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“She came by more often the months leading up to the wedding, asking for advice on the arrangements and all sorts of things a mother does. She started to feel like a daughter to me.” She stopped for a moment to collect herself. “I could never have kids of my own, you see.” She sniffled and took a napkin to wipe her nose. “She even insisted I give her away.”
It hit me then how alone Charlee really was and how unfair life had been to her. She had built solid walls around her heart and had them safely guarded by tragic reminders of all the loss she had endured. Her not wanting to let me in was understandable and devastating.
The door dinged, grabbing my attention. Charlee and Genesis had just walked in.
“Oh dear. Excuse me.” She dotted away tears. “It’s just so tragic what happened to those girls.” She stood up and rushed to greet the women. She took Genesis in a tight hug, and I overheard her tell her how much she missed her and then she took both of their hands and squeezed them.
Tragic, yes.
As they headed to Charlee’s booth by the window, Genesis gave me an apprehensive wave of acknowledgement while, as soon as Charlee made eye contact, she looked away quickly. I wondered how much Genesis told her about our conversation and if Charlee told her about us.
My phone buzzed. My sister was here, so I got up and rushed to the parking lot to meet her.
“You made good time,” I said as I opened the car door for her.
“Helps when there are no accidents.” She grabbed her overnight bag from the passenger seat and locked up. “I can’t believe Mom let me drive here.”
“I might have called her and begged,” I admitted. “I’m just down the beach.”
We talked as we walked to the Airstream.
“This is pretty heavy stuff you’re involved in. It’s sweet what you want to do for her. You must really care for her.”
I walked with my hands in my pockets and my head down. “I don’t know how well it will be received, but she deserves something, and I want her to know I’m here for her.”
“Have you told her that?”
“In my own way.” She scoffed at me. “What?”
“Why can’t guys just be transparent? Lay it all out there. Don’t speak in code. Tell her straight out you are there for her. She needs to hear those words with actions, like what you are doing for her tomorrow.”
My heart picked up speed. Just the idea of telling her anything made me nervous. “You make it sound so easy.”
She raised her voice. “Because it is.” She laughed. “Saying what you mean is literally the easiest thing on the planet. What do you have to lose? You can’t lose something you don’t already have.”
I flinched at the truth. “That stung.”
She patted my shoulder. “Sorry, but it’s true. If she rejects you, you go about your life. If she accepts you, then you go about your life with her. Either way, you go about your life.”
“Damn. Spoken like a true poet.” I pointed to the Airstream. “This is me.”
“Whoa. I can’t believe Drew let you borrow this.” She strolled up and slid her hand across it as she rounded the beach side. “Nice setup.”
“You can have the bedroom tonight.”
“Thanks.”
I showed her around the inside, which took all of two minutes, and then plopped on the couch. She sat at the table and opened her laptop. “Alright. Let’s see what we can find close by.”
I watched her fingers fly across the keyboard as she searched for florists. She called the few that were nearby and then placed an order. I didn’t know how much she ordered or of what, but it sounded like a lot.
As soon as she was finished, I thanked her.
“What are sisters for?” she gloated.
“Besides torturing endlessly?”
“That was a rhetorical question. More of a statement, really.” She turned back to her screen.
