The man who spoke was nearsighted and couldn''t make out Thorne''s face, but he was struck by his tall, lean frame and impressive bearing. When he saw him naturally take Charlene''s suitcase and ce it in the car, he instinctively assumed he must be her husband.


    The others looked over but only caught a glimpse of Thorne''s back before he, Charlene, and Jasmine drove away.


    Witnessing the same scene were Maureen, Katie Hawkins, and their family. Katie and her brother, Laverne, had just flown back from Yaleborough, and Maureen was there to pick them up. They never expected to see Thorne''s car right as they were getting into their own.


    They watched the entire interaction unfold just as the PrimeStar employees had. They''d all heard that Thorne hadn''t contacted Vesta in a long time, a silent confirmation that he was ending things. Now, seeing it with their own eyes, they realized his attitude toward Charlene had indeed changed. Never in the past would Thorne have personallye to the airport to pick her up.


    Inside their car, Katie and Maureen exchanged looks, their expressions a mixture of emotions. A momentter, their own car pulled away from the curb.


    Meanwhile, in Thorne''s car, Jasmine was bubbling with excitement. "Mommy, Great- Grandma Irma heard you wereing back today and wants to know if you cane over for dinner."


    Charlene felt she couldn''t refuse Irma Henderson''s kind invitation, but before she could answer, Thorne spoke up. "Grandma had the kitchen make a lot of your favorite dishes."


    "Oh... okay," Charlene agreed.


    When they arrived at the Henderson Mansion, Charlene was surprised to see that Thorne''s mother, sister, and brother were all there. Their presence was clearly unexpected, as Thorne and Jasmine looked just as surprised.


    "Mom," Thorne greeted udia before asking, "When did you get back?"


    "We just arrived."


    In truth, udia, Tiffany, and Terence Henderson were equally shocked to see Thorne, Charlene, and Jasmine walk in together. They all knew about the impending. divorce and had assumed the only reason it wasn''t final was due scheduling conflicts.


    While Tiffany had never particrly liked Charlene, she held her tongue. With the divorce looming and Irma exining that Charlene was just a guest for dinner, she simply maintained her usual cold* demeanor. Terence, on the other


    hand, hadn''t seen Charlene in a long time and greeted her warmly. "Charlene, it''s good to see you."


    His friendly tone made Charlene pause for a second before she smiled back. "You


    seem to have gotten taller."


    "I have! I''ll probably be as tall as my brother by next year."


    Charlene just smiled.


    The meal was ready. As they sat down, Irma, sensing Charlene might feel ufortable, took her hand and had her sit beside her. Jasmine, seeing her mother with Irma, immediately squeezed in next to them, while Thorne took a seat elsewhere.


    Irma patted Charlene''s hand. "Minnie told me you were away on business again. You must be exhausted. You need to eat moreter."


    Charlene nodded. "I will."


    Throughout the meal, Thorne


    discussed business with udia


    and Tiffany, while Terence, unable to


    contribute, ate quietly. Jasmine stayed close to Charlene, asionally putting food on her te and chattering away. udia and Tiffany watched them, a flicker of surprise in their eyes.