скачать книгу бесплатно
Jack nodded. “Any luck?”
She shrugged. “I just started this morning. ‘The first day of the rest of my life’ and all that.” Her mouth twitched ever so slightly, and she tucked her chin-length dark hair behind one ear.
“Sounds like a step in the right direction.”
“I guess so. Want to sit?” She pointed to the rocker that matched hers.
He pulled out his cell phone to check the time. “Sure, I have a few minutes before my conference call.”
“You’re working from home today?”
“Kind of. After the call, I’m going to visit my grandfather in Providence. He’s in the hospital.”
“Oh, no. Is it serious?”
“I’m not sure.” He sipped his coffee, placed it on the table between their rockers and sat down. “He was admitted with heart problems. That’s all I really know. I’m hoping to get more detailed information when I’m there in person.”
“This is the grandfather you work for?” She drank from her plastic tumbler. Even her careful movements screamed grief stricken.
He nodded. His granddad had started the advertising firm forty-five years ago, and Jack was expected to take over the reins one day.
“Tell me about this search,” he said. “How do people find their biological parents?”
Jack felt comfortable asking Charlotte these rather personal questions. The two of them had become friends the day she moved in. He’d come home from work exhausted and there she had been, sitting in the same rocking chair as now on an unusually warm fall day, enjoying a beer from the bottle. From across the street she’d offered him one, before asking if he knew anything about plumbing. So he’d taught her how to replace the insides of a toilet and get it to stop running constantly. She, in turn, always had a cold beer ready for him.
“I don’t really know yet. I’ve been reading websites that explain how to start the search. They say things like, ‘Ask your adoptive parents about the adoption agency or lawyer they went through.’ I wish I could. Mom went so quickly that I never had a chance to bring up the subject. And until recently, I never even thought about finding my biological parents. But after losing my mom to cancer, I really need to know what might be in store for me, medically speaking. Not only for me, but for any children I might have.”
“Sounds like a good idea. Did your mom have a file or anything where she might have kept that information?”
Charlotte’s eyebrows rose. “Good point. I haven’t been through everything yet. She saved every piece of paper that came her way. There are boxes and boxes to go through. I’ll look for an adoption file next.”
He’d never had a woman friend before, but he enjoyed Charlotte’s company. He felt strangely brotherly toward her—a novelty since, like her, he’d been raised as an only child.
Charlotte wasn’t anywhere close to the type of woman he dated. And even if there had been a slight hint of sexual attraction between them, he certainly wouldn’t get involved with a neighbor. How awkward would it be when they stopped seeing each other?
Luckily Charlotte wasn’t the type to make assumptions... Suddenly he had a brilliant idea. Charlotte needed cheering up and he needed a plus one. “What are you doing Saturday?”
Her eyes narrowed. “This Saturday? Like tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” He grinned. “Are you free?”
“That depends.”
“Depends on what?”
“It depends on why you’re asking me if I’m free on Saturday.” She folded her hands on her lap, waiting for him to explain.
“I need a date for my cousin’s wedding.” He held up a hand. “Not really a date. A plus one.”
“You’re asking me with one day’s notice?” She cocked her head and waited for him to continue.
He let out a breath. “A few weeks ago, when I sent back the RSVP, I told Emily—my cousin—that I’d be bringing a date. You remember I was dating Brenda, right?”
Charlotte coughed to cover her laugh. “Oh, yeah, I remember Brenda.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do. Tell me.”
She hesitated. “Well, she was just a little too much for me.”
“Too much?”
“She wasn’t real, personality-wise. She was one person with you and quite another when you weren’t around.”
He thought about it for a second. “Go on.”
“Did she ever tell you to stay away from me?”
“Stay away from you?” He scratched his head. “No. Why would she do that?”
“That’s what she said to me. She made it very clear that I was not supposed to have anything to do with you. Although I’m not surprised that she never brought it up with you.”
This time he was the one cocking his head. “She told you to stay away from me?”
Charlotte nodded. “I don’t think she understood that our relationship is friendly, neighborly. She saw me as a threat.”
He chuckled. “Do me a favor. Next time you meet someone I’m dating, please let me know stuff like that. I would have dropped her sooner if I’d known she had such a jealous streak. That trait, along with the dominant domestic gene, are a deadly combination.”
They laughed together, trading stories of past dating disasters. He was glad to see Charlotte smile.
“So will you go to my cousin’s wedding with me?” he asked. “Anyone else I bring will expect a second date.”
She winked at him. “I guess this means I’m off the hook for any other time you need a plus one.”
“No, no! I didn’t mean—” He glimpsed the twinkle in her eye that was rarely seen. “You’re teasing.”
“Of course I am.” She sipped her drink. “I’d love to go. I barely leave the house since I work at home. This will be good for me.”
He was glad she saw it that way. “Great! We’ll have fun. I’ll make sure of it.” He checked the time on his cell phone and got up from the rocker. “I better go make that conference call. I’ll email you the wedding details.” He picked up his coffee cup.
“Sounds good.” She rose, as well. “I’m going to go dig out Mom’s old files that I haven’t been through yet and then figure out what to wear on our nondate.”
He smiled. As he turned and went down the steps, he saw her sketch pad propped against the porch railing. The ocean was churning and the sky was dark, as if a storm was brewing. He turned back and asked Charlotte, “Is this yours?” At her nod, he said, “It’s so different—darker—from what you’ve done in the past.”
She nodded, her expression thoughtful. “No matter how much I try, I just can’t seem to make myself use color in any of my art these days. I’m drawn to charcoal, as if my world is black and white.”
He considered her statement a moment and said in a terrible British accent, “I take that as a challenge, my lady.” He swept off a pretend hat and bowed in the middle of the street, as if he were a prince and she his princess-to-be. “Until tomorrow...”
She smiled, giving him hope that someday soon she would be the happy person he knew she could be.
He gave her a little wave and a wink. “See you later,” he called, and he took his porch steps two at a time.
* * *
SATURDAY MORNING DAWNED bright with sunshine, but Allie’s mood didn’t match the weather. Morning had come too quickly after her late night, and she craved a few more hours of sleep. But no, her mother was adamant Allie have her hair done with the other girls. She wasn’t in the wedding party, thanks to some fast-talking when her sister-in-law-to-be brought it up. Allie was merely a reader at the ceremony. Regardless, her mother had insisted on her presence at several wedding-party functions.
Allie had attended the rehearsal last night like a good little girl, followed by a catered dinner at the Chinese Tea House on the Bellevue House grounds. Thanks to the bride’s parents, who were members of the preservation society, Emily and Scott would have their wedding reception at Bellevue House, one of Newport’s glamorous, historic mansions, recently donated and restored for members’ functions. And getting married at St. Mary’s Church, the same church as John and Jackie Kennedy, wasn’t too shabby, Allie supposed.
If you were into weddings, that is.
After the rehearsal dinner, Allie spent hours working on her presentation for the client who could rescue her advertising agency. She had a meeting scheduled for Monday, and there was too much preparation necessary to do it all on Sunday. Now she wasn’t quite done, but she’d gotten far enough along to be able to enjoy her brother’s big day.
After a group breakfast with the females in the wedding party, Allie was getting her hair washed and “done” at Crystal’s Salon and Spa. Allie wasn’t sure what the “spa” part of the title meant. There didn’t seem to be anything to the shop but a large room for washing and styling hair, a back room to mix coloring chemicals and a dryer that was presumably tumbling towels.
“I don’t want anything too extreme,” she told her stylist, Shari. The young woman had a blue streak in her hair and a prominent tattoo on her bare right shoulder and down her arm.
“You have gorgeous hair,” Shari told her as she combed through Allie’s dark, wet tangles. “Do you want an updo like the rest of the party?”
“I’m not a bridesmaid,” Allie said. “I’m not sure exactly how I want my hair done.” Her hairstyle had been the least of her concerns recently.
Before Allie could decide, Shari said, “I think we keep it down and do a crimped version of your style.” She scrunched Allie’s chin-length hair a little to give her an idea of where Shari was headed. “What do you think?”
“That’s good,” Allie said. Much better than an updo, which would make her feel like she was attending her high school prom.
“So, where do you fit into all this?” Shari asked as she rubbed a squirt of mousse between her hands and applied it to Allie’s hair. “If you’re not a bridesmaid, then what are you?”
Allie couldn’t help smiling at Shari’s openness. “I’m the sister of the groom. I passed on the bridesmaid role,” she said in a loud whisper over the whir of the hair dryers. “It’s not really my thing, and the bride didn’t need one more anyway. I’m sure she asked me only to be polite. She already had six bridesmaids, two junior bridesmaids and two flower girls.”
“Wow! No wonder everyone’s booked this morning.”
Shari kept up a running conversation while she worked on her hair, complimenting Allie’s great skin and the striking blue of her eyes next to her milky-white complexion.
This girl was definitely jonesing for a large tip. By the end of their time together, Allie was much more relaxed and decided Shari certainly deserved that tip.
Next stop, back to the downtown Newport hotel where they were all staying so she could get dressed and apply makeup. Another group event she’d taken a pass on, deciding to do these tasks on her own.
At least her mother hadn’t made an issue of that, too.
* * *
ONCE CHARLOTTE FINALLY figured out what she was going to wear on this nondate with Jack, her excitement grew. She hadn’t done anything for the fun of it in...well, she couldn’t remember the last time.
Since her mother’s cancer diagnosis a little over a year ago, Charlotte had been with her mom nearly 24/7 until her passing. Her mother had no other living relatives. After being left all alone, Charlotte’s focus had been settling her mother’s estate and buying the historic home she’d fallen in love with on sight. She had an art studio set up in one of the bedrooms, and she rarely left home except for necessities.
She wasn’t even sure she remembered how to have fun.
She finished her makeup and spent some extra time curling her dark hair into soft waves that came just below her chin. According to the clock on her nightstand, she still had twenty minutes before Jack would come by for her. She was about to slip on her dress when she heard her cell phone.
A text message from Jack.
Running late. Visiting Granddad and he passed out. He’s fine now. Will be there ASAP.
She texted back.
Glad he’s OK. Do you want me to meet you at the wedding?
Jack’s grandfather was in a Providence hospital, which meant Jack was about forty-five minutes away. St. Mary’s church was only a short drive from her house if tourist traffic wasn’t too heavy.
No. I have to change for the wedding. Didn’t expect to stay this long.
When she was ready to go, Charlotte made herself comfortable on her porch. She didn’t want Jack to have to wait even a second longer on her account.
The wedding was scheduled to begin at two, which was almost the time Jack’s black sports car came down the street. He spotted her immediately and waved as he ran from where he’d parallel parked his car on the street to his front porch steps that he took by twos. “I’ll be right out.”
Charlotte checked her small silver clutch to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything and then locked her front door. She walked carefully down her porch steps to the sidewalk with its cracks and bumps, and then crossed the street. She wasn’t used to wearing the four-inch heels that went with the sapphire-blue dress she’d chosen, but she’d manage. Her dress was gathered on one side under the bust with a glittery silver buckle, and her strappy silver shoes completed the outfit.
“All set?” Jack appeared on his porch, straightening his gold tie and securing a gold tie bar. His dark suit jacket was folded over one arm. He locked his front door and stopped abruptly at the top of his steps. “Wow! You clean up real nice.”
Charlotte’s cheeks heated. She wasn’t used to being complimented on anything but her artwork, even in such a flippant manner. “Thank you.” She couldn’t help noticing he didn’t look half-bad either. “So do you.”
“What, this old thing?” He grinned as he opened the passenger-side door for her and then came around the car to lay his jacket in the backseat before getting into the driver’s seat. “I’m really sorry we’re so late.” He checked the silver watch on his wrist. “By the time we fight the Saturday tourist traffic and park, we’ll probably have missed the ceremony completely. Why don’t we head directly to the reception?”
“Hey, she’s your cousin. No one will miss me,” she teased. “How’s your grandfather? You said he passed out?”
Jack nodded as he pulled out of his parking spot and drove up their street. “I waited until the doctor examined him. The doctor said it was probably low blood sugar because everything else checked out. Turned out Granddad didn’t eat much for lunch today. I guess he’s not thrilled with the food they serve.”
“That’s too bad. Can you bring food in for him?”
“He’s on a low-sodium diet, which makes that difficult.”
“No wonder he doesn’t like the food, if they’re leaving out the salt.”
A few more minutes of small talk and they were at Bellevue House, being directed where to park.
“It’s a beautiful day for a wedding,” Charlotte commented as she exited the car. “They could have had an outdoor wedding. Not that planning an outdoor wedding in this area would be a smart idea.”
“That could be a disaster with the wind gusts off the ocean alone, but I’m sure a lot of brides risk it when you can have the Atlantic Ocean or Narragansett Bay as a backdrop.” Jack put on his suit jacket and then held out his bent arm for her. “Shall we?”
She slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow, and they headed toward the mansion with its manicured gardens and huge round fountain. “Tell me how you’re related to these people. You said the bride is your cousin?” At his nod, she asked, “And the grandfather you just visited?”
“He’s my mom’s father. The bride is my dad’s niece.”
“Will your mother be here?” She hadn’t thought about how much family he would have at the wedding. His grandfather had raised him, but Jack had never mentioned what had happened to his parents.
“No.” He paused. “She passed away a long time ago.”
