"Sarah, you're here! You startled me," Clara Grant said with a laugh, eagerly grabbing her friend's hand.
"Of course I had to startle you! You were so busy being all lovey-dovey with your husband you didn't even see me arrive. Who else was I supposed to scare?" Sarah Shelby joked with a grin. Her expression then turned serious as she took Clara's hands, looking her up and down in admiration.
"Clara, I've always known you were beautiful, but I never imagined you could look *this* gorgeous all dressed up in a gown!"
Clara Grant smiled, pressing her lips together. "You look amazing, too. Especially beautiful today."
"That just means we're a pair of beauties."
"Oh, right, Sarah, who did you come with?"
'Sarah is the Stratton family's daughter-in-law now, so of course she's here representing them at the banquet. I just wonder who from the family came with her.'
