Page 20 of One More Chance
“And I see where you live now,” Megan gestured to the palatial living room of Charlotte’s multi-million-dollar ski ‘cabin.’
“I know. It seems crazy,” Charlotte muttered and took a sip of water. “I don’t want to bore you with the whole story, but I fell in love with Logan in my senior year of high school.”
“Were you two a couple?” Megan asked.
“Not exactly. We worked on a project together and got to know each other that way. I thought that he was a dumb jock, but he wasn’t. He was funny, thoughtful, and hot.” Charlotte remembered the way his hockey hair would flick out from under his baseball hat, and how even at eighteen, his back, broad like a man’s, filled out his hockey t-shirts. “Every girl in school wanted Logan Brush.”
“Not much has changed then.”
Charlotte silently agreed. When she had seen Logan, he looked like the high school version of himself, only better. He was even more broad, larger than life, but he had the same hair and million-dollar smile. “I know. I’m sure he’s had half the town in his bed by now.”
“Maybe his looks haven’t changed, Char. But that’s not the Logan I know. I don’t think that he’s been with anyone at all. And he’s living at Freddie’s house.”
“Mr. Million-Dollar Hockey Player is living in his little brother’s spare room?” Charlotte felt a small sense of gratification that her living arrangements were ten times better than Logan’s. “What? Did he lose all his money? Did some baby mamas come out of the woodwork?”
“Wow, Charlotte. I’ve spent time with Logan. I know that you hate the guy, but I’ve never seen you catty like this.”
Charlotte breathed out audibly. Megan was right. She was being a giant... to put it politely, asshole.
“Logan asked me to go to the prom. I had to work two jobs to pay for the dress. My mom took on extra hours at the gas station to surprise me with a trip to the salon to get my hair done. Then he didn’t show up.” The truncated version spilled out of Charlotte’s mouth like a waterfall.
“What. Why?”
“I have no idea. He left me sitting in a dress that I couldn’t really afford, waiting. He never apologized, never called, and he didn’t return my calls.”
“Ouch. That is a bit of a dick move.”
“You think?” Charlotte thought that she would feel anger when telling the story, but tonight all she felt was sorrow. “It was bad, but the worst part was the rumors. I heard that asking me to go to the prom had been a bet. People didn’t think that he would actually take dirtbag Billie Jo Bunkman as his date. There were other rumors too. The most popular girl in school Stacy started them. She nicknamed me the Blow Job Queen, you know, because of my initials, and it stuck. She told everyone that I had blown the entire hockey team.”
“You never talked to him again? You never heard his side of the story?” Megan grabbed a log from the wood basket and tossed it onto the glowing coals. Charlotte pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and handed it to her.
“No. As a matter of fact. I got my things together and moved to the city. I took a job with Veronica O’Hare and she mentored me. When I got my real estate license, I changed my name – after her.”
Megan hugged Charlotte. When she pulled back her eyes were soft, and she held Charlotte’s hands in hers. “Charlotte, I’m sorry. That’s a terrible story. Kids can be so cruel.”
“Oh, it wasn’t just the kids. The whole town got in on the action. Thankfully I got out of here and didn’t have to live through the small-town gossip, but my mom and Lauren sure did. We were flat broke, working hard just to eat. We didn’t deserve to be treated like that.” Charlotte fought to keep her voice even, “My only regret...” She couldn’t stop the waver in her voice, “was that my mom never got to see my success. I never got to spoil her. I never got to thank her for sacrificing her own life for Lauren and me.”
“She died young. I know that you miss her,” Megan whispered and gripped Charlotte’s hand.
“Too young.” A lone tear escaped from Charlotte’s eye and trailed down her cheek.
“The rumors about me, even though she knew they weren’t true, were tough on her. And the rumors that started when Lauren became a single mother, I think it was just too much for her poor heart.”
“You know that’s not true. You and your sister can’t blame yourselves for what happened to your mom.”
Charlotte shrugged. She knew that her mom would reach out and smack Charlotte from her grave if she heard her blaming herself for her death. “It didn’t help.”
Megan shifted on the couch, took a drink of water and cleared her throat. “Charlotte, you know that I love you like a sister. You are one of the smartest women I know, but it sounds to me like you’re living with a lot of guilt.”
Charlotte nodded. Megan had hit the nail on the head.
“And you’re looking for someone to blame.”
Charlotte snapped her head up, suddenly aware where Megan was taking the conversation. “I don’t blame him.”
“Sounds like you do, at least partly.”
Charlotte felt her cheeks flush red with anger. She balled her hands into fists and opened her mouth to tell Megan to get out of her house and never come back, but Megan was right, and the truth of her words came from a good place.
