Jason reached in his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, and handed Jewel a dollar bill. “Bet you’ll eat some of that cotton candy.”
She beamed. “You bet! I love cotton candy. Especially the pink kind.”
“What do you say?” Charlie Grace reminded.
“Oh, yeah.” Her little girl looked up. “Thank you.”
Charlie Grace granted Jason a weak smile, feeling her insides weaken as she considered what was ahead. After wrestling with the notion, she’d decided her girlfriends were right. Her relationship with Jason had run its course. She could no longer lead him to believe they had a future together. Jason was a nice man, so kind and generous. He was so sweet to Jewel, and so was his mother, Oma. But there was absolutely no spark.
While she wasn’t one to make critical decisions based on simple emotions, she was now convinced there should be more. She should feel something when she saw his name on her phone, or when he reached for her hand. A goodnight kiss on her doorstep should bring tingles to her toes, instead of a suppressed yawn.
Her dating relationship with Jason had come to an end. The hard part would be breaking the news to him.
She’d arranged for Aunt Mo to take Jewel home with her, providing for time alone with Jason when he drove her home tonight. She’d break her decision to him then.
“There’s Daddy!” Jewel pulled her hand from her mother’s grasp. “Can I go to him?”
Charlie Grace nodded. “Okay, but stay close. No taking off.”
“I know.”
Jason waved to a group of guys who were lined up at the fryers, paper plates in hand. “You hungry, now?” Jason asked, his eyes hopeful.
“Not really, but go ahead.”
Jason nodded. “You sure? Because I can wait for you.”
“No, you go on,” she assured him. “I’ll grab something to drink.”
Charlie Grace headed for the large white tent filled with white tables and folding chairs.
Inside, Capri spotted her and hurried over. “Hey, Charlie Grace. Have you seen Reva or Lila yet?”
She shook her head. “Reva is here. But I haven’t seen Lila. I’m sure she’ll show up soon.”
Capri stepped back and visually inspected Charlie Grace’s outfit. “Is that new?”
She glanced down at her pink floral sundress. “This? No, I just haven’t worn it in a while.”
Her friend nodded with approval. “Well, it’s cute. I don’t see you wear dresses often. Is there an occasion?” She winked.
“No reason.” Charlie Grace turned for the long table where the members of the city council were pouring homemade root beer into frosted mugs.
Capri trailed behind her. “I’m just saying…if you wore that dress for someone special, it’ll do the trick.”
Charlie Grace made a point of ignoring the comment as Sam Cook offered her a mug, then handed another to Capri.
“Thanks, Sam,” they said in unison as they placed some money into the donation can.
Capri leaned over and lowered her voice. “Don’t look now, but your new friend is heading this way. From the way he’s looking at you, I was right. He approves of the sundress.”
Charlie Grace couldn’t help it. Her heart skipped a beat. She took a deep breath and directed her attention to where Capri was not so subtly tilting her head.
“Hey.” Nick smiled as he neared. “This is quite the affair.”
Charlie Grace took in the man standing before her.
Nick’s dark-washed jeans hugged his frame just right, accentuating his tall height. The fabric of his button-down shirt draped effortlessly against his torso, hinting at a toned physique. The rolled-up sleeves revealed a glimpse of sinewy forearms.
