Page 48 of Second Chances

“But then my mom checked it out and let me read it when she was done!” Charlotte paused, tears forming in her eyes. “God, I still miss her, Amy, so much. My dad, too, even after thirty years.”

“I know…me, too. I love you, Lottie. I see you’re at the library, so I’ll let you go. Let me know if anything happens. Say hi to Effie for me.”

“Love you, too, and I will.” Charlotte ended the video call as she climbed the stairs to the library.

“Charlotte!” Effie exclaimed from her perch at the front desk. “How are you? How was your trip?” The younger woman came around to the front to hug her.

“Wonderful! We toured Revolutionary War sites, we hiked, we swam in Lake Champlain, and we ate every chance we got. How are the wedding plans going?”

“Good, good, we were just talking about the wedding, actually.” Charlotte looked over Effie’s shoulder, where Cait stood grinning.

“Hi, Cait, how are you? It’s so nice that you’re officiating the wedding; having that personal touch will make it so special.”

“It’s the least I could do for my cousin, after all he and Uncle Henry have been through.” Was she mistaken, or did Cait flash a look at Effie? “Where’d you go on your trip?”

“Vermont. I’d never been, but my friend Amy went once, years ago, with a former boyfriend.”

Cait said, “Oh, I love New England. So romantic, too. You know, a really great place to travel is Lake Tahoe. Have you ever been?” Charlotte shook her head. “You should go sometime. Our family has a cabin there, and every couple of years we all go: aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. Uncle Henry, in particular, loves Lake Tahoe.” This time, there was no mistaking the raised eyebrow that Cait tossed Effie. “Doesn’t he, Effie?”

Effie answered, “Well, we all do. I mean, I’ve only been there once, but it was beautiful. The lake, the trees, and talk about good food.”

Picturing Henry there, with his silvery blond hair shining under the rays of the sun, probably wearing one of those button-down short-sleeved shirts, but the buttons were all open, exposing his chest, like something out of a Robert Redford movie, Charlotte shivered, fanning herself as discreetly as she could with her hand. Was she the only one feeling the heat so intensely? Charlotte turned to Effie for a diversion. “You said that my book is in?”

“Yep. I have it here for you, all ready to go.” Effie held up the book for her. “Hey, do you have any plans tonight?”

“Me? Just with Father Ralph,” she answered, sliding her book into her bag.

“Oh, I was thinking maybe it would be fun to go to the street dance tonight. Have you ever been?”

“Not in Beverley; I missed it last year. I went to a few in high school, with Amy, who says ‘hi’, by the way.” Brady had attended the dances with them, and after they dropped Amy at home, he would sneak into Charlotte’s bedroom. Charlotte had free rein and parents who doted on her, allowing her complete freedom.

“Oh, you should definitely come out tonight, Charlotte, even for a little bit,” Effie insisted.

“I don’t know. I was planning on reading, getting some takeout, maybe having some wine on my front porch. I’m sure I’ll hear the music at my house.”

Cait broke in, “But the band tonight is great. They play a lot of seventies stuff, like Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, you know, maybe some Neil Young?”

“Plus country, too, from the eighties, which you love, right?” Effie asked. Charlotte had to admit that the band had been very good when she heard them practicing. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to come out for a little while?

“I guess Paul did text me earlier saying that he and Adam would be there.” Charlotte told Effie and Cait.

“Well, I know they’d be thrilled if you showed up. And Adam is an excellent dancer. He’s always trying to get Paul out there, but he has two left feet,” Effie said.

“Okay, you talked me into it. What time are you going?” Charlotte inquired.

Effie looked at Cait. “Oh, um, Josh is off at eight, so we’ll be there around nine?”

“But I’ll be there before that. First, I need to go and look at a house. Want to meet up in front of Flower Power, say eight o’clock?” Cait asked. Charlotte loved the flower shop on Main Street, with its bright window displays of fresh, seasonal flowers. The last time she’d passed by, blue and purple hydrangeas had been in buckets under the windows.

“Okay, sounds good. I’ll meet you later?” Both women nodded, and Charlotte left the library, looking forward to the evening ahead.

Once she was back at home, Charlotte hung her purse up by the door and quickly made a fried egg sandwich on sourdough for her supper, in too much of a hurry to place an order for the takeout she had previously planned. Cooking elaborate meals was a passion for her, even if she was the only one eating, but sometimes the most satisfying thing she made was this sandwich, which involved copious amounts of butter both in the pan to fry the eggs and on the fresh bread.

After eating, she needed to find something to wear and carried her iced tea into her bedroom. The weather had been hot and humid all day, so she went directly for her sleeveless dresses. Flicking through her closet, she came upon the wraparound dress she had worn on her date with Henry, and of course it made her think of him. Was there any chance he would be there tonight? Probably not—street dances didn’t seem like his thing. Recalling the way his eyes had subtly drifted over her body on their date made her dizzy with wanting. Her desire for him, then and now, was overwhelming, and probably why, despite wanting him so much, she had ended their date so abruptly.

Deciding that her white sundress with blue and purple polka dots would be breezy and fun for the evening, Charlotte pulled it on. With fluttery cap sleeves and a sweetheart neckline, it would pair perfectly with a necklace and bracelet combo she had gotten last year in England: small, round pieces of Whitby jet, set in platinum. After slipping her feet into a pair of heeled sandals, Charlotte tugged on her cross-body purse, locking her front door behind her. Twisting a pair of jeweled hair sticks into her loose curls, she anchored them at the top of her head. With the humidity weighing down the air, she didn’t need her hair sticking to her neck.

Fireflies accompanied her as she walked twenty minutes to downtown. By the time she got to Main Street, where the band was just beginning to play, her forehead was damp with sweat. After paying the entrance fee, she strolled down Main Street, stopping to buy a wine spritzer. At Flower Power, she pressed the icy bottle to her neck as she stood next to an overflowing tub of pink and purple petunias, startling when a deep voice to her left said, “Charlotte?”