I turn to the familiar voice saying my name. Across the small room, Charlie and Merch stand beside a booth. I wave, and Charlie makes her way over, weaving through the tables that separate us. This is no small task, considering she has to navigate the tight quarters with a protruding belly. Merch follows his wife.
When Charlie reaches our table, she plops down beside me and lets out a heavy breath. “I swear to the man upstairs, I am bigger this morning than I was last night.”
I look down at her stomach and see that it can barely fit in the booth. I open my mouth to introduce Charlie to Brady, but she beats me to it.
“Hi,” she says, sticking her arm out over the table. “I’m Charlie. I’m an old friend of Addison’s. This is my husband, Merch. Technically his name is Conrad, but I don’t think anybody has ever called him that.” Her gaze flickers over to him as she talks.
“Nice to meet you,” Brady responds, shaking Charlie’s offered hand. He slips from the booth and stands to shake hands with Merch.
“My last name is Merchant,” Merch explains to Brady. “I played football in high school and the team started calling me Merch. The name stuck.”
Brady chuckles. “I played baseball, but Sterling isn’t the kind of last name that sounds good shortened.”
Merch and Brady start discussing high school sports. It takes some effort, but Charlie turns her body to me. “Where did he come from?” she asks quietly.
“Chicago. He’s staying at Sweet Escape.” I glance at Brady. He’s nodding at something Merch is saying. “Actually, he was on my flight out here.”
“Serendipitous.”
I sip my water. “It wasn’t a cute first meeting or anything like that. I thought he was married, and I yelled at him when I caught him checking me out.”
Charlie’s eyebrows furrow. “Why did you think he was married?”
“Because he was wearing a ring.”
Her eyes grow huge. “Please tell me there’s a story here that involves him not actually being married.”
I smile. “There is. It was his grandpa’s ring that his mom gave to him.”
“Why was he wearing it?”
I eye Brady again, biting my lower lip as I study him. “I think I may have just learned some of the reason.” Looking back at Charlie, I say quietly, “He has a broken heart.”
“Kind of like you,” she says, only her reply isn’t quiet.
I look away so I don’t have to respond. My glance falls to the bulletin board above the cash register. A large flyer with block lettering announces the 65thannual Lonesome Day.
“Aw, I remember Lonesome Day,” I say fondly with a lopsided grin, thinking back to my childhood summers. Mostly I remember flavored ice, caramel popcorn balls, and fireworks.
“You guys should go. It’s a few weeks away. And this year is going to be amazing because—” Charlie’s words screech to a halt and her eyes grow wide. She turns away from me and looks to Merch, grabbing for his forearm.
At first I think maybe her water broke, and I can tell by Merch’s concerned gaze that’s what he thinks also. Relief flows through me when a large smile takes over her face.
“Merch, remember what my mom said this morning? About Lucy’s bakery?”
“Yeah,” Merch says, the word drawn out to convey his confusion.
“Addison has to do it. She just has to.” Charlie claps her hands with excitement.
“Addison has to do what?” I ask, trepidation filling me.
“You know Lucy’s bakery?”
I nod.
“Lucy is retiring. Everybody and their mother wants the space, but she’s refusing to rent it to anybody that’s not going to use it as a bakery. And apparently she already has, like, five people who’ve agreed to use it for that.”
“So?”
