Page 48 of Third Time's the Charm

“Yes, please.”

“My point is...I don’t know actually. Maybe he misses the island?”

“Maybe.” Itwasa bit odd that he was here last night. Even odder that he set up the movie night. “Jack set up the movie in the square.”

The bagel popped. I watched as she plated it, grabbed a knife and shoved it and the cream cheese my way. Then she poured us each some coffee. “That’s very...Fire and Ice of him.”

That’s what was tugging at me. Itwasvery Fire and Ice. Except it was only him, not me.

“You feel left out.” Cynthia pointed the butter knife at me. “You’re all sad because he came up with the idea and executed all without any of your help.”

I felt embarrassment from the tops of my ears to the tips of my toes. “Thanks for the bagel. I’ve got to go let Doug out before he pees all over the house.”

“You can run but you can’t hide!” She called after me.

“I’ll bring your mug to work on Monday.”

“Keep it! It’s yours anyway!”

The door slammed shut behind me as I glanced down at the white coffee mug in my hand. On one side it was emblazoned with the ten commandments of archaeology, and on the other it read, “This mug belongs to Berlin. Steal it and die!”

It was a gift from Jack.

* * *

When I got homeI had an email from London. In it was a link to her wedding pictures. I didn’t remember as much of that day as I wanted to because I was distracted by Jack. So it was nice to look at them with fresh eyes and a cool head.

The brides were radiant. And I looked damn good, if I do say so myself. What? It’s healthy to appreciate one’s self. Shut up.

It was a beautiful day and it was nice to see Gram’s old house looking more beautiful than ever. The grooms, the guests, everyone was so happy. Smile after smile.

Until I found one with Jack. He stood off to the side, not dressed like the rest of us since he’d arrived as an emergency driver to get Erik and Zoe there on time. He wasn’t smiling. In fact, I’d say he looked very sad. I followed his gaze and my heart stopped.

He was looking at me.

Damn it!

That look made me feel things.Wantthings! And because I’m a glutton for pain, I dug our wedding album out of the dark recesses of the study. I hid it when I left him, but I could never bring myself to get rid of it. I opened the black and gold album to a picture of the two of us smiling.

We were so young. Younger than I remembered. Oh, I knew we were both twenty-two, but now, to me, we looked seventeen. Babies. Babies full of hope and ideals for what the future held.

Page after page of smiles. I slammed the album shut and stood up. Pacing felt necessary. I paced until someone knocked on my door. It was Cynthia holding a dress and a Caboodle.

“We’re single and ready to mingle! Let’s get dressed!” She pushed past me, full of energy. “The dance tonight is going to be one giant game of Fuck, Marry, Kill. We’re meeting someone to kiss. What happens after that?” She shrugged. “Only one way to find out!”

We got dressed up, but it was still pretty early, so we hit the brewery first. As the sun set, the crowds started flowing to the dance in the town square. A band set up in front of the town hall. Cynthia wore a strapless silver sequin dress with red heels. I wore a red shift dress with silver heels.

“Well aren’t you two lovely ladies the very picture of a Christmas present.” A tall, dark man with a brilliant smile stood in front of us. He wore a white linen shirt with the sleeves rolled.

He was hot.

And Cynthia blushed.

The man extended his hand to me. “You must be Berlin.”

And now it all clicked. “And you must be Ned.”

“You’ve heard of me.”

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