Page 111 of The Charm of You

I switch the toothpick in my mouth to the other side and chew on the end.

She uses each of her fingers to count off. “You missed the chili dinner. I had no one to run interference between Owen and me besides Bond. Do you remember Bond Nicholas from school?”

I start to shake my head, but she waves me off. Either she knows better than to ask if I remember our classmates because the answer is sure to be negative, or she doesn’t really care if I remember him since it’s not the point.

“Plus, I could’ve really used some help with Birdie. She was in shambles over the rain.”

I rub a thumb under my tired eyes, the toothpick still sticking out of my mouth. “Addie, how many coffees have you had this morning?” I ask on a sigh.

She snatches the toothpick from me and flicks it into the trash can like it’s a cigarette she’s offended by. Then she produces a small bottle of hand sanitizer from her purse, which is the size of a small duffel bag. As she rubs my cooties off her, she shrugs and finally answers, “I haven’t had any coffee yet. I didn’t have time. I was up late tweaking the décor at the Buchanan House after the chili dinner, and then this morning has been a blur, to be honest.”

“You’re in the home stretch.” I pat her shoulder once. “Keep it up.”

“If tonight goes well, I think I’ll book myself a spa day in Savannah for next weekend. I might even turn my phone off. Or just on silent.”

“Baby steps.” I nod as Owen and another guy approach.

Emily tiptoes in her heels behind them, bunching her orange pants up at the knee. I assume she’s trying to avoid getting wet. The rain left us all several gifts last night—a few tree limbs scattered around town like a scavenger hunt, puddles decorating the parking lot, and a bite mark on my shoulder.

Well, the latter wasn’t directly the rain’s doing, but because of the storm, Caroline and I snuck away for some X-rated excitement, during which she harnessed her dark side and bit the shit out of me.

Today, I wear it as a badge of honor, even if it’s a secret one.

Does she have a mark on her body too?

Owen claps me on the back, then points over his shoulder at the guy I don’t recognize. “You remember Bond, right?”

I’m momentarily caught off guard by Owen’s tone. I detect a hint of irritation, but I could be wrong. I’ve never truly witnessed a side of him other than comical and ridiculous, so it’s hard to assess whether I’m way off base or not.

“Sure.” I stick my hand out for Bond to shake, only he doesn’t immediately do so. He has to tear his googly eyes away from Addie first.

What is that about?

Emily reaches us and huffs. “I am going to have my husband do something about the wretched puddles in the parking lot. They are unacceptable.”

“It did rain quite a bit last night…” Addie forces a smile. It’s the one she wears when she’s attempting not to be a smartass, but she’s definitely being a smartass.

She’s right to do so now too.

Emily lifts a corner of her red lips into a scowl. “The puddles would not be there if the parking lot were even. The school board needs to fill in those holes.”

“I think the school board is a little busy, what with having to budget for new computers in the library and getting rid of the mold in Building C.” Addie tilts her head, and I dip mine, focusing on kicking a stray rock to the side.

Addie is losing her will for pleasantries, and I don’t blame her. Emily and her minion, Yvonne, gave Addie a hard time in high school for color-coding her notes, being the first to raise her hand to answer the teacher’s questions, and wearing rain boots when it stormed, which I never understood. Rain boots are practical, but the evil twins, as we’ve privately dubbed them, teased Addie because of the yellow ducks on them.

I bet Emily would love some rain boots to solve her present puddle crisis.

The double doors squeak open behind us, and Principal Weathers bursts through them, his sharp suit more appropriate for a banquet at the Ritz than a tour of the high school to some old students. Then again, what do I know? I didn’t even own a suit from this decade before Owen and Cole insisted I needed a new one for tonight.

“Good morning, Lions!” The principal shakes hands with a few of the others who have arrived. All together, there seem to be about twenty of us so far, and I recognize about three of them.

Weathers stops to chat up Owen. I can’t hear what they’re talking about, but whatever it is, it leads to a succession of punches against Owen’s arm like he’s a punching bag. The oaf throws his head back and laughs as if it’s the most hilarious thing too.

“How is Birdie this morning?” Addie asks the principal and wedges between the two frat guys, although Owen doesn’t stray. “She went through the wringer last night.”

“Who’s Birdie?” A soft melodic voice sounds next to me, and I turn toward Caroline. Her shoulder brushes mine as she steals a glimpse from the corner of her mischievous eyes.

“If you would’ve made it to the chili dinner last night, I would’ve introduced you,” Addie tosses at her.

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