The Guest List Read Online Free Page A

to himself when he saw his curious but good-hearted neighbor looking at him over the bushes. “Lovely morning, isn’t it, Mrs. Lascaris?” he called.
    “Indeed it is,” she replied before she went back into the house. “I only wish that kid would stop working on his car.”
    Ninety minutes later, at 11:45, Donovan Mitchell strode down the concourse of Newark Airport. He hoped he was doing the right thing in accepting the new job. He felt so good it had to be right. He thought about Carol as he handed his ticket over to the flight attendant. He wondered if she would mind giving up her teaching job and joining him in the South. Did he have the right to ask her to join him without giving her a commitment? Probably not. He liked her, even cared for her, but he wasn’t in love with her. Maybe he would be better able to make up his mind after this trip, when his mind was clearer.
    Donovan buckled his seat belt. In a way he felt guilty. He shouldn’t be taking up Carol’s time if he didn’t plan on marrying her. He should cut her loose and let her find someone who would love her the way she deserved to be loved. Was he willing to do that? Once his seat companion was buckled in, he leaned back and made himself comfortable. Closing his eyes, he brought Carol to the forefront of his mind. She was tall, just a few inches shorter than he, with wonderful, warm, laughing brown eyes, an infectious smile, and a great body. She had a great sense of humor and liked to experiment in bed. She could cook up a gourmet meal in no time and give Heloisesome housekeeping hints. She was a giver all the way around, and she loved kids and animals. She’d taken to Abby right away and Abby to her. She was everything he’d ever thought he wanted in a woman so what was his problem?
    Maybe John had inadvertently hit on it when he said Carol was perfect for him. His first thought had been that she was too perfect. He shook his head, putting it out of his mind. Nobody was perfect. Everybody had flaws. Even Carol. Though, admittedly, he had yet to find one.
    Maybe a new environment would do the trick. Once he was away from all the memories of Emma, their stillborn child, the house, and Harriet, he’d be able to get his old life back. The life he’d had before he met the Lambert sisters.
    As he dozed off for the ninety-minute flight to Charleston, Donovan Mitchell wished he had a fairy princess who would wave her wand and make him feel better.

CHAPTER TWO
    Construction-site coffee has to be the worst coffee in the world, Donovan thought as he sipped from the Styrofoam cup. His gaze swept the work crew over the rim of the plastic cup. He itched to pick up a hammer, but fought the urge.
    “So, Donovan, are you in or not?” Steve Franklin asked as he rolled up a set of plans. He opened the trailer door and stepped outside, signaling Donovan to follow him. “As you can see, we have almost perfect weather.”
    “What do you do when hurricanes come along?”
    “Inside work. That way we never miss a day. It’s all in the way you schedule, but then you know that.” Steve handed the plans to his foreman, then took Donovan’s elbow and walked him toward a pile of lumber. “We’ve got contracts up the kazoo and more on the way. You can build your own crew and bring anyone aboard you want. I’ll give you the whole Sun Blossom development in Seabrook. It’s yours to run with no interference from me. Oh, I almost forgot, you get your own coffeemaker.”
    Donovan didn’t need to think about it. He’d known he was going to accept the moment he set foot on South Carolina soil. He liked this cousin of his even though he’d only seen him every five years or so at family reunions. Steve was honest, ethical, hardworking, and didn’t cut corners. He built quality housing at affordable prices, and his reputation was sterling. “The coffeemaker cinches it. I’m in,” Donovan said, extending his hand.
    “So when can you start?”
    “A week or so. First,