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“You remember Charity Ardmore?”
“Oh, my. Charity Ardmore. I haven’t seen you in years. You were just a kid last time I saw you.”
“We weren’t kids,” Nic said. “We were eighteen.”
“Oh, wait until you have kids of your own,” Mrs. Winters said to her son. “You’ll always be kids to me, even when you’re forty. Here you go. Do you think a hundred will be enough?”
“I would hope so.” Nic took the large, plastic-wrapped stacks of cups and looked over at Charity.
“It’s nice to see you again,” Charity blurted, realizing she hadn’t spoken. It had been kind of rude of her, but maybe it wasn’t a bad idea. After all, her voice sounded way too shaky.
“Oh, yes, dear,” Mrs. Winters said. “It’s so nice to see you, too. I’m afraid we don’t get around town much now that the kids are grown and moved away. How are your parents?”
“Great,” Charity said.
Since Nic and Charity had been friends from a young age, their parents knew each other long before they’d started dating. They’d sat next to each other at birthday parties and passed each other in the carpool line for years.
“Tell them I said ‘hi,’” Mrs. Winters said, then looked at her son. “Will you be coming home for dinner? We’re having leftover turkey again.”
She glanced at Charity for some reason before returning her attention to Nic. For a second, Charity wondered if the question was directed at her.
“Probably not,” Nic said. “I can heat something up when I get home.”
“Of course.” Mrs. Winters smiled at Charity. “You two be safe out there.”
What was actually happening? Was it assumed Charity and Nic were going to be hanging out together like old times? She didn’t want his mom to think that if it wasn’t true, but she wanted it to be true.
“Sorry about that,” Nic said as Charity pulled away. He’d rolled up the window almost as soon as his mom had slid the cups through it. “She’s in her own world.”
But Charity was smiling. “I always liked her. It’s weird I haven’t seen her around town since you left.”
“She’d pack up and move to a bigger city in a heartbeat. She never liked small-town living, but Dad’s years away from retirement.”
Surprise drew Charity’s eyes off the road long enough to glance at him. “Do you think he’ll retire?”
“Doubtful.” He shook his head. “Someone would have to lock him out of the building for him to end his practice. He loves what he does.”
Nic’s father was the town pediatrician. He knew all the families in Misty Mountain, but he didn’t socialize with them after hours, since they were technically patients. And that was part of the reason the Winters weren’t very involved in local goings-on.
Charity smiled. “That’s how my dad feels about the bank. My mom works there, too. Just part-time. I think she needed something to do to fill the days.”
“Your mom always was really social.”
Yes, her mom was the opposite of Mrs. Winters, as far as Misty Mountain was concerned. She loved knowing everyone by name, along with exactly what was going on in their lives. She wasn’t a gossip. She kept it to herself. But she definitely felt like the people in this town were family. It was one of the reasons Charity loved this town so much.
When they pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later, sadness overwhelmed Charity. She’d forgotten how nice this was—just hanging out with Nic. As nervous as being around him had made her yesterday, somehow that nervousness had worn off. Now she was just filled with the same feeling she’d always had around him. Comfort. Like this was exactly where she belonged.
And now he was leaving. It might be today, or it might be tomorrow, but like all the other Thanksgiving weekend visitors, he’d be hitting the interstate to go back home. And she’d be left with just the memory of their time together.
Why did he have to come back into her life again?
6
Charity was a hard worker. Nic knew that about her. She’d always been just a little more driven and a lot more energetic than his other friends, even in elementary school.
But now, standing next to her in that church parking lot, Nic saw her through the eyes of an adult. He was tempted to compare her to the other women he’d dated and worked with, as well as his ex-wife. Maybe it was an unfair comparison, but Nic couldn’t help it. Charity Ardmore was an outstanding human being.
“I guess that’s it,” she said as they walked away from Mark’s truck. They’d loaded everything up so he could take it back to his church, which had loaned the hot cocoa warmer to him. “Thanks for all your help. You didn’t have to stick around. I’m sure you need to pack or something.”
