Page 90 of Just Like Home

The three of them found their seats. Cole shifted, feeling out of place. Not only because he was dancing with a nine-year-old, but because he was dancing at all.

Thankfully, everybody seemed preoccupied with their phones.

A woman he recognized as the wife of one of the athletic boosters made eye contact with him from across the room. “Coach, did you see this?”

Oh no. What now?

“What is it?”

She walked over, holding the phone out in his direction. On the small screen, Charlotte and Amelia moved in unison. The little girl looked up at Charlotte, clear admiration in her eyes.

Hildy leaned in closer. “She got Amelia to dance.” There was awe in her voice. “Brinley called me this afternoon. She had no luck. I wonder when this was.”

Cole watched for a minute, admiring the care Charlotte took with his niece. Amelia had been through more than any kid her age should, and seeing someone who wasn’t even related to her treat her with such care turned his insides out.

Charlotte and Brinley walked in, each carrying a clipboard. Most of the chairs were filled, with only a few empty seats spread around the circle.

Cole met her eyes, the warmth of gratitude radiating through him. She’d done something nobody else had been able to do. And she really had nothing to gain by doing it.

She gave him a quizzical look, and he handed the phone back to the woman.

Did Charlotte know how amazing she was? Could he ever find a way to tell her?

Brinley clapped her hands together. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all so much for being here. We are so excited to move forward with our recital and turn it into a celebration of life for our dear Julianna. We all had a special connection to Jules, and—” A commotion in the hallway interrupted her.

Seconds later, a familiar face appeared in the doorway.

“Sorry we’re late.” Gemma strolled in—always making an entrance—with Max lolling behind like a lovesick puppy.

Cole felt pairs of eyes dart to him, and he wished he could swat them away like the annoying pests they were.

What was Gemma doing here?

“Oh, it’s fine,” Charlotte said. “We were just about to get started. Have a seat.” She motioned toward two empty chairs just a few seats away from Cole. He steeled his jaw. His knuckles whitened as he fisted his hands.

Hildy straightened at his side, and Cole bit back words that would surely cause a scene.

“Where was I?” Brinley asked rhetorically. He didn’t even know her, and even she seemed flustered by Gemma’s presence in that room. Only Charlotte was unfazed by the presence of his ex-wife.

And only because Charlotte had no idea who Gemma was. Surely she would agree that Gemma’s being here was inappropriate at best.

This was a celebration of life forhissister. Did Gemma’s selfishness ever end?

“I want to turn the meeting over to a very special friend of Julianna’s,” Brinley said now. She ran down a list of Charlotte’s awards and accolades before finally saying, “I’m excited to introduce Charlotte Page.”

Charlotte took a step forward and scanned the circle. “I’m really excited by this turn out,” she said. “You are the people Jules loved most, and for that reason, I think this is going to be really special.”

Cole refrained from pointing out that Gemma and Max absolutely werenotamong the people Jules loved most.

Charlotte kept talking. Confidence came over her as she explained the plan to teach unique dances to each of the couples and groups.

“I’m obviously not an expert in all dance styles, but this is all in good fun, so we’re going to do our best,” she said. “Each couple or group will be assigned an instructor—me or one of the other teachers. We’ll help teach, train, and choreograph your dances, and once we’re done, we’ll put on a show that would make Julianna smile.”

At some point during Charlotte’s speech, Gemma noticed Cole sitting there. He felt her eyes on him, and then he felt her surprise. It was possible he’d imagined it, but he knew her enough to know this was about the last place in the world she would expect to see him.

Because it was about the last place in the world he wanted to be.

And yet, he had far more right to be here than she did. Who decided it was a good idea for her and Max to participate in the event in the first place?

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