Page 54 of Charlie Takes a Chance

“This is fun, Max,” Charlie says by way of greeting. “Hi, Bliss!”

Zane shakes my hand when he reaches me. Then turns to Bliss with a smile. “Good to see you.”

Bliss smiles back at him, but it looks brittle. “Hi.”

Zane wipes the back of his hand across his forehead and says something about needing to go get a drink. Charlie smiles at both of us and goes with him.

I glance down at Bliss. “Really smooth.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “I just told you I was going to move on. If I tried to engage him in conversation, would that be me moving on?”

“It was a breathy hello. If he didn’t realize you existed before, he’ll definitely remember that.”

“I’m beginning to see why Charlie thought you were such a pain in the butt,” Bliss replies thoughtfully.

I straighten up and glance back at Charlie who’s standing at the bar getting a can of Pepsi. That’s funny. I didn’t take her for a Pepsi girl. “What did Charlie say about me?”

“Nothing too much—don’t you worry about it.”

“Should we dance?” I ask her. I don’t want to dance, but it feels like I should say something.

“No, let’s don’t. I don’t want to give my mother false hope. Besides, see the guy along the wall over there?” I follow hergaze to find a man in his twenties— maybe even early twenties—standing next to Henry.

“I think that’s Henry’s cousin. I figure maybe I’ll go introduce myself. He’s going to be in town for a while.

“He looks like a baby. He can’t be more than 23.”

Bliss shrugs. “I’m 23.”

“Are you sure you’re old enough to drink?” I ask her, pointing to the beer bottle in her hand. Now that I’m having this conversation with Bliss, I’m wondering how old Charlie is. It never even crossed my mind to ask her.

“You’re making me want to crack this onto your head, Max,” she says dryly as she lifts the beer bottle a little.

I chuckle at that and tip my head toward Henry’s cousin. “Well, good luck with him. You’ll have to raise him first.”

“I’m beginning to question my friendship with you.” Bliss shakes her head.

“No, ‘cause I’ll always tell you like it is.”

She muses on that and then nods. “It’s true. That’s why we work as friends. Plus, you’re too old for me.”

“I’m 30,” I reply dryly. “Zane is 33.”

I wait for those words to sink in and stare at Bliss as she grimaces. “I know it’s weird. OK, I know it’s weird, and that’s why I’m moving on.”

“Probably a good choice.”

“And you should probably move on too because Zane is leading Charlie towards the mistletoe,” Bliss says as she glances over my shoulder behind me.

Any sense of contentment or happiness I felt standing here talking to Bliss completely evaporates when my eyes land on Zane and Charlie. Zane is saying something to Charlie, who throws her head back and laughs. I watch them, trying to make out what they’re saying, but then Zane places his hand on herback, and they begin walking toward the arbor covered with a Christmas garland and holding the mistletoe.

Charlie tips back the Pepsi and takes a gulp.

I don’t pause to say goodbye to Bliss. I take a direct line toward the arbor with mistletoe underneath it. I cut off Bliss’s Grandpa, who is heading there too.

Apparently, a whole herd of us is hoping to be the one standing under the mistletoe with Charlie tonight.

I barely catch his elbow before I knock him to the ground.

---