3. Charlotte
Standing in line for the Ferris wheel at the South Dakota State Fair, Amy fanned herself.
“Lottie, how long has it been since we’ve been to a state fair?
” It was Labor Day weekend, and Amy and Isobel, both nurses at the same Sioux City hospital, had surprised her with tickets to the John Fogerty concert tonight.
Charlotte shrugged, wiping the sweat from her brow with a tissue from her pocket.
The temperature had reached almost ninety degrees, but she welcomed the heat.
“Isobel, how old were you the last time we took you to the Iowa State Fair?” Charlotte asked her daughter, who was sipping freshly squeezed lemonade next to Amy, troubled that she couldn’t remember immediately.
Of course, considering the fact that Charlotte was still adjusting to the recent upheaval in her life, a lapse in memory wasn’t too shocking.
Isobel, switching out her lemonade for a caramel apple, said, “I went every year with my friends in high school, but the last time we went as a family I was fourteen, I think. Remember how Dad loved to play those games?” Their marriage may not have been a love affair for the ages, but her ex had always excelled at being a father.
A month had passed since Amy and Isobel had helped her move into her charming rental house in Beverley, and Charlotte was still acclimating to the town.
Along with Mr. Beans, the Beverley Carnegie Library and Beverley Bake Shop had become familiar haunts.
She’d actually met Ashley, the bakery owner, at the library, where they’d bonded over their love of Judith McNaught’s historical romances.
With each trip to downtown Beverley, a tiny spark of hope bloomed in her chest that she might see the man from outside the auto shop again, but she hadn’t been lucky so far.
She was, however, ridiculous, remaining on the lookout for a man who had no idea she even existed.
Amy nudged Charlotte, “Remember when we were teenagers at the fair? Strolling around, looking for hot guys?” Lowering her voice, Amy asked in an exaggerated whisper, “Speaking of hot guys, have you had any luck finding the stud on the bench?” Flushing, Charlotte shot her friend a warning look.
“What?” Amy flashed her a look of wide-eyed innocence.
“What’s this about a hot guy, Mom?”
Great, Charlotte thought, just what she needed—her daughter finding out she had a crush on some nameless, random man she’d seen only once in her life.
Trying to maintain some of her composure, Charlotte shook her head.
“It’s nothing…he’s nothing.” He wasn’t, though, not considering how she’d thought of him on an almost daily basis for the last several months.
“Aww, come on, Mom, please tell me if you’re interested in someone,” her daughter begged.
Amy linked her arm through Isobel’s. “Well, dear child, the first time we were in Beverley, we saw a man across the street from the coffee shop.”
“You mean that auto shop on the other side of the street?”
“The one and only,” Amy confirmed, grinning.
“Ooh, I’ve seen a few good-looking guys going in and out of that place.”
“Mmm, this one was super fine…had on this baseball cap…now, I’ve never known your mom to go for that look, but on him…”
Isobel grinned. “Mom, is this true?” Charlotte stayed silent, unsure whether she should deny or confirm it. “Mom,” Isobel, several inches taller, threw an arm around her shoulders, “it’s okay to be attracted to someone else. In fact, I think it’s impressive.”
“Okay, can we please move on?” Charlotte shook her head. “For one thing, I haven’t seen him again, and for another, I have no idea where to even find him.”
Amy announced, “Well, I wouldn’t mind finding a hot guy now, to be honest,” pouring some water from her bottle down the front of her chest, under her blouse, instantly making the outline of her bra visible.
Charlotte shook her head. “Subtle, Ames, really subtle.”
Amy widened her eyes in an expression of innocence—or as close as she could get, anyway.
“What? It’s freaking hot out. Calm down.
Not like I’m looking for husband number three.
I told you I am resigned to living life as a single woman from now on.
” Fanning herself, she continued, “What is with the lack of trees at a fair, anyway? Got us standing out here with the sun blazing down on us, baking while we wait to ride this thing. I tell you what, I’ll be ready for a little beer garden action before the show. What about you, Issy?”
“I could go for a tall one right about now.” Isobel elbowed Charlotte.
“Mom, you down for some beer garden action after this?” Would she ever get used to drinking alcohol with her daughter?
Since Isobel was thirty-two, she’d been legally able to drink for over ten years, but it was still difficult at times seeing her only child as an adult.
“Actually, maybe I’ll meander over there now and get us a table. I see a bunch of people heading in.”
“But what about riding with us?” Charlotte was slightly disappointed that she wouldn’t share this moment with her daughter.
“Mom, only two people fit in the car, anyway.” Isobel leaned down to hug her.
“You two go now, and after the concert, you and I can ride. Remember how we used to do that when I was a kid? It was so cool being on the rides at night, when the fairway was all lit up.” Times like these, when Isobel spoke fondly of her childhood with happy memories, made Charlotte glad that she and Brady had stayed together as long as they had, living with the quiet acceptance of having made a choice as teenagers.
Charlotte tucked a strand of hair behind Isobel’s ear. “I love you, my baby girl.”
Isobel whispered, “I’m so proud of you, Mom. Love you, too.” Watching her daughter walk away, Charlotte swiped the moisture from her eyes. “If she’s the only thing I ever get right in life, I will die happy.”
“Good lord—you’re only fifty! We’re just beginning the height of our sexual peaks, and you have a lot of living to do.
” As the wheel came to a stop, they handed their tickets to the carnival worker, who secured the door after they sat down.
“Speaking of sexual peaks, now that the kid is gone, be honest with me: how is life in Beverley so far?”
Charlotte flushed, as she did every time she thought of the man on the bench.
“I’ve been so busy getting settled into my house and starting school that I’ve barely had time to think about anything else.
” She’d only lived in Beverley for two weeks before beginning her new position as Beverley High School’s new English teacher.
After teaching language arts to freshmen for twenty years, her curriculum had expanded with the juniors she now taught.
“Just remember to keep your options open. Don’t be all business and no play.
” Charlotte rolled her eyes at Amy’s advice.
“Seriously, I know you need to focus on yourself, so I’m mostly kidding about finding that guy again.
But he was so nice on the eyes. And he was reading, Lottie!
Reading! It’s almost like it was meant to be, so I’m just saying don’t be closed off to the idea of meeting someone. ”
“This coming from the woman who just swore off men? You are so ridiculous, Ames. For one thing, I don’t even know if he’s married or single or…would even be interested,” Charlotte protested.
“I didn’t swear off men, just marriage! And I don’t know why you are always so down on yourself. Where’s that bodacious babe I’ve known all my life? The one who took charge of every situation, who was going to set the world on fire? Instead, you allowed yourself to become invisible.”
Charlotte couldn’t argue with her friend.
“Listen, I know. And being more…out there, I guess you could call it…is something I vowed to do when I moved. What’s the point of changing my life unless I embrace it?
On that topic, I have gotten friendly with most of the staff at the high school, and even made a couple of new friends in the outside world.
One of whom is a librarian at the public library.
She has the most interesting name,” Charlotte remarked to Amy, “Effie. She hasn’t lived in Beverley long, either, and we’re going to have dinner some night next week. ”
“Oh, nice. Better not think of replacing me as your bestie, though, I’m warning you.
We might live in different states now, but you can’t get rid of me!
” Chuckling at her friend’s words, Charlotte considered the nights she’d spent alone since uprooting her life, learning to live in the solitude, stopping herself before calling Amy or Isobel.
Part of her was finding it easier than she’d thought to live alone, but another part couldn’t help but listen for sounds of life from someone other than herself.
As their bucket descended, a man came into view—or the back of his head did, anyway.
Wearing a ball cap with blond fringe peeking from under the fastener, when he fully turned around, her breath quickened.
She’d questioned if she would recognize him should she see him again, after so many months.
How wrong she had been, she thought, as her heart beat erratically in her chest and blood rushed to her head.
Staring openly, she willed him to look her way, to let her catch his eye.
And then it happened. Blocking out everything around her, heat flooded her cheeks, her chest, everywhere, as his eyes then locked with hers.
To her disappointment, he turned away too soon, speaking to the man next to him.
Drifting away from him, rising as the wheel circled, she moaned in dismay.
“Lottie? Lottie?” Amy snapped her fingers, breaking her out of her spell.
“Sorry…what?” Should she admit she had spotted him? If she did, Amy would certainly want to track him down, and she didn’t necessarily need her best friend and daughter as an audience if she encountered him.