“We’d like to set up an appointment with the fertility clinic within the next few days,” Addison continued, finally lifting her gaze to hold Charlotte’s. Charlotte couldn’t name the emotion in those eyes, but they were glowing, and Addison had a half-smileon her lips. “You did tell me you like the clinic on Deer Pond Road. Our doctor does occasionally go there, so it works out.”
Charlotte nodded a little too quickly. “Great.”
There was so much more she wanted to say, so much more she should.
But the words kept leaving her mind, and she had no idea how to bring them back.
It was a combination of nerves and feeling like she was going to be sick to her stomach. When she got up to leave their house a short while later, Charlotte was feeling lightheaded. She set off at an even pace in the direction of her mom’s bakery, with the warmth of the afternoon sun on her back. Charlotte was so busy clenching and unclenching her hands and reminding herself how to breathe that she didn’t realize when she got there.
She also wasn’t looking when she pushed the door open and sent Patrick sprawling back and colliding with a member of the waitstaff. Horrified, her hands flew to her chest, and she surged toward Patrick, her hand darting out to land on his arm. After righting himself, Patrick and Charlotte both apologized to the dark-haired waiter, who offered them a smile and walked off.
“I’m so sorry. My mind is a little all over the place today.” She realized she was still holding on to his surprisingly toned arm and abruptly released it. “Let me buy you something to make up for it.”
Patrick patted his stomach. “I’m not sure if I should take you up on that. I’m going to hate myself at the gym.”
“Come on. You can always burn it off.”
Patrick smiled and followed her to the nearest booth. “Oh, all right, but if the trainer is at the gym next time and he starts giving me angry looks, I’m giving him your number.”
Charlotte chuckled as she slid into the booth and ignored the odd little twinge it gave at being in close proximity to Patrick.“He can’t be any worse than Principal Higgins. Did you see the necklace he wore yesterday?”
Patrick picked up the menu and scanned it. “Yeah, I heard it’s because of his stepdaughter. He’s trying to relate or something.”
Charlotte glanced around, spotted her mother behind the register, and waved. “Better men than him have tried.”
“Did you hear we’re getting more transfers? And they’re expanding class sizes.”
Charlotte swung her gaze back to Patrick and frowned. “Like the size of the students or the actual classes?”
Patrick set the menu down and raised an eyebrow. “Come on, you’ve been a teacher long enough to know that we’re not getting an expansion. They’re making budget cuts everywhere. Apparently, the science lab is going to start being rented out after school hours for anyone who wants the space.”
“What would anyone want with a middle school science lab?”
Patrick shrugged. “Beats me.”
After placing an order of two milkshakes and a banana blueberry muffin to split, Charlotte exchanged a quick look with Patrick and blushed. Then she leaned back against the booth and pretended to rifle through her purse for her phone. When she looked up, Patrick was looking out the window at the steady stream of people rushing past in either direction.
She liked that he wasn’t intimidated by the silence and didn’t try to fill it with inane talk.
Charlotte liked they were able to just sit together without any kind of pressure to be anything else.
It made her like Patrick even more.
As soon as the thought left her mind, his phone rang, and Patrick rose to answer it. He returned a short while later and gave her an apologetic smile. “That was my sister. She’s got some kind of plumbing emergency. I should go before she floods the whole house.”
“At least take the muffin.” Charlotte gestured to the plate in front of her. “I owe you one.”
Patrick took a long sip of his milkshake. Then, he broke the muffin in half and shoved it in his mouth. “See you around, Char.”
Charlotte sighed and watched him leave. “See you.”
When the door swung shut behind him, Charlotte began to root through her purse. She was taking out her phone to call Addison when Savannah appeared in front of her, wisps of hair escaping from her bun and clinging to her forehead. Without warning, her sister sat down and pulled the half-eaten muffin toward her.
“I know you don’t want to hear it,” Savannah began, pausing to tear the muffin into smaller pieces. “But someone has to tell you what you’re in for, and I’m not saying this to be mean. I know your heart is in the right place, but you really have no idea what you’re getting into.”
Charlotte put her phone down, a burst of irritation rising within her. She tried to push it down, but the stony look on her sister’s face only made it worse. Slowly, Charlotte counted backward from ten and blew out a breath. Then, she folded her arms over her chest. “And I suppose you’re going to tell me all about it.”
Savannah nodded a little too hard. “I wouldn’t be a good sister if I didn’t tell you. You do know that you’re going to have to sign a legally binding contract before you can even be inseminated, and the purpose is to ensure the rights of Addison and Mason as parents.”
