by Kay Correll
She watched as Josephine walked to a table in the back of the gallery. A few people entered when Paul opened the door. Not many though…
She smiled and answered questions when a couple walked up to her. Slowly the gallery began to fill with people. Soon she lost track of time and began to relax.
“Charlotte?”
She whirled around at the sound of her father’s voice. “Dad?”
“You look surprised.”
“I am surprised. I didn’t even think you knew about the opening.” He’d never come to one of her openings. Ever.
“Eva told me about her conversation with you. How you turned down the show in Palm Springs because you were already committed to this one. That’s a sign of integrity and I admire that. I thought it was high time I came to one of your shows. It looks like quite the turnout.”
“I— it is. I mean. Wow, Dad, I’m glad you came.” She choked back the emotions coursing through her. Her father had come to her show.
“I admit that I don’t really understand your life and what you want. But I did listen. I know it’s what you want. And if it makes you happy, then it’s fine by me. I’ll try to be more supportive. And… I’m really proud of you. You do really great work.”
“Thanks, Dad.” She had to fight to keep back tears. She’d waited so many years to hear these words from anyone in her family. Somehow, she’d come to realize she didn’t need anyone else’s approval, she only needed to believe in herself. But it sure felt good to hear her father say those words. That he was proud of her.
“I’m going to stick around until the opening is over. Then I need to talk to you.”
She wasn’t sure what that was about, but before she could ask, Sara, Noah, and Lil walked up.
“Oh, Charlotte. These are wonderful. I’m so proud of you.” Lil hugged her. “I always knew you could do anything you put your mind to. Look how wonderful these paintings are.”
“Thanks, Lil.”
“Noah and I are going to mill around a bit. Can we bring you a glass of champagne?” Sara asked.
“No, I’m fine.”
She waved at Robin and Jay when they came in the gallery. Everyone she cared about had come to celebrate her big night.
Well, everyone but Ben. She scanned the crowd, looking for him, but not a sign of him anywhere. She glanced at her watch. The opening was almost over. A lot of the crowd had cleared out. Disappointment washed over her. Didn’t Ben realize how important tonight was to her? Maybe they weren’t as in sync as she’d thought they were.
Then she turned and saw Ben standing in the open doorway with his mother and her dog. He hurried up to her and gave her a hug. “I’m so sorry I’m late.”
Ruby walked up with her dog in her arms. “It’s not his fault. Mischief got loose and I couldn’t find him. Ben came to help me.”
“I see you found him.” She petted the dog’s head, and he licked her hand.
“Yes, I’m so grateful. I seem to have fallen hopelessly in love with this little guy.”
Ben kept one arm around her shoulders and leaned close. “I am sorry. I just couldn’t say no to Mom,” he whispered in her ear.
“You’re here now.” Right beside her.
“Well, I’m going to browse around and see every single painting. Mom, you want to walk around with me?”
“Do you think it’s okay I have Mischief with me?”
Paul walked up to them right then. “Of course, Mischief is welcome.” He petted the dog. “Good boy.”
Charlotte turned to greet another couple who had questions about her work.
Later, as the gallery began to clear, Ben walked back up to her. “I’m going to walk Mom home. Could I see you later? You want to come by Lady Belle?”
“That would be wonderful.”
The gallery emptied and Paul locked the door. Her father walked up to her. “You got time for that talk?”
“Josephine and I will just clear up the glasses and refreshments.” Paul smiled and walked away to give them some privacy.
“What is it?”
“After you told me about your agent, I did some investigating. Delbert Hamilton spoke with me. He knows of Reginald. Reginald brokered some art for one of the Hamilton Hotels. It appears he didn’t come through with what he promised. Del had been tracking him down.”
“Really?” She looked at her dad in surprise.
“And we found him.” He broke into a wide smile. “Let’s just say he was persuaded to give back some of your funds.
He handed her a check and her eyes widened when she looked at it. “This is my money?”
“Part of it. A lot of it is gone.”
“I made this money? This much?” She was in awe of the check.
“I think the rest of your funds are long gone, but at least this should help some. And Reginald is in trouble with the law over in Europe. I don’t think he’ll be cheating anyone else any time soon.”
“Thank you.” She stared at the check. “I don’t know what else to say.”
“Say you’ll deposit the check and keep painting this art that makes you happy.”
She gave her father a big hug, even though they weren’t a hugging family. He wrapped his strong arms around her and hugged her back. She couldn’t remember ever getting a hug from the man.
“Now, I’m staying at Charming Inn for a few days. Going to catch a round or two of golf. Besides, your mother is busy with that charity event and she’s having a ladies luncheon at the house. Better to just stay out of her way.”
“I’m so glad you came.”
“So, how about dinner tomorrow night?”
“That would be great, Dad.”
Her father walked out of the gallery and she went over to Paul and Josephine. “Can I help with the cleanup?”
“No, dear. You were the featured artist. You don’t need to help with this. Paul and I will get it all taken care of.”
Paul nodded toward the door. “It was good of your father to come.”
“It was. I was surprised to see him.”
“He talked to me a bit. Sounds like he’s very proud of you. He really seemed to enjoy your work.”
She still couldn’t get over the fact that her father had come to the opening. Maybe it was a new beginning with him. Even if she never got close to Eva, and even if her mother was always disappointed in her. Maybe, just maybe, she and her father could have some kind of relationship.
“Oh, and I spoke to the lawyer handling your contracts. He told me to tell you that the contract with Desert View Gallery wasn’t valid since Reginald signed it and he wasn’t actually representing you at the time. They’d sent the contract to Europe for him to sign, so he was long past repping you. And, long story short, you won’t be having a legal hassle with them.”
She hugged Paul. “Oh, thank you. I’ve been so worried about clearing up that legal mess.”
“Well, the mess is gone.” Paul smiled.
“You run along, dear. You must be exhausted.” Josephine smiled at her. “It was a wonderful opening.”
Paul let her out of the gallery and she stood for a few moments on the sidewalk, taking in the sweet evening air, glancing at the street lamps tossing their golden light on the walkways.
It had been quite a night.
She turned to see Ben coming around the corner and she broke into a smile. He hurried up to her and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned against him, feeling his heart beating against her cheek. She finally looked up at him. “I thought I was meeting you at the boat.”
“Couldn’t wait that long to see you.” He grinned. He took her hand in his and they headed to the marina.
Chapter 32
They settled on Lady Belle with a bottle of wine to celebrate Charlotte’s opening. The stars danced in the sky above them as she leaned against Ben, feeling his warmth seep into her.
“I see your father came to the opening.”
“He did. He said he was proud of me. He’s never said tha
t before.”
“I’m happy for you, Charlotte.” He tightened his hold around her.
She grinned up at him. “I’m kind of happy for myself right now. The opening. My father… and… you. Being here with you.”
He let out a deep breath and cleared his throat. “So… ah…”
She looked at him expectantly.
“Well… Jay told me that I should tell you how I feel about you.”
Her heart did a double beat in her chest. “He did? And how do you feel?”
“I feel—I care—” He raked his hand through his hair. “I care about you, Charlotte. A lot. I know I’ve given off mixed signals and I’ve been on again off again… but the truth is? You make me happy. I’m never more content than when I’m with you. It’s like… it’s like you make my life make sense.”
She sat there, her heart pounding, waiting for him to finish.
“So… do you know?” He stared into her eyes, searching.
“Do I know what?”
“How you feel about me?”
“I sure do.” She nodded emphatically. “Because the truth is, somewhere along the line, I’ve fallen in love with you.”
His eyes sparkled. “You are? You do? Love me, I mean.”
“Yes, Ben Hallet, I love you.”
He let out a long sigh. “That’s really good, because I love you, too.”
Then he leaned in and gave her a kiss that said more than their words. A promise for the future, to see what it held in store for them.
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Two of a Kind. If you want to continue on in the series try Three Little Things - Book Three in the Charming Inn series. Read more about Sara, Charlotte, and Robin along with Aunt Lil and Ruby. Oh, and the knitting group at the community center finally gets a name!
And if you missed the Lighthouse Point series you can get book one in that series, Wish Upon a Shell.
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As always, thanks for reading my stories. I truly appreciate all my readers.
Happy reading,
Kay
Also by Kay Correll
Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed it.
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Comfort Crossing ~ The Series
Did you miss the start of this series? Click here to get the first book for free now! The Shop on Main - Book One
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See all my books at my website.
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COMFORT CROSSING ~ THE SERIES
The Shop on Main - Book One
The Memory Box - Book Two
The Christmas Cottage - A Holiday Novella (Book 2.5)
The Letter - Book Three
The Christmas Scarf - A Holiday Novella (Book 3.5)
The Magnolia Cafe - Book Four
The Unexpected Wedding - Book Five
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The Wedding in the Grove (crossover short story between the Comfort Crossing and Lighthouse Point series - Josephine and Paul from The Letter.)
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LIGHTHOUSE POINT ~ THE SERIES
Wish Upon a Shell - Book One
Wedding on the Beach - Book Two
Love at the Lighthouse - Book Three
Cottage near the Point - Book Four
Return to the Island - Book Five
Bungalow by the Bay - Book Six
Click here to learn more about the series.
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CHARMING INN ~ Return to Lighthouse Point
COMING IN 2020
One Simple Wish - Book One
Two of a Kind - Book Two
Three Little Things - Book Three
Four Short Weeks - Book Four
Five Years or So - Book Five
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SWEET RIVER ~ THE SERIES
A Dream to Believe In - Book One
A Memory to Cherish - Book Two
A Song to Remember - Book Three
A Time to Forgive - Book Four
A Summer of Secrets - Book Five
A Moment in the Moonlight - Book Six
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INDIGO BAY ~ Save by getting Kay’s complete collection of stories previously published separately in the multi-author Indigo Bay series. The three stories are all interconnected.
Sweet Days by the Bay
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Or buy them separately:
Sweet Sunrise - Book Three
Sweet Holiday Memories - A short holiday story
Sweet Starlight - Book Nine
About the Author
Kay writes sweet, heartwarming stories that are a cross between women’s fiction and contemporary romance. She is known for her charming small towns, quirky townsfolk, and enduring strong friendships between the women in her books.
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Kay lives in the Midwest of the U.S. and can often be found out and about with her camera, taking a myriad of photographs which she likes to incorporate into her book covers. When not lost in her writing or photography, she can be found spending time with her ever-supportive husband, knitting, or playing with her puppies—two cavaliers and one naughty but adorable Australian shepherd. Kay and her husband also love to travel. When it comes to vacation time, she is torn between a nice trip to the beach or the mountains—but the mountains only get considered in the summer—she swears she’s allergic to snow.
Learn more about Kay and her books at kaycorrell.com
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