Cecelia carefully checked and found no signs of impropriety on Bella before feeling relieved.
Although Edward Anderson was disappointing, she still considered Bella her sister-in-law and didn't want her to have anything to do with Charles White.
"Charles just sees me as a friend, he has no ill intentions towards me. It was just a dinner invitation, why are you acting like you've caught me cheating?" Bella found Edward Anderson's nervousness amusing.
Others may not know, but how could she not understand Charles? She pursued him for years, and he never responded. He has repeatedly said that he only sees her as a friend.
"Do you think men and women can be purely friends?" Cecelia asked noncommittally.
Bella replied firmly, "Of course! Charles used to see me as a friend, and I now consider him a friend too. I have no bad intentions towards him."
Before, when she saw Charles, she would think about ways to get him. Now, when she sees him, her heart is calm.