33. Charlotte
Iwanted to try as much as possible to put everything that was happening with Adam in the back of my mind. It wasn’t easy, that was for sure. I hadn’t seen his car again, but there was a chance it wasn’t even his car in the first place. I was likely just being paranoid because of the text. He hadn’t sent any more since then. Maybe he finally realised that it was time to let go, I could only hope.
Today was supposed to be a fun day between Alice and I. I’d been super excited about going dress shopping for the gala since I first found out about it. I don’t remember the last time I went clothes shopping; I don’t think I’d worn a nice dress like the ones we were looking at today since prom. I tried to dress pretty for Adam wherever possible, but it never seemed to be enough for him. I never seemed to be enough for him.
This time I wasn’t looking at dresses to please anyone else. I would buy a dress because I liked how I looked in it, not because I thought he would like how I looked in it. His favourite dresses were the ones that felt skin-tight and hugged every part of me. I hated those dresses; I felt self-conscious like every flaw and bump in my body was on show. They were uncomfortable. I loved dresses that had a little give, a little flow and made me feel relaxed.
I met up with Alice at the day care after we’d both dropped the kids off. She looked hesitant as she approached me with a hug.
“How are you doing?” she asked as she pulled away.
“I’ve been better,” I answered honestly. “I didn’t sleep well last night. Kept thinking I was hearing things outside.”
“I’m sorry, Lottie. Elijah filled me in a bit with what he knew. Maybe you should stay with one of us until this all blows over?”
“I wouldn’t want to put anybody out,” I said, shaking my head as we started walking towards her car. “The boys were kind enough to let me stay one night as it is. I don’t want to push my luck with them.”
“I don’t think you could ever push your luck with Elijah.” She laughed softly, opening her car door.
“What do you mean by that?”
“My brother likes to give the impression he’s this hard guy, but he’s a big softie when it comes to the people he cares about.” She paused. “I can see how much he cares about you, Lottie.” I took a minute to take in her words as I climbed into the passenger seat. I wanted to deny it, to pretend I didn’t think he cared about me or Theo, but I couldn’t.
Someone who didn’t care about me wouldn’t have gotten so upset over the fact that I didn’t call him when I was in trouble. I also couldn’t deny that I was starting to care about him, too.
The more time I spent with him, the more I cared. The more I wanted to make him smile or talk about things to help take some of the weight he was clearly holding on his shoulders. I wanted to help him like he was helping me.
“He’s a good guy. We didn’t exactly get off to the best start, but I think he’s more than made up for it. I appreciate the help he’s given me, the help you’ve all given me. You’ve really made us feel like one of you guys.” I felt my voice shake on the last word. I meant every part of that; our fresh start for the most part had exceeded our expectations. All I had wanted when moving here was to get away from Adam. I hadn’t expected that along the way we’d find a new family. I felt honoured to be close to the Weatherston family.
“One of us! One of us!” she chanted mockingly, but I could see her eyes welling with tears.
“You’re the sister I always wanted. Poor Lucas spent many hours wearing dresses and makeup because I was desperate for a little sister instead.” She half laughed and half cried as she spoke. We spent the next few minutes teary and attempting to pull ourselves together.
“Lottie! This is supposed to be a fun day, let’s go shopping,” she said, excitedly pulling away from the car park. According to Alice, the best places to shop for dresses were just outside of town. I was a little glad to be getting out of Rosehaven for a few hours. I wouldn’t have to worry about running into Adam.
I was overwhelmed with the options as we entered the store. It was covered head to toe in dresses of all colours and styles.
“How on Earth are we going to figure out where to start?” I questioned Alice as we walked in.
“Well, what style do you like the to wear?” she asked mindlessly, looking through a rack near the front of the store.
“I like more flowy dresses, ones that are more forgiving.”
“And what’s your favourite colour?”
I thought for a second before responding. “Like a burgundy red.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me over to a rack of red dresses.
“This is where we start,” she beamed as she started looking excitedly through the dresses, pulling out her favourites. It felt like an out-of-body experience trying on some of these dresses. It was like living someone else’s life. They were all ridiculously pretty, but none of the ones I tried on so far felt like me. I wanted to look nice, but I didn’t want to look different. The next one I tried on was a burgundy dress with a light sparkle in the pattern and a sweetheart neckline. I admired myself in the mirror as I twirled before showing Alice.
“You look beautiful,” Alice gasped, placing her hands on her face. “That is my favourite one so far!” she squealed. I had never felt so beautiful before in my entire life. Even with my hair messy and no makeup on, I felt amazing.
I giggled as I gave Alice another twirl.
“I think this is it!” I said excitedly. After taking the dress off we switched. It was Alice’s turn to find her outfit, which surprisingly didn’t take long.
“I’ve been eyeing this one up on the website for ages,” she admitted. I pulled my purse out to pay for my dress and she swatted my hand away. “This one is on me.”
“Alice, you can’t do that. It’s too much.” She shook her head.
“Please let me do this,” she said as she pulled her own purse out. “Before you came to town I was really struggling. I am in the middle of a divorce, moving back to my old town where I didn’t feel like I knew anybody. Having you come to town has really turned things around for me and I am grateful for your friendship.” She grabbed my hand and I pulled her into a hug.
“I’m really glad to have met you,” I said as we parted. I relented and let her pay. I found myself feeling excited about what was to come. No matter what, we were going to have a good time on Friday. I could feel it.
I was still on cloud nine from our shopping trip the next day when I started my shift at the café. I was washing up some of the cups from the morning rush when I heard the jingle of the bell behind me. Turning around, my eyes widened with panic.
“Adam,” I breathed.
“Hi, Lottie. Fancy seeing you here,” he drawled. My stomach was in knots at the sight of him. He looked rough, tired, and angry. “I think you and I need to have a conversation, don’t you think?”
“You shouldn’t be here.” I attempted to feel for my phone in my pocket. I needed to call Elijah. I felt around, but I couldn’t find it. I suddenly remembered I’d left it in the kitchen. Shit. Panic threatened to overwhelm me.
“That’s not how you’re supposed to talk to customers, Lottie. Although, you were always a terrible waitress.” His words stung more than then they should have. Gone were the days where he praised me, where he told me how great I was. Only the darker side of Adam seemed to remain now. Adam and I got so caught up in our exchange neither of us heard the bell ring as another customer entered the café.