Charlotte had managed to avoid Kate after she returned from her client meetings. She’d also managed not to think about the Frost party too much, because doing that only made her think of Greg. Really, she should be happy that Kate had insisted on taking over. It took the pressure off ever seeing him again.
And that should be a good thing. But for some reason, it didn’t exactly feel that way.
Kate had met Alec after her meetings yesterday afternoon, and then the two of them had gone to the Harbor Inn to finalize their wedding plans, before no doubt going into town for a nice, romantic evening. Charlotte had stayed back at the house, indulged in an entire frozen pizza and the remains of some peppermint ice cream she’d found tucked in the back of the freezer, and read Goodnight Moon to Audrey exactly twenty-seven times. If she never saw that mouse again…
Now, though, there would be no avoiding her sister. The sun was up. She could hear Audrey stirring in her crib, and she could smell the coffee brewing downstairs. No doubt Kate had told Alec all about her latest string of poor choices. No doubt she was only still employed because Kate was concerned about Audrey’s welfare.
She should be grateful she still had a job. But having a job and deserving a job were two very different things.
She picked Audrey up from her crib and changed her diaper. Audrey was chewing her fingers with one hand, reaching up to grab Charlotte’s hair with the other. She picked the baby up, set her on her hip, and pressed her cheek next to that sweet, smooth skin. No better feeling in the world, she thought. Right now, in this short, fleeting moment, all was right in the world.
She heard the front door slam.
Oh, no. Alec had left for the day. William always picked him up out front, and they carpooled into town, where they ran a financial advisory firm. That meant Kate and Charlotte and Audrey were alone. And Audrey couldn’t take the pressure off by making small talk. Looking cute only did the job for so long.
Dread filled her as she crept into the hallway and began her descent down the stairs. Time to face the music.
In many ways, it would be easier to just be fired. She should probably start looking for a job. Maybe she’d see about staying with Bree, too. Surely at least one room in that large house could be baby-proofed.
“Good morning,” she managed to force out as she turned into the white, spotless kitchen.
Kate was already dressed for the day and pouring food into Henry’s bowl, who danced around her feet, yapping excitedly.
Charlotte couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t know who’s more excited for breakfast. Henry or Audrey.”
Kate smoothed her skirt as she straightened, and Charlotte looked away. She didn’t want to face her sister. She didn’t want to talk about anything again. Jake. Greg. All this was her problem.
Except for the fact that the Frost account was also Kate’s problem now.
“I met with Greg yesterday,” Kate offered, and Charlotte’s hand stilled as she unscrewed the lid of the baby bottle. “The house looks great. You did a really good job, Charlotte.”
A compliment? Charlotte licked her lip, forcing back a smile. No need to get ahead of herself here.
“I wanted to do a good job.” Oh, crap. The back of her eyes stung and she fought to hold back the tears.
“I know,” Kate said gently.
“I never meant to hurt you, Kate. I just…wanted to help.” Now a single tear rolled down her cheek and she brushed it away quickly, but it was no use.
“Your heart was in the right place. I see that now. I just wish you could have known you could tell me. I’m sorry you didn’t think you could.”
Charlotte nodded, wanted to choose her words carefully. “I wanted you to be…proud of me,” she finally managed.
Kate leaned forward in surprise. “Proud of you? Charlotte, I am in awe of you!”
Charlotte’s eyes widened. “What?”
“My goodness, Charlotte, look at you. Look at how far you’ve come. You’re a single mother, doing it all on your own, and now you’ve managed to land the biggest account this start-up has ever seen, however unconventional your tactics.” Kate grinned. “When I see you with Audrey, it’s almost hard to believe you’re my little sister. I have a lot to learn from you, Charlotte.”
“From me?” After everything she had done…
“You know I never really told you this before,” Kate confided, “but I always sort of admired you.”
Oh, now this was too much. “How?” Charlotte asked, gobsmacked.
“I was always so worried all my life. About grades, and activities, and then boys. I always struggled with everything being just right. I never felt like I was having much fun. But you…” She shook her head, smiling. “You just saw what you wanted, and you went for it. You were so carefree, and you rolled with life in a way I never could. I always wished I could be a little more like you.”
Charlotte swallowed back the tears that threatened to form. First Greg and now Kate, both telling her that their opinions of her were vastly different than the one she had of herself. All this time, she’d been trying to prove to everyone around her that she was all right, that she could handle her life and live with her decisions. But maybe the person she was trying to convince the most was herself.
Her mind trailed to Greg, of the insistence in his eyes when he told her he knew her for who she really was, not the person he expected her to be. That he liked that person and wanted to be with that person. That he wanted her.
She pursed her lips to push back the sting. But not Audrey. He’d carefully left her out of things all along. And they were a package deal.
“I…feel really bad for everything that happened, Kate. I need you to know that—”
Kate set two hands on Charlotte’s shoulders, stopping her midsentence. There was a softness in her sister’s eyes that made Charlotte’s prickle. “I forgave you a long time ago, Char. Now you need to forgive yourself. And put on an apron, while you’re at it. You have some cookies to bake if we’re going to make it to the swap today. Remember our gingerbread sisters?”
Gingerbread sisters! She’d pushed that memory aside somehow. “Just like old times.” She smiled as Kate plucked two cookie cutters from the drawer.
* * *
Bree eyed the bakery section of Harbor Street Foods with a critical eye, looking not for the most polished, pristine, perfect-looking cookies, but instead, the messiest, most unsymmetrical lot she could find. Yes, she was cheating. She had an empty tin in the car waiting to be filled with professionally made cookies. The way she saw it, it was better than showing up empty-handed, and who could really complain about a decent-tasting cookie? It wasn’t like anyone had raved about her snickerdoodles last year. She’d seen more than one woman sniff them before setting them back on the tray.
No, this year, she was giving herself a much-needed break. She didn’t have time to bake, and she didn’t currently have a kitchen to bake in. Her eyes came to rest on some lumpy-looking oatmeal cookies. Not exactly festive, but they would do. Yes, they would do just fine.
She turned to go, hoping to check out and get to her car without bumping into one of the women who might rat her out, when she saw Simon push through the front glass door. She stood, perfectly still, knowing she could ditch the cookies and run, maybe hide out in the women’s toiletries section for an unreasonably safe amount of time. Or she could carry on with her life.
She decided on the latter.
She walked to the cash registers, knowing he would see her as she did. Their eyes met for a brief, heart-flickering second before she put it back in check, and his eyes darted to the left before he flashed her his signature grin. This time, she wasn’t buying it.
“Bree! Hey!”
“Hello, Simon,” she said wearily as she stopped behind an elderly woman buying a single tube of toothpaste, bottle of whiskey, and a bunch of bananas. She felt only a moment of panic when she saw her future flash before her eyes, but she pushed that firmly back into place. She was only thirty-two. And she’d wasted enough time on the man who had come to stand beside her.
“I’ve been meaning to call. I mean, I meant to call. About the tree lighting. I was really sick and—”
“The tree lighting?” Bree tipped her head. “Not sure what you mean.”
“You know…When I saw you at the club…”
Bree pretended to ponder this for a moment. “Oh. That. I didn’t think much of it. So, sick, huh? Shame.” She smiled, but her gaze she knew had turned withering as she stared through those wire-rimmed glasses and straight into his lying eyes. Maybe he’d been there. Alone, with friends, or with another girl. It didn’t matter.
Yes, she was thirty-two. And single. But she had a house. And a business. And a life full of friends and family and people who actually cared about her enough to be straight with her. And Simon didn’t fit into any of that. And looking back, he never had.
“Well, I should probably get going,” she said as she inched her way along in the line.
His eyes turned quizzical and then perhaps knowing. She wasn’t in the mood to try to figure it out. “Have a merry Christmas, Bree.”
Oh, she’d have a merry Christmas all right. The best one yet, if she had anything to do with it.
* * *
The tea shop was already filled by the time Charlotte and Kate pushed through the door, only ten minutes after the designated start time. Fiona had her favorite Christmas carols playing from the speakers overhead, and she’d set up a Christmas tree near the bay window, filled with all her favorite ornaments from Ireland.
Charlotte stopped to admire the tree while Kate took their cookies to the table. There were beautiful glass ornaments, many hand-painted. Collected over time. Treasures, really.
She smiled sadly as she let one gently fall back against the branches. She didn’t need to think about Greg now. Today she was going to focus on how many of her Christmas dreams had come true, even if that happy family life was still out of reach.
Her sister was waiting for her at the back of the room, a teacup already in her hand. “Better grab a box and start filling it before the good stuff is gone,” she said with a wink. “I noticed Mrs. Moore already took three of the mini peppermint éclairs.”
“Shameless,” Charlotte said, and began laughing.
It felt good to joke with her sister again. Easy and right. She’d lived in knots for far too long.
“I suppose I have no reason not to indulge,” Charlotte sighed. She picked up an empty bakery box from the table and began adding some homemade fudge.
“Just be sure you can still squeeze into your maid of honor dress,” Kate remarked.
“My…” Before she could even reply, she was matching Kate’s wide grin. “Oh, Kate. Me? Really?”
Kate winked. “Did you ever think I wasn’t going to choose you?”
“Well, the wedding is next month, and you hadn’t asked…”
“Believe it or not, even wedding planners fall behind. It seems like I’m a lot better at planning everyone else’s special day and not my own.” She gave Charlotte a look of understanding. “I just want this one day to be…perfect.”
“It will,” Charlotte promised.
“You know what? I really think so, too.”
“Does that mean I’m a bridesmaid?” Bree asked, sidling up next to them. “Please tell me Alec has some gorgeous friends in Boston that you will pair me up with for my walk down the aisle.”
Kate laughed. “Whatever happened to online dating?”
Bree wrinkled her nose. “I think I’d rather let things happen organically.” She stopped when she saw their faces. “No, that is not yet another vegetarian comment, I mean, naturally. I want to meet the right guy at the right time.”
Colleen scooted up next to them with an excited flush spreading over her cheeks. “Check out the man near the tree. Not too obvious, please.”
So much for that. All three heads whipped around on cue, and Colleen let out a quiet squeal of horror.
Indeed, there was a sole man among them.
“Gay?” Bree asked.
“I thought this was a ladies-only event,” Kate said uncertainly.
“I don’t know what he’s doing here, and frankly, I don’t care. And nothing about him seems gay to me.” Colleen stared over their shoulders. Her eyes were dancing. It was clear a plan was being concocted. “I’m going in,” she announced.
“What?” Charlotte started to laugh with delight. It wasn’t like Colleen to make a move or to show any interest in a man other than Matt.
“What can I say? It’s not every day a handsome man walks into your mother’s tea shop. Seize the day!”
“Hear, hear!” Bree said, holding up her teacup.
At once, Colleen’s shoulders deflated. “I can’t. I’m afraid. What will I even say?”
Charlotte glanced over to the tree. The man was standing with his hands thrust into his pockets, sheepishly regarding the swarm of women. And oh, he was pretty darn cute. “Why don’t you offer him a box for some cookies?”
“Or ask him where he’s from,” Bree said. “I’ve never seen that man around town before.”
“That’s the man I was telling you about,” Fiona hissed, wedging herself into their group.
Colleen’s brow pinched. “What man?”
“The man I was telling you girls about the other day!” Fiona cried.
Now all the women fell silent. “That man doesn’t have red hair or creamy white pale skin,” Colleen finally insisted.
“No?” Fiona tipped her head, frowning, and studied him at length. “I suppose it’s more of a dark auburn. And I don’t remember seeing that scruff of beard last time, though it does suit him, doesn’t it?”
Colleen slid her mother a look. “The bigger question is: What’s he doing here?”
Fiona’s mouth pursed into a pleased pinch. “I couldn’t resist.”
“For once, I’m glad you didn’t,” Colleen remarked.
* * *
Alec was already home when they arrived, tired and happy, and almost distracted from the events of recent days.
“You had a delivery while you were out,” Alec said, opening the front door before Kate even had a chance to fetch her keys from her handbag.
“Wedding stuff?” Kate asked hopefully.
“Given the size of these boxes, I hope not!” Alec’s brow shot toward the ceiling. He slid Charlotte a meaningful look as he opened the door wider. “Actually, they’re for you.”
Charlotte pulled the tape off the biggest box, opened the flap, and frowned. The two women stood in silence and stared down at the dolls and bears, the rocking horse and building blocks. It seemed that half of Toys on Main was now sitting in her sister’s house, and Charlotte didn’t like it one bit.
Her first instinct had been to think Jake had finally come around, finally started to care, and then she saw the delivery slip.
She closed her eyes for one brief moment and then promptly pushed the hope back into place. Greg was feeling guilty. That’s all it was. And she would be a fool to wish for more.
“They’ll have to go back,” Charlotte announced.
Kate hesitated. “I think this was really nice of him.”
“Nice? We can’t be bought, Kate!” Charlotte cried. Her temper began to stir just looking at the pile.
“It’s a pretty big gesture. And he hasn’t pressed the arrangement you agreed to.”
Charlotte stared at her sister, incredulous. “Kate! You almost sound like you’re giving the guy a break. I told you what went down.”
Kate shrugged and picked up the delivery slip. She glanced down at the note—Wishing you and Audrey a magical first Christmas. Your friend, Greg—and then set it aside. “It’s your choice to make, Charlotte.”
Charlotte narrowed her gaze. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I mean that you have to do what’s best for you.”
“Oh, believe me, I intend to.” She was done being played for a fool, being wined and dined by rich men who thought they could impress you with their money and then abandon you when they’d gotten what they needed.
“Charlotte—” Kate started, and then stopped herself. “Just…don’t turn away something good when it comes along.”
Charlotte widened her eyes. “I’m not a charity case, Kate.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.” Kate gave her a knowing look. “I talked to Greg yesterday, when I stopped by to check on the progress for the party. He cares about you, Charlotte. He cares a lot.”
Charlotte shook her head. She didn’t want to believe it almost as much as she did. “No. It doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t last.”
“People can change, Charlotte.” Kate gave her a little smile. “Look at you.”
“Try to see it for what it is. Someone’s trying to give Audrey a wonderful Christmas. And regardless of what was said, I just don’t see how a man who supposedly hates kids would bother with this.”
Her sister had a point. Still…“I can’t take that risk. Not with Audrey.”
“As your boss, I’m asking you to go to the party tomorrow.” When Charlotte started to protest, Kate held up a hand. “And as your sister I’m asking you to please give this man one more chance. We all deserve that much, don’t we?”