Found (Lost & Found #2) - Scarlett Finn Page 0,102

next part of her plan was a little more complex and she’d need Ritchie’s assistance for it too. Charley was great and her sisters would be amazing when it came to flowers and dresses. None of the women would be able to help when it came to structural integrity, so all her big ideas were reliant on Ritchie’s expertise.

“Is Ritchie still around?” Poppy asked, causing both Naught and Charley to frown.

Ritchie had done so much for them already. If he hadn’t taken over Turner’s responsibilities, her love wouldn’t have been able to come to the Adler Estate to tell her how he felt. There was one last favor. One that would make or break her wedding and plan to surprise Turner. So much rode on so little, but Poppy was determined to remain optimistic. It had to work, it just had to.

THIRTY-ONE

Planning a wedding was more complicated than Poppy had anticipated. Without the help of her sisters, both Granger and Maddox, she might not have pulled it off. The guys had been a huge help too. Everything was beginning to come together, which was probably how Charley had convinced her a bachelorette party was a good idea.

At least she’d been smart enough to insist the party be at Naughtie’s and that Val be invited. If Poppy hadn’t been adamant, Charley probably would’ve hired a stripper or something. With the guys’ supervision and the Maddox matriarch on scene, the party couldn’t get too out of hand.

Primrose had spent most of the night so far sitting at the bar, grilling Naught and Ritchie about Preston. It was sweet that she missed him so much. Poppy could identify with that feeling. That Primrose was asking questions was a good sign too. It meant she cared. From Poppy’s discussions with the middle Granger girl that week, it was obvious that she wasn’t done with Turner’s lawyer friend.

Violet, on the other hand, was enjoying her first experience of karaoke. She’d already been up three times and had her name down for other songs. Drinking without parental supervision and in such a free environment was really loosening up the eldest Granger Girl.

“Are you having a good time?” Val asked, leaning in to speak the words in her ear.

The music wasn’t ridiculously loud, but it was a busy Friday night. The bar was filled with the voices of those conversing as well as those brightening the air with song.

“Yeah,” Poppy replied, her attention leaving Violet to snag on Charley outside.

Through the windows at the frontage of Naughtie’s, she’d watched her friend pace the sidewalk for large portions of the night.

“It’s David Leicester,” Val said. “On the phone with Charley, isn’t it?”

Exhaling, Poppy nodded once. “He’s been calling a lot this week. He’s away on some training course or something.”

She imagined he’d been sent away by his employer because he was drawing so much attention to himself in the press. Poppy used to work for the same employer; they’d already be getting all the attention they wanted without Leicester adding to the chaos.

“Wouldn’t be a bad thing if he stayed there,” Val said more quietly than her previous comments, though there was no denying she was unimpressed. In a beat, she became more optimistic. “My boy’s had a difficult week away from you.”

“He’s been okay,” Poppy said, never averse to talking about the man she loved. “Being apart hasn’t been easy for either of us. I kept thinking that I could probably maybe do the planning for the wedding from the estate… Being around everything that’s his without having him is a particular kind of torture.”

Smiling, Val took Poppy’s hand. “For so long, I worried he’d never find happiness. That he’d never find something of his own. Love of his own… You’re an angel, Poppy. Exactly what he needs. Your love is strong, it’s forever, like mine and Ed’s.”

Although Poppy was exuberant about her own future, and read only optimism in Val, a new kind of understanding overcame her. Losing Ed might have broken the Maddox family if it wasn’t led by such a strong mother and brother. Still, from a personal angle, Poppy’s sympathy for Val grew. Losing Turner would end her. She couldn’t imagine going on for another minute if he was ripped from her at the peak of their happiness. Val had experienced that pain. Grammie had too.

“Thank you for raising him to be such an incredible man.”

Val touched her face. “That was all Ed. I can’t take credit for who Turner became. He was