Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren) novel Chapter 68

Chapter 68 After they sat down in a corner , Francesca quickly whispered , Lauren , that sneaky Bernard is clearly trying to drive a wedge between Mr.

Thatcher and your family .

Lauren shrugged .

Let him try .

Hes a nobody .

If not for Mr.

Thatcher , I wouldve slapped him for talking about Andrew like that .

Francesca turned to Andrew with disgust .

This is all because of you ! Thanks to you , Mr.

Thatcher probably doesnt think highly of Lauren anymore ! Is Mr.

Thatchers approval really that important ? Andrew frowned .

Francesca sneered .

Are you actually this clueless or are you just pretending ? Hes the mayor of Jayrodale ! Havent you noticed all those people waiting with expensive gifts just to curry his favors ? One word from him can make or break someones fortune in this town .

Lauren intervened , Fran , stop it .

The Rhodes family isnt going to lose a connection over someone like Bernard .

If maintaining good relations with Mr.

Thatcher is so important , I might have an idea , Andrew suddenly commented .

What idea ? Francesca scoffed , clearly doubting Andrew had anything worthwhile to contribute .

Before Andrew could elaborate , Harvey and Christinas group of four approached the viewing deck .

Mr.

Thatcher , its been too long ! Ah , Harvey , Jayrodales rising star ! Now that youre back home , I trust youre ready to help contribute to our citys growth , Mark responded warmly .

Absolutely , Mr.

Thatcher .

Im always ready to serve our community … Watching Harveys easy rapport with Mark , Francesca glanced at Andrew and thought there was no comparison .

She decided she needed to have a serious talk with her best friend about dumping Andrew .

The races reached their climax as Marks favored horse , Number Three , entered the track .

People behind him were eager to stay in his good graces and placed their bets on Number Three with big money , making Mark beam with satisfaction .