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"Don't they grow up fast?" sighed Vera, becoming sentimental again.

"How is Charlotte?" inquired Aunt Angela. "You can't turn on the television without hearing what she's going to wear, where they're going on their honeymoon, and the engagement ring-- they seem to harp on that the most! So much of it is pure fiction-- I mean, honestly, who in their right mind would pay a million dollars for one ring?"

Vera opened her mouth to confirm that Adam HAD paid such a sum for just one ring, but quickly changed her mind. She also wondered what Angela would say if she found out that Adam had just paid over a million dollars for a dump in the middle of the desert, just to please Charlie? Vera quickly decided she wasn't going to ask, and promptly changed the subject.

"Did Eliza have a good trip on the plane?" asked Vera, smiling at the child Sherri was holding.

Before Sherri could answer, the elevator doors opened and the Goodmans followed Vera down the hall to their room.

"I heard Charlotte hurt her ankle," said Aunt Angela. "Will she be able to walk up the aisle without help? It'd be such a shame if she had to use a crutch on her wedding day."

"Charlie's ankle is doing just fine," assured Vera. "As a matter of fact, she got rid of the last crutch a day ago. She still has a compression bandage on for support, but the discomfort is all but gone."

"That's good," replied the woman.

"I'll go get Charlie and let her know you're here," said Vera, excusing herself from the Goodmans' room.

The old woman went down the hall and knocked on Charlie's hotel door.

"Charlie?" called Vera. "Your aunt is here."

The hotel door opened and Charlie reluctantly appeared.

"They're waiting to see you," said Vera, taking her granddaughter by the arm and guiding her toward their room.

"Charlotte!" cried Aunt Angela, coming forward and hugging her. "You didn't tell me that you were in North Carolina because of Wallace Shipley! I had to find out about it on the television! I called your uncle into the living room and said, 'Tell me that isn't OUR Charlotte!' and he couldn't! Ever since, we've been the talk of the neighborhood! Now, when do we get to meet this Wallace Shipley of yours?"

"Adam's tour doesn't end until July eighth-- or at least, that's when he comes back for good," explained Charlie.

As she said this, baby Eliza began to cry, so Sherri excused herself and changed the baby's diaper on the bed. Charlie watched as the young mother put a clean diaper on the girl, and then cradled it in her arms. Unfortunately, the baby continued to cry, making it difficult to easily hear Aunt Angela.

"Would you please quiet that child down?" shouted Aunt Angela to her daughter. "I can hardly hear myself think!"

Sherri stormed from the room and went into the hall, pacing up and down, trying to get the baby to stop crying. Charlie soon joined Sherri and invited her to her hotel room.

"I wish I had my own room," sighed Sherri, swaying back and forth to hush the child. "Mom insisted that we pay for our own accommodations, so we're all packed into one tiny space. You're so lucky, Charlie."

"I think Grandma let me have this room to myself because she wanted some peace and quiet," explained Charlie. "I have an extra bed," she offered her cousin. "You and Eliza can have it, if you want."

Sherri looked at her, trying to figure out what her angle was.

"Don't look so surprised," said Charlie, seeing the hesitancy in Sherri's eyes. "Grandma was going to offer it, anyway. That one room is too small for all of you."

"I'll get Dad to bring my bags over," shrugged the young mother, rocking back and forth with Eliza. "This baby!" she sighed. "Ever since we left North Carolina, she's been crying like crazy. It's driving me nuts!"

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