Embraced by Faulkner, Carolyn (books for 8th graders .TXT) 📕

out easy by seeing the States first. So they were going to two of his favorite places –

Washington DC and Disney World in Florida, taking about a month total. The same time next year, he would take her to Paris and Florence, then he thought they might explore one of those

“work at an archeological dig” types of vacations sometime. He

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made occasional trips to California and New York, and had even been to London, and it would be great to have someone to go with him.

Later that week, he was in his office, wading hip deep through paperwork when he heard a soft knock. “Come.”

Mandy appeared, biting her lip, which was a sure sign that either she or someone else had done something wrong.

“What is it, Manda?” he lay the papers down with a feeling of relief. Even a problem would be favorable to dealing with paperwork.

“Bear, I don’t want to be a tattletale –“

He snorted, then shut up. Mandy was the biggest tattler in the history of tattling.

She glared at him and started again. “Have you talked to Meg about the wedding plans at all?”

“No, why?” Her fidgeting was going to drive him up a wall.

“Well, you see, uh – “

“Out with it, Amanda, before I lose my patience,” it was the only warning she was likely to receive.

“Meg isn’t doing what she should with the wedding,” she blurted.

“You mean you two have had a difference of opinion on the colors or whatever?” he frowned.

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“Noooo, Barrett. It’s – she’s economizing herself to death!!! There’s a gooorrrrgeeouss dress at the Bridal Boutique downtown, and it looks fabulous on her, and I know she loved it, but as soon as she saw the price tag, she made the girl take it back and bring her much less expensive dresses that weren’t half as nice.

Oh, Barrett, are we having financial trouble? You should have told me!”

If they were having money problems, it was news to him, and he was the one in charge of the money! “No, Mandy, we’re not.” He grinned at her audible sigh of relief. His little sister hadn’t known much want in her life, maybe that was good, maybe it was bad. He supposed her mercenary tendencies could be blamed on a tad bit of overindulgence on his part, but she did know the value of a dollar, and when she worked, she worked hard.

“I just figured you might have told her something that you hadn’t told me . . .” her voice trailed off.

“Nope. But I think I need to tell her a few things and right away, before she starts looking for a wedding dress at Woolworth’s. Can you send her in to me?”

He knew her knock and called her in, meeting her halfway on the flowered carpet with his arms opened wide. She was in a pair of baby blue, loose knit gym shorts and a cotton blouse with embroidered flowers. Barrett buried his face in her hair, nibbling her neck. “Mmmmmmm. You always smell so good, Baby.”

“Thank you, kind Sir,” she hugged him fiercely, then curled her arm into his. “Mandy told me you wanted to see me?”

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“Yeah, I do,” he motioned her into the seat in front of the desk. “But can you give me a minute to make a phone call?” She nodded, puzzled but patient.

He called someone named Pete that he appeared to know very well, and after asking about Pete about his wife and kids, he told Pete that he wanted to make sure that his fiancée, and he pronounced her name very carefully into the phone, spelling Honoria and O’Reilly, was added onto all of his accounts. “What’s your social security number, Sweetie?”

Force of habit, she told him the nine-digit number.

He plunked down the receiver after promising they would get together with Pete and his wife some time, and looked at Meg, who was completely befuddled. “Come over here with me, Doll.

There’s something I want to show you.”

She leaned on the arm of his big cushiony leather office chair while he went into the financial program on his computer.

“The password is ‘pooky’,” he said as he typed it into the box.

Meg grinned, but still wondered what this was all about. Before he let her get up, he’d shown her everything – all of his financial information, stock stuff, life insurance, investments, checking account balances, everything. If she didn’t have a good idea of what he – they – were worth after that, then she never would.

Meg sighed. “So what was that production all about, Cowboy?” The way she said it was not a compliment.

He replied in kind. “It was about the fact that I’m not poor, Meagan. And you’re not going to be either. It was about you scrimping and saving and worrying over the cost of this wedding, when, if you really wanted, I’m sure I could rent Westminster

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Abbey.” Barrett walked toward her, and she met him, arms folded across her chest belligerently, not backing down for a minute.

Her small, upturned nose would have bumped his larger more angular one if they’d been the same height, instead, she had to crane her neck back at an odd angle to glare up at him while he glared back down at her. “Whose wedding is it, anyway?”

“Well, from what Mandy was saying, I think we’re going to be outfitted by Wal-Mart!”

That comment hurt, as well as being ratted out by her best friend. Sick of getting a crick in her neck when she