One More Chance: A Small Town Love Story

by A. J. Wynter

  “Hi, Meg. I’ve been meaning to call,” Charlotte answered.

  “I know, Char. Me too. Are you doing okay?”

  “I’m great, just about to firm up on a three-point two-million-dollar penthouse deal.”

  “That’s great Char, but I kinda meant are you okay, you know, personally?”

  “Well,” Charlotte sighed. “I fell in love with a cheater. I embarrassed myself in front of millions of people, and... she reached to find something else, but couldn’t. “But I guess it could be worse.”

  “I told Josh that he had to kick Logan out of the wedding party; you won’t have to see him when you come back to town.”

  “Oh Meg, you didn’t have to do that. I know that he and Josh are close.”

  “Are you kidding me? There’s no way I could walk down the aisle and look at that lying sack of you know what, standing there beside my fiancé.”

  “And Josh agreed?”

  “Well, reluctantly. He wanted me to talk to Logan. The guy’s been calling me non-stop, but I don’t have anything to say to him.”

  Charlotte sighed. “I know. He’s called me three times this morning already.” She heard the line click as Megan received another call.

  “Shoot, that’s the florist calling, I’ve got to take this.”

  “No gerbera daisies,” Charlotte yelled into the phone with a smile on her face.

  Megan laughed, “Talk soon, Char.”

  Just as soon as she hung up her cell, her office phone rang. She sighed but was thankful for another distraction.

  “Charlotte O’Hare,” she said, all business.

  “Mrs. O’Hare, this is Frank Guster.” Charlotte paused, unable to place the name. Her first reaction was to correct his salutation to Miss but decided to figure out who he was first.

  “Hello, Mr. Guster. What can I do for you?” she asked.

  “I know that it’s short notice, but I was just informed about your rather large donation to our association.”

  Charlotte narrowed her eyes, her assistant was typically good at filtering out the fraudsters; she took a deep breath, preparing to tell this Mr. Guster off.

  “And what association is that Mr. Guster? And it’s Miss O’Hare. Not Mrs.”

  “My apologies Miss O’Hare and forgive my manners. I’m the CEO of the junior hockey association for the state. I’m calling regarding your recent charitable donation to the Chance Rapids Bobcats.”

  “Ohh.” The pieces fell together instantly. Charlotte had forgotten all about the check that she had handed to Logan after the game. “Of course, Mr. Guster. I’m glad to help out with small town sports.” It was true, but she was also getting a handsome tax rebate.

  “And we truly appreciate your support. The league couldn’t run without donors like you and that’s why I’m calling. As you’re probably aware, Game Seven of the playoffs is tomorrow, and we are honoring all of the platinum level donors before the game.”

  Charlotte caught her breath in her throat as it constricted but then relaxed when she quickly formulated her excuse, “I’d love to attend, but I’m back in the city this weekend. Thank you for thinking of me.”

  She heard the voice chuckle on the other end of the line. “Well, you’re in luck, Miss. In case you haven’t been following the series, the Bobcats are playing in the city, right here at the Gardens. Can you be there tomorrow at 7?”

  Shit.

  Charlotte grappled for another excuse but fell short. “I’ll be there.”

  “That’s wonderful. We’re looking forward to thanking you. We will leave a set of tickets for you at the gate.”

  “Looking forward to it,” she said through her teeth.

  She hung up her phone and leaned back in her chair, pressing her hands to her eyes. When the room came back into focus, she hauled herself up and slid back the heavy glass door. “Kate, do you have plans tomorrow night?”

  “Um. Nothing important,” Charlotte heard the hesitation in her voice, but ignored it; even if Kate had plans, she would cancel them for her. She felt guilty but justified Kate’s sacrifices with her own. She had worked 24/7 for Veronica O’Hare. There were many nights she had to cancel dinner plans, or dates, to help her mentor. If Kate wanted to get anywhere in the business, she would have to pay her dues too.

  “Great, you’re going to a hockey game with me.”

  “A hockey game?” Kate raised her eyebrows above her trendy thick-rimmed glasses.

  “Yes. Tomorrow at the Gardens. Meet me there at 6:30.”

  “Sure, Charlotte. I’ll be there,” Kate said.

  “Great,” Charlotte smiled back and shut the door. All she had to do was send Kate to accept whatever trinket the league was going to present her. The gardens were huge, and she was pretty sure she could avoid one person.

  She sat down, clicked onto the listing system, and pulled up the sold listings for Sugar Peaks subdivision. She needed to put Chance Rapids in her rear-view mirror. Real estate in her hometown had been increasing in value and she could net a handsome profit by selling. She opened the listing documents and on the seller line, she typed Charlotte O’Hare, property address: 17 Sugar Peaks Way.

  Chapter 24

  WHAT IS NITRO COFFEE? Freddie asked as they walked by the third coffee shop in one block.

  “Beats me,” Logan shrugged. Both men shivered in the perpetual wind tunnel that funneled down onto the frozen streets, “What was the address again?”

  Freddie pulled out a piece of paper, “Seventy-two.”

  “Here we are then.” The duo stopped in front of a cookie cutter condo building with an impressive glass lobby. They followed two men up the stairs. The strangers were wearing skinny jeans, plaid insulated jackets, and had manicured beards.

  Freddie chucked under his breath, “We don’t stand out like we used to. Thanks, hipsters...” Both Freddie and Logan were wearing plaid shirts, puffy vests, and hiking boots, but their beards weren’t nearly as neat, and they were missing the ironic grandpa glasses.

  The two men entered the building, but instead of turning to hold the door open, they let it fall behind them. It slammed shut hard in front of the brothers. Freddie and Logan looked to each other, “Jerks,” Freddie muttered.

  “You can’t just let anyone into your building,” Logan explained.

  Freddie rolled his eyes. “It’s still rude in my books. I don’t know why anyone would want to live here...” His voice trailed off as two very pretty women wielding yoga mats like archery quivers, walked by in their yoga pants.

  “That’s why,” Logan laughed.

  Freddie sucked in his breath and watched the girls skip down the stairs to the street while Logan scrolled through the intercom system. He found the name he was looking for and punched in the number.

  “You’re late.” Logan could feel the ice in her voice through the speaker but heard the buzz and click as she let them into the building.

  Serena was waiting in her doorway but didn’t invite them in. She was almost as pretty in person as she was online, her mask of makeup a little more obvious in the light of day. She looked the brothers up and down and then crossed her arms, leaning against her doorframe, her bony shoulder propped against it. She didn’t say a word, just stood there, lips pursed, eyebrows raised.

  “Hi, Miss Cruise. I’m Logan Brush,” Logan extended his hand.

  Serena unfolded her arm to examine her manicured nails. “I know. Who’s this?” She nodded her head at Freddie.

  “This is my brother, Freddie Brush.”

  “Backup?”

  Logan sighed. He hadn’t expected this meeting to go well. “Serena, I need to talk to you about our agreement.”

  “Let me guess,” she interrupted. “This has something to do with a certain dark-haired old lady.”

  “It does.” Logan bristled at her description of Charlotte but knew that he needed to keep the meeting diplomatic. “Serena, I agreed to our contract because our hockey league needed an injection of funds. I was single at the
time, and it didn’t seem like a rough way to raise money for my team.”

  “Yeah, you weren’t exactly forced into it, you know?” she replied.

  “Serena, this woman, she’s my soulmate. She was my high school sweetheart and I broke her heart fifteen years ago.” Logan saw her eyes soften and continued, “She came back into my life by surprise, and just when I had convinced her to give me a second chance, well, she found out about our agreement, and not in the greatest way.”

  “Hah.” Serena had a smile on her face, but Logan couldn’t tell its nature, friend or foe? “This soulmate of yours thought you were cheating on her with me. That explains the champagne,” she mused. “Although if it were me, I would’ve broken the bottle over the bitch’s head.”

  Logan smiled despite himself. The woman had moxy. “I had planned to call you directly that morning. I hoped you would be a sucker for a high school sweetheart story and let me off the hook. I would’ve given you your money back, but then Charlotte found out about it and now she won’t take my calls.”

  Serena’s entire body seemed to relax, and she pushed the door to her condo open wide. “Come in, have a seat.”

  Logan looked to Freddie, who nodded, and the two of them stepped into her tiny studio apartment. The brothers kicked off their boots, set them on a mat, and walked across her polished concrete floor in their wool socks.

  “Can I offer you some water, or...” she opened the fridge, “water. That’s all I really drink.”

  “I’m fine, thanks,” the brothers said in unison.

  She turned around, her eyebrows raised, “Are you guys twins or something?”

  Freddie looked at Logan and grinned, “He wishes.”

  “I’m sure he does,” Serena said. Her eyes lingered on Freddie as she perched on a stool at her kitchen bar.

  Logan saw Freddie sit up a little taller as a crimson blush spread across his jawline.

  “You’re telling me that this woman, whoever she is, means so much to you that you would give up that money and a chance to be seen with me in public?”

  “Yes.”

  “This woman. What is it about her? You could have an A-lister if you wanted.” Serena leaned in a little closer, she seemed genuinely interested.

  “It’s hard to put into words. I’m a hockey player, not a poet,” Logan rubbed his hands on his jeans, trying to find the words to describe how he felt about Charlotte.

  “Try.” Serena didn’t break her stare.

  Logan thought back to the moment he knew he loved Charlotte. As a teenager, he didn’t know that what he was feeling was love. He just knew that being with Charlotte came easily. Living with an addicted mother, he was coiled under tension at home and being with Charlotte made him feel like he could truly exhale, let his defenses down. “She makes me want to be a better man.” Logan shook his head. “I mean, I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true. She’s one of the few people I can be myself around. She lets me be me, who I really am deep down and doesn’t expect anything more. And that, that just makes me want to be better, for her. She deserves the best, and she makes me want to be that, to do it for...” Logan heard the quiver in his voice, the falter.

  “And she’s hot,” Freddie interjected. He gave Logan a soft punch in the arm. He saved him from crying in front of this woman.

  “She is pretty for her age, I guess,” Serena said quietly. “You know what, Logan. I will let you out of the contract.”

  Logan’s head snapped up. He couldn’t believe his ears; she had seemed so angry.

  “On two conditions.” She leaned on her elbows and held up two fingers.

  “Shoot.” Logan was prepared to give her anything.

  “One. You give me the money back with twenty percent interest.” Her eyes flashed.

  “Ouch,” Logan replied. “And?”

  “You’re going to replace the dress your girlfriend ruined with any dress I choose.”

  “Done.”

  “And...” she continued.

  “Wait,” Freddie said. “You said two things.”

  “I know.” Serena stood up and walked around the kitchen island and leaned back against the marble countertop, suddenly finding a lot of interest in her nails again. “But I just thought of something else.”

  “Alright,” Logan sighed. “You’re taking me to the cleaners with the first two things. Not even a loan shark would charge me twenty points, and I know how much a high-end designer gown is going to set me back because I’m guessing you’re not going to go pick a department store dress.”

  “Probably Dolce, actually, but this last thing isn’t going to cost you a thing,” she smiled without showing her teeth. “I’m happy to get out of that wedding, but I need a date for the film festival premiere.”

  Logan held up his hands in front of him. Was she slow? That was the whole reason he was here. “We’re doing this, so I don’t have to go out on a ‘date’ with you.” He used air quotes.

  “Not you,” she replied and then she pointed to Freddie. “You.”

  Chapter 25

  CHARLOTTE LOVED THE quiet of the early Sunday morning city streets. While everyone was still in bed recovering from their Saturday night, she was up at the crack of dawn. She still had the glow in her cheeks from her hot yoga class when she reached her office at seven. She was back in workaholic mode. The first thing on her to-do list: arrange the photography for her Sugar Peaks home. She scrolled through her phone but couldn’t find the photographer’s contact info. She texted Kate and impatiently tapped her nails on her desk, waiting for a response. After one full minute of waiting, Charlotte marched into her assistant’s office, sat down at her desk and clicked on her computer. Kate was impeccably organized, and it only took Charlotte a couple of minutes to find the number she was looking for. She scribbled it on a piece of paper and as she pushed the chair back, something glittery in Kate’s wastebasket caught her eye. She plucked out a piece of heavy pink cardstock with embossed gold writing; a baby shower invitation. Charlotte shrugged, but just as she was about to flick the invite back into the bin, she noticed the date: today. Charlotte sank back in the chair and felt guilt wash over her. Kate’s sister’s baby shower was tonight, but she was going to a hockey game with her boss.

  She tapped the invitation on the desk, torn. One of Charlotte’s biggest regrets was not spending more time with her family. Here she was making Kate miss her sister’s baby shower, all because she was being a coward. Instead of tossing away the invite, she leaned forward and pinned it to Kate’s bulletin board.

  She grabbed the sticky note and headed into her own office. She kicked off her shoes and pulled her feet onto her chair underneath her. She texted Kate to tell her to take the night off, then she composed a quick email to the photographer.

  Her office usually provided her with a sense of comfort, but today it felt cold. She wondered what book Tabitha was reading and whether she had gathered up the courage to get on the ski resort’s rooster chair. Was Lauren making headway against the resort expansion? She picked up the photo of her, Lauren, and their mom and realized that she had always chosen work over them now and here she was hiding in her office, letting a man scare her away from what really mattered. Family. Her sister and niece were sitting in Chance Rapids and for the first time in years, Charlotte wanted to be with them, more than she wanted to be working.

  She picked up the phone and called Lauren. If she couldn’t be with them, she was going to bring them to her.

  CHARLOTTE’S MAIN HOME couldn’t be more different than her Chance Rapids cabin. The city home was a heritage Victorian, complete with leaded glass windows and parlor. The interior had been renovated, but she had instructed her designer to keep the character details of the home, like the thick crown molding and tin ceilings.

  Her city housekeeper, Suzanna, had the day off, so Charlotte set to work getting the spare rooms ready for Tabitha and Lauren. She walked down to the kitchen, held open the fridge door and stared into the well-stocked refrigerator. S
he sighed and closed the door, turning to the takeout menu drawer instead. A strong independent woman she was. One that knew how to cook, she was not.

  LAUREN AND TABITHA arrived at the same time as the pizza delivery.

  “Perfect timing,” Lauren said, eyeing up the pizza box.

  Charlotte paid the delivery man and all three of them sat down in her kitchen. Charlotte handed out plates and they dug into the warm thin crust pizza. Lauren moaned, “Now this is something you can’t get in Chance Rapids.”

  “Thanks for coming down here you two. You drive me nuts, but I really missed you.”

  “Feeling’s mutual,” Lauren replied. “What do you want to do tonight?”

  “I have something planned, but I’ll fill you in later,” Charlotte said. She knew that attending the Chance Rapids’ away game would open a floodgate of questions from her sister that she wasn’t ready to answer.

  “Oooh. Intriguing.” Lauren replied.

  Charlotte and Lauren’s phones both chimed at the same time. Charlotte tilted her phone to see who was texting them both. “It’s Melissa,” she said.

  “What could she want?” Lauren asked.

  Charlotte brushed off her hands and clicked on the message. “It’s a link to something. She’s sent it to both of us, and Megan.”

  “What is it?” Lauren asked, picking up a second piece of pizza from the box.

  Charlotte clicked on the link and gasped when it took her to Serena Cruise’s social media account. “It’s Serena Cruise’s account,” she whispered. “Ugh, I don’t know if I want to see this.” She held her finger over Serena’s latest post. Could this be the moment the world finds out she’s the unidentified lunatic?

  “If you don’t know what it is, you won’t be able to mitigate it properly,” Lauren replied. Always the lawyer, Charlotte thought to herself. So pragmatic.