"Young people these days are in no rush to date, and certainly no rush to marry," one of the elderly women at the table chimed in.
"All the good men and women are getting snatched up by others."
"It's a good thing your grandfather arranged a match for you when you were little!"
"Why didn't my family think of arranging a childhood engagement for my grandson?"
Well, it was too late to complain about it now.
Claire glanced at Dane.
She hadn't expected him to be such a hit with the older crowd.
These elderly folks weren't the least bit intimidated by Dane's typically icy demeanor.
"Dane, dear, do you have any brothers who are just as handsome as you? My granddaughter is away at college, and I worry about her dating out there."
"Who knows if someone is just after our James Village inheritance!"
"But you're different we know your roots. Why don't you introduce someone to my granddaughter?"
The old woman wasn't shy in the slightest, demanding an introduction straight to his face.
"No."
Dane's refusal was incredibly blunt.
"How can you not have anyone?" She wasn't ready to give up. "If not a brother, a friend would do."
"I apologize, but I really don't." Dane had zero interest in playing matchmaker.
The woman didn't seem too disappointed. "Fair enough. Handsome young men like you are rare."
"Actually, it's not good for a man to be too good-looking anyway; it attracts too much unwanted attention."
"Someone a bit more average would be fine."
"Someone on par with Edison or Dewitt would do just fine."
Claire listened with an invisible bead of sweat dropping down her forehead: ladies, your standards are absolutely astronomical!
Edison and Dewitt were practically the epitome of high-value men.
And they considered that average?
They were reaching for the stars!
"Did you ladies hear that Dewitt has a blind date today?" Claire jumped in to rescue Dane, swiftly changing the subject.
Sure enough, the moment she asked, everyone's attention instantly pivoted.
"Oh, that's right! Someone set Dewitt up with several girls this time."
"Even with his high standards, he has to pick at least one of them, right?"
Claire politely disagreed. "It's not just about having high standards.
finding
a partner you have
e same goals and value
.net>
The older women sighed.
"We don't understand all this modern talk. In the old days,
marriages were arranged blindly. We never ever had the chance to meet them first."
"Well, times have changed, haven't they?" Claire knew there would always be a generational gap between her and these women.
Pandora glanced at the gossiping group. "Times certainly have changed. Your old ways don't apply anymore."
"I won't interfere with Dewitt's marriage, and I doubt his parents can force his hand either."
Hearing the Clan Leader speak up, the other women wisely kept their mouths shut. Their mindsets were definitely stuck in the past.
Whatever Pandora said, went.
The best trait of the villagers was that they knew how to listen!
Seeing that they had dropped the subject, Claire let it go.
At exactly noon, fireworks echoed through the air, signaling the start of the banquet!
While the bride and groom made their rounds for toasts, Claire and the rest focused entirely on the feast.
Since Dewitt had been helping out, he was eating late and had pulled up an extra chair at the table next to Claire's.
Sitting at that very table were Mable Sutton and her cousin, Yolanda Yates.
Patti and Mable's mother were also seated there.
Patti shot her son a pointed look. "Dewitt, this is Yolanda You're sitting right next to her, and it's hard!. för her to reach the dishes. Serve her some food."
Dewitt cast a sideways glance at Yolanda.
He already had a pretty good idea of what his mother was plotting.
But he wasn't interested in Yolanda.
The girl looked entirely too timid and shrinking for his taste; she definitely wasn't his
type.