Southern Belles, a Novel About Love, Purpose & Second Chances (9781310340970)

by Anderson, Sarah

  “I didn’t know it at first but something about her reminded me of you.”

  “I didn’t give it any thought when she said she met someone that she was mad about. She described you in the way I described you—incredible. I never thought I’d see you on that veranda yesterday.”

  Skylar smiled at me and then looked down before continuing, “I never thought I’d see you again until last week.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, repeating his last few words in my head.

  He sighed and took a deep breath. “I visited CeCe at the home she lived at with the French family. I’d never been up in her room before and she asked for help packing her things. She assigned me to packing up her clothes, in boxes, while she ran out to get us some coffee and pastries. I was folding her clothes and something caught my eye. On her windowsill over-looking the Seine was a black and white photograph. I saw CeCe but was taken aback when I saw you. I found myself on the floor, completely shocked.”

  “And you didn’t tell CeCe?”

  “I had prayed so many times, in the past, that I would see you again. I didn’t know what to say to her. I had to find you—I had to see if it was really you.” He said with sorrow in his eyes.

  “And now that you’ve found me—now what? You’re marrying my best friend tomorrow? Why do you tell me all of this now? What am I supposed to do with it, Skylar?”

  He reached out to touch my hands. “Charlotte, I knew I loved you the night we met.” His words pierced through the lock on my heart.

  The clasp of his hands on mine released a quiver through my body. “And tomorrow when you marry CeCe—will you still love me?” I asked, pursing my lips together to fight the surge of emotion ready to implode.

  “Yes, I will still love you.” He answered looking into my eyes.

  I looked away with tears built up like a damn getting ready to burst. “I can’t be there. I want her to be happy but you can’t ask me to watch her marry the only guy I’ve ever loved.” I said, tears gushing down my face.

  Skylar took my face into his hands as my body trembled. “I can’t say that I’ve never loved CeCe because I do, but I know that I’ve never stopped loving you. It was your face that I saw—that pulled me out of the desperation I felt when I thought I was losing my mother. The thought of you kept me going. I’d close my eyes and picture your smile and it made me happy.”

  “But we can’t live in the past.”

  He pulled me into his chest and held me tightly while the tears flowed like a river washing out everything in its path. His warmth encompassed all of my frailties. I closed my eyes and let go of all my thoughts and inhibitions. Still tucked into the strength of his embrace, I wiped my eyes and nose with my sleeve. He pulled back and lowered his lips to mine. He looked at me in a way I had long awaited and kissed me softly. My stomach plunged and butterflies, by the dozen, soared freely. My breath and every part of my body were paralyzed.

  His kiss left me with a wooziness I’d experienced only once before, with him, almost four years earlier. He held me in his arms while we remained silent. A few hours passed since we reached the beach.

  “I don’t want to leave here again knowing this could be the last time I taste your lips and feel your skin.” I said brazenly.

  “I can’t bear losing you again.” Skylar said with his chin resting on the top of my head with his arms caressing me.

  “What do we do?”

  “I have to make the right decision. No matter what happens everything will change.” He said, looking at me with deep melancholy in his eyes.

  “Do we tell CeCe tonight?”

  “She needs to know. I just don’t know if I can tell her tonight. I need to get back and think about this.”

  “I know we don’t want to hurt her but she should know before she walks down the aisle tomorrow.” I insisted, trying to determine where Skylar’s commitment rested.

  He had asked her to marry him before he knew I still existed, I thought to myself.

  “Are you…” I paused, hurting to get the words out. “Are you still planning on marrying CeCe tomorrow?”

  “I can’t marry anyone tomorrow. I know that meeting you again—is not a coincidence. I love you Charlotte; I’ve always loved you. I’ve made choices that hurt you and CeCe and I don’t want to cause either of you anymore pain. I want to be with you but I need to make things right with CeCe, first.”

  I rested in the comfort of his arms a little while longer before we drove back to town and I dropped him off in the shadows of Oak and Main.

  “So, I’ll meet you tomorrow at the Inn?”

  “Yeah, I’m going to talk with her tonight.” Skylar said holding my hand.

  “Should I call her first? Would it come better from her best friend?”

  “I owe it to her to tell her myself. If she calls you before I see her then you can let her know that we need to talk.”

  “Okay.” I said, still nervous about letting Skylar out of my sight—afraid to lose him again.

  “I promise I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “You promise it won’t take you another four years to see me again.” I smiled, light-heartedly.

  “I promise.” He said, leaning over to kiss my cheek before he backed out of the car.

  I waved to him and smiled. I watched him disappear out of my rearview mirror feeling a knot building in the pit of my stomach. I started to panic thinking about his words. He still loved her too. He could change his mind. She could change his mind. She was very persuasive when she really wanted something. She was very competitive and good at everything she did. What if he married her tomorrow? I knew he wanted me to wait but I couldn’t. I needed to call CeCe and tell her everything. I didn’t want to be in the audience of my life—I need to be the key player if I wanted my happy ever after.

  I drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed her cell number. It rang four times and suddenly the phone picked up. I thought I knew what I would say but my mouth just froze. Her voicemail picked up. “Hi this is CeCe—the soon to be Mrs. La Fleur. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you after my honeymoon”. Hearing her words again burned in my skin, like cattle being branded by hot iron. I hung up the phone and continued to drive home. I pulled in the driveway and dialed her number again. It was three AM. Again, the phone rang and nothing. Her voicemail picked up. I closed the phone shut and quietly walked inside.

  My mother was sitting up alongside Richie watching a movie in the living room.

  “You’re still up?”

  “We waited for you to get home.” My mother said.

  “Is that Char?” My dad asked from the top of the stairs.

  “Yes honey.”

  “So, how’d it go?” Richie asked curiously.

  “Good. He told me the whole story. He tried to find me for over a year and said that he never stopped thinking about me.”

  “I know its late Char but what happened. He had your number?” My mother asked as my father made space for himself beside her on the sofa.

  I sat for the next half hour telling my parents everything Skylar shared with me. They sat quietly, listening about his mother, Carmencita and the paper, and the photograph.

  “So, what are you going to do?” My mother asked.

  “I tried calling CeCe twice, after I dropped Skylar off but I got her voicemail both times. She’s probably sleeping.”

  “I don’t know if she’s sleeping.” Richie hinted.

  “It’s almost four in the morning. I’m sure she’s sleeping on the night before her wedding.” I argued.

  “Well…I got home about an hour before you got home and she was still out.” He smiled

  “Those girls are going to be so tired tomorrow.” My mother commented.

  “No, just CeCe.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The girls all left and CeCe said she’d have Eric take her home.” He smiled again.

  “What? Eric took her home?” I aske
d, stunned by CeCe’s judgment on the eve of her wedding night.

  “Is there a problem with that?” Richie asked sarcastically.

  “Yes, there’s a problem with that. CeCe is supposed to be getting married to another man tomorrow and she’s running around with Eric tonight while I’ve been sick to my stomach worrying about hurting her with Skylar.”

  “Are you sure it’s not because she was running around with Eric? You can’t have it both ways.” My brother annoyingly said.

  “Yes, I care about Eric but the man I love—that she supposedly loves—she feels it’s okay to just run around on him?”

  “They were just hanging out Char.” Richie said. “Take it easy on her.”

  “I’m sorry I’ve been sick about this whole thing since yesterday.”

  “You should get some sleep dear. You’ve been through a lot and tomorrow doesn’t sound like it’s going to be any easier for the three of you.” My mother said compassionately.

  “I do need sleep. I’m supposed to meet CeCe on the island at ten AM.”

  “So, he’s going to talk with her first?” My dad asked for clarification.

  “Yes, he was going to talk to her as soon as he saw her.” I said.

  “Okay, just be ready for that.” He said, standing up to give me a hug before I headed upstairs.

  “Oh honey, Mrs. Kisielewski called while you were out today. She said she needs your final draft of the manuscript emailed to her no later than midnight tomorrow.” My mother said, before my foot touched the first step.

  “Oh crap. I remembered but completely forgot. I’m so stressed that I forgot about the deadline.”

  “Well you should have plenty of ideas for the ending now.” Richie added as I staggered up the stairs.

  I lay in bed, tired, but my mind raced a million miles an hour, thinking about tomorrow. Skylar could still change his mind. What if I didn’t get my book done in time? I could lose almost everything that made sense in my life. It would be just Lucy and I again. “Lord please, move mountains for me. I can’t climb these alone and if I fall and there’s no one or nothing to catch me then I don’t know how I’ll get back up again.” I said out loud before closing my eyes, hoping for the best.

  Chapter 22: Southern Belles

  I was standing at the altar, in my pink bridesmaid’s dress, and neither CeCe nor Skylar were anywhere to be seen. I felt something tickling my cheek. I swatted at it and heard giggling. I felt something brush against my cheek, again, and abruptly opened my eyes to see Lucy standing directly over my face, with her feather boa dangling over me.

  “You silly goose,” I said, grabbing the feather from the grips of my three-year old before pulling her on top of me so I could tickle her back.

  “No mommy. Don’t tickle me. I’m gonna pee.” She barely made out the words in between all the giggles.

  “Pee! Pee! It’s Okay—you need to take a shower anyway.”

  “Mommy, I’m gonna tell papa on you.” She screamed loudly, muffled with laughter as she attempted to wiggle out of my hold.

  “Okay, I’ll stop.” I said letting go of her for a second before tickling her again.

  “Mommy!” She squealed.

  “Okay, okay, I’ll stop for real.” I kissed her head before letting her go.

  “Mommy we need to go. We got to get to Auntie’s wedding.”

  “It’s 9:30 AM honey. You need to get going soon. Do you want us to bring Lucy with us so you have some privacy?” My mother appeared in my doorway.

  “Oh my gosh—I’ve got to go! Yes, please bring Lucy.” I jumped up and ran towards the shower. “Mom, please get my purse and make-up bag together.”

  Ten minutes later I kissed Lucy goodbye and rushed to my car.

  “We’ll see you shortly honey. I’m praying for you.” My mother called out to me as I shifted into first gear.

  I sped to the ferry, parked my car and hurried on with my bags. My bridesmaid’s dress, that I hoped I would not need, was already at the Inn, courtesy of Bev. My heart was racing again. I didn’t know what I would find when I saw CeCe. She was going to be hurt or mad or sad. I put my make-up on while the boat made its way to the island. I was the only passenger on the ferry. We reached the dock and I quickly grabbed my bags and rushed towards the Inn.

  It was a beautiful warm morning with the sun still making subtle appearances between the passing clouds. The chairs and tables for the reception were already set up on the front lawn, facing the river. There were people everywhere setting up all the personal touches CeCe designed. I looked around for CeCe or Skylar as I made my way to the Inn. Nothing—just like my dream.

  I entered the Inn and was quickly greeted and escorted by Jillian, the wedding planner, a younger more restrained version of Bev. I tried explaining that I needed to meet with CeCe by ten AM but she did not seem worried. I wasn’t sure how to react by her hastiness. She hurried me down the long corridor and swung open a pair of doors. I looked at my watch. It was 10:15 AM.

  “Your dress is in here. You have two minutes to get it on. We need to get you down to the bride for pictures. As soon as you’re done, I’ll take you down there. I will be standing right outside your door.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right out.” I shook my head. Skylar must not have talked with CeCe yet. Or maybe he had and she persuaded him to continue with the wedding. My heart felt the weight of the last four years press down.

  “You have one minute.” Jillian shouted.

  “Almost done,” I said feeling shaky again.

  I zipped up the back of my dress and placed my clothes in my bag. I dabbed on some pink lip gloss wondering if Skylar would be there with CeCe.

  “Time’s up.” The door swung open to my surprise. “Follow me.” She turned in the opposite direction.

  I followed her back down the long corridor and stopped at the very end where she pushed open another set of doors. This time, I saw the back of CeCe. She was alone in the room and standing at the window, looking out. Her hair was perfectly curled with blonde extensions, brushed up into a fancy side pony-tail. Her dress, strapless, covered in champagne lace, with an ornate rhinestone belt and fitted to just above the knee before it billowed out, was breathtaking. From her profile I could see that her left arm was crossed over her abdomen while her right elbow rested on her left hand and her right hand covered her mouth. She was silent and I could hear a needle drop. Jillian opened a cabinet for my items to be placed before she walked back out of the room closing the doors tightly shut.

  “So, do you think I should I go through with this?” I heard CeCe ask, without turning to see who was in the room with her.

  Nervously, I answered, “Do you think you should go through with this?”

  “I love him but what if there was someone else out there?” She asked, unflinching in her question as she remained interested in the activities outside.

  “What do you mean CeCe?” I was shaking again, wondering if she had spoken with Skylar or if she was just testing me.

  “What if I was just marrying Christian because he’s the first good man to come along?”

  “Do you love him?” I asked, feeling ill.

  The door swung open again. I turned to see who it was. Jillian was standing there with Bev.

  “Charlotte dear, we need to take pictures now.” Bev instructed.

  “I’m not ready yet mother. Come back in a few minutes please.” She said without turning around.

  “Okay. We will be back in five minutes.”

  “Make it ten.” CeCe demanded.

  “Back in ten,” Bev said before closing the doors.

  “CeCe, why are you asking this?”

  Finally, she turned around looking down while she twisted her fingers into the curls of her pony-tail. “I need a friend right now—no judgment please.” She started.

  “Yeah, sure CeCe,” I waited for what came next.

  “Last night after you left I started talking with Eric.” She paused glancing over my face. “It turns
out that there may just be something there—something unfinished.”

  “CeCe…”

  “Char, just listen.”

  “Okay.” I said, sitting down.

  “I know that you said Eric wasn’t the one but I wasn’t convinced after I saw him kiss you last night. So, I pulled up a chair and we talked for the next four and a half hours.” She said with no identifiable expression on her face.

  “And what did you find out?”

  “I found out all kinds of things.” She said turning back around towards the window.

  “Like what?”

  “Like he broke up with you because he said he never truly got over me since the fifth grade.” She said with a slight smile on her cherry red lips.

  “What?”

  “I’m sorry Char. I know it’s not what you wanted to hear this morning on my wedding day.” She said, turning back around. “I was trying to see if I could work things out between you two. However, the more we talked I remembered what fascinated me about him in the first place. He’s funny and sweet and smart and shy with a dash of courage.”

  I felt a strange feeling hurl up in my belly. “What happened CeCe? What did you talk about that took you four and a half hours?”

  “Don’t get mad, Okay? Promise?”

  “Okay CeCe, I promise. What happened?”

  “We went down to the landing. We talked so much that I don’t know what came over him or me but we just ended up kissing.” She said covering her mouth.

  “You kissed Eric?”

  “You promised to not get mad!”

  “What about Skylar?” I asked, angry that I was walking on eggshells while she had made out with my ex-boyfriend on the eve before her wedding day.

  “That’s why I need a friend. I love him but what if I’m rushing things just because he’s so good to me?”

  “Rushing things—you think?”

  “Wait—what did you say?” CeCe looked at me, suddenly confused.

  “Don’t you think you’re rushing things?”

  She moved away from the window and towards me. “No, not that—you said Skylar.”