15. Charlotte #3
“That, too. Those are some of my best customers.” His hot gaze lingered on her.
“At this point, though, I’ve lived here for over twenty years.
We moved here when Josh was fourteen, a couple of years after his mom left.
I know how difficult it is to reset your life.
It’s brave, what you did. Starting over. ”
To get her pulse under control, she glanced out the window, where the snow was coming down heavily.
“It seems like winter wants to hang on, doesn’t it?
I never considered how long nights can be, especially now that we’re waiting for spring.
They just drag on, something I never noticed until I was divorced. ”
“How long were you married?” Henry’s voice brought her eyes back to his, and staring into their depths, she wondered how she had ever looked away from him.
When he leaned back into his chair, his shirt stretched across his torso while his finger traced his lower lip.
She shifted in her seat, so sexually attuned to him that her nerves tingled.
“In actuality, or how long did it feel?” A bemused smile danced across his lips at her question. “We got married the summer after we graduated from high school.” At his shocked look, she added, “Isobel, our senior surprise. We were married thirty-one years.”
Henry whistled. “That’s when I got married, too, but your marriage lasted longer than mine.” His hand rubbed his chin, making her breath catch. “What man in his right mind lets you go after half a lifetime together?”
She was lost, and under his scrutiny, Charlotte’s mouth dried. “We were so young. It’s probably a miracle we lasted as long as we did. Brady, my ex, is honestly a fantastic man.” She shrugged. “We just had nothing in common by the time we turned twenty-five. Maybe even before that.”
“I know that feeling well. I often wonder if my ex and I ever had anything in common.” He shook his head, and a frown deepened the cleft in his chin. “Like your brownie. She never ate dessert, but my sweet tooth is legendary.”
“Our brownie, you mean.” Henry raised an eyebrow, and Charlotte clarified, “You bought my lunch, so I feel like it’s only fair to share it. Can’t disappoint your legendary sweet tooth, after all.”
Henry chuckled, and the sound made her skin tingle. “No, I suppose we can’t.” Using the second fork Sadie had provided on the tray, he moaned after eating a bit. “So good.”
Charlotte agreed. “They make an excellent brownie. Chewy, not cakey.”
“Yes, and sometimes they put walnuts in them.”
“Love walnuts in my brownie. Have you ever had their turtle brownie?”
“One of my favorites!” Henry tapped his fork on the plate. “What about their cream cheese brownie?”
“Mmm, yes.” She pushed the plate toward him, urging him to take the last bite. “I have to admit something, Henry.”
“Okay, this sounds ominous.” He raised a blond eyebrow at her, and the action was so sexy her heart thumped.
Focus on the brownies, she told herself. “They make good brownies here, but I make even better ones.”
“Really? Now I’m intrigued.”
“And my cream cheese brownies,” she peered at him over the top of her coffee cup, “will make you believe in miracles.”
“I believe you. You seem like someone who creates all kinds of magic.” With anyone else, his statement would’ve sounded like a line, but Henry delivered it with a sincerity she trusted.
Someone cleared their plates at some point, and their conversation ventured into areas of personal interest: what books each of them was reading (the latest in Linda Castillo’s mystery series for her, and The Count of Monte Cristo for him), what their recent binge watches were (Charlotte was watching The Wire, Henry Dexter), when suddenly, Henry pulled his ringing phone out of his pocket.
“Oh, wow,” he said, “it’s the shop. I can’t believe I’ve been gone for two hours. I’m never out for this long during the day,” he muttered, grabbing his hat from his knee as he stood. Charlotte’s recently refilled water glass tipped over as the table rocked, spilling onto the sleeve of her coat.
“Oh, Charlotte, I’m so sorry,” he said softly, his flushed cheeks making him infinitely more attractive.
“Make it up to me.” Rising from her chair, she was close enough that she had to tip her head back to look up at him, and his breath grazed her forehead. “Let’s have dinner tonight.”
“Tonight?” Her stomach cramped, and she dreaded he would refuse. Slowly, he dragged a hand through his hair before putting his hat on. “I’d love to.” His beautiful eyes never wavered from hers. “How does eight o’clock sound?”
“It sounds perfect.” After he smiled and started toward the door, she restrained herself from jumping up and down.
He turned back to look at her before leaving. “I’ll see you tonight,” Henry called to her.
“Date with Henry, huh?” Wiping down her table was Colt, her favorite barista. They had a piercing decorating each ear, nostril, and eyebrow, but what made them stand out the most was an effervescent sense of humor. “Girl, you are going to make half the women in this town jealous!”