“Don’t you think you’re rushing things with Christian?” I said, trying to ignore that I said Skylar.
“How did you know his middle name?” She asked in an accusatory way walking very close.
“CeCe, I tried calling you several times last night. I needed to talk to you and I couldn’t get a hold of you. Why wouldn’t you answer my phone calls?”
“Why are you changing the subject? How did you know Christian’s middle name?” She asked coming within a few feet of me.
“CeCe you are doing the typical CeCe thing and talking just about what you want to talk about.” I answered backing up.
“Answer me.” She said in a louder tone.
“I know lots of things CeCe.” I raised my voice.
“Yeah, like what?”
“I know lots of things about your fiancé.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why do I feel like I’m missing something here?” She asked with a quality of resentment in her voice.
“Maybe if you answered your phone you’d know why.”
“Really, what kinds of things do you know about my fiancé?” She followed me.
“You really want to know?”
“Tell me Char!” She shouted.
“Well first of all your flower girl is his daughter.” I said, stopping in my tracks.
“What craziness are you talking about?”
“You heard me CeCe. And now I wonder if you didn’t know all along and was just too jealous of me and Eric to tell me the truth about who your fiancé was.” I raised my voice louder.
A knock at the door interrupted us before the door swung open again. “CeCe, we need to take pictures now.” Her mother said standing there with Jillian, a server with a beverage tray, and five of her bridesmaids.
“Go away. We are talking right now.” CeCe yelled, scaring all but her mother away before she went over and closed the door on them.
“I’m not jealous of anyone.” CeCe hovered by me.
“Really, you mean you never thought that Christian who has a middle name of Skylar with a last name of La Fleur which when translated to English means Flower and who has a house in this part of the country could have been my Skylar—my Sky Flower? You never even considered it?” I asked feeling flames coming from every word.
“Really Char. I’m too busy to put every single detail that you’ve ever told me into a study guide.” She said, just inches from my face.
“Hmm, that’s very convenient for you.”
“No, I didn’t know besides he picked—he’s marrying me.” She said, waving her finger in my face.
“That’s funny. Last night when he kissed me and said he still loved me, he said he couldn’t marry you today.” I said, pushing the doors back open and knocking a few handfuls of people, behind the door, over.
CeCe’s face turned fire-engine red, “Come back here Char!”
“I’m finding Skylar and we will sort this out.” I said, picking up my dress and running down the hallway.
“I was not done talking. Get back here!” CeCe yelled chasing after me as fast she could in her dress.
“Catch me if you can.” I yelled, slipping out the back entry doorway.
“That’s not a problem I’ve always been faster than you.”
I ran across the back lawn, passed the ceremony chairs and massive floral arrangements, looking for Skylar. “You have to be good at something.”
“You’ve always been jealous of me and you know it.” CeCe ran after me catching up quickly.
I scanned the grounds and saw no sign of Skylar. I looked back over at the Inn and saw about twenty people peering through the windows at CeCe and I. “I am not jealous of you CeCe.”
“I’ve always had the cars, the friends, and the boyfriends you’ve wanted.” She said, closing in.
I doubled back around passing in front of the pond still scanning for Skylar anywhere. “You’re ridiculous and so narcissistic CeCe! I don’t want your life.”
“Just my men.” She said in arm’s reach.
“How many men do you have to have?” I asked, before feeling my head jerk back quickly stopping the momentum of my forward motion just steps from the pond.
“They choose me.” She said, grabbing my hair.
“Ouch CeCe! Let go of my hair!” I said, whirling around.
“Take back what you said first! This is my wedding day and you’ve ruined it.”
“You ruined it all by yourself!” I said, pushing her forward while trying to release her hand from my hair.
“You…” She pushed back as I grabbed her hand to keep from falling backwards in the pond.
“I’m falling!” I said, feeling my body tumbling back with CeCe falling on top of me before we landed in the muddy pond.
“You! You ruined my wedding day!” CeCe cried as she found her bearings and stood up covered in mud and algae.
“You kissed another man the night before your wedding.” I screamed just as Skylar and Eric approached us.
Skylar looked at Eric with a slight frown. Eric bobbed his head to the side.
“You kissed my fiancé!” She retorted.
Eric looked at Skylar with the same questionable look and grinned.
I looked at Eric and found the courage to smile back before I glanced over at Skylar.
“What are you girls doing?” Skylar asked, eyeing CeCe and I.
I stood up quickly, slipping on more mud before falling back down into the pond as CeCe cackled.
“Oh you think that’s funny?” I said, pulling on the back of her dress causing her to become a leaning tower of mud, sliding back down into the pond beside me.
“Charlotte!” She hollered.
I picked up a handful of mud and threw it at her pretty face. The guys backed away from the pond. Stunned and angry, CeCe picked up two handfuls of mud and threw them like a fast-pitched baseball at my head.
“You’re like a pig in the mud.” CeCe screeched.
“Ouch!” I screamed picking up more mud to chuck at her. “Maybe the mud will help cover up your blemishes, you definitely don’t look like a southern belle.
“You are crazy!” CeCe yelled as she rushed at me.
Realizing that a woman scorned, a southern woman no less, on her wedding day was one of the most powerful machines known to human kind, I backed up as fast as I could but it was no use. She caught my leg and dragged it upwards causing me to get mouthfuls of algae scum and mud in my eyes, ears, and nose. I found a footing and gained my stature back—grabbing her waist—like one of the wrestling moves my brother Edward showed me years ago. I leaned all my weight into her, knocking her down. We wrestled another few minutes while Eric and Skylar took a seat on the grass nearby. They were smart enough to not get pulled into the murky mess. CeCe and I were locked up neck and neck covered in grime from head to toe. I squeezed tightly around CeCe’s neck.
“Okay, you win.” CeCe pleaded. “Get your monkey arms off me.”
“Say it one more time.”
“You win.” CeCe said louder. “Now let me go.”
“Okay.” I said, letting go of her before she reached around and pulled me under the water as she quickly moved out of my way.
I came up out of the water to see her break into laughter. I looked at her and laughed too. We stood there for a minute, filthy, and water-logged. Her face softened. I began to feel the tears rush back.
“You’re a mess.” I laughed.
“You ruined my wedding day.” CeCe stopped smiling.
“I’m kind of sorry I ruined your day.”
“It’s about time you apologized.” She said seriously before, her lips curled into a sideways smile. “I’m sorry too—I really didn’t know that he was your Skylar.”
“When I didn’t hear from you for five months last year, my heart broke. I know what it’s like to not have you in my life and I don’t want to live without you ever again and I don’t want to live without Skylar.” I said, walking over to CeCe.
“I love you Char.”
We met in the mud and stood motionless for a moment. I reached for her and she threw her arms around me.
“What are we going to do?”
“We are going to stop making the mistakes that we can avoid.” She said with her head bent around my neck.
“Are you sure you’re ready for that?”
“No, but the bad choices we make don’t make our situations any better, even if only for a moment.” She said, holding me tightly.
“Did I ever tell you that I’ve always admired you?”
“I’m going to need you to keep the compliments coming for a while.”
“I’m being truthful CeCe. I love your ability to fight hard for what you want including our friendship.”
“Thank you.”
As we got to the edge of the pond, Eric and Skylar lent their hands to help pull us out. As we made it back to dry land, I noticed an audience from the lawn to all the windows. CeCe, in true form, waved to all as she curtsied and took a bow.
The news quickly spread to all three families and to most of the county within the 24 hours. CeCe and Skylar took off to talk and figure things out. I thanked Eric again for his truly wonderful friendship. He said I was allowed to give him a hug after I washed up. The wedding was cancelled and the Crawford’s decided to throw a party for the entire town since they’d already paid for everything. Lucy stayed at the party with my parents so she could wear her pretty pink dress. We decided to wait and not tell her just yet that she had another daddy.
Alone and covered in mud, I took the ferry back to St. Marys. I went home and took a hot shower. Afterwards, I sat down in front of my computer. I reflected back over the past 48 hours and set out to finish the last three chapters of my book while my entire family celebrated on Cumberland Island all night. I laughed and cried thinking about the frailty of life, how the unexpected things—the unmade plans God knew about all along brought challenges, surprises, but best of all relationships worth more than all the gold and diamonds in the world. I stayed up writing until the last period was in place. I saved a copy of the book and then emailed it to Mrs. Kisielewski at 11:59 PM. Just after midnight I crawled into bed and closed my eyes.
Chapter 23: Puppies and Butterflies
The next morning I awoke to my cell phone ringing a little after nine.
“Hello?”
“Meet me at Tru-Rox in twenty minutes.” CeCe said pertly before hanging up.
I was excited to get to the diner and meet with CeCe. I kissed Lucy and woke her up. I got her dressed quickly and changed my clothes. We hopped into the car and headed to the diner; a few minutes later we arrived.
“Hi Char.” Trudy smiled, bringing the coffee pot over, as we slid in our booth.
“Good morning Tru.”
“Morning Ms. Trudy.” Lucy said grabbing some crayons and a kid’s menu to color on.
A minute later CeCe walked in beaming. I waved to her and she strolled over.
“Can I get you anything CeCe?” Trudy offered.
“How about a chocolate milkshake?”
“Sounds good; it’ll take me a second. We’re short-staffed. I haven’t been able to find another server as good as Char and it doesn’t look like she’s coming back anytime soon. Your mom said your book got picked up and is being published. I knew it was only a matter of time for both of you to find your wings and soar.” She smiled.
“Awe, thanks Tru,” CeCe and I said in unison, before we looked at each other and started laughing.
“I want cheese fries.” Lucy said pressing down firmly with her pink crayon.
“Good choice Lu. Your momma and I use to order the chocolate milkshakes…”
“And the cheese fries she told me.” She said, finishing CeCe’s sentence.
“That’s right.” CeCe smiled looking over at her.
“Ladies, I’ll be back with your food in a few moments.” Trudy said, leaving to put in our order.
“So, are you okay?” I asked, reaching my hand over to hers.
“I’ll be okay. I’m sad but I’ll survive.”
“I finished my book at 11:59 PM.” I smiled back.
“I trust that I gave you enough material to finish your book.” She grinned.
“Ughh, yes you did. Thank you for that and for everything.”
“You’re welcome. I owed you one.”
“What do you mean?”
CeCe smiled and looked down and back up again. “Last night after I finished talking to Christian, I mean Skylar— I thought about you and Skylar and Eric. Do you remember the day we first met Eric?”
“Yeah—I remember fighting over the locker with you to put on my make-up before we saw him.” I smiled.
“Do you remember when Mrs. Newwater asked for a volunteer?”
“How could I not? You about ripped my hair out trying to get your hand higher in the air than mine.” I said as Lucy shot CeCe a strange look before looking at me. “Auntie Ce was crazy mad for Eric when we were in fifth grade.”
“Do you remember what I promised you that day?”
I thought back—recalling the conversation we had twelve years ago. “It’s a bit fuzzy—”
“I promised you that if you let me show him around that the next good guy that came along was yours.” She bit her bottom lip.
“Ladies, here are your fries and two chocolate milkshakes, on the house.” Trudy unloaded the tray before hurrying off.
Just then the doorbell dinged. I glanced over to see Skylar look around before his eyes landed on mine. He started towards us.
“I love you Char. I’ll always be there for you and I know you’ll always be there for me. It’s your turn now; your Prince Charming has arrived.” She said, standing up to kiss me on the cheek before she headed towards the door.
She stopped and hugged Skylar on her way out.
“Wait CeCe, where are you going?” I shouted.
She smirked, “I’ve got some business to do at Sothersby Insurance Company.”
“On a Sunday?” I asked, before her words registered and she was out the door.
“Is this seat taken?” Skylar asked Lucy and I as he approached.
“You can sit there.” Lucy interrupted.
“So, do you come here often?”
“A lot, me and my mommy love the cheese fries and chocolate milkshakes.”
“Chocolate milkshakes—those are my favorites!” Skylar smiled.
“I think we’re going to be friends then.” Lucy giggled.
Skylar gazed at us. “I think we’re going to be good friends too, Lucy.” He said reaching for my hand, “How do you feel about puppies?”
Lucy’s eyes widened as she watched him. “Oooh I love puppies!”
“Me too, I have a bulldog named Zeus.” He said, grinning widely at the two of us.
As Lucy began asking questions about Zeus, Skylar gently tucked my hand into his. Seeing him smile made me smile and from deep within me I felt the pitter patter of butterflies being released.
~The End~
Acknowledgements
A huge thank you to my husband Andrew Anderson for helping me with quirky book things and ensuring our children were not bleeding and ate dinner on the countless nights I spent at my desk bringing this story to life, to my children, the most amazing blessings in life and why I do what I do, and to my mother and biggest fan Barbara Dzuris for so many things and especially, for instilling in me the love of writing and storytelling. Thank you to my dad, Milan Dzuris, for being such a great father and papa. To Katie Hess for a great photograph and Amy Guilford for rescuing my book cover-thank you ladies. For all the women I’ve come across that have blessed me with laughter, friendship and wisdom, thank you. And to my Heavenly Father, the author of absolute love and second chances, thank you for your patience and your wild sense of humor.
About the Author
Sarah Anderson grew up in a not-for-profit family camp serving children and families from
low income, urban neighborhoods in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating high school, she traveled the world, went on missions trips, and received a Masters of Social Work degree to make a positive impact in the world around her. She draws from these experiences to write moving and humorous stories to inspire people of all ages to reach for their dreams and never give up. She and her husband live in Michigan with their four children.
Visit Sarah Anderson’s website to learn more about her and other works in progress.
Connect with Me Online at:
Website: www.sarahandersonauthor.com
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Southern Belles, a Novel About Love, Purpose & Second Chances (9781310340970) Page 35
