Page 115 of The Charm of You

“Are you going to tell me what he said, or what?” Maren waves the hot curling iron around, and Addie holds her hands up in surrender, like she’s being threatened with a deadly weapon.

“Don’t hurt me. I’ll tell you everything you want to know,” she jokes. “Which isn’t much. He just asked if you were going to show up for the tour.”

“That’s it?” Maren scoffs. “You made me think there was something more…”

“Scandalous?” I supply.

Which earns me a glare from the prickliest of us.

“I innocently mentioned your old boyfriend was looking for you.” Addie shrugs.

“You were fishing,” Maren says.

“And I caught a live one,” Addie chirps. “Got you.”

The door to my room opens, and Mama steps inside, a wooden tray in her hands. “Bless you girls. You have no idea how good it is to have y’all here. Your giggles are filling the whole house with joy. Might I just keep you here forever?”

“Gladly.” Addie laughs.

“I figured you could use some snacks, so I whipped up this little charcuterie board.”

Addie is the first to lurch for the food like it’s her beloved Skittles, and Maren ducks away right in time before she burns her.

“Easy,” she warns Addie, who’s already lost in a world where only she and the cheese and cracker combination between her fingers exist.

“Thank you,” she says to my mom with a moan. “I have not eaten all day. I didn’t even have coffee this morning.”

The rest of us gasp in sync.

“It’s like you’re an animal.” I clutch my chest.

“Heavens.” My mom mirrors my playful exaggeration, then tosses her arms up and rushes toward the door. “I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee and be right back.”

“We never did buy into the tea craze, did we?” Maren muses as I swipe a cracker from the tray, careful not to lose a finger to Addie’s feral paws.

“It’s a good thing we didn’t, because New York is not a fan of sweet tea.” I shake my head.

It’s true. The three of us never became iced tea fans like most of the people around here. Addie probably drinks one a week, if that, and the only reason she keeps any at her house is to be a good and gracious hostess when visitors come by.

I don’t remember the last time I had company at my apartment.

In truth, I barely ever spend time there by myself.

I normally don’t like being alone, but the longer I’ve been in Sapphire Creek, the more I’ve realized I’m just not used to solitude. I’ve always been around masses of people, whether it was my large group of friends in high school or the crowds in the city.

This feels good. Being back in town is uplifting in all the best ways, and it’s not just because I really needed the warm solace of this community after my life fell apart. In truth, my time here has brought me face-to-face with the fact that I wove too much of my value and identity into my career.

I was unfair to myself for doing so.

“Speaking of New York…” Addie rubs the crumbs from her fingertips and shares a sideways glance with Maren. It might have been a long time since the three of us last got together, but I know hesitation when I see it.

I read the room and pick up where her trail of thought clearly left off. “You want to know what will happen to Austin and me when I go back,” I venture a guess.

“He’s my friend,” she says lightly. “And so are you. I don’t want either of you to end up hurt.”

Maren finishes curling the last of her hair and meets our gazes in the mirror.

I blow out a long, heavy sigh. “We haven’t talked about it.”

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