Page 60 of Love and Loathing

8 PM

She stared at it. That was it? She started to reply, but she wasn’t really sure what to say. She didn’t get the chance, though, when the three little dots wavered and another text came through.

Alex: Bring Caroline.

She furrowed her brow. Bring Caroline? Okay, so this wasn’t about her or them. It was about Caroline? That didn’t make sense, unless … Charlie was there too. She grinned. That had to be it. Charlie was going to be there. She hopped out of bed and paced the floor. She couldn’t tell Caroline what she thought; if she was wrong, it’d break her, maybe beyond repair this time. No, she’d keep it to herself.

Caroline came into the room and plopped down on the bed. Jessie turned her phone off immediately and shoved it behind her back. Caroline saw. “Everything okay?”

“Yep,” Jessie said. “I’ve just been looking at some houses.”

Caroline closed her eyes. “Right. House hunting. I guess we should get back to that.”

“And I’ve been thinking. We should go out tonight.”

Caroline sat up, ramrod straight. “What?” Her tone sounded panicked, but she quickly changed it to disinterested. “Really, you think?” She crossed her legs and stared at her cuticles. “You don’t want to just hang out and paint or nails or something? I could so go for a mani/pedi. And I was thinking of making those triple chocolate swirl brownies you love so much.”

Oh, Jessie did like those brownies. She drooled a little just thinking about it. She shook her head and forced herself to focus. “Caroline, it’s time. Tonight we’re going to Cotton-Eyed Mo’s and we’re going to dance our blues away.”

Caroline tried to force a smile, tried to sound enthusiastic, but it was so pathetic. “Yay! I guess …” She flopped back on the bed again.

* * *

“I really don’t know why we had to get all gussied up like this,” Caroline said. Jessie had picked out a blush sundress that looked so pretty on Caroline, she was almost envious of her. She’d done her hair up in a soft chignon, and they’d done the mani/pedis to boot. Caroline looked the best Jessie had seen her since Charlie had left, though she’d protested every step of the way in her overly sweet way. “I mean, I appreciate the effort. I just don’t know if we have to throw ourselves back into the dating scene quite this much. Though you do look so lovely, Jessie. You’re just stunning.”

“Thank you.” Jessie wore the blue dress. The one she’d had on when she first met Alex. The one he’d stopped her in church to tell her he liked. She’d used a flat iron to make waves in her hair, and she’d even put on blush. A first for her. “Now, come on.”

Anticipation filled her as they entered Cotton-Eyed Mo’s. Every gaze in the room, and there weren’t a few, fell on them—in fact, the room was the most packed Jessie had ever seen it. Jessie knew it was mostly Caroline and her sweetheart/supermodel appearance, but tonight, Jessie felt pretty, and some of those gazes were for her too. They made their way toward the bar.

Mo stood behind it, making drinks with another bartender. He saw them, turned to the other guy, said something, then hurried out from behind the bar and made a beeline for them. “Ladies, we have a table reserved for you,” he said. “If you’ll follow me.”

Caroline glanced at Jessie. “You reserved us a table?”

Jessie just smiled and shrugged a shoulder.

He led them to a table by the dance floor, then went to a speaker that had been set up in the corner with a mic. He fiddled with some knobs, and while he did that, Jessie caught sight of Alex and Charlie in a shadowy corner behind the setup. He stood perfectly still, wore jeans and a T-shirt again, and had a ball cap on over his head, and he was staring right at her. Her breath hitched, and his lips twitched. Those beautiful full lips of his.

She smiled back.

Mo turned the music off and the mic on, causing loud feedback that had everyone covering their ears. When the feedback died, Mo lifted the mic. “Sorry about that, folks. Can we clear the floor?” People moved off the floor, cramming into the little space off to the sides. “As you know, Friday isn’t normally karaoke night, but we’ve had a special request. Caroline Winslow, raise your hand.”

Caroline still hadn’t seen Alex and Charlie, and when Mo called her out, she shrank back in her chair. “What’s happening?”

Jessie grinned and pointed at Caroline. “She’s right here.”

“Jessie,” she whispered, her horrified gaze turning to Jessie.

Someone yelled from the back. “One of those hot chicks!” He whooped, and laughter ran through the room.

“Thank you, Hal,” Mo said. “Well, Caroline. This is for you.” Mo put the mic in its stand, turned back to the speaker, and hit a button.

On came “Sweet Caroline.” Caroline blushed twenty shades of red. Then Charlie stepped out of the shadows in all his tall glory and took the mic. Caroline covered her mouth with her hands as Charlie started to sing.

“Where it began, I can’t begin to knowing, but then I know it’s growing strong. Was in the spring, and then spring became the summer, who would’ve believed you’d come along …”

Tears spilled down Caroline’s cheeks as he continued. And Jessie didn’t think this song had ever been so perfect for her sister as it was in this moment, didn’t think the words had ever really applied until Charlie sang them to her. And he sang it beautifully. Jessie remembered that Charlie liked karaoke, but she’d assumed he’d be terrible at it. Didn’t karaoke mean off-key? But Charlie was so on-key, he had the whole room cheering him on, swaying back and forth, and eventually singing along as he moved closer and closer to Caroline.

Caroline laughed through her tears, and Jessie knew this was it for her sister. This was her happily ever after. At that thought, Jessie searched for Alex again, but she couldn’t see him in the crowd. He’d disappeared.

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