by S. J. McCoy
“This has been such a great day, and it’s going to get even better when Charlotte gets here. I can’t wait to see her!”
Missy nodded. She was excited, too, but she was feeling bad about Ben. “I hope Ben’s going to stick around,” she said. “Did you notice how quiet he was on the way back from the chapel?”
“I did.” Emma sighed. “I wish there was some way they could just be friends. You know, be happy to see each other after all this time. Maybe they’ll get talking and everything will be okay. Do you think?”
Missy didn’t. She remembered her conversation with Ben earlier in the week. “I don’t. It’s too hard for him. He’s not over her, and I don’t think he ever will be.”
Emma sighed again. “I wish I had a time machine and could go back and change what happened between them. Make it right.”
Missy smiled sadly. “Life’s not like that though, is it. We’d all go back and change something.” She shrugged. “A year ago I would have gone back and changed things, and look what I would have missed out on. I would never have met Dan. And nothing I went back to could make me as happy as I am right now. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that there’s no point wishing we could change yesterday. All we can do is our best to make a better tomorrow.”
Emma smiled. “Well, aren’t you quite the philosopher?”
Missy laughed. “You get a diploma in that stuff when you graduate from the School of Hard Knocks…. Oh my God! There she is!” Missy started waving madly when she spotted Charlotte.
Emma squealed and clapped her hands together before she too started waving like a crazy person! “Charlotte!” she shouted so loudly that people around them turned to look.
Charlotte grinned and waved back. When she reached them, the three of them stood there squealing and hugging.
When they’d calmed down enough to actually speak, Charlotte grinned at Missy. “Have you grown, shrimp? I’m sure you’re taller than you were last time I saw you.”
Missy laughed. “No, you’re just shrinking in your old age, beanpole. I can’t believe you’re finally here.”
“You can’t? How do you think I feel? It took forever! I needn’t have worried about having enough time in Dallas. I ended up sitting there for ages waiting for this second flight.”
“Well, you’re here now,” said Emma. She took hold of Charlotte’s case and started pulling it toward the exit. “Come on! You’re missing a perfectly good party.”
Charlotte looked at Missy. “You’re partying? I thought I missed the hen night?”
Missy laughed. “You did. This is a reception for two of our friends who made the most of being in Vegas to sneak off and get married themselves.”
“Well, they tried to sneak off,” said Emma, “but our Miss was on the case. You know what she’s like. She rounded everyone up and got us all there. And now she and Dan are throwing a party for them.”
They walked outside and Charlotte started heading toward the line of people waiting for taxis.
“This way,” called Emma.
Charlotte gave Missy a puzzled look as they kept walking. “We have our very own shuttle bus,” explained Missy.
“Oh wow, this Dan of yours is sparing no expense is he?”
“It wasn’t Dan, it was Ben,” said Emma.
Missy watched Charlotte’s face for a reaction, but she wasn’t giving anything away. “He rented it to get us all to Kenzie and Chase’s wedding this afternoon, then decided we may as well keep it for the rest of the weekend. It seems someone is always needing to go somewhere. This makes life much easier.”
The driver took Charlotte’s bag from Emma and the three of them climbed on board. Charlotte looked around. “I guess I don’t need to ask if the resort is doing well. This must have cost him a pretty penny.”
Missy nodded. “The resort does very, very well. I just wish I could say the same for Ben. He works his ass off.”
Charlotte nodded. “No surprises there. He always has.” She held Missy’s gaze. “How is he?”
Missy shrugged. “He’s okay. His parents are supposed to be coming tonight. But whether they will or not is another matter.”
Charlotte smiled. “Oh, I hope they do. I’d love to see them.”
Missy nodded. She knew how much they loved Charlotte. It bothered her that they seemed to care more about her than they did Ben.
“How are you anyway?” asked Emma. “And where’s Alastair? Why didn’t he come?”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “It’s good to see you’re still as nosey as ever, Mousey.”
Emma hung her head, “Sorry. I’m just excited to see you. I want to hear all your news, that’s all.”
Charlotte shrugged. “We decided it’d be best if he didn’t come.”
Missy wrinkled her nose. “Why though?”
“Good God! You’re as bad as she is!”
Missy grinned. “That’s what friends are for.”
“What? To bug the shit out of you until you divulge every detail of your personal life?”
“Pretty much. So spill. What’s going on with you two?”
Charlotte stared out of the coach window for a few moments. “We’ve been going through a rough patch recently.”
Missy knew she shouldn’t, but she felt a rush of happiness at that news.
Emma apparently felt the same way, but she had no qualms whatsoever about saying so. “Well get rid of him then and come back home to the lake with us!”
“Emma!” Missy gave her the look she usually saved for Scot when he was misbehaving.
“What?” Emma was unrepentant.
Charlotte laughed. “It’s okay, Miss. Part of me wishes I could do just that. But I can’t.”
“Why not?” they both asked at once.
“Well, aside from all the practical details of having a life in London. I can’t just get rid of him as Emma puts it. I married him. I made a commitment. And if I left him, it would be for all the wrong reasons.”
“What reasons?” Missy asked. Though she had a feeling she already knew.
Charlotte shrugged. “There’s no point getting into it, because it’s not going to happen. Oh look! There it is!”
They were almost back to the Bellagio. Charlotte pointed through the window to the beautiful building, fronted by the pool where later the fountains would dance.
“Are you really excited to see the hotel, or is that just a diversion tactic to end this conversation?”
Charlotte gave Emma a wry smile. “You figure it out. And if you don’t mind, Miss, I want to go check in and go up to my room. It’s been a long day for me already. I need a shower and a couple of minutes to pull myself together before I can start partying.”
“Of course. We’ll come with you.”
“Don’t you need to get back to your guests?”
“They’re fine. And besides, they’re not my guests right now. They’re Kenzie and Chase’s guests.”
“I’ll go tell them you’re on the way,” said Emma.
“Thanks, Mouse.”
~ ~ ~
Emma made her way back to the function room. She wished with all her heart that Charlotte and Ben could somehow find their way back to each other. She knew it wasn’t possible. Their paths had separated so abruptly, so long ago. They’d both built a life for themselves that didn’t include the other, but in Emma’s mind at least, they still belonged together. She so wanted for Ben to be happy. He deserved it more than anyone she knew. She didn’t believe he ever would be happy with anyone who wasn’t Charlotte, though. And Charlotte was married. To someone else. And lived on the other side of the Atlantic. But still. For all Emma loved to predict happily-ever-afters for her friends, she couldn’t ever see Ben finding his without Charlotte.
The function room was crowded. Everyone was talking and laughing, eating and drinking. She’d wanted to come back here rather than go with Missy and Charlotte for a couple of reasons. She wanted to let Ben know to prepare himself. She wanted to let
Dan know that Missy was back, so anything that was going on with getting her dad here needed to be shushed up. She looked around the crowded room—she’d wanted to find Jack. She loved that man with all her heart.
Ben found her before she found anyone else. He looked stressed. She hugged him tight before he could say a word.
He gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks, Em. I take it she’s here?”
She nodded. “She’s going to check in and take a shower before she comes down.”
“I’ll probably miss her then.”
“Why? Where are you going?”
“I’m going back to the lake with Smoke and the doc.”
“Oh. Okay. You are going to come back with them, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am. I wouldn’t miss the wedding for the world. It’s just that I don’t want to be around here tonight. My folks called and they’re not going to get in until really late, so there’s no need for me to be here.”
“And you need to not be here, right?”
“Yup. Besides, Pete asked me to….” He stopped short.
Emma frowned. “To what?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head.
“Come on, Ben. What’s perfect Pete up to?”
“Are they back?” Emma hadn’t even noticed Dan come to join them.
“Oh, sorry Dan. Yeah, they’ve gone up to Charlotte’s…” Emma watched Ben take advantage of her being distracted and walk away. She sighed.
“Are you all right?” asked Dan.
She nodded. “I am. I’m not so sure about Ben though.”
“Me neither, but I don’t know what we can do. He wanted to go get Missy’s dad.”
“Yeah. He wants out of here is what he wants,” said Emma.
“And who can blame him?” asked Dan.
“I know,” said Emma. She shrugged. “I guess he has to cope however he can. I came to let you know that we’re back. Missy will be down soon, so if you’ve got any arrangements left to make, you’d better hurry up.”
“Thanks. Everything’s sorted. Smoke is already out at the airport getting Papa Charlie ready. Ben and the Doc wanted to be here for Kenzie and Chase for a little while, but now Charlotte’s arrived they’ll be on their way too.”
“And what are they going to do when they get back here? How are you going to keep Missy’s dad a secret?”
Dan smiled. “I talked to my friend, George on the concierge desk. We’re going to sneak them in the back. Gramps and Joe are looking forward to hanging out with him and George has cleared one of the smaller VIP lounges for them. Missy will never go in there, and it means he won’t have to stay hidden cooped up in his room.”
“So he’s well enough to be out and about then?”
“He is. According to Alice, apart from the muscle weakness on the one side, you wouldn’t know there’s anything wrong with him.”
“Oh, that’s good! Will he be able to walk her down the aisle, do you think?”
Dan shook his head sadly. “He’s in a wheelchair. He can take a few steps, but he’s very unsteady. I need to talk to him when he arrives. Figure out what he wants to do. He was adamant before that he wouldn’t go down the aisle in a wheelchair. I’m hoping he’s changed his mind, but somehow I doubt it.”
“So do I!” Emma loved Missy’s dad. She’d always called him a grumpy old bear. He was gruff to say the least, but he was as kind as he was stubborn.
Jack came to join them as they talked. “You’re back, wifey,” he said with a grin.
She reached up to kiss his cheek. “I am. I missed you.”
Dan smiled. “I’ll leave you two to your reunion then. I’ve got stuff to do.”
“Is everything set?” asked Jack. “Do you need me for anything?”
“I think I’ve got it all covered now, thanks. I just want to give Chance a quick call before Miss gets here.”
They watched him walk away. Jack smiled down at her. “That little brother of mine has come a long way in the last year.”
“I think we all have,” Emma replied. She watched Kenzie and Chase chatting and laughing with Gabe and Renée, and April and Eddie. “The bride and groom certainly have. Come on, let’s go see them. I haven’t officially congratulated them yet.”
~ ~ ~
Eddie smiled when Jack and Emma came to join them. He watched as they congratulated Kenzie and Chase. He liked the two of them; they were his kind of people.
Jack turned to greet him. “And I believe we need to thank you for making sure we could all get there.”
Eddie shook his head. “Not me. It was April’s idea. I was just a mole in the camp.”
Chase laughed. “Yeah, what kind of friend are you?”
Kenzie smiled. “The best kind,” she said. She smiled at him then at April. “And you. You’re the best, both of you. I’ll know to keep my eye on you in future.”
Laura came to join them and brought Leanne and Lily with her. Soon the talk had turned to girl stuff. Eddie excused himself from the little group and went to the bar to get a fresh drink. He stood there, surveying the room. This was such a great bunch of people. He was happy to be a part of it. He spotted the boys sitting at a table in the corner. Poor little guys looked bored silly. He went over and pulled out a chair to join them. Scot was fiddling with his phone and barely looked up. Marcus gave him a wary look and then went back to staring at his shoes while he kicked his feet together. Ethan grinned at him.
“I can play guitar, too, you know.”
Eddie had to laugh. “I know. I remember when Chase taught you.”
“Uncle Chase!” Ethan corrected him. “He’s married to my Auntie Kenzie now.”
Eddie smiled. He wasn’t really sure how to talk to little kids. Especially one as precocious as Ethan. He turned to Marcus.
“Do you play guitar?”
The kid still looked wary. He shook his head, but didn’t speak.
“You should teach him,” chimed in Ethan.
That hadn’t been in Eddie’s plan. Marcus looked up at him again. He looked scared and hopeful at the same time.
“Would you like that?” Eddie asked, before he’d considered the implications.
Marcus nodded and for the first time, Eddie saw him smile.
“We’ll have to see what we can work out then, huh?”
The smile faded. Eddie guessed that the kid was used to being let down. He’d had a pretty tough start in life by the sounds of it.
“Come on. Let’s go find your mom and we’ll ask her.”
Marcus’s eyes were wide. “For real?”
Eddie nodded. “For real!” He wasn’t too sure how he’d gotten himself into this, but now he had, he was determined not to let the kid down.
Ethan jumped up. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Eddie hadn’t been banking on that; he couldn’t exactly tell him no though.
Scot saved him. He looked up over his phone. “Hey, Ethan. Can you show me how to unlock the next level? I’m stuck again.”
Ethan snatched the phone. “Course I can. It’s easy, you just…”
Scot gave Eddie a knowing smile while Ethan chattered on. “See you later, I guess.”
Wow, Scot was pretty damned perceptive for a teenager! Eddie jerked his head at Marcus for him to join him and they went off to find April.
~ ~ ~
“Are you ready for this?” asked Missy.
Charlotte nodded as the elevator doors opened and they stepped out. “Ready as I’ll ever be. By the sounds of it he’s not going to talk to me anyway.”
“Probably not.”
Charlotte brought both hands up to cover her face as she took a deep breath. Her heart was hammering; her hands were shaking. She stopped walking.
Missy raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“No. I’m not. But I don’t have any choice do I? I’m being ridiculous. I’m about to see a guy I dated when I was a teenager. So what? Big deal, right? I mean, honestly!”
Missy wrinkled he
r nose. “It is a big deal though. He’s not just some guy you dated years ago. He’s Ben. He’s….”
“My soul mate,” finished Charlotte. She scrabbled in her bag for a hanky. “I don’t believe this, Miss.”
Missy looked worried.
“I don’t believe I’m messing up my mascara.”
Missy laughed. “Don’t worry, you look fantastic.”
Charlotte hoped so. She’d spent weeks figuring out her wardrobe for this weekend. She’d bought so many outfits, finding fault with each of them before going out and buying another. The dress she’d chosen for tonight made a statement, all right. It was a simple sheath that clung to her slender figure, the pushup bra, she’d paid a fortune for, gave her more cleavage than she’d ever have imagined her less than ample breasts could muster. The dress was a bright blue that made her eyes seem ever bluer. Her light brown hair fell in soft curls around her shoulders. She looked good and she knew it. She just hoped Ben would think so. Even though what he thought shouldn’t matter at all! She looked at Missy.
“Why am I doing this, Miss?”
“Because I asked you to. I invited you to my wedding, remember?”
Charlotte shook her head. “I know that much. But why I am I getting so worked up about Ben? It’s stupid. He doesn’t want to know me. And even if he did, what would that look like? It’s not as though the two of us could ever make polite conversation about nothing. The only way we know how to be together, is to be together.” She sighed. “And those days are over.”
“Are they over forever?” Missy raised an eyebrow.
“Of course they are! How can you even ask me that? Even as she said it, she knew Missy was only asking the question she kept asking herself.
Missy shrugged. “You just said he’s your soul mate.”
“I did, didn’t I? I don’t think I’ve ever admitted that to anyone before. Including me.”
“I could tell. You looked as shocked as I felt when you said it.”
“But Miss. It’s over. It’s been over for years. Even if there wasn’t this minor detail of me being married to someone else. There’s too much history between us. You know what happened.”