“Oh, sweetheart. You are the comic relief I so need in my life.”
Four
Charlotte squirmed in the waiting room chair. The clinic’s antiseptic smell hardly settled her nerves. It only reminded her of those hours in the hospital with her mother. The aneurism had taken her pretty quickly, but she’d been on life support for two full days. The smell ushered her right back to those days—the terrible blend of shock and dread mingling in a poisonous cocktail.
The man next to her was called by a woman in a lab coat. Dr.Lucy Chan, according to her name tag.
Charlotte hadn’t realized she might be seen by someone other than Avery. She should’ve made an appointment. This whole thing could end up being a waste of time and money. Except she really should keep her tetanus shot up-to-date.
She flipped through a copy ofAppalachian Magazine, the contents not even registering. Gunner had arrived when she’d been feeding the horses. He’d needed little guidance, the work of ranch life obviously familiar and easy for him.
After morning chores were done, she left him with Dominic,a boarded gelding that was rearing up or striking out whenever he got nervous. Once, he’d unseated his owner, a thirtysomething woman who valued her relationship with the horse. Charlotte had tried to help Dominic to no avail. Gunner had some ideas, and she was happy to leave him to it.
“Charlotte Simpson?” a woman called.
Charlotte faltered at the sight of the blue-eyed blonde standing at the mouth of the hallway. She hadn’t realized Cooper’s wife worked here. Katie would be Charlotte’s sister-in-law. Ever since she’d found out about her biological family, it seemed the Robinsons were everywhere she looked.
Offering a smile, Charlotte stood and followed the woman down the short hall and into the exam room.
Katie closed the door behind her. “Is it still hot as blazes out there?”
“At least.”
“Have a seat right there and I’ll get your vitals.”
Charlotte sat by the desk and set her purse in the other chair.
They made small talk about the weather and the Braves while Katie took her blood pressure. The woman seemed warm and extroverted. The sort of person who might encourage Cooper to welcome his new sister into his life? Charlotte could only hope.
She thought the couple had had a baby a while back but couldn’t remember if it was a boy or a girl or even how old the child might be. No doubt, he or she would grow up to be quite attractive with Katie and Cooper as parents.
I have a niece or nephew. Two, actually, since Gavin and his wife, Laurel, had recently adopted. Their friends had died in an airplane accident, leaving their little girl orphaned. And Laurel and Gavin stepped right in to care for the girl. It had been allover the paper. Charlotte wanted to be part of their lives. Wanted to be the auntie who kept them overnight and fed them too much sugar.
Katie took down a few details and headed for the door. “The doctor will be in shortly.” And she left the room.
Only question was, which doctor would it be?
She should probably figure out what to say in case it was Avery. Her brother and husband were building Charlotte’s barn, so that gave her something to lead with.
She was also eager to see the woman up close. To find something familiar in the angles and planes of her face. Would they immediately connect? Would some part of her DNA recognize their bond and vice versa?
Guilt pricked. Did longing for these sibling relationships make her disloyal? When Emerson found out about Charlotte’s biological siblings, would she feel she’d been replaced? It was the last thing Charlotte wanted, but she couldn’t seem to quell her desire to explore this other half of her family tree. Didn’t she have a right to know where she’d come from?
While her mother had never told her the truth, she had left that folder. So she meant for Charlotte to find out eventually. She probably just didn’t expect the truth to be revealed so soon. After all, who expected to die in their early fifties? But finding that file had been exhilarating. She’d felt like she discovered a rare gem. She now had the information that satisfied her long-standing curiosity. That would allow her to fill that void in her life. Just knowing that her mom had finally divulged the truth had brought tears of relief to her eyes.
The door opened and Avery entered with a wide smile. “Good morning, I’m Dr.Garrett.”
Charlotte shook away the memory. She had to make this visit count. “Hi.” Avery was taller than she remembered, with dark-brown hair and wide-set green eyes, the same shade as Charlotte’s. She’d always assumed she’d inherited the color from her mother. But maybe Jeff had green eyes also.
Avery shook Charlotte’s hand. “I’d say ‘nice to meet you,’ but I think we went to school together, didn’t we?”
“I’m surprised you remember. I was a lowly underclassman when you were a senior.”
Avery laughed. “You were a star on the girls’ softball team, as I recall. A pitcher, maybe?”
“That’s some memory you have. Then again, you were valedictorian of your class.”
“I see you have an excellent memory yourself.” She took a seat at the desk. “What have you been up to since high school?”
