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“I’ll look. I have access to her location. Hang on.” There’s a pause, during which I feel like my heart is going to explode andsplatter all over the walls of my small living room. After what feels like an eternity, Tessa blurts, “New York! She’s at JFK airport right now. She must have literally just arrived.”
It’s a slight bummer. Dallas would have been a shorter flight. “Off to New York, I go! Keep track of her for me, okay? Whenever she arrives at a hotel, shoot me her pinpoint location, so I have it when I land.”
“You’ve got it. Go, Auggie, go!”
“Give Lucky a big hug for me, okay? Tell him not to worry, Daddyfinallypulled his head out of his ass and is on his way to tell Mommy he loves her more than life itself.”
Tessa whoops. “I’ll let Lucky know. Ryan, too. He’ll bethrilled.Keep us posted!”
“Roger!”
“Rabbit.”
I laugh.
“Sorry,” Tessa says. “Ryan’s whole family always does that. The weirdos have rubbed off on me. Now, go!”
“Be sure to send me that hotel location.”
“I promise. Now, go, go, go—go get your girl!”
33
CHARLOTTE
Iput my book down. I’m in bed in my hotel room in New York. Trying to distract myself, so I won’t think about Auggie. But it’s not working. Did he see the stuff I left for him yet?
I check my phone.
Still nothing.
He got home yesterday, and I told him I’d left his spare keys in his mailbox. So, he should have checked by now. Auggie’s not the type to let mail stack up forever, especially not after a week away. Did he check his mailbox last night and see what I left there, and now he’s feeling overwhelmed and stressed out and needs times to gather his thoughts? But what’s there to think about? The condo is his now, no strings attached.Unlike me. I wantallmy strings tied up withAuggie’s now because there’s no better man in this world than Auggie Vaughn—as a general proposition, but also, specifically, forme.
Could it be Auggie’s not sure of his feelings for me? Perhaps for Auggie it’s the difference between signing a letter “with love,” like I stupidly did versus signing it with only “love.” That little “with” makes all the difference, doesn’t it?Shit.
I must have spent at least forty minutes trying to decide how to close out my handwritten note to Auggie. Sincerely?Warmly? Thanks for the amazing memories? I tried them all on a piece of scratch paper to see how each one would look before permanently marking up my pretty notecard, but nothing looked right to me besides the wordloveon its own.
Love, Charlotte.
I wasthisclose to writing that. But then, I chickened out. And now, I’m regretting those four extra letters so much. W-I-T-H. Why’d I chicken out and include those, rather than taking a full leap of faith?
I check my phone again. Still nothing. Should I call him? I look at the clock.
No.I told myself I’d letAuggiecallmeafter finding that stuff in his mailbox.
The hotel phone on the nightstand next to me suddenly rings loudly, making me jump an inch off the mattress.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Miss McDougal. There’s a delivery for you here, and the delivery person is asking for your room number, so he can bring it to you, personally. Apparently, you need to sign for it. I told him I’m not allowed to divulge a guest’s room number without permission. Do you authorize me to give him that information, or would you prefer formeto sign for the delivery and keep the package at the front desk for you?” She speaks to someone on her end of the call. “Yes, sir. I understand that.”
I’m not expecting a package. Perhaps my new employer sent me a welcome fruit basket or something. Whatever it is, I’m sure it can wait until morning. I’m not in the mood to get out of bed for any reason, but especially not to open my door to some random delivery dude. “Will you sign for it and keep it at the front desk for me, please? I’ll get it in the morning.”
“Charlotte!” a male voice shouts.Auggie?Was that Auggie’s voice? I’ve no sooner had the thought than Auggie’s voice soundsdirectly in my ear this time. “It’s me, Charlotte. Auggie. I’m here in the lobby of the hotel.”
“What?”
“I was trying to be sneaky and surprise you at your door, but they won’t give me your room number. So much for that idea.”
