful to be out there after Evan’s death. Together they had planned it out and planted all the flowers and trees, and he had built her the most beautiful white gazebo for their third anniversary.
    In the spring months, when she dated Colin, before he left for San Francisco, she never once took him out to the garden. She had physically and emotionally shut the door to that place, and now she wondered how painful it might be to watch her friend get married in Evan’s gazebo.
    “Looked like Lucas was selling a lot of those resort condos last night after the presentation.” Emily changed the subject.
    “Yes, they were sellin’ like hotcakes. Quite a few people put deposits down on their units. I’m so proud of my Lucas. Oh, and we have a special event set up next week where Lucas has chartered two luxury buses to take prospective Whitetail Resort members up to the mountain. He’s gonna show them around so they can see the lake and where the golf course is gonna be and all that. I think the foundation may even be poured for the first set of condos.”
    “Wow, Maggie, that sounds exciting.”
    “Lucas did take a lot of deposits last night, about thirty I think, but there were some people who said they just couldn’t visualize the resort from a drawin’. I think he’ll sell more of the condos if people can actually see the gorgeous scenery and the project underway.”
    “Makes sense.”
    “Would y’all like to go?” Maggie asked.
    “I might,” Emily answered, thinking it may give her an opportunity to see what he’s really selling. She wanted to believe he was a great guy, honest and sweet, but something wouldn’t let her jump onboard. Maybe it was Isabel’s suspicions—maybe it was her own.
    “He’s goin’ to be very successful with this resort, Em, and I’ll have the life I’ve always wanted.”
    “Sounds like it,” Emily agreed. “Will all that money make you happy, Maggs?”
    “Oh, it’ll be nice not havin’ to worry about payin’ the bills for a change, but I’ll be totally happy to have a wonderful man in my life, that loves me. I couldn’t be happier if I was twins, as my daddy used to say.”
    “Then I’m happy for you, too.” That wasn’t a total lie. Emily was glad to see Maggie happy, but she hoped Lucas wasn’t setting her up for a fall. She resolved to keep digging.
    ~*~
    His mother and her new boyfriend picked Josh up at the airport on