Love By The Falls (Cedar Brook Falls #1)

1

Charlotte

Simon’s stare unnerves me. The redheaded child narrows his ice-blue eyes and tilts his head to the side. He’s been staring at me since I started the math lesson twenty minutes ago. My third graders are generally attentive but often need little reminders to keep their eyes on me and the board. Simon is usually one of those students, but not today. Looking around at their curious faces, I realize all the kids are studying me strangely.

Following their gazes, I glance down at my blouse and groan inwardly when I spot the large brown stain on the white faux silk.

“Is it poo?” he asks, and the whole classroom erupts into laughter.

I raise an annoyed eyebrow at Simon, and he smiles back meekly.

“Maybe it’s breast milk,” Savannah pipes in. “My mama has stains on her shirt, and she says it’s from feeding the baby.”

I gape at Savannah and then suck in my stomach. “It’s not breast milk.” I rub uselessly at the stain. “It’s coffee, and I must’ve spilled some on my way to work this morning. Let’s get back to this equation on the board.”

Simon is more interested in my stain than the math problem. “Are you sure that’s coffee?” He narrows his eyes as though this is an interrogation.

“Yes, Simon,” I say through gritted teeth. “I’m sure. Now, can you tell me—”

“My mom drinks coffee, and it doesn’t look that dark.”

Oh, for goodness’ sake.

I march to my desk and grab the black cardigan draped over my chair, the one I keep for cooler days, and apparently embarrassing moments. Buttoning it up to my neck, I straighten it and stare back at the children. “There. The stain’s gone. Can we get back to the math lesson?”

“It’s still there. It’s just behind your sweater.”

Lord, grant me patience today.

“Right. And if I had five stains on my shirt and washed two away, how many stains would I have left? ”

“Boy, Ms. Tanner, you sure are a messy drinker. My mama would not be happy with you.”

I sigh. “I’m not so thrilled with myself right now, either, Savannah.”

She nods sympathetically, and it strangely makes me feel better. Somehow, I muster my way through the rest of the math lesson without further interruption or questions about my drinking capabilities.

Shortly after the lunch bell rings, my cell phone vibrates in my purse. I rarely receive phone calls during the day, so I approach my phone, prepared to ignore it if it’s spam. Only, it’s not spam, it’s my best friend Jane calling, who’s also my son’s sixth grade teacher at the school.

“Jane? What’s wrong?”

“Hey, um, did you make lunch for Charlie this morning?”

“What?! Yes, of course,” I say.

“Do you remember packing it?”

“Of course, I…” my voice trails off as I recall the container on the kitchen counter and then Charlie calling my name to help him fit his new shoes inside his bag. With his knapsack full and heavy, I hadn’t noticed that I’d forgotten to pack his lunch. “Oh, shit.”

“It’s alright,” says Jane.

“It’s not. I forgot to feed my child. I have some granola bars inside my desk. I’ll run those over to you now.”

“No, wait.” Jane stops me before I open the top drawer. “It’s pizza day for those who order hot lunches. And there’s always extra in the office. I’ll just send Charlie down to grab a slice. It’ll be fine. I wanted to make sure he wasn’t lying about not having lunch so he could get pizza instead.”

“No, he’s not lying. I messed up.” I rub my eyes and forehead. Even though I don’t make a sound, Jane knows me well enough.

“Don’t cry, Charlotte. You’re a wonderful mom. We all make mistakes.”

I inhale raggedly. “Yeah. I’ve just been making a lot of them lately.”

“None of that. It’s your birthday. And I’ll bring a large bottle of wine for us to share with Sage tonight. Are you sure you don’t want to go out instead?”

“Very sure. I’ve been looking forward to cooking for my two best friends for weeks.”

It’s the truth. I want nothing more than to prepare and share a good meal with them as I say goodbye to my twenties. Jane and Sage had been there for me when others walked away. I owe them more than dinner.

“Great. Austin will come by around six to pick up Charlie. He’s been looking forward to taking the boys to the movies. I think he’s more excited to watch the new superhero flick than they are,” Jane chuckles.

“Your husband is the sweetest,” I say. “He’s so great with Charlie, and it’ll be nice celebrating just us girls tonight. I can’t remember the last time we did that.”

Out of the corner of my eye, Savannah approaches my desk. “I’ve got to go, Jane. Thanks for taking care of Charlie’s lunch. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. See you later.”

I hang up the phone and put it back in my purse before turning to Savannah with a smile. “Is everything okay?”

She hands me a thick red tube. I initially mistake it for a red marker, but on closer examination, I realize it’s a liquid stain remover pen. “My mama packs one in my bag whenever I have spaghetti for lunch. You can use it, if you want.”

She looks up at me with her large brown eyes and smiles. My lips tremble, but I press them together. “Thank you, Savannah. That is very thoughtful of you. But my stain is quite large, and I don’t want to waste your pen.”

She carefully curls my fingers over the tube and nods knowingly. “It’s okay, Ms. Tanner,” she says. “You need it more than I do.”

She skips back to her desk, and I blink rapidly, watching her put away her lunch and wonder whether the tears brimming in my eyes are from laughter or self-pity.

A bit of both, I think.

*

“Mom, where’s my Captain America T-shirt?”

I add a bit more butter to the pan as I sauté the shrimp. “Pardon?” I say while lifting the pan and tossing the shrimp in two shakes.

“My Captain America T-shirt. I can’t find it.” Charlie’s straight hair is sticking up at the sides, and his flushed cheeks make his brown eyes brighter.

“I don’t know, sweetie. Maybe it’s still in the wash if it’s not in your dresser.”

“Oh, no. I need to wear that tonight. I planned it out with Anthony and Uncle Austin. I can’t go without mine.” Charlie has called Austin ‘Uncle Austin’ since he was old enough to talk. Charlie’s real father left before he was born, and Austin was there from the beginning. Despite us not being blood relatives, calling him Uncle Austin felt right.

“Well, it’s probably not that dirty. You can pick it out from the hamper. It’ll be fine.”

Begrudgingly, he leaves, and I assume fishes through the laundry basket for his favorite T-shirt.

Just as I’m arranging the shrimp on a serving platter, the doorbell rings. “Charlie, can you get that?”

My finger brushes across the hot pan, and I hiss. Ow!

As I run my finger under some cold water, I wait for Charlie to open the door, but he’s still in his room.

Fine. I’ll do it myself.

When I open the door, three smiling faces greet me, and I throw my arms around them.

“Happy birthday!” they chant in unison.

“Thank you. I’m so glad you’re here.”

Looking around, I ask. “Where’s Anthony?”

“He’s in the car,” says Austin. He didn’t want to waste time buckling up his seat belt again.”

“But—”

“Don’t ask. We try not to reason with him when he makes no sense. He’s stubborn that way.”

“I wonder where he gets it from,” Jane says with a smirk.

“Definitely from me, darling,” says Austin. “My determination is one reason you love me so much.”

Jane laughs and I beam at the love on her face. A tiny twang of jealousy runs through me, but I shake it off. I’m happy for my best friend.

“Is Charlie ready?” asks Austin.

“I hope so. Let me get him.”

“I’m here!” Charlie shouts, while racing down the hallway. “I’m ready!” He runs straight to Austin and throws his arms around his waist. After a quick hug, he turns to do the same with Jane and Sage. “I’m so excited!”

He turns to leave, but quickly pivots and races back to me. He wraps his tiny arms around my hips and squeezes. “Happy birthday, Mom. I love you.”

I smile and run my hand through his soft, light brown hair. “I love you, too.”

Then, without further delay, he runs toward the car, shouting, “Let’s go!” as Anthony opens the door for him from the inside. I chuckle, thinking that boy surely doesn’t want to waste any seconds getting to the movie theatre.

Austin rolls his eyes but can’t hide his amusement. “Happy birthday, Charlotte. I hope you ladies have a wonderful time.”

“Thank you, Austin. I appreciate your help.”

With a nod, he runs back to the car while the boys shout and wave him over. Their excitement is contagious and seeing Charlie so happy is one of the greatest gifts Austin and Jane could have given me today.

“It smells delicious in here,” says Sage as she hangs up her coat. She’s wearing a rose-colored floral dress with black tights. Her bracelets clink as she runs a hand through her hair. Sage is my roommate and works afternoons and evenings at a Yoga Studio.

“Thank you. I know you both adore seafood, so I’ve made a couple of different dishes. I hope you like it.”

“I can’t believe you cooked on your birthday,” Jane says, following me into the kitchen.

“Why not? I enjoy it. Please sit down.”

“How was your day after the coffee incident?”

“It got better. Savannah really made me cry with that stain remover offering. It was so sweet.”

“I think you’re just not used to anyone taking care of you,” says Sage.

“Maybe,” I say before setting a bowl of seafood linguine in front of them. “Bon appétit!”

Turning, I grab the salad bowl and place it on the table before taking a seat at the head. Jane serves us the linguine, but I wait until they each take a bite before digging in.

Sage closes her eyes and groans. “You really are a fantastic cook, Charlotte.”

Jane nods. “I swear if Austin tried this, he would leave me for you.”

I laugh and shake my head. “Austin is so in love with you, Jane. I could serve him a Michelin-star dish every night, and he’d still say your egg casserole is better.”

“She’s right,” says Sage, taking another bite of her pasta. “It’s sickening, really.”

I smirk at Sage and wonder if she’s a bit jealous, too. Well, who wouldn’t want to be loved the way Austin loves Jane? It was certainly how I pictured my life with my ex before he shattered those dreams. In fairness, we both agreed not to have children, so it was quite a shock when we discovered that condoms truly weren’t a hundred percent fool-proof, and I ended up pregnant.

“What are you thinking about?” asks Jane. “Your face changed suddenly.”

I put on a smile. “Nothing. Just remembering something from my past. But now is about the present, and enjoying it with you.”

Jane watches me suspiciously. While Sage is my roommate, I’ve known Jane since we were children. We grew up in Cedar Brook Falls together, whereas Sage moved here before college.

“Speaking of presents,” says Sage.

I laugh. “That’s not what I said.”

“You know what I mean,” she waves me off.

“I thought we were waiting until after dinner?” asks Jane.

“I can’t wait that long. Besides, this will cheer her up.”

“You guys didn’t have to get me anything.”

Sage flips her long, curly hair and her bracelets jangle. “We wanted to get you something you would always remember. Something you would never buy for yourself. And something you deserve more than anyone else I know. ”

My brow furrows, intrigued by what this gift could be.

My eyes meet Jane’s and she’s smiling with her lips pressed together, barely containing her excitement. What could it be? A new purse? One of those fancy mixers? Oh, maybe they bought me a piece of costume jewelry with our birthstones or something sentimental like that.

When Sage hands me an envelope, I’m a bit confused. It’s feather-light, and I wonder if it contains cash, but their description sounded a bit more personal than that.

Sage claps her hands. “Open it!”

The envelope crinkles as I struggle to lift the flap. There’s a single sheet of paper inside and I pull it out. My name and birthday are on the top right-hand side of the envelope and my eyes run down to the lines below. There’s a date with a departure time from Newark Airport and my eyes drop further to read an arrival at Bradshaw International Airport in St. Kitts at 3:40 p.m.

“What’s this?” I ask.

“It’s an airplane ticket,” says Sage. “They don’t really give those out anymore. So, we made one on the computer.”

“Are you happy?” Jane asks, cautiously.

I stare at the ticket, and I truly don’t know how I feel about it. “Are you two coming?”

“Of course not,” explains Sage.

“Oh. Okay. Charlie and I will have some extra time together. That’ll be nice.”

How will I afford his ticket?

“Charlie’s not going, either.”

“You work in the evening, Sage. He can’t stay home alone after school.”

“Austin and I will take Charlie. He’ll love a week-long sleepover with Anthony. This vacation is just for you, Charlotte.”

“Just me? No one else is coming with me?”

Jane shakes her head. She isn’t smiling anymore.

She reaches across the table and grabs my hand. “Charlotte, for as long as I can remember, you’ve not done anything for yourself, and haven’t had a break since you were a kid. You went to college after high school, then straight to work, while raising Charlie through it all.”

“We want you to go wild and crazy on this trip like you would have in your twenties,” says Sage. “You’ve got one week to catch up on a decade. Just go nuts.”

The idea is so absurd, I can’t help but laugh. “What do you expect me to do, go all ‘Coyote Ugly’ at the bar or something?”

Sage shrugs. “Sure. Why not? This is the time to do it. Don’t be Responsible Charlotte, or Teacher Charlotte or Charlie’s Mom. Just be you. Whoever you want that to be.”

Just be me.

Do what I want to do.

I haven’t thought about that in more than ten years.

I have no freaking clue what I want to do and who I am if I’m not a mother or a teacher.

“Charlotte? Are you okay?” Jane asks.

The gift is thoughtful and extremely generous, yet my heart races as I imagine boarding a plane to an unknown destination all by myself.

Sage looks at me and then at Jane. “You were right, Jane. I should have waited until after dinner.”

She takes another bite of her pasta, then raises one eyebrow. “Who knows, maybe you’ll hook up with one of the entertainment staff. You know what they say, what happens in St. Kitts, stays in St. Kitts.”

Sage’s innuendo makes me smile. It’s a crazy idea, but maybe not so crazy if I really think about it. It’s only a week. Charlie will love spending time with Anthony, and I get a real vacation.

“Thank you,” I say. “But I plan to just relax. I’ll take some books and read all day long. It sounds perfect.”

“Or you can hook up with the bartender.”

“I’m not hooking up with anyone.”

Sage waggles her eyebrows. “I hope those will be your famous last words. ”

I wave her off, but her teasing threatens my resolve. What if I do have a little fun while on vacation? There’s no crime in that. Sage’s right. No more ‘Responsible Charlotte’.

In St. Kitts, I will do everything I normally wouldn’t allow myself to do. I could be ‘Opposite Charlotte.’