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But regardless of her ultimate decision, her stay in Massachusetts needed to end. Staying at the bed and breakfast surrounded by thoughts of Jake only clouded her mind. She needed to get back to a place where there were no memories of him.
Charlie grabbed the turquoise sarong from her pile of clothes and memories of her weekend on Martha's Vineyard came rushing back. She'd bought it while on the island, and it'd been sitting in the bottom of her drawer since coming back.
Rolling it into a ball, she stuffed the piece of fabric into her bag and wished she could roll up and discard her feelings for Jake just as easily. She'd been trying for the past seven days but so far she hadn't been successful. It was just a fun summer fling, she reminded herself. Something she could tell her friends about when she got back to Norfolk.
Charlie grabbed a t-shirt next and folded it before adding it to her bag. Why couldn't she forget about the jerk? Why the hell did he have to invade her thoughts all day? Hopefully getting home would help with that. At least he'd stopped calling her. His last call had been two days ago. She was surprised he'd called her back at all. Though she hadn't seen any more pictures of him and his unidentified blonde that didn't mean he wasn't still in England with her.
Man she'd been a complete idiot. She'd really believed everything he told her. Charlie couldn't remember ever being quite that gullible before.
She'd never let a man dupe her like that again.
Charlie pulled her second duffel bag onto the bed ready to fill it, when there was a knock at the door. “Come on in,” she called as she unzipped the bag.
“You're almost all packed,” Maureen walked in carrying a tray with two steaming mugs. “Thought you might like some company and some tea.” Maureen set the tray down on the nightstand.
Charlie wasn't in the mood for company. She preferred to be left alone, but since it was her last day home she didn't say anything to her mom. “Thanks.”
For a few seconds neither woman spoke as Charlie continued to pack.
“You look tired. Are you feeling okay?” her mom asked sounding worried. “You haven't been yourself lately.”
“Fine. Just a little uptight about the interview in Virginia. It'd be a big change.” Charlie didn't look at her mom as she spoke. The
truth was she hadn't slept well since her last conversation with Jake. Every time she lay down her brain would replay their time together, trying to figure out how she'd been so wrong. There must have been hints, but somehow she’d missed them all.
Maureen nodded. “I can't lie. I'm hoping you take the position. But I don't think that's what's been keeping you up.” Maureen picked up a pair of shorts, folded them and placed them in Charlie's bag. “Jake called today. He wanted to talk to you. He said he's been trying to get hold of you all week.”
Charlie reached for her tea and took a sip. The lemon flavored tea which was her favorite rolled down her throat. “I hope you told him not to call here again.”
“He told me what happened and why he's in England.”
“And you believed him! Come on, Ma. He probably has a stock pile of excuses that he pulls out when he needs them.”
“I don't think so Charlie. He sounded sincere.”
She wanted to laugh. Obviously some people never learned to be a good judge of character. “He's no better than my father, Ma. Come on, he just up and left for England to see another woman without a word to me.”
Without warning Maureen snatched the t-shirt out of Charlie's hands and tossed it aside. “He's nothing like your father, Charlotte. Your father was manipulative. He wanted to control every aspect of my life. I couldn't go out unless he knew where I was going and who I was with. And he only ever thought of himself.” Maureen paused for a moment. “If anything Jake is just the opposite. He worked his butt off here, and he didn't have to. Jake could've let his workers handle everything.” Maureen's usual gentle voice took on a hard edge as she spoke. “You're father never would've done that. And do you know that he paid for that ramp at Mr. Quinn's house so he could get in and out while he's in that wheelchair.”
Charlie could only stare at her mom. She'd never heard her mom talk about her father in such a negative way. In fact she rarely spoke of him at all.
“I'm not saying you should run off and marry him, but I don't think you're being fair to him either,” Maureen said with some calm returning to her voice.
While what her mom said might be true, Charlie wasn't ready to accept any excuses Jake came up with. “I have no desire to end up hurt like you Ma. I think it's best to let things end now.”
“Hurt like me? You can't stay out of a relationship because you're afraid to get hurt, Charlie.” Her mom's voice had completely returned to its normal gentle tone as she reached for Charlie's hand.
“Come on Ma. You were devastated when my father walked out. No man is worth that.”
“It wasn't entirely his fault. He left because I …. cheated on him. He'd gone on a fishing trip. It was the first time we'd been apart since getting married. Even though it only happened once, he somehow found out.” Maureen paused for a moment. “I know you’re probably wondering how I could do that, but your father and I never should've gotten married.”
She could guess what her mom was going to say but still couldn't believe it.
“I was pregnant with Sean when we got married. Our parents pressured us into it. Things were never great between us. I kept hoping he'd change, but it never happened.”
Charlie could tell her mom was embarrassed by the conversation. “But you were devastated when he left.” She knew she hadn't imagined that.
Maureen nodded. “I did care for him or at least the man he was when we first met, even if he didn't love me. But what scared me the most was being a single mom. I had no job, nothing but a high school diploma and two children. That was the hardest part for me. If it hadn't been for Sean, I'm not sure what I would've done.”
