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Riley barked out a laugh from the back, and I stared at Charlotte’s profile. “Um, why?”
“I am very protective of my daughter, and we were at the park. He was talking to her, and I thought he was a predator trying to steal my child.”
“Are you serious?” I asked.
Riley spoke up from the back. “What Charlotte hasn’t told you is that she was kidnapped as a child.”
My hand immediately went to Charlotte’s forearm. “Oh, my god! You were?”
“Yes, but it ended better than it could have. I was only seven, so that was a long time ago. Anyway, when I saw a strange man talking to my daughter, I freaked and shoved him out of the way. He fell, cutting his cheek and requiring stitches.”
I couldn’t help it, I laughed a little. “How did you find out that he wasn’t a predator.”
“Marisol was rushed to the hospital with a head injury later that day. That’s why he was talking to her. He saw her fall at the park and was checking on her. When I got to the hospital, I found him working on her.”
“Holy crap! That must have been scary.”
“Oh, it was. While he was very kind during her treatment, we really didn’t get to know one another until a few months later.”
“And it was happily ever after once you went on your first date,” Riley said. “Which of course, was at our parents’ house.”
“Your first date was at his parents’ house?”
Charlotte smiled my way. “Yes, he knew I was nervous about going out with him, although not why, and he decided to bring Marisol and me out to his parents’ house for pizza night.”
“That was sweet.”
“Yes, it was, and if I’m not mistaken, this is your first date with Henley, right?” Riley asked from behind me.
“Well, kind of, I guess. Although he did cook me dinner after I got out of the hospital. So that could possibly be considered our first date.”
“Did you kiss him that night?” Charlotte asked.
“No.”
“Then it wasn’t a first date.”
I laughed loudly. “Oh, I didn’t know that first dates required kissing.”
“Of course they do,” Riley replied.
For the rest of the ride, the three of us shared stories of good and bad first kisses. Even though my nose hurt, I loved every minute of the conversation and laughter. I hadn’t felt this good in such a long time.
Riley and Charlotte were joking about something, and I took a moment to just listen and contemplate. If I moved here, would I find new friends? Would Charlotte and Riley be my friends? Would things work out with Lee, and if they didn’t, would I lose the budding friendship that I had with these two ladies?
It had been a long time since I had real friends. I mean close ones that I could talk about first kisses and dates with. Back in Plattsville, I had a few friends, but most of the people I knew were acquaintances and not people that I would reach out to if I had a problem. As we pulled into the parking lot at the country club, I stared out the window and realized that I wanted friends. I wanted a family. A family that was full and caring, not like mine back home. I wanted this; I wanted Lee’s family.
Chapter Fourteen
Henley
My mom, Tonya, and I got to work in the kitchen, and as we did, I dwelled over the conversation that I’d had with Roxy about her business. Part of me thought it was a great idea, while the selfish part of me considered the fact that she would be farther away from me. Would we be able to build a relationship from a distance?
It wasn’t like it was a thousand miles away. It was only two hours, but two hours was massive when you were dating. I could always come home more often and visit, and I’m sure she would be back in town to see her family and friends or conduct business there. Whatever the decision, I knew that I wanted to see our relationship grow and prosper.
Wes came into the kitchen to pour coffee for the ladies. “I have to thank you, Henley. I think Roxanne is going to be a godsend with our wedding. Charlotte is so excited in there, and I can see the same enthusiasm in Roxanne’s eyes. I think after this, those two might even become fast friends.”
“I hope so,” I replied as I cracked eggs into the cake batter.
