Hunter excused himself to see his mother, whom he had no doubt was in her garden again, leaving Adrienne with her friends. Adrienne glanced at her friend as soon as he was gone and considered confronting Valerie about her infatuation with her brother. She had seen how her friend looked at her brother, and Adrienne wasn't sure how to deal with it.
Valerie had already annulled her engagement with Derek, but if she suddenly got involved with Hunter, Adrienne feared it would cause her brother trouble. Valerie was at the age where she was susceptible to kindness, which she could easily mistake for love.
