Page 80 of The Charming Checklist
An utter quiet fell over the room.
“That sounds an awful a lot like Ava,” Susannah said to Lois. “Does he know this?”
“Ava,” he said, looking directly at her. “Do you know anyone who fits this list?”
“Oh, Max,” she said, and then she was in his arms, and they were both holding each other tight, crushed against each other. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
“Please tell me that you’re five foot four because that one was just an educated guess,” he whispered into her hair.
“Close enough, dummy.”
She cupped his jaw, this wonderful man that she’d fallen for hard and fast. It certainly hadn’t been in her plans to fall for the man she was supposed to fix up with the perfect woman.
“I know I had a lot of specifics, but that was before I fell in love. So, now, my list is in reverse. Because everything you are is exactly what I want. What I need.” He tipped her chin to meet his eyes. “I love you, exactly the way you are.”
“You guys,” Valerie said, blubbering, hanging on to her grandmother. “My best friend! And my fiancé’s best friend!”
“Congratulations, you two.” Mr. Finch stood, holding up a plastic cup.
“I think we ought to rename our poetry group,” Mrs. Villanueva said. “Maybe the Love Connection.”
“Everyone who attends our group falls in love, sooner or later,” Lois said, flashing Mr. Finch a smile.
“Even if you’re not a senior citizen,” Susannah said. “Valerie, you fell in love with Cole. Now Ava fell in love with Max. It’s spreading like a virus.”
“Poetry. It encourages love, heck, maybe even brings it about,” Etta May said with authority.
Ava turned in Max’s arms to face the small group. “But I think you guys missed something. Max didn’t write a poem. It was a list.”
“A rose by any other name...” Mr. Finch said, shrugging. “It was a charming list.”
Ava turned to look at the man she loved with her whole heart.
“You’re right.Thisone was a very charming list indeed.”
Epilogue
Thanksgiving Day arrived in a whirlwind of activity. Thanks to Ava, Max had been involved in both the packaging and later personal delivering of canned goods collected by the good people of Charming. For the first time in his life, Max got to be on the other side of this equation. The giving side. The grump in him got a chance to experience firsthand the joy in giving to those less fortunate, seeing grateful smiles as they accepted the gifts.
Hard to be grumpy again after that. All these years he’d deprived himself of the experience when he’d quietly given, never witnessing the results. And if there were small children hiding behind their parents, wishing fervently that they didn’thaveto accept charity, well, he had a feeling someday they’d see it another way.
Maybe they’d see that there were good people in the world who simply wanted to help. And maybe someday they too would be on the other side of the equation. Being the giver instead of the receiver.
Afterward, he and Ava headed over to the Salty Dog, which they’d closed for the day in honor of the holiday. Tonight, they were serving a small group of people. Cole, Valerie, her grandmother and the rest of the Almost Dead Poet Society members. Adam, and Ava’s parents, who’d come up for the occasion at Max’s invitation. Max wished that his own family could be here, but they’d fill up the entire restaurant. He planned on bringing Ava to meet them at Christmas.
They walked inside to the succulent smells of turkey, pumpkin pie, and fresh baked bread. They’d pulled several tables together to make one long one. In the kitchen creating this amazing dinner were Adam, Lois, Mr. Finch, Valerie and her grandmother, who could be heard shouting orders.
“Heat that gravy on a low flame! And keep whisking. Whisking, whisking. Constantly whisking.”
“Mrs. Villanueva, I think Iknowhow to make gravy,” Adam called back, voice laced with irritation.
“Mom, Dad, hi,” Ava said, going into their arms. “Thanks for coming.”
“It’s our pleasure, sweetie,” said her father, his arm around the other Dr. Long. “Maybe tomorrow you can show us your coffee roasting facility.”
“It’s coming together, but we’re still far from opening,” Ava said. “There’s much to do.”
“We’d love to hear about it,” her mother said.
