Chapter 19Charlotte Lane
Chapter 19
New Year’s Wish
Charlotte Lane
C harlotte Lane poured herself a glass of wine and settled on the shaggy maroon rug laid out in front of the crackling fireplace. Throwing a blanket over her knees, she leaned against the arm of her couch and opened an old guilty pleasure. A tattered copy of Lonesome Dove .
She was ready to celebrate the New Year.
Baylor curled up on the cushion next to her, pretending she wasn’t there. Charlotte didn’t mind. They weren’t a festive pair, but theirs was a companiable understanding.
When the doorbell rang, the cat eyed her as if she’d broken one of the house rules by waking him up. Charlotte had no idea who would be coming over at this time of night. It seemed the whole town was attending various parties, and she’d done her best to avoid them. After the craziness of the last semester, she’d hoped to end the year with a little quiet time.
She opened the door to find Wade with a bottle of champagne and a smile. Charlotte lifted her wineglass in salute.
“You started the party without me?” he asked.
She laughed. “What are you doing here?”
Wade walked past her as if he’d been invited in. “Celebrating the New Year. You know it’s New Year’s Eve? I knew you’d be holed up in here, so I thought I’d bring the fun to you.”
Charlotte walked him into the kitchen and handed him a wineglass. “What fun?”
“Me, of course.” He raised an eyebrow as if to say Duh .
“I guess you can be fun sometimes.”
“Sometimes?” He followed her into the living room and joined her on the rug. “Admit it. I’ve made your time in Crossroads a blast. What would you do if you didn’t go to the bar with me every weekend?”
If Charlotte was honest, she did love hanging out with Wade on Friday nights. The giant plate of nachos, the beer, and the soft country music playing in the background had been the highlights of her week. They’d become good friends. Talked about their school days. Joked about the wild things their students did. Even shared some secrets they’d never told anyone else before.
But they hadn’t seen each other since school let out two weeks ago, and for some reason, she now felt like she was trapped in a blind date set up by a friend. She was on edge with no idea of what to say.
“So tell me—” Wade leaned back against the sofa, stretching his long legs across the floor. Baylor was wary but allowed the closeness. “What did you used to do at A&M to bring in the New Year?”
“Nothing much. I usually just read my book, had a glass of wine. Made up some ridiculous New Year’s resolution.” She shrugged.
“Oh, let’s hear it. What was the worst resolution you ever made?”
Charlotte felt her cheeks go hot. She shook her head and took a sip of her wine. She wasn’t embarrassed because she’d done some wild and crazy things. It was the opposite. She’d never done anything worth telling about.
Wade bumped her shoulder with his. “Come on. I won’t laugh.”
She knew he wouldn’t. Charlotte shook her head again.
“I’ll share if you do.” He paused a beat. “Okay, once in high school, a buddy and me decided to gain twenty pounds of muscle by summer.” He glanced sideways at her. “We ended up with fifteen extra pounds of pizza by April and had to seriously rethink things.”
Charlotte giggled. “That’s outrageous.” She eyed his strong, lean body, trying to picture him overweight with a pizza gut.
“Hey, you weren’t supposed to laugh.”
“No, you said that you wouldn’t laugh. I never promised anything.”
He threw his arm on the couch cushion behind her shoulder. “You’ve got me there. But now it’s your turn.”
She took another drink of her wine, stalling for time. “Well, my resolution just about every year is to lose weight. But I guess no surprise there.”
“What do you mean? You always look great.”
Charlotte eyed her glass, wondering if she’d had too much to drink and misunderstood him.
Just then, a distant boom echoed through the town.
Wade looked at her, a huge smile lighting his face. “Fireworks.” He hopped up like a five-year-old and rushed to the door. “Miss Ollie said the Kirklands put on a fireworks show for the town every New Year’s Eve. Come on.”
She couldn’t stop the chuckle that slipped through her lips. His excitement made her feel like a kid again too. They rushed outside to the school parking lot across the street and watched as the sky crackled in a kaleidoscope of colors.
Back home, she’d never taken the time to watch the fireworks or celebrate the coming of the New Year.
The wind whipped around them as the grand finale erupted overhead, and Wade wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side.
As the last sparks fizzled in the sky, he looked at his watch. “They were a little early. There’s still ten minutes till midnight.”
“Look.”
A winding line of what looked like dimmed headlights was slowly making its way through town. They watched as dozens of cars and trucks pulled into the school’s parking lot and waited. Charlotte wasn’t sure what they were all expecting to happen, but she found her excitement rising with each passing minute.
Then all at once, the bells of the school started ringing like a sweet symphony. Whoops and honks joined the melody as the town celebrated the start of the year. It was the most magical thing she’d ever witnessed.
She looked up at Wade, laughing, caught up in the atmosphere. He leaned toward her, and for one second, his lips pressed against hers . . . and her heart exploded like the fireworks that had just lit up the night sky.
“Happy New Year,” he whispered.
Charlotte stared at her friend, shocked. After a moment, she smiled.
“Happy New Year,” she said.
What now? She didn’t want to read too much into this. They’d just had a little too much wine, right? That’s all. Everything would go back to normal tomorrow.
Of course it would.