Page 86 of Love By The Falls

He spots me and walks over. “Hi,” he says, and I stand up to give him a quick hug. “You look great.”

I look down at the empire-cut pink dress I bought when I was pregnant with Charlie. Thank God I kept it. I rarely throw anything out unless it’s ripped or stained.

“Thanks. You, too. Except…”

He takes off his suit jacket and looks down. The shirt is tapered along his abs, accentuating the V of his torso.

“What? Is it the gray suit? Is the color off-putting? The stylist tried to warn me.”

I laugh. “It’s not the color. It’s the whole suit thing.”

He looks around and I imagine he finally calculates the amount of polyester, rayon, and flannel all in one place. “I don’t see the problem.”

“You don’t, do you?” I tease.

He shakes his head, smiling devilishly.

“Have you eaten?” I ask.

“No. I came straight from work. Are you hungry?”

“I can eat.”

“Will we have enough time before the banks close?”

“They close at five. You want to visit a bank?”

“Yes. It’s one thing I’d like to do before I leave on Sunday. I’d like to open an account.”

Caleb

“Here?,” she asks. “In Cedar Brook Falls? Why?”

“Well, it’ll be easier to have a joint account for you to withdraw from and I can transfer large amounts of money without the hassle of daily limits.”

Her face scrunches up, and she runs her hand through her soft, wavy brown hair. It looks shinier than I remember. Perhaps it’s the lighting or perhapspregnancy hormones have something to do with it. It’s lovely, nonetheless.

“That isn’t necessary.”

“We talked about this, Charlotte. You agreed I can help financially, and we settled on $5,000 a month. But this doesn’t include any extra expenses you may need. This will be easier for me and for you. Also, I need your help in finding a place to rent or buy.”

“I still don’t understand why you can’t just stay at the Bed and breakfast or the motel when you visit. I’m sure it won’t be often with your schedule.”

“Are you predicting or projecting my availability?”

“Neither. I guess I’m just assuming.”

“I don’t like motels. And I want to leave a few things like clothes and a toothbrush, so I don’t need to pack every time I want to come visit. Besides, I checked the property values in this place, and they’ve remained stable over the past ten years. It won’t be a bad investment to buy.”

The server interrupts us with a smile and a pop of her gum. “What can I get you, Wall Street?”

I smile sheepishly and lift my tie. “I should have nixed the tie at least, huh?”

The server smirks. “So, what’ll it be? Scotch? Bourbon? I know the type.”

“Do you get many Wall Street types around here?”

She narrows her eyes and crosses her arms. “No. And I hope we never do.”

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