Unexpected Choices (Cape Cod #5)

Prologue

“ D on’t you think it’s a little ambitious to put on Les Misérables ?”

Charlotte shifted the phone from one ear to the other. “No, why would I think that? These kids are really talented, and they’ve got the singing chops.”

Savannah snorted. “Yeah, but they’re seventh graders. How disciplined can they be? You know they’ll end up losing focus, and you’ll end up stressing yourself out…just like you always do.”

Charlotte frowned, reached into the box, and pulled out a streamer from last year’s production of Wicked . “I do not always do that. It’s called having faith and reaching for the stars.”

Savannah started to laugh. “It’s called falling flat on your face.”

Charlotte scowled. “You know, it would help if you had a little more faith in me. I’ve put on a few of these plays so far.”

Especially since Charlotte was always supportive of her sister, regardless of whatever endeavor Savannah put her mind to. Over the years, Charlotte had learned not to balk or wince as her little sister had flitted from one project and one course to the next, always chasing something just out of reach.

It wasn’t Savannah’s fault she couldn’t commit to anything, at least not completely. But Charlotte found herself worrying about her little sister far more than she wanted to. With their mother indulging her whims and every flight of fancy, it was up to Charlotte to be the voice of reason. To stand firm in the belief that consistency was the key to success.

No matter how good Savannah was at something, and she had many discernible talents, Charlotte knew if she didn’t stick to one thing, she wasn’t going to get very far.

Which was why Charlotte had spent the better part of a year trying to convince Savannah that medical school wasn’t for her.

It was the biggest commitment of her professional career!

And the last thing Charlotte wanted was to see her sister crash and burn so publicly while she stood on the sidelines, unable to help. She hated knowing she’d tried and failed to get through to her sister, but now, she had no choice. Regardless of her feelings about the matter, and how she broke out into a cold sweat at the thought of her sister being away in med school, where anything could go wrong, she knew she had to be supportive.

Savannah deserved at least that much.

Her sister’s voice turned garbled, and then, Charlotte couldn’t make out anything. She pulled the phone away from her ear and shrugged when the line went dead. After she tried to dial Savannah back a few times, only to get a busy signal, she shoved her phone back into her pocket. With a sigh, Charlotte glanced around the Lawrence School auditorium and sighed. Then, she placed both hands on her hips and tried to envision the audience in the seats, a few of which had stuffing hanging out of them.

The auditorium itself was huge, with several rows of seats that glistened and shone underneath the overhead lighting. When Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut, she saw the rows of parents on their feet, cheering and clapping, and she saw herself standing backstage, tears in her eyes.

Even though it was summer, and the students were still a couple of months from coming back, she already had high hopes for the year.

Once she opened her eyes again, she reached back into the boxes to go through the decorations and costumes from last year. Although most of them wouldn’t be suitable for this year’s production, she knew she wanted to try to make use of some of them.

With a smile, Charlotte sat down in the middle of the quiet stage and tucked her legs under her. She fished her phone out of her pocket, selected a random playlist, and began to hum along. A few boxes later, she had a shawl thrown over her shoulders, a plastic tiara on her head, and was belting out a sad song from the movie version of the play with her arms flung on either side of her. She was so engrossed in the lyrics and the feelings bubbling up within her, she didn’t hear the door open.

And she didn’t realize she was being watched until Patrick Lisbon, the science teacher, jumped on stage and joined her in harmony. Charlotte lost her rhythm and stumbled over the lyrics as she fumbled for her phone. Hastily, she jabbed the screen until she was able to stop the music. Slowly, she turned to face Patrick, who stood there with one hand in the pocket of his tanned khakis and an easy smile on his face.

Charlotte’s heart missed a beat when he lifted his gaze to hers.

She opened her mouth and forgot the rest of her sentence.

Say something, Char. You can’t just stand here like an idiot.

Color crept up her neck and cheeks as she shifted from one foot to the other and tried to rein in her racing mind. But the harder she tried to focus on salvaging her dignity, the farther away it felt. She was standing in the middle of an auditorium in a shawl, with a sparkly tiara on her head, and smudges of color on her fingertips.

She couldn’t have planned a more embarrassing moment if she’d tried.

Patrick reached into the nearest box and flicked his sandy brown hair out of his eyes. “So, does this mean you’re going to be putting on Les Misérables for the winter play?”

Charlotte swallowed and ignored the thumping of her heart. “Yeah, what do you think? Too ambitious?”

Patrick shook his head and put back a foam scepter he’d dug up. “No, but it might be a little too dark. Doesn’t Fontaine die in the first half or so of the movie?”

Charlotte paused. “Well, yeah, but it’s a powerful story about standing up for what you believe in. About honor and bravery and loyalty.”

Patrick nodded. “Yeah, but it’s still depressing. I mean, it’s right there in the title. You couldn’t think of anything else?”

Charlotte ran a hand over her face. “Not really, and Principal Higgins said it’s hard to get plays approved because of copyright agreements.”

Patrick shoved his other hand into his pocket. “He gave you that speech too, huh? I think he was telling me something about that the other day.”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “You teach science. Isn’t it all kind of based on each other?”

Patrick threw both hands in the air. “That’s exactly what I said. So, how did you get roped into working for the summer? Did Candice fake another knee injury?”

Charlotte choked back a laugh. “Not this year. I volunteered.”

Patrick blinked. “What am I missing here? Why would you volunteer?”

Charlotte made a sweeping hand gesture. “Have you seen this place? I have to make sure everything is to size and we’re ready for a production this big, especially if the kids are going to be ready by December.”

“I’ll be in the cheap seats throwing rotten tomatoes.”

Charlotte stuck her tongue out at him. “In that case, I’ll show up to the science fair and ask all of the annoying questions.”

Patrick laughed, and it made her blush even further.

He had a beautiful laugh, the kind that made her stop what she was doing just to listen to it, and he made her feel like she was in high school again. Sometimes, Charlotte imagined herself doodling his name in her notebook, with hearts next to it. Other times, she shoved her feelings for him to the back of her mind and tried to ignore how tingly he made her feel. Like she was floating on clouds.

She and Patrick had been friends for years, ever since they collided with each other during teacher orientation day a few years ago. Since then, Charlotte had longed from a distance, gazing whenever he wasn’t looking and discreetly sniffing the air whenever he was around. He smelled like sandalwood and pine, a distinct mixture that made her stomach dip.

Of all the people to have a crush on, it had to be someone you work with, didn’t it?

“Tell you what. We can both show up to each other’s events and make a big stink. It’ll be fun.”

Charlotte took a step back and coughed. “Yeah, I don’t know about that. It’s just going to confuse the kids. Also, I’m sure we wouldn’t be setting a good example.”

Patrick waved her comment away. “This isn’t much better. We’re supposed to be enjoying our summer, not putting in extra hours.”

“Pot calling the kettle black,” Charlotte teased breathlessly. “I don’t recall anyone forcing you to be here.”

Patrick opened his mouth to respond, and Charlotte’s phone rang, interrupting him. After offering him a sheepish smile, she fished the phone out of her pocket and stared at the screen. Addison’s name flashed across for a few seconds before Charlotte canceled the call. With a frown, she sent her friend a quick message and turned her attention back to Patrick, who was peering behind the curtain.

She liked watching him on stage, where he came to life little by little.

In another life, she imagined him on Broadway with his deep baritone voice and classic old Hollywood good looks. With his chiseled jaw, deep-set blue eyes, and broad shoulders, Charlotte was sure Patrick could’ve chosen to be any number of things, but for some unbeknownst reason, he’d chosen teaching as a profession.

It both confused and thrilled her.

Charlotte’s phone buzzed before she could call out to Patrick. He was wandering around backstage when another text came in from Addison. Since their conversation a few days ago, Charlotte had no idea how to talk to her friend. Not only had Addison poured her heart and soul out over wine and nachos, but she’d also confided in Charlotte she was worried about the fate of her marriage.

All because she and her husband couldn’t conceive naturally.

Charlotte’s heart broke at the thought, knowing how much Addison wanted to be a mom, but she knew she was the last person to be offering any advice. It had been years since Charlotte had dated anyone seriously, and unlike Addison, she didn’t have her entire life mapped out from A to Z.

I’m sorry, Addison. I wish I knew how to make things better for you.

But she didn’t; she didn’t even have any clue where to start, and it made Charlotte feel even more guilty.

What was she supposed to say to her best friend who couldn’t carry a baby to term?

How was she, a middle school drama teacher, supposed to make things any better?

Patrick returned to the main part of the stage with his phone pressed to his ear. He pulled it away and covered the mouthpiece. “There’s some kind of accident on Hamilton Avenue. It doesn’t sound like it’s serious, but try to take Lakeview on the way out.”

Charlotte offered him a small smile. “Thanks.”

She watched his back as he walked away, a small part of her tempted to reach out, just to see what it would feel like to run her fingers through his silky hair. When he was far enough away, Charlotte sighed and picked the script up off the floor. She flipped through it a few more times and then gathered her things.

On her way home, Charlotte slowed to see the pileup of cars.

A few of them had smoke coming out of the hoods, but with an ambulance nearby and a group of uniformed police officers racing toward them, she knew they were in good hands. Still, the grisly sight left an uneasy feeling in the pit of Charlotte’s stomach.

It reminded her of how quickly everything could change and how, in the blink of an eye, a person’s entire life could be turned upside down.

She grimaced and pulled onto Gifford Street and past the Holiday Inn. On her drive home, she turned up the music and tapped her fingers to the beat. Slowly, she pulled up outside her apartment building on Kathy Ann Lynn Street, across from a Western Union that always had a row of people lined up and a Stop & Shop that housed a smell Charlotte still couldn’t identify. In the distance, dogs barked, and children on bikes called out to each other.

On the third floor, Charlotte shoved her key into the lock and grunted. On the third push, the door burst open, and her roommates’ cats came running over.

“Hi, Jewel. Hello, Mr. Crunchball. How was your day today?”

The two cats, one an orange and white tabby and the other a midnight-black rescue, rubbed their tails against her leg as they wove between them. Charlotte flicked on the lights, walked into the kitchen, and retrieved a bottle of water. She stood in the middle of the kitchen, and silence surrounded her.

She hated coming home to an empty apartment.

Charlotte didn’t like the deafening silence that surrounded her or being able to hear the sound of her own even breathing. She didn’t even like being left alone with her thoughts and suddenly wished her loud and nosy roommates were there, if only to distract her from the ache in her chest.

With a sigh, she trudged into her room and threw herself onto the bed.

This is the life you chose for yourself, Char. If you don’t like it, you’ll have to be the one to change it.