Page 10 of The Charm of You

“Good luck with that.” I snort. “Even if she weren’t currently getting buzzed on wine spritzers, she wouldn’t give you a ride. She’s still mad at you for stealing her chocolate bar last week.”

“I thought it was mine.”

“It was hanging out of her purse.”

“Did you ever think she might’ve stolen it from me first?”

“Right,” I draw out, playing along. “She stole it from you and then left it in plain sight.”

“The perfect crime.” His raspy laugh fills my truck and muffles the country song on the radio.

Once I drop Judd off and nod to Mary, who’s waiting for him on their front porch, I drive toward the bread factory and stop along the way to pick up the chicken wire for Addie.

I’ve driven this road in this truck with my window open countless times over the last twelve or so years, and it never gets old. I might not have been born and raised in Sapphire Creek, but it’s the only real home I’ve ever known. It’s strange to think about how much I hated that my mother moved us here after Dad passed, but it’s grown on me. These people, the backroads, and all the town’s simplicity won me over so much that I’ve never left.

I’ve never wanted to leave. I’ve never needed a change, and I’ve never gone looking for one.

If Keely hadn’t ended things, I’d drive back to the diner for a turkey melt and fried green tomatoes. She and I would flirt while I ate. She’d steal a tomato and skip away as she winked at me over her shoulder.

I’d take a meal home for my mom, and she and I would watch a movie, as is our weekly tradition.

When Keely would finish her shift, she’d stop by my place for a late-night quickie, and she’d be gone by morning.

It’s how it’s been every Friday night for years.

As I head toward the vacant factory to drop off the chicken wire, the pothole in front of the Cream and Sugar coffee truck jolts me. It’s like fuel for the anger seeping into my every nerve. I’ve been doing my best to ignore it for most of the day, but it’s here now, glaring me right in the face as if I’m looking directly at the sun.

It’s not even Keely I’m pissed about losing. Truth be told, I liked our shared beliefs and circumstances more than I liked her.

I hate that she ruined a good thing.

What we had was the perfect arrangement for both of us. I’ve never been one to want a serious thing with anyone—why want the things we can’t have, after all? But if she wants something more, it’s best she ended things with me. It’s why I didn’t argue or try to convince her otherwise.

Because she was right when she said I don’t have room for anyone else.

chapter

three

CAROLINE

The geese sing overhead, and their V-shaped flying pattern decorates the clear sky. The old oak tree in my mother’s back yard stands tall and sturdy, the tire swing still secure on its lowest branch. I was ten when my father tied it up there. We had six full years of fun with it before he passed.

I smile at the memories as the Spanish moss draped over its branches dances in the fall breeze. The leaves are still green, very different from the yellow and red foliage of New York during this time of year. I was just in Central Park two days ago, where the autumn leaves fluttered across the trails and sidewalks like nature’s confetti.

There’s something comforting about being here in Sapphire Creek, Georgia, where the leaves are still green. It’s like I’ve turned back time.

Wouldn’t that be something? I could go back and stop Melissa from firing me. I could keep Edward from proposing too.

I sip my coffee and sway in the rocking chair on my mother’s back porch. The air is crisp this morning, and it seeps its way through my knit sweater as if to wrap me in an embrace.

I wasn’t supposed to be here until next week, but given how catastrophically my life imploded, I figured I’d get a jump-start on my visit.

Not that there’s much to jump-start this morning. If I were still employed and in the city, I’d be at my preferred café with Beverly, where we’d chat with Blazer, my favorite barista. Then I’d race toward a showing, where I’d spend hours gushing over vaulted ceilings and stellar views to potential buyers.

I’d be moving, running, climbing, and I wouldn’t pause until my feet were numb and blistered. There’s something about the city that never lets its residents stop, not like Sapphire Creek.

Here, time stands still, and I’m antsy.

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