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“Charm? Will you take that second chance with me?”
She knew she had to convince him she was more than happy to go along with what he was proposing, but with stipulations. “Yes, Dylan, I’ll take that second chance with you, but a lot has happened and we’re not the same people. I suggest we take the time to get to know each other.”
He frowned. “We already know each other.”
“Obviously not as well as we thought. Otherwise, we would not have broken up,” she said, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.
He studied her for a moment and then switched his gaze to stare straight ahead. “Yes, you’re definitely right about that.”
Charm studied his expression and wondered why she detected sarcasm in his voice. He had no reason for it when everything was his fault. Or was he annoyed by what she’d said? Had he been counting on her sharing his bed? Zero chance of that happening. She wouldn’t he sharing his bed ever again.
She was about to tell him she’d changed her mind about the second chance when he said, “We’re here.”
Charm glanced around in total awe when she saw the beautiful ranch house. She had been so into her vexation with Dylan that she hadn’t realized he had brought the vehicle to a stop. There was something about this house that not only reached out to her but beckoned her in a way she didn’t understand or expect. It might sound impossible but it seemed to welcome her.
“So, what do you think?”
She would not dare tell him what she thought—that for some reason she felt this should be a home she shared with him. That this was where they could raise their babies together like they used to talk about doing. “I think it’s beautiful,” she said truthfully. “And it’s big.”
He chuckled. “Yes, it is. My grandparents figured they would have a house full of kids but Gramma’s medical condition made Dad the only one. However, they decided not to let those ten bedrooms go to waste and this place became a rooming house for college students. There’s a university in town that’s less than ten miles from here.”
“That was nice.”
“Those students thought so. Especially since free meals came with the lodgings as well as tender, loving, grandmotherly care.”
Charm could imagine living here and being looked after and fed by his grandmother. “They were lucky to have gotten that.”
Dylan got out of the car and opened the door for her. “I’ll come back to get the luggage. I want to show you around.”
As they started up the steps, the door opened and an older woman who appeared to be in her late forties walked out with a huge smile on her face. “Welcome home, Dylan,” she said, coming to give him a hug. She then turned to Charm and extended her hand. “Hello, and welcome to you, too. I’m Hazel, Ren’s wife.”
Charm returned her smile and took the woman’s hand, thinking she was very attractive. “Thanks, I’m Charm.”
Hazel tilted her head as her smile widened. “I like that name.”
“Thanks.”
Hazel then turned back to Dylan. “Ren went into town for supplies and will be back shortly. The place is ready for your visit, and I hope you’ll be here for a while to get some rest.”
“Yes, I will be, but I don’t want to be smothered, Hazel,” he said, grinning.
“I won’t promise not to do that, which means you need to come home more often.” She turned to Charm. “I’ve prepared the guest room for you as Dylan suggested. I think I gave you enough of everything, but if I didn’t, Dylan knows how to reach me. I hope you enjoy your stay here. Goodbye.”
“Thanks and goodbye.” As Charm followed Dylan into the house, she couldn’t help but think about what Hazel had said. Dylan had told her to prepare a guest room for Charm? Did that mean she’d been wrong to assume he’d intended them to share a bed? Umm, not necessarily. He might not have wanted others to know his plans.
She glanced around at how immaculate, and yet lived-in, it looked. “Your home is beautiful, Dylan.”
“Thanks. It’s definitely a lot larger than the ones I have in Memphis and Harlem. I like this place for the solitude as well as for the memories.”
She bet he did. He would tell her all the time about the summers he’d spent here with his grandparents and how much he’d enjoyed them. He took her from room to room and she was truly impressed. A huge window in the kitchen had a view of a barn and a gated area where several heads of cattle roamed.
He then took her upstairs and she saw the bedrooms. She noted hers was right across the hall from his. His suite was massive. She’d glimpsed the room when they’d passed by it. Like the other bedrooms she’d seen, the furniture was made of oak and appeared massive and sturdy. His bed appeared to be king-size while the ones in the other bedrooms were queens. All looked comfortable and decorated with colorful comforters.
“I like Hazel,” she said, as they moved up the second set of stairs to the third floor where more bedrooms and bathrooms were located.
He smiled. “Everybody loves Hazel. Especially Ren. They’ve been married close to forty years.”
“Forty years?” Charm said, surprised. “How old is she? She doesn’t look a day over fifty.”
