Hours later, she was rifling through her closet and throwing clothes over her shoulders. Her bedroom looked like a tornado had ripped through it, leaving things turned upside down, with clothes littering every surface. With a frown, Charlotte glanced at the clock on the wall and pulled out a knee-length, dark green, sleeveless dress with a sweetheart neckline.
Charlotte hummed to herself as she peeled off her clothes and got into the shower. Steam filled the bathroom as she lathered up shampoo and scrubbed every inch of her body twice. Then, she wrapped a towel around her chest and went into her room. She couldn’t stop smiling as she pulled the dress on and shoved her feet into a pair of sandals.
She was examining her hair in the mirror when the doorbell rang.
Hastily, she gave a few quick spritzes of her Guess Girl perfume and ran into the living room. When she opened the door to reveal Patrick in a pair of dark jeans and a checkered button-down shirt, she nearly giggled like a schoolgirl. With a smile, he handed her a bouquet of roses and leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek.
Her skin was tingling as she beckoned Patrick forward and went into the kitchen. She touched two fingers to her cheek and grinned while she waited for the vase to fill up. Then, she set it down on the kitchen counter, pausing to give the cats a meaningful look. Patrick stood at the mantelpiece with one hand shoved into his pocket and the other hanging limply at his side.
“I’m just going to grab my purse, and we can get going.”
During the car ride to the restaurant, Patrick held her hand and brushed his thumb along the inside of her wrist. He kept one hand on the wheel and nodded along to the music as they drove past the Dairy Queen and the Vista Veterinary Hospital. The restaurant’s pulsing red sign stood in stark contrast to its cream-colored surroundings. Patrick pulled up into an empty spot opposite the New Peking Palace and switched off the engine.
Inside, there were red booths with tablecloths and calming music playing in the background. Waiters in black-and-white uniforms rushed past in either direction. Patrick waited for her to sit down before he slid into the seat opposite her. She wassipping on her water and scanning the restaurant while Patrick studied the menu.
“Everything looks good,” Patrick said, pausing to glance up at her. “What do you feel like having?”
Her stomach grumbled as a waiter carried a tray with steaming hot chicken and vegetables drenched in a thick and creamy sauce.
“I don’t know. How about you pick?”
Patrick frowned. “Are you sure?”
She nodded and draped an arm over her stomach. “Yeah, I don’t know if I can choose for myself. My stomach is feeling a little iffy.”
Patrick lowered the menu, and his eyes tightened. “Do you want me to get you a club soda or some ginger ale?”
“Either would be fine.” She stood up and tossed her hair over her shoulders. “I’ll be right back.”
In the bathroom, she saw the thin sheen of sweat on her forehead and felt the hammering of her heart. Charlotte splashed cold water on her face and counted backward from ten. Then, she studied her reflection in the mirror above the sink and waited for her breathing to even. Once she came out, she saw plates of appetizers laid out on their table.
She forced herself to nibble on a dumpling.
Patrick kept sneaking glances at her. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can take you home, and we can do this another day.”
Charlotte’s stomach clenched when a plate of crisp noodles was set in front of her. “No, I’m okay, really. So, the other day, you were telling me about this idea you had for the science fair.”
Patrick blew on a spoonful of creamy vegetable soup. “Yeah, I was thinking that I would try and pair people up or certain groups. My idea is to encourage them to work on their projects separately but then write a report together about the commonfactors they share. Science is an interdisciplinary study, and what better way to teach that?”
Charlotte nodded and pushed the food around her plate. “I love that idea.”
Patrick smiled, and his entire face lit up. “Thanks. So, what made you want to be a teacher?”
“Honestly? I kind of stumbled onto it. I didn’t find teaching. It found me.”
Patrick used the napkin to pat his mouth. “I know what you mean. I was thinking of going into the military or something, but it just didn’t feel right.”
Charlotte’s stomach grumbled again, louder than before. She placed an arm over it, and it gave a violent lurch. When she staggered to her feet, she tasted bile in the back of her mouth. Her legs were unsteady as she made a beeline for the bathroom and stumbled into the nearest empty stall. Her knees sank onto the tile floor, and she barely had time to lean over the toilet before she began to throw up.
Her eyes watered, and the back of her throat burned.
Charlotte used the back of her hand to wipe her mouth and blindly groped for the toilet roll. Another wave of nausea hit her, and she ended up emptying the remaining contents of her stomach. When she was done, she pushed herself to her feet and went to the sink. Her face was covered in sweat, and her eyes were glazed as she splashed cold water on her face.
It can’t be, can it?
It took Charlotte a few tries to get her phone out of her purse and scroll through the calendar. Her eyes widened when she saw the date, and she sent Addison a message, her hands trembling the entire time. Patrick was waiting for her by the door, his brows furrowed. In spite of her protests, he took the containers of take-out food and led her to the car.
“I’m so sorry,” Charlotte said when he dropped her off in front of her apartment door a short while later. “I really don’t know what happened.”
