a shower.” I squeezed her hand. “We can talk afte r, okay?”
“I won’t be long, okay? I’ll be back before you know it.” There was a look in Charlie’s eyes that I didn’t like to se e. Worry.
“Of course you won’t be long. You’re only going upstairs.” I picked up Grace from where she lay and the moment she saw my face her eyes lit up. I held her close, smoothed her hair, and straightened the cute little outfit I dressed her in today, and almost didn’t notice Charlie’s retreat from the kitchen. I caught a brief glimpse of her as she hoisted her bags over her shoulder. I was about to call out to her, to remind her where the bath towels were or just to tell her how happy I was to have her here, but the slight echo of her words in the hall s topped me.
“Is this what happened to our mother?”
I froze as I heard those words. How could she say that? Our mother…oh God, our mother had been crazy. She was psychotic and unbalanced, and it killed me to hear Charlie say that.
All my life, my greatest fear has been that I would turn out like our mother once I had a child. But I hadn’t. Far from it. Grace had changed me in more ways than I could ever imagine. She’d made me into a bett er person.
So, why would Charlie say that?
CHAPTER SIX
I curled up on the couch in the loft area and waited for Charlie. I tried to sit still, to pretend that her comment earlier didn’t bother me. It was hard , though.
The loft area had recently been cleaned and purged, I think. Nina must have been in a decluttering mood, because all the blankets and books I had left on the couch and coffee table had been replaced with m agazines.
“Sorry I took so long. The hot water felt so good.” Charlie set a large box down beside the couch and plopped down beside me.
“What’s that?” I couldn’t take my eyes off the old cardboard box. In thick black marker were the words Old Stuff–Don’t Throw Away written on both the top and side of the box that I could see.
Charlie shrugged. She settled on the couch, curling her legs beneath her. “Just some stuff I thought you might like to go through later. Did you ha ve lunch?”
“Just some toast. I wasn’t too hungry.” I was really curious about what was inside the box. What kind of old stuff would Charlie want to look through? “Did you let Marcus know you were here, safe and sound?” I caught the way she hardly spoke about him earlier. Another thing that was…off. Charlie and Marcus first met in South America more than three years ago and had been inseparable since then. It had been a foregone conclusion that they’d get married, and frankly, I was surprised they weren’ t by now.
She twisted her engagement ring around her finger before she gave a little shrug of her shoulders.
“We’re kind of…taking a break.”
I didn’t say anything, but the questions I wanted to ask her swirled in my head. A break? What kind of break? She was still wearing her ring, so it must not be a perma nent one.
“He gave me an ultimatum and, well, we both know how I respond to those.” She rolled her eyes.
“Shut up.” Charlie was known for her stu bbornness.
Charlie shrugged before picking up an Oprah magazine and leafing t hrough it.
“What did he want?” I couldn’t believe I had to drag this o ut of her.
“A baby.”
The way she said it made it sound like the world was going to end, like it was the worst thing that ever could have happened to her. And I understood; I really did. I once thought the same thing, until I held Grace i n my arms.
“It’s not as bad as we thought, Charlie. It’s really not.” It was better. Heaven instead of the hell we’d e nvisioned.
“You don’t know that.” Her lips tightened in defiance.
“I do. Look at me. I’m fine.” I leaned forward and gently touched her knee.
She jerked it awa y from me.
“Diane, we made a pact with Mags, remember? That if we were ever to have children, we would only adopt. R
“I won’t be long, okay? I’ll be back before you know it.” There was a look in Charlie’s eyes that I didn’t like to se e. Worry.
“Of course you won’t be long. You’re only going upstairs.” I picked up Grace from where she lay and the moment she saw my face her eyes lit up. I held her close, smoothed her hair, and straightened the cute little outfit I dressed her in today, and almost didn’t notice Charlie’s retreat from the kitchen. I caught a brief glimpse of her as she hoisted her bags over her shoulder. I was about to call out to her, to remind her where the bath towels were or just to tell her how happy I was to have her here, but the slight echo of her words in the hall s topped me.
“Is this what happened to our mother?”
I froze as I heard those words. How could she say that? Our mother…oh God, our mother had been crazy. She was psychotic and unbalanced, and it killed me to hear Charlie say that.
All my life, my greatest fear has been that I would turn out like our mother once I had a child. But I hadn’t. Far from it. Grace had changed me in more ways than I could ever imagine. She’d made me into a bett er person.
So, why would Charlie say that?
CHAPTER SIX
I curled up on the couch in the loft area and waited for Charlie. I tried to sit still, to pretend that her comment earlier didn’t bother me. It was hard , though.
The loft area had recently been cleaned and purged, I think. Nina must have been in a decluttering mood, because all the blankets and books I had left on the couch and coffee table had been replaced with m agazines.
“Sorry I took so long. The hot water felt so good.” Charlie set a large box down beside the couch and plopped down beside me.
“What’s that?” I couldn’t take my eyes off the old cardboard box. In thick black marker were the words Old Stuff–Don’t Throw Away written on both the top and side of the box that I could see.
Charlie shrugged. She settled on the couch, curling her legs beneath her. “Just some stuff I thought you might like to go through later. Did you ha ve lunch?”
“Just some toast. I wasn’t too hungry.” I was really curious about what was inside the box. What kind of old stuff would Charlie want to look through? “Did you let Marcus know you were here, safe and sound?” I caught the way she hardly spoke about him earlier. Another thing that was…off. Charlie and Marcus first met in South America more than three years ago and had been inseparable since then. It had been a foregone conclusion that they’d get married, and frankly, I was surprised they weren’ t by now.
She twisted her engagement ring around her finger before she gave a little shrug of her shoulders.
“We’re kind of…taking a break.”
I didn’t say anything, but the questions I wanted to ask her swirled in my head. A break? What kind of break? She was still wearing her ring, so it must not be a perma nent one.
“He gave me an ultimatum and, well, we both know how I respond to those.” She rolled her eyes.
“Shut up.” Charlie was known for her stu bbornness.
Charlie shrugged before picking up an Oprah magazine and leafing t hrough it.
“What did he want?” I couldn’t believe I had to drag this o ut of her.
“A baby.”
The way she said it made it sound like the world was going to end, like it was the worst thing that ever could have happened to her. And I understood; I really did. I once thought the same thing, until I held Grace i n my arms.
“It’s not as bad as we thought, Charlie. It’s really not.” It was better. Heaven instead of the hell we’d e nvisioned.
“You don’t know that.” Her lips tightened in defiance.
“I do. Look at me. I’m fine.” I leaned forward and gently touched her knee.
She jerked it awa y from me.
“Diane, we made a pact with Mags, remember? That if we were ever to have children, we would only adopt. R
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