Page 140 of Just Like Home

Charlotte nodded. “Thanks, Hildy.”

Once she was alone, Charlotte inhaled the warm summer air, thinking how fortunate she was to be here in this moment. Her life had grown infinitely richer because of Julianna’s fingerprint on it, and she wanted to honor her friend by living free of the burdens that had always held her down.

It was time to let go of the past. She’d come here, she realized now, to make peace with Julianna, when what she really needed was to make peace with herself.

She gazed at the waterfall and prayed. It was clunky and stilted, but it was honest. She asked God to forgive her for the mistakes she’d made and to give her courage to tell the truth. Even if it meant losing the one person she loved most.

It wouldn’t be easy, and she knew it. But the idea of having nothing to prove left her feeling lighter and freer than a balloon being carried away on the wind.

There was just one more thing she needed to do to be completely rid of her shame—and while it would be hard, she owed it to Cole to be honest. The recital was tomorrow, and she didn’t want to do anything to ruin it. Immediately afterward, she’d tell him everything.

She only prayed he would find it in his heart to forgive her.

45

Saturday morning, the day of the recital, Cole woke up nervous. Not only because he had to go on stage that night, but also because it had been hours since Charlotte walked out of rehearsal and the only word he’d gotten from her was a text late last night that said:

Hey, I’ll be tied up with last-minute details all day tomorrow, but I’ll see you at the theatre later.

He was worried about her.

That worry, mixed with his nervous energy, turned Cole into a giant mess—and he had a whole day on his own.

A knock on the front door pulled his attention.

Maybe Charlotte had some time for him after all. He pulled the door open, and it was Gemma—not Charlotte—who stood there.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey.”

“You look good,” she said. “You always look great fresh out of the shower.”

He didn’t respond.

“Look, I came to thank you for what you said the night of the fair. You didn’t have to be nice to me, but you were, and I appreciate it. A lot.”

“’Course,” he said.

She clung to the bag hanging off her shoulder, as if she needed it to stand upright. “I wanted to also tell you that I took your advice.”

He frowned. “About what?”

“About Max. I ended it. For real this time.”

Cole didn’t respond.

“I know what I did to you was wrong, and I hope you meant it when you said you forgave me. I’m going to try to spend some time alone for a while. Get myself right. Maybe we could even be friends again someday.”

“That’d be good,” he said, shocked to discover that his animosity toward her had melted away. It wasn’t an act. He’d forgiven her. Out of her own brokenness, she’d hurt him, but he’d finally gotten to the place where he could put it behind him.

Once and for all.

“I’m going back home,” Gemma said. “To Ohio. I’ll stay in touch if that’s okay.”

“Yeah,” he said. “I hope you do.”

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “She’s a lucky girl, Cole Turner.”

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