Page 6 of One More Chance
Tabitha giggled.
“Doesn’t stop the kids in Italy,” Charlotte smiled. She knew exactly how to push her sister’s buttons
“Oh, my god. And I’m leaving her with you for an entire week?”
“Relax. We’ll keep her wine consumption to one, maybe two, glasses a day.” She winked and gave her niece a little nudge. Tabitha grinned up at her aunt. Charlotte pulled some milk out of the fridge and poured it into a wine glass.
“To spending time together, as a family,” Lauren said as she raised her glass.
The three ladies clinked their glasses together in cheers. Charlotte took a sip and the vintage Brunello di Montepulciano immediately calmed her nerves.
Charlotte dished the creamy mac and cheese into three bowls and the three of them sat at the island and devoured the delicious pasta.
“Wow. You guys were hungry! What do you want to do tomorrow?” She asked as she cleared the empty bowls from the island.
“Um, I don’t know,” Tabitha said and shrugged her shoulders.
“Come on kid. You’re on vacation with your Auntie Charlotte. You name it, we can do it.”
“Hm.” Tabitha sat down on the sofa and crossed her legs, the reflection of the fire in the fireplace glowed on her youthful chubby cheeks. Charlotte could practically see the steam coming out of her ears and noticed the sides of her lips hiding a nervous smile.
Lauren walked into the room, sat down beside her daughter and rubbed her knee.
“You can ask her,” she stated as she smiled warmly at her daughter.
Tabitha looked down at the woven rug on the floor, her voice quiet, “I’d love to learn how to ski.”
“Easy. You got it, Pontiac. Anything else?” Charlotte sat down in the oversized chair next to the fire. One of the few times she regretted not having kids was when she saw the cute little skiers racing down the mountain, their pigtails and braids flying out behind them in their skittle colored snowsuits.
“Why am I a Pontiac?”
“It’s just a figure of speech honey. It used to be a kind of car.” Lauren took a sip of her wine and smiled at Tabitha.
“Do you think I can do it?” Tabitha’s eyes were wide but sparkled with excitement.
“Your auntie doesn’t have an athletic bone in her body, and she can do it. You’re going to be skiing circles around her by the end of the week.”
Charlotte tossed a cushion at Lauren, “Hey, easy now.”
Over the years, and thousands of dollars in lessons later, Charlotte had turned into a proficient skier. What had started as a skill for wooing clients, had turned into a love affair. There was nothing she liked better than coming in from a day of skiing, her cheeks rosy from the cold, and slipping into her outdoor hot tub.
“You’re going to love it, Tabitha. And yes, I totally think that you can do it. You can do anything you put your mind to. I promise you that.” Charlotte truly believed every word. Both she and her sister were successful career women who came from nothing. Their mom had worked two jobs to support them. They grew up eating boiled hot dogs and wearing thrift store clothes. At least once a year, they were mocked at school for wearing somebody else’s cast-off clothing.
“We’ll put her in lessons.” Charlotte finished off her wine and flicked on the TV that was mounted above the fireplace. “Now who wants to watch... um, what are people watching these days?”
“If it’s okay with you, Auntie Charlotte, I’d really just like to read my book.” Tabitha held up a library book.
“Me too,” Lauren held up her book.
“The apple didn’t fall far from that tree,” Charlotte said and smiled at the two bookworms.
“I’m going to go to my office to get some work done. Good night ladies. Everything you need should be laid out in your rooms.” Charlotte set her wine glass down in the sink and walked up the curved wooden staircase to her office. But, instead of pulling up her active listings, she sat down and googled “Logan Brush.”
An hour later, deep into the internet, Charlotte clicked out of her search. It looked like Logan Brush had retired from professional hockey, never married, had a string of model girlfriends that didn’t last longer than a few weeks at a time, and was worth millions. What the hell was he doing back in Chance Rapids?
