Chapter Seven #2
When she came out of the bathroom, she left all the lights on, hoping it would help her find the switch on the landing.
It did and she made her way downstairs and through the house, leaving a trail of blazing light in her wake until she found her purse on the kitchen counter.
She fished out her phone to check the time and groaned when she saw that it was twenty past three in the morning.
Great. Now she’d screwed herself up for another day.
She’d have to just make damned sure that she didn’t go to sleep again until at least eleven o’clock tonight.
That was the only way her body would ever get used to the time change.
She found the coffee pot—she knew there was no point in hoping or looking for a kettle.
That was okay; she’d pick one up when she went shopping.
For now, she needed good strong coffee anyway—and probably a whole pot of it.
By five-thirty she’d showered and was dressed.
She’d unpacked her clothes and found homes for the few personal belongings she’d brought with her.
She’d even made an egg and bacon croissant—and silently thanked Austin again while she munched on it.
Now she was pacing the place. She wanted to see Ben, and she was starting to get a little antsy.
Was this a big mistake, surprising him like this?
She wanted to prove to him that she wasn’t as impetuous as she used to be, but turning up without warning like this didn’t do much to help her case, did it?
She’d thought it would be romantic—right somehow.
But maybe it was all wrong? She sighed. She’d find out soon enough.
Maybe she should compromise and call him instead of waltzing into the resort at breakfast time as she’d planned. She nodded. She should do that.
She looked at the clock on the microwave.
What time would be decent to call him? Not this early, not before six in the morning.
And what was she going to do while she waited?
She opened the fridge and eyed its contents.
She could still eat something. Nothing in there appealed so she went to check the cupboard.
Doughnuts! Why hadn’t she spotted those earlier?
She pulled them out and a thought struck her as she was opening the box.
Joe loved his doughnuts. He used to go down early in the morning to get the first batch fresh from the bakery.
He’d take them and his coffee to sit out behind the restaurant before he started his day.
She wondered if he still did. He probably wouldn’t; he didn’t work anymore.
From what Ben had told her, he was enjoying his retirement and hanging out with Emma’s Gramps.
Maybe, though. Maybe he still carried out his little ritual.
Now the thought had taken hold, she didn’t want to shift it.
It’d be so lovely to find him down there and sit and drink coffee with him.
She grabbed the car keys. It was a five-minute drive. She had to go see.
She parked the car in the square and locked it, even though she felt silly doing so.
You didn’t need to lock your car in Summer Lake; it wasn’t that kind of place.
But she was used to living in places where you’d be crazy not to lock it—and it wasn’t her car anyway.
She walked over to the Boathouse. It looked so different and yet still the same.
The spot where Joe used to sit was now covered by the big deck.
There was no sign of him up there. However, there was a woman sitting there.
A very pretty woman with long blonde hair.
She was probably one of the guests. She looked upset and Charlotte wondered if she should go and ask if she was okay.
She put her hand on the rail to start up the steps, but stopped when she heard a door closing and footsteps. She froze when she saw him. Ben was carrying two mugs. The woman smiled as he handed her one.
Charlotte drank in the sight of him. There he was—her Ben. She’d thought he was the most handsome guy in the world when they were kids. When she’d seen him in Vegas, he’d taken her breath away. The years had been kind to him; he’d matured into a very good-looking man.
“I wanted to apologize for the way I reacted on Sunday.”
Charlotte was surprised how clearly the woman’s voice carried on the early morning air. She should turn around and leave. Whatever Ben and this woman were talking about was none of her business. She let go of the railing and stepped back down.
“There’s no need to apologize, Angel. It was a shock when I told you Charlie was coming back. I understand that.”
Charlotte held her breath. It shouldn’t be any of her business, but the sound of Ben’s voice held her captive, and the mention of her name kind of did make it her business, didn’t it?
“It was, especially after what happened between us on Saturday night.”
Charlotte closed her eyes. What had happened between them on Saturday night?
She really didn’t want to know. She tiptoed back around the corner, and once she was clear of the building, sprinted back across the square to her car.
The tires screeched as she pulled away, but it didn’t matter by then.
Even if Ben saw her, at least she wasn’t still standing eavesdropping on his conversation with his angel.
When she got back to the house, she made herself a fresh pot of coffee. It was probably a bad idea, but not as bad as opening a bottle of wine at six o’clock in the morning!
~ ~ ~
Ben looked up at the sound of car tires screeching, grateful for the excuse to look away from Angel’s intense gaze.
“Please say something?”
Ben sighed. “I want to say I’m sorry, Angel. I’ve treated you badly, and I apologize for that.”
“No, you haven’t! What do you even mean?”
He’d given a lot of thought to the matter after his conversations with Joe and Smoke and Missy.
They were three of the people he respected most in the world, so he had to take what they’d said seriously.
And they were partly right. Angel had somehow become a part of his life, and he liked it.
“I meant what I told you. If I wasn’t still in love with Charlotte, then yes, I probably would be interested in you.
Not for something casual, but for something real. ”
She nodded and watched his face closely. “And are you still in love with Charlotte?”
“Of course, I am!” See, he’d done it again. He’d snapped at her because she was poking at his fears. Fears he hadn’t even acknowledged until she brought them to the surface. He blew out a sigh. “That’s what I mean about treating you badly. You ask me questions I haven’t asked myself yet.”
Angel nodded. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.
That’s what I came here to tell you. I care about you, Ben.
I want to see you happy, and I understand that that isn’t going to be with me.
I will do whatever you need me to. I’ll stay out of your way, if that’s what’s best for you—and for Charlotte. ”
Ben held her gaze. “I don’t want you to do that.”
“Think about it. I’ll understand if you do.
I’m not saying I’ll leave—unless you want me to.
We could easily find ways to handle everything on the phone.
There’s nothing we need to see each other for.
I can stay over at Four Mile. In fact, I should be getting over there now.
” She raised her mug to him. “Thanks for the coffee.”
Ben watched her go, wondering why he felt sad at the thought of her staying over at Four Mile and them not running the business together the way they had been these last few months.