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blow-out with all our family and friends. A small ceremony—just us with Alex and Natalie as our witnesses or something like that—simply wouldn’t be the same.”
    She mulled that over and rested her head on his broad, strong shoulder. “You’re right. Still, I wish things didn’t have to be this elaborate. It’s sort of…” She trailed off as everyone from the Lloyd side of the family showed up on the giant monitor in their living room…well, everyone except Stella.
    “Show time,” Ethan murmured, and she sat up straight.
    “I’m really sorry about calling this meeting,” she began, cringing at her sister-in-law Amandine’s tired eyes. She was married to Ethan’s younger brother Gavin Lloyd and had delivered their first child not too long ago. “I know I gave almost no notice, but I wanted to talk to everyone before we all left for Thailand.”
    “Hey, you’re the bride-to-be. You can call as many meetings as you want,” Amandine said with a smile.
    “Thanks,” Kerri said.
    “Barron and Mom haven’t killed each other, right?” Gavin asked.
    “As far as I know, no,” Ethan answered with a sigh. “Not yet anyway.”
    Kerri chuckled. “I’m glad Stella’s taking him on. If anybody can stand up to him, she can.” Then she sobered. “Anyway, the reason why I’m calling is Catherine.”
    The light mood vanished from everyone’s face. Gavin steepled his hands. “What did the auditors say?”
    “Nothing concrete yet,” Kerri said carefully. That wasn’t entirely true, but she didn’t want to say anything definite until she was one hundred percent sure.
    “But I thought they said it looked like the missing money was going to Catherine,” Meredith said. She was Ethan and Gavin’s younger sister, and had been overseeing The Lloyds Development during the past few months.
    Kerri shook her head. “That’s hardly sufficient. I want hard facts and numbers before making any accusations.”
    “I don’t know…” Meredith looked uncertain. “From what I’ve heard, forensic accounting isn’t easy.”
    “Have faith,” Gavin said. “I hand-picked the auditors.”
    Kerri nodded. She knew her brother-in-law well enough by now to know that he hired the best or no one at all, which was why she’d been happy when he’d volunteered to select the auditors for the company. “Anyway, the point is that we don’t know if Catherine did it. And until the audit says she did, I don’t want any awkwardness or recriminations in the family.” She took a deep breath. Ethan squeezed her hand and nodded in encouragement. “I’ve invited her to the wedding.”
    Everyone erupted in shock. Ethan’s uncle Tony and his wife Martha, who had both been looking like they were semi-asleep, stared at Kerri like she was crazy. “Why?” Tony asked finally.
    “I grew up in a…tense family environment. I don’t want that in my new family,” Kerri said, willing them to understand. “I don’t want Catherine to be treated shabbily over suspicions when she might well be the victim. I’m sure none of us have forgotten what Jacob did to her. Whatever hurtful things she might have said or done—well, would any of us have been different?”
    Everyone quieted down. “Do you think she’s going to come to the wedding?” Amandine asked.
    “I hope so.”
    “Has she RSVP’d?”
    “Not yet,” Kerri said unhappily. She’d been sure Catherine would see the invitation as an olive branch and accept. But then maybe not. Kerri cringed inwardly, recalling how coldly Ethan had spoken to her. Catherine had provoked him, but still… She’d been in total panic over discovering that her husband was a bigamist and that the family business was doing badly…and that she might get all the blame.
    “Let me reach out to her,” Amandine said.
    On the computer screen, Gavin turned to look at her. “Are you sure, babe?”
    “At the end of the day, I’m her flesh and blood. Let me do it.”
    “Thank you,” Kerri said. If