by SJ McCoy
Ben stared at her. He didn’t know what to say.
Missy shook a finger at him. “Don’t give me the Mr. Innocent. You know damned well what I’m talking about! What did she say yesterday morning? Oh, I know. You’re kindred spirits, right? And you’re a genius.”
“She only said it was a stroke of genius to …” said Dan.
Missy swung to face him. “Don’t you try and defend her.”
Dan held his hands up and laughed. “Hey, I’m just reminding you of the facts. They get lost sometimes when you get …”
Missy glared at him and he smiled and zippered his lip. They both laughed and Missy turned back to Ben. “Okay, so maybe I’m getting a bit carried away, but I honestly thought you were coming over here to tell me that you were seeing Angel. I thought you were worried I was going to be mad at you.”
“Wow.” Ben shook his head. “It feels like you’re mad that I’m not.”
Missy shook her head. “No. I’m not. I’m just surprised.”
“Miss, after all these years … you’ve always known all I wanted was Charlie. How can you be surprised?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I know it’s crazy, but I think I’d really started to believe that it wasn’t going to happen.”
“And are you happy that it is going to happen?”
She didn’t answer immediately. “I don’t know. I really just don’t know. I’d love to believe that you two will finally make each other happy, but if you want to know the truth, I’m not sure that you will. Even more than that, I’m scared that you won’t.”
Ben nodded. He shouldn’t be surprised. Smoke and Joe had already voiced the same thoughts. “You know, I saw Emma earlier. I had to tell her because she heard me answer when Charlie called. So far, she’s the only one who’s been genuinely happy for me.”
“Aww, Ben. You know I’ll be happy with whatever makes you happy. I don’t want to pee on your parade.”
He held up a hand. “I know, I didn’t mean it like that. I should have said it differently. You and Joe and Smoke, you’re all wary, you have your reservations, and you’ve each questioned me about Angel. Emma? She just did her little happy dance.”
Missy pursed her lips. “Maybe that’s because our Em’s the only one who still believes in fairy tales?”
Ben nodded. “Maybe.”
Chapter Seven
Charlotte was exhausted. In the last forty-eight hours, she’d tied up everything that had been her life in London, and left it behind. She’d landed in LA last night and spent the night in an airport hotel. When she used to make this trip as a kid, her grandparents would pick her up at the airport and drive her straight home to the lake, and then she’d go out with Ben for a couple of hours as well. Getting old sucked! Last night she’d fallen into bed as soon as she got to her room. Of course, she’d woken up at stupid o’clock this morning, because her body thought it was lunchtime already. An eight-hour time difference did that to you.
She’d picked up her rental car. A month’s rental wasn’t cheap, but she hadn’t known what else to do. It meant she’d be able to get around while she got herself set up at the lake. She’d buy herself something small and economical as soon as she could, and the guy at the rental desk had told her that she could turn this one in early no problem—she’d only be charged for the days that she had it.
Her energy level soared as she caught her first glimpse of the lake. Home. That’s what this place felt like, even now, after all these years. Home was where the heart was, and her heart had stayed here with Ben.
She couldn’t wait to see him. She gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. She couldn’t wait, but she was going to make herself wait. She hadn’t told him she was here. She’d talked to Austin, the realtor, who had found her an adorable little house down by the water, a little way out of town. She’d asked him not to breathe a word to anyone about her arrival. He was going to meet her at the house this afternoon to give her the keys and do a walk-through and everything. Was she crazy? She could call Ben right now and tell him she was almost there. She wasn’t going to though. She was trying to be sensible. It didn’t feel right to make him responsible for her. She’d meant what she said about coming to him as an equal. She didn’t want to be a visitor, or a guest. She wanted to live here, have her own life here. It really was crazy to think that the two of them could start out like a normal couple—not with the history they shared—but she wanted it to be as normal as possible.
It was weird to drive through town. Everything had changed, and yet nothing had changed. Main Street was busy, many of the stores were still the same. Their signs all looked bright and freshly painted. The sidewalks were well kept and orderly. The trash cans looked new, the flower beds were well kept. It seemed someone with an eye for detail and orderliness had taken charge of town business. She smiled to herself; she wouldn’t be surprised if it were Pete!
Her smile faded as she entered the square. She could have skirted town, but she’d needed to drive through and see. The resort looked as though it’d had the same kind of makeover as the rest of town. The lodge looked smart, the Boathouse had an amazing two-story deck where people were sitting out eating over the water. She slammed on the brakes at the sound of a horn blaring. She’d pulled straight out into the path of a big pickup truck. It was a good thing the driver was paying more attention to the road than she was. She raised a hand and gave him an apologetic smile as he passed. Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself together. She needed to get to the house, get settled in, and take a nap. She shouldn’t be driving down memory lane while she was jet-lagged.
The directions Austin had given her took her straight to the house, no problem, and she was grateful for that. He was waiting for her when she arrived. Or at least she hoped the guy sitting in the truck on the driveway was Austin. She really didn’t want to see anyone else.
“Charlotte?” He smiled and came to greet her as she got out of the car.
She nodded and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Austin. Thanks for arranging this so quickly, and for keeping quiet about it.”
“Of course. I don’t talk about my clients’ business anyway, but I understand it’s especially important to you to be able to spring a surprise.”
She nodded, wondering how well he knew Ben, and what, if anything, he knew about her.
“Come on inside. I’ll show you around and then leave you to it. Do you need a hand with your bags?”
“Yes, please. That’d be wonderful.” She opened the trunk and pulled out one of the suitcases.
Austin took hold of the other one. “Where are the rest?”
She smiled. “This is it. I travel light.”
“Wow!” Austin chuckled. “Any chance you could give my girlfriend lessons? She packs more than this when we go away for a week.”
“And I bet she looks great the whole time you’re away. We’re all different, we need to celebrate those differences. I’m pretty mobile but I look like a scarecrow most of the time. Your girlfriend might need a moving van to go on holiday, but I just know she looks amazing.”
Austin smiled and nodded. “Yeah. She does. Thanks for shedding a different light on it for me.”
Charlotte grinned. “My pleasure. Come on. No offense, but I want to get inside, do the walk-through and get rid of you as soon as possible.”
Austin laughed. “None taken.” He carried the case to the front door and unlocked it, holding it open so she could go in first.
“Oh, my goodness. This place is gorgeous!” Charlotte loved it. It was small for an American house, which meant it was still much bigger than she was used to. She dropped the case and went to the big prow window that looked out over the lake. She closed her eyes to keep in the tears that threatened to fall. “I always wanted to live down on the water.”
“Well, now you do.”
She nodded. “It’s beautiful.”
“Let me show you around.” He led her through to the kitchen. It was huge! She loved it. Map
le cabinets and stainless steel appliances, it was just her style.
Austin opened the fridge, looking uncertain. “I asked the cleaning crew to do a basic shop for you. I figured you’d probably be tired when you arrived, and I didn’t think you’d want to blow your surprise by being spotted at the grocery store.”
Charlotte laughed. “You might be my new favorite person! Thank you so very much.”
Austin smiled. “You’re welcome. You’ve got everything you’ll need for the next few days at least.”
Charlotte nodded. “Thank you.”
After he’d shown her around the house and shown her how the appliances worked, she walked him to the door.
“Feel free to call me if there’s anything you need. Anything for the house, or anything to help you with your surprise.”
Charlotte smiled. “Do you know Ben well?”
Austin nodded. “We’ve worked together for a good few years now. It’s funny, we don’t hang out much or anything like that, but I do consider him a good friend. I think everyone does.”
She smiled. “That’s just the kind of guy he is.”
“Yeah. He’s the best. Anyway. Like I said, do call me.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you.”
Once she’d closed the door behind him, she went back inside and wandered around. This was her new home—and she loved it. She’d loved it in the pictures Austin had emailed her, but it was even better in person. She opened the door and let herself out onto the deck. It was perfect. The view of the lake was gorgeous. The yard went all the way down to the water and the property was surrounded by trees. Although she knew she had neighbors on either side, she couldn’t see them—and they couldn’t see her. This felt like her own private little retreat. She couldn’t help the little squeal of delight when she spotted the hot tub. She could not wait to get in there. She couldn’t wait to get Ben in there either! But she needed to take her time about that.
She went into the kitchen and opened the fridge, curious as to what Austin thought of as a basic shop. She laughed. It looked more like her version of a full monthly stock up. There were eggs, milk, bacon, bread—though why Americans insisted on putting that in the fridge she never had understood. There was juice and beer and so much more. She opened the freezer out of curiosity and laughed when she saw three frozen pizzas and three microwave dinners. Moving on to check the cupboards, she found all kinds of crisps and snacks and cookies—and three bottles of wine! This was absolutely brilliant. She went back to the fridge and grabbed herself a beer—it’d be rude not to, considering someone had gone to so much trouble on her behalf. She took the beer upstairs to unpack, grateful that Austin had carried the cases up for her. She dragged them into the bedroom and flopped down on the bed. Maybe she should hold off on the beer. If she drank it before her nap, she might not wake up again until tomorrow.
As it turned out, she didn’t need a drink to make her sleep through. She’d just closed her eyes for a minute and now she was awake and it was dark outside. She got up and groped along the wall for a light switch. Of course, it wasn’t in any of the places a sensible person would put a light switch. She found it eventually, by the bathroom door, which was a good thing as she had to go in there anyway.
When she came out of the bathroom, she left all the lights on, hoping it would help her find the switch on the landing. It did and she made her way downstairs and through the house, leaving a trail of blazing light in her wake until she found her purse on the kitchen counter. She fished out her phone to check the time and groaned when she saw that it was twenty past three in the morning. Great. Now she’d screwed herself up for another day. She’d have to just make damned sure that she didn’t go to sleep again until at least eleven o’clock tonight. That was the only way her body would ever get used to the time change. She found the coffee pot—she knew there was no point in hoping or looking for a kettle. That was okay; she’d pick one up when she went shopping. For now, she needed good strong coffee anyway—and probably a whole pot of it.
By five-thirty she’d showered and was dressed. She’d unpacked her clothes and found homes for the few personal belongings she’d brought with her. She’d even made an egg and bacon croissant—and silently thanked Austin again while she munched on it. Now she was pacing the place. She wanted to see Ben, and she was starting to get a little antsy. Was this a big mistake, surprising him like this? She wanted to prove to him that she wasn’t as impetuous as she used to be, but turning up without warning like this didn’t do much to help her case, did it? She’d thought it would be romantic—right somehow. But maybe it was all wrong? She sighed. She’d find out soon enough. Maybe she should compromise and call him instead of waltzing into the resort at breakfast time as she’d planned. She nodded. She should do that.
She looked at the clock on the microwave. What time would be decent to call him? Not this early, not before six in the morning. And what was she going to do while she waited? She opened the fridge and eyed its contents. She could still eat something. Nothing in there appealed so she went to check the cupboard. Doughnuts! Why hadn’t she spotted those earlier? She pulled them out and a thought struck her as she was opening the box. Joe loved his doughnuts. He used to go down early in the morning to get the first batch fresh from the bakery. He’d take them and his coffee to sit out behind the restaurant before he started his day. She wondered if he still did. He probably wouldn’t; he didn’t work anymore. From what Ben had told her, he was enjoying his retirement and hanging out with Emma’s Gramps. Maybe, though. Maybe he still carried out his little ritual. Now the thought had taken hold, she didn’t want to shift it. It’d be so lovely to find him down there and sit and drink coffee with him. She grabbed the car keys. It was a five-minute drive. She had to go see.
She parked the car in the square and locked it, even though she felt silly doing so. You didn’t need to lock your car in Summer Lake; it wasn’t that kind of place. But she was used to living in places where you’d be crazy not to lock it—and it wasn’t her car anyway. She walked over to the Boathouse. It looked so different and yet still the same. The spot where Joe used to sit was now covered by the big deck. There was no sign of him up there. However, there was a woman sitting there. A very pretty woman with long blonde hair. She was probably one of the guests. She looked upset and Charlotte wondered if she should go and ask if she was okay.
She put her hand on the rail to start up the steps, but stopped when she heard a door closing and footsteps. She froze when she saw him. Ben was carrying two mugs. The woman smiled as he handed her one.
Charlotte drank in the sight of him. There he was—her Ben. She’d thought he was the most handsome guy in the world when they were kids. When she’d seen him in Vegas, he’d taken her breath away. The years had been kind to him; he’d matured into a very good-looking man.
“I wanted to apologize for the way I reacted on Sunday.”
Charlotte was surprised how clearly the woman’s voice carried on the early morning air. She should turn around and leave. Whatever Ben and this woman were talking about was none of her business. She let go of the railing and stepped back down.
“There’s no need to apologize, Angel. It was a shock when I told you Charlie was coming back. I understand that.”
Charlotte held her breath. It shouldn’t be any of her business, but the sound of Ben’s voice held her captive, and the mention of her name kind of did make it her business, didn’t it?
“It was, especially after what happened between us on Saturday night.”
Charlotte closed her eyes. What had happened between them on Saturday night? She really didn’t want to know. She tiptoed back around the corner, and once she was clear of the building, sprinted back across the square to her car. The tires screeched as she pulled away, but it didn’t matter by then. Even if Ben saw her, at least she wasn’t still standing eavesdropping on his conversation with his angel.
When she got back to the house, she made herself a fresh pot of coffee. It was proba
bly a bad idea, but not as bad as opening a bottle of wine at six o’clock in the morning!
~
Ben looked up at the sound of car tires screeching, grateful for the excuse to look away from Angel’s intense gaze.
“Please say something?”
Ben sighed. “I want to say I’m sorry, Angel. I’ve treated you badly, and I apologize for that.”
“No, you haven’t! What do you even mean?”
He’d given a lot of thought to the matter after his conversations with Joe and Smoke and Missy. They were three of the people he respected most in the world, so he had to take what they’d said seriously. And they were partly right. Angel had somehow become a part of his life, and he liked it. “I meant what I told you. If I wasn’t still in love with Charlotte, then yes, I probably would be interested in you. Not for something casual, but for something real.”
She nodded and watched his face closely. “And are you still in love with Charlotte?”
“Of course, I am!” See, he’d done it again. He’d snapped at her because she was poking at his fears. Fears he hadn’t even acknowledged until she brought them to the surface. He blew out a sigh. “That’s what I mean about treating you badly. You ask me questions I haven’t asked myself yet.”
Angel nodded. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. That’s what I came here to tell you. I care about you, Ben. I want to see you happy, and I understand that that isn’t going to be with me. I will do whatever you need me to. I’ll stay out of your way, if that’s what’s best for you—and for Charlotte.”
Ben held her gaze. “I don’t want you to do that.”
“Think about it. I’ll understand if you do. I’m not saying I’ll leave—unless you want me to. We could easily find ways to handle everything on the phone. There’s nothing we need to see each other for. I can stay over at Four Mile. In fact, I should be getting over there now.” She raised her mug to him. “Thanks for the coffee.”