Page 104 of The Charm of You

The last of Principal Weathers’s speech funnels into my senses. “I was the vice principal when this astounding young woman was a senior, and I am so proud to be the one welcoming her back today. She has soared since she walked across the stage at her high school graduation, just as we all knew she would. She’s done this town proud with all of her incredible accomplishments, and I know I speak for us all when I say she has an even brighter future ahead. There’s no limit to what she can do, and we’re going to be here to encourage her every step of the way, no matter how far away her life and goals take her.”

My throat thickens.

As I note the nods and smiles among the faces of this town, a ball of insecurity sinks into the pit of my stomach. It weighs me down as I focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

This is harder than I imagined it would be.

Walking up these steps is like balancing on a tight rope.

My mouth is dry, as if my previous sip of water was two days ago, instead of only a few minutes.

I finally reach the podium, where Principal Weathers holds his hand out and says into the microphone, “Join me in welcoming Miss Caroline Summers!”

I place my hand in his and let him shake it, my limbs numb as I resume his position.

This small town looks bigger from up here.

Wide, expectant gazes stare back at me while I chew on the inside of my cheek.

My speech on the flimsy piece of paper I smooth out on the podium glares at me.

I adjust the microphone to meet my height and proceed with a shaky greeting. “When I was asked to come back to Sapphire Creek and speak here today, I didn’t have to think about it. I immediately and wholeheartedly said yes,” I say, reading the lines I’d jotted down last week. “I hadn’t been back in ten years, and I couldn’t imagine a better time to return home. Not only to relive some of the best moments from high school and from my childhood, but also to stand up here in front of you all to encourage you to dream.”

I lick my lips as a low hum buzzes from the crowd.

“My own dream involved moving to New York City and taking the world by storm. If you know me, you know I love a good stage. What better stage than New York, right?” This earns me a good-natured laugh, and the one in particular that draws my attention is the chuckle sounding from Austin.

He stands to the side at the bottom of the steps with arms crossed, his full, searing gaze trained on me.

“I had all these plans, and they… I…” I force a swallow, and I never remove my eyes from Austin as I think of only one thing.

“You’re strong.”

Drawing on his unwavering presence and his words, I crumple the piece of paper into my fist and reach deep inside myself for the strength I’ve forgotten exists there. It’s a well just waiting to be tapped.

“I had all these plans, but life happened, y’all.” I slump onto the podium and finally set the truth free. I shatter the perfect picture they’ve painted of me with only a few words, and as each one releases from my lips, I breathe more and more easily. “One day I was power walking through the streets of Manhattan, a Prada purse slung over my Gucci dress like I owned that city. A small corner of it, anyway. One day, I was soaring, as Principal Weathers said, but the next day, I found myself limping on a broken heel with a stolen plate of chocolate cake. I was jobless. Fiancé-less. Futureless.” My sad laugh echoes through the microphone. “Life is funny that way.”

Murmurs whir among the crowd, but I only see Austin.

No matter what everyone else is saying or thinking right now—good or bad—what matters to me is the pride filling Austin’s eyes. It shines so brightly I can bask in it all the way from up here.

My mother and Suzanne sidle up next to him, and I finally and whole-heartedly appreciate the fresh air filling my lungs and rejuvenating my soul.

“That’s the real reason this homecoming parade and our class reunion couldn’t have come at a better time,” I continue. “Nothing mends a broken heart quite like coming home, and that’s what Sapphire Creek is to me. It will always be my safe place—my home.”

Whoops and hollers ring out so loud, a few birds get spooked and flit from the trees lining the sidewalks.

If I had to guess, this town is warming up to my shift in direction. That, or they’re saving their diabolical gossip for later.

“As a wise, very insightful man said to me, none of the glamorous nonsense like a billboard makes us extraordinary. We are not our jobs or marital status. We can be whatever and whomever we want to be. There’s no limit, boundaries, or deadline on our dreams. And just because something doesn’t work out, it doesn’t mean we quit. We can’t give up,” I say as Austin rubs the corners of his small smile. “I, for one, am not finished dreaming. There is a lot to look forward to, even though I don’t know what that is just yet. But I promise you, this world hasn’t seen the last of me.”

A few guys toss their hats into the air like this is the end of a graduation speech, and the teenage girls in front of me, extravagant floral arrangements cradled in their arms, glance back at me and grin. They have their whole lives ahead of them, much like I did when I last stood on these very steps.

The prospect of starting over and having the entire town know about it feels big and scary, but for the first time since I was let go, I’m optimistic. I’m determined.

And I’m happy.

In this moment, I’m happier than I have been in a long time.

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