Granted, my dad hurt her in other ways than his absence. He neglected her. But still, the thought of missing out on Charlotte’s life because I’m too busy living mine is just selfish and cruel.
I’m stuck in these circles of thinking. I know I am.
I take another drink from my glass and as I lower it, I see Kyle, grinning and making his way to me. He’s in a dark suit and a black tie. I stand as he approaches me, and that’s when I see her.
Charlotte. In a light blue, short-sleeved, shimmery dress.
“You made it.”
She flashes a smile and then worries her lip. “We’re later than we expected. We were on Kyle Standard Time.”
Kyle snorts, his hands in his suit pants pockets. “Excuse me? I had to wait for you to do your makeup. How long should it take to slap some paint on your face?”
Still standing, she runs a hand along the edge of the table. “I wasn’t doing my makeup. I wastouching upmy makeup. There’s a big difference. You were late picking me up, so it’d started to melt off. So, see? It’s your fault, obviously.”
“How was the interview?”
She smiles. “I feel good about it. Except they admitted they weren’t looking to hire for the position until the start of the third quarter, at the earliest. I don’t want to be unemployed until July or later.”
“This is the one in Tulsa, right?”
“Yes, I don’t want to have to move.”
I don’t want her to do that, either, but I have no idea what to say. It’s easier to just focus on the here and now. “You’ll figure it out. Whatever happens will be the right thing.”
Words I should say to myself but somehow can’t.
She just offers a small smile before her gaze goes to the floor.
“Well,” I say. “I appreciate you coming tonight. That’s really great of you, especially since neither of you know my dad very well.” I cross my arms over my chest and shift my weight to my other foot. It’s been a long son-of-the-groom day today.
“We’re here foryou, man. And I’m glad the invite said it’s open house style. That means we’re not late at all.” Kyle shakes his head and sits down heavily in the chair next to mine.
“I appreciate you getting dressed up,” I say to Kyle. “You look like you’re going to a funeral, but it’s fine.”
“Ha. Ha.” He turns to Emma and her family to say hello.
“Youdo not look like you’re going to a funeral,” I say to Charlotte, letting my eyes take her in. I wrap my hand around her waist, the slick, light blue fabric against my palm. “You look insanely beautiful.”
She quirks her lips and slides in closer to me. “My hair is insane.” She gives me a quick hug. “But thank you. Willa helped me pick it out. Look at you, son of the groom. You look hot.”
“First of all, your hair is like a mermaid. It’s stunning. And secondly, the suit was mandatory. Jess picked it out and had it sent over.”
Charlotte smooths her hand down my lapel. “Jess has good taste. Although, it doesn’t matter what you wear, you always look good.”
I kiss her temple, tripped up by what a knockout she is in this dress. Her skin is so white, it has the sheen of a plate of glass. I bend to kiss the freckles dotting her shoulder. But one isn’t enough. I kiss her shoulder a second and then a third time, her soft skin tantalizing my lips.
Emma clears her throat. “Um, hi, Charlotte.” She gives an awkward laugh.
“Emma, hi!” Charlotte tears away from me and rounds the table to give her a hug. “You are a knockout in this red,” she says. “And look at Chandler’s little tux!”
I watch as Charlotte talks to my nephew, Chandler, this bowling ball of a kid, barely two years old and solid. This kid is going to be a linebacker if I ever saw one.
She’s talking to him like he’s the only person in the room.
Maybe things could be different with Charlotte? I don’t have to do what my dad did to my mom.
Maybe if I’m lucky, I can take a page out of the Mercer’s book. They love each other—still do. It’s so tangible that I can feel it. Is that because Charlotte’s dad doesn’t travel for work, or is it more than that?
