by H. P. Munro
“Charlotte!” Maddie waited until Charlotte turned towards her. “My mom says that things that are meant to be have a way of working out.”
Charlotte shrugged. “My mama said no matter if the glass is half empty or half full, there’s always space for gin.” She smiled and held up her hand in a wave. “I’m inclined to test out my mama’s saying before believing yours.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Cranky. All morning Cindy tried to find a better word for Erin’s mood. Cranky pretty much seemed to sum it up best. Thanks to Erin’s ribs, Cindy had spent the morning squeezing anal glands while Erin hid in the cupboard under the pretense of stocktaking.
“If anyone has grounds to be cranky it’s me,” she muttered, leaning on the reception desk.
Erin’s head appeared from behind the desk. “What?”
Cindy jumped back and clutched her chest. “What the hell you doing back there? I thought you were in the cupboard still.”
“I was, and then I came to find a pen and ended up clearing the mess back here.”
Cindy peered over the counter and took a sharp intake of breath as her chaotic looking desk had been decluttered and reorganized by Erin. “I’m never going to find anything now,” she wailed in frustration.
“I have no idea how you found anything in the first place.” Erin stood up and winced at the pain the movement caused.
Cindy grabbed her by the sleeve and pulled her from behind the desk. “This is my workspace. I don’t go into yours, and you don’t go into mine. That’s the deal.” She moaned as she surveyed the damage Erin wreaked on her desk.
“Yeah, well maybe you should keep your workspace tidier.”
Pulling herself up to her full height, Cindy shook her head. “Okay, what the hell is wrong with you?” You’re acting like a wet hen in a tote sack.” She glared at Erin waiting on her response.
Erin’s eyes narrowed. Cindy was tempted to take a step back as she sensed an impending outburst of anger. It didn’t happen often, but when Erin did lose her temper it was a sight to behold. It was like a cloudburst on a sunny day. One minute the world is as you’d expect, then all of a sudden all hell breaks loose. Then as quick as it appeared it was gone. Faced with the possibility, she summoned her inner Mack and crossed her arms. With a cocked eyebrow she glared right back at Erin.
“I’ll tell you what’s wrong.” Erin placed her hands on her hips. “In the space of forty-eight hours, I have had the sum total of four hours sleep. I have ribs that hurt like hell when I move or breathe, and if that wasn’t enough, I kissed the only woman I’ve ever loved and then promptly told her to leave town.”
“Charlotte Grace?”
“Christ! Does the whole town know my business?”
Cindy shrugged, her attention only partially on Erin as a car pulled up outside the clinic. “No secrets in this town, but I do know one thing. Your whole ‘this town ain’t big enough for the both of us’ speech didn’t work.”
“What do you mean?”
Nodding towards the door, Cindy smirked. “’Cause she’s about to come through that door.”
A look of panic spread across Erin’s face as she sprinted towards her office. “I am not here!”
The door to Erin’s office closed just as Charlotte opened the front door.
“She in?” Charlotte pointed towards the rear of the vet’s office, barely waiting for a response as she strode through the office.
Cindy held up her thumb in the direction of Erin’s departure. “Third door on the left.”
She smiled sweetly as Charlotte passed, then looked back at her desk. “Mess with my workspace, you mess with me.”
***
Erin pressed her back against the door and exhaled slowly. She was in no state to deal with Charlotte today. Last night when she’d made her declaration she’d been sure it was the right course of action for them both. However, in the early hours of the morning, doubts plagued her. She rested her head against the door and took a calming breath. She was still inhaling when she was thrown forward as the door to her office was flung open with force.
“What the hell, Cindy!” She managed to grab the exam table to stop her fall. The pain in her ribs caused specks of light to appear in front of her eyes.
“Oh my God, I didn’t know you were behind the door.”
Erin spun as she heard Charlotte’s voice. “Why are you barging into my office?”
“I was trying to make an entrance,” Charlotte said sheepishly.
Standing up, Erin smoothed her hands down her plaid shirt and strode to the door ready to let rip at Cindy. She stuck her head out of the door and scowled at Cindy, who stood holding up the full trashcan Erin had filled with the clutter from her desk.
“Seriously!” Erin shouted.
With a smirk on her face, Cindy dramatically emptied the contents back onto her desk. “My workspace,” she trilled, before disappearing behind her desk to return it to its previous state.
“You okay?” Charlotte asked.
Erin thumped her forehead lightly against the door frame a couple of times before retreating into her office. “I’m fine.” She moved around Charlotte to the sanctuary of her desk. “I don’t have anything else to say. I said everything last night.”
“Good,” Charlotte replied, flopping down into the seat opposite Erin’s.
Sensing that Charlotte was not going to be deterred Erin sighed and dropped wearily into her own seat. “Charlie—”
“No. It’s my turn.” Charlotte stood up and started to pace. “I think I’m proof that one of us making decisions that affect both of us doesn’t work.” She stopped pacing and turned to look at Erin. “I listened to what you said last night, and you were right. We don’t know if we have anything in common now other than our past. But I do know I want to find out more about the woman you’ve become.
“I totally get you have worries about me going back to New York, but just one of the fascinating facts you’ll find out about me is I don’t have anything keeping me there. So”—Charlotte sat back down, crossed her legs and looked challengingly at Erin—“I’m not going anywhere.”
Before she could respond the door to her office opened, and Cindy’s face appeared. “Sorry, Caleb Sutton is on the phone wanting you to go out to the farm for a consult on Junior. They’re still having problems. You want me to refer him to St Anton?”
Erin turned slowly to look at Charlotte as if considering something. A slow smile broke out across her face as she shook her head. “Nah, tell him I’m on my way. I have an assistant.”
***
Erin glanced over as she fastened her seatbelt. Her hand paused in mid-action as she took in the expanse of skin visible thanks to Charlotte’s cut-offs and vest top.
“You okay? Are your ribs hurting?” Charlotte noticed Erin’s hesitation. “Should you even be working?”
Erin shook her head part in response and also to rid herself of the thoughts seeing Charlotte’s long toned legs had created.
“I’m fine.” She leaned over to the glove compartment and retrieved the sunblock she kept there. She tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she inhaled Charlotte’s fragrance in passing. “You should put this on if you’re not already wearing some” —She reached across the console to snag her battered ball cap—“an’ this.”
Charlotte took the hat and threaded her hair through the back. She was oblivious to Erin’s growing stares as she applied the sunscreen to her arms and exposed shoulders.
“So maybe we should ask each other questions?” Charlotte returned the tube of sunscreen to the glove box. “You know, to get to know each other. Maybe start with—”
“How come you didn’t come home for your daddy’s funeral?”
Charlotte cocked her head and held back a smile as Erin nervously tapped the steering wheel as she waited for a response. “I was going to say start with the easy stuff, hobbies, favorite movies, but we can do it your way.” She released her smile as Erin looked at he
r apologetically.
“Sorry, what hobbies you got?” A matching smile appeared on Erin’s face.
“I didn’t know he died.”
Erin’s smile slowly disappeared and she looked at Charlotte in confusion. When the penny dropped, she had to stop herself from snarling in rage.
“She didn’t contact you?”
Charlotte reached out and placed her hand on Erin’s thigh. Her touch immediately soothed Erin’s rage while simultaneously eliciting an altogether different reaction.
“I’m not sure she knew how to. I cut myself off from them both after high school. Although Ruth managed to track me down. So I guess where there’s a will there’s a way.”
“Ruth used Alex’s daughter Jessica to find you.” Erin tried to ignore the heat on her leg where it felt as though Charlotte’s hand was burning through the fabric of her shorts.
“She’s just a kid!”
“A really bright kid.” Erin reached down and patted Charlotte’s hand, which still rested on her thigh. The action seemed to remind Charlotte where her hand was and she removed it.
“By the time Ruth got me, the funeral had passed.”
“It was a nice service.”
Charlotte swallowed and tipped her head back.
“So hobbies? You still play tennis?” Erin asked with forced levity in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.
“Occasionally. I run more than I play sports. Not having to change direction is less stress on my ACL.”
Erin looked over at the slight scarring on Charlotte’s right knee. As if feeling her gaze, Charlotte’s fingers traced the white marks.
“What about you?”
“Nothing specific. Work takes up most of my time.” Erin pulled off the road and onto the track leading to the Sutton farm.
Charlotte reached over and flicked the turn signal. “I see you still don’t know what that’s for.”
Erin frowned and flipped the lever off. “The noise bugs me.” She pulled to a stop, turned to Charlotte and stuck her tongue out.
“Hey, Doc.”
Erin rapidly rearranged her features and turned to the driver’s window where Caleb Sutton stood smiling in.
“Miss Charlotte, is that you?”
“Hey, Mr. Sutton.” Charlotte greeted him with a small wave. “Hope you don’t mind me tagging along with Erin.” She opened her door and climbed out of the truck.
Caleb opened Erin’s door. “No problem at all. Doc, we’ve got Junior tethered up over in the front paddock.”
Erin winced as she climbed out of the truck, and her pain wasn’t lost on Charlotte. “You sure you’re okay to do this?”
Waving her hand in response, Erin went to the rear of the truck to gather the supplies she needed.
“Seriously, you let me know if there’s something I can do,” Charlotte said. The genuine nature of concern in her tone was evident as she watched Erin collecting items.
“Oh don’t worry, you’ll be lending a hand,” Erin replied, walking briskly from Charlotte.
***
“I can’t believe you made me do that!” Charlotte said watching as Erin waved a cheerful goodbye to the Suttons and steered her truck out of their yard.
“You wanted to help.”
Hearing a smile in Erin’s voice, Charlotte turned in her seat. “Do you think it’s funny? Yes, I wanted to help. I thought I could maybe hold your stethoscope, maybe pass you pliers. That sorta stuff.” She huffed as she turned back and glared out of the passenger window.
“I’m a vet, not a mechanic! You’re the one who demanded to spend time with me, to find out more about the woman I’ve become.”
Charlotte spun back to face Erin. “You made me hold a bull’s penis!”
Erin biting down on her bottom lip was almost enough to make Charlotte forget about her righteous indignation. Almost. “While you stuck something up its ass and zapped it ’til it came!”
Erin’s laughter exploded from her. She glanced across to Charlotte whose disgusted expression only made her laugh more.
“It’s not funny.” While a huge part of her was still outraged and somewhat horrified by what Erin made her do, a small part of her brain rejoiced at hearing Erin’s unbridled laughter. “I will get you back,” she added, a smirk finding its way onto her lips.
“Oh God, my ribs.”
“Yeah, well that there”—Charlotte pointed her finger towards Erin’s side—“is Karma and Molly says ‘Karma’s only ever a bitch if you are.’” Glancing over at Erin, she caught the flicker of hurt on her face. “Shit. I’m not calling you a bitch.” She reached out and tentatively touched Erin’s leg. She could feel the anxiety coming off of Erin and her heart almost broke that her presence had that effect. She frantically tried to recover lost ground.
“When Molly says it to me she’s all sassy and funny. Holy crap, I didn’t mean to call you names. I’m getting this all wrong.”
Erin chewed on her bottom lip. When she eventually spoke she didn’t turn to look at Charlotte. “Thank you.”
“For apologizing?”
“For staying.”
The grin on Charlotte’s face showed no signs of dimming until they approached the outskirts of town.
“Where we going?” Charlotte asked, twisting in her seat to look back at the turn she’d assumed they’d take.
“Figured we’d make a stop.”
Charlotte’s eyes narrowed as she attempted to work out where Erin was taking her. With the very next turn they took, their destination became apparent. Charlotte’s heart started to thump faster in her chest.
“Erin, please.”
“It’s time, Charlie. You should go pay your respects.” Erin pulled the truck to a stop, put it into park, and switched off the engine.
Charlotte pulled Erin’s ball cap lower. She slumped in her seat and fixed her eyes on the still windshield wipers, refusing to engage with Erin or her surroundings.
They sat in silence. Charlotte knew Erin was giving her time to come to terms with where they were. Despite the passage of time Erin could still anticipate her emotions. Five minutes passed before Erin pulled the keys from the ignition and placed them on Charlotte’s lap.
“I’m gonna go say hi to my pop. If you’re planning on going, just come back and get me in a half hour.”
Charlotte transferred her gaze from the wipers to the keys that lay in her lap. The metal was cool against her exposed thighs. She heard Erin’s quiet groans as she climbed out of the truck, followed by the click of the driver’s door.
Several more minutes had passed before she removed Erin’s cap, slowly opened the passenger door and climbed out of the truck.
She entered the cemetery and walked with her head down towards where Erin stood.
“Hey, Daddy, you remember Charlotte Grace.” Erin spoke in quiet tones towards her father’s headstone. She turned, and a small smile tugged at her lips. “I come about once a month just to say hi and let him know Sam’s not managed to maim or kill himself.”
“Hey, Mr. Hunter.” Charlotte lifted her hand as if to wave and then stopped as she realized the absurdity of the action. Erin caught the gesture and reached for Charlotte’s hand.
“You wanna go see your daddy?”
Gripping Erin’s hand Charlotte nodded. Erin tugged gently and led Charlotte to where her father was buried.
“Did you see much of him after I left?” Charlotte blinked rapidly to clear her eyes of the tears gathering there.
Erin squeezed her hand in support. “To be honest, I was a bit chicken-shit. It was bad enough seeing your mama’s death glare. I didn’t want to face the wrath of a father pissed off ‘cause I…”—she lowered her voice—“de-flowered his daughter.”
Charlotte choked back a laugh. “Technically, Sully did the de-flowering.”
“So what did I do then?”
“You made things blossom.”
A blush appeared on Erin’s cheeks. “To be fair to him, when I did speak to him he never let
on he was pissed at me. In fact, a few months before he died, he cleared off what was left of my debt from school.”
Charlotte looked up in surprise. “Did you find out why?”
Shaking her head Erin knelt down to clear some leaves from the grave. “Nope, but he did tell me one day he was proud of what I’d achieved. So maybe that was it.”
The words hit Charlotte like a sucker punch. The one thing she craved to hear from her father were words she would never hear from his lips.
Seeing Charlotte’s body curl as if to protect itself from her words Erin rose and pulled her into a tight hug. “He was proud of you,” she whispered against Charlotte’s hair.
“You don’t know that.”
Erin gripped Charlotte’s shoulders and gently created enough space to allow her to look into her eyes. “I’m sure of it. Why don’t I give you two some time alone?”
Charlotte gazed into the hazel eyes studying her. A slight wariness still keeping away the warmth she knew they could convey. She nodded and turned towards her father’s grave. Knowing, without looking, when Erin had left her.
***
At one time there wasn’t a thought Charlotte could have that Erin didn’t already pre-empt or share. However, that all ended abruptly in the hallway of the Grace house, and Erin was no longer sure of her ability to read Charlotte. Witnessing Charlotte’s reaction earlier allowed her to see a vulnerability she was sure so few had ever seen. Erin felt both protective and incredibly blessed.
She looped back towards the Grace Family plot, hoping the time she’d given Charlotte had allowed her to find some peace. As she neared the headstone, she couldn’t see Charlotte but could hear her voice.
“Daddy, you remember how I was best friends with Erin. Well she was always more than my best friend an’ I know you didn’t approve, but you need to know I never set out to hurt or disappoint anyone. All I did was fall in love.
“I hope you can appreciate that now and also understand I don’t care about our family name, or reputation. I have never stopped loving Erin. Leaving her was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve never felt complete since. I’ve blocked people from getting close to me and buried myself in a terrible relationship to punish myself for denying how I felt.
