Page 41 of A Secret Chance
What do I do now?” Her voice wavered, the adrenaline coursing through her body affecting her hands as well as her vocal cords.
“Come on.” Charlotte waved for Lauren to follow her. The two of them ducked inside the ice rink, and hidden amongst the crowd, engulfed in the smell of French fries and Zamboni exhaust, they discussed Lauren’s options. Charlotte favored a more confrontational approach, whereas Lauren wanted to continue with what she did best - avoidance.
“Can’t I just pretend not to see him?” she asked. “Or,” her eyes opened widely, “we could just leave.”
Charlotte folded her arms and leaned against the painted concrete wall. “Absolutely not. You never take time off, and this carnival happens once a year. Don’t let a man stop you from enjoying the day with your daughter.”
“You’re right,” Lauren sighed and leaned against the wall beside her sister. “I’m overreacting. If we are grown adults, why do I feel like I’m back in high school again?”
“That’s not always a bad thing,” Charlotte said. “Did you see him hit the target? When he stepped up there in his wool coat and Burberry scarf, I didn’t think he was even going to be able to pick up the damn thing.”
“I knew that he could do it. He was a tree planter when I, when I, um... knew him.” Lauren fought for her words.
“A tree planter who can stay at a luxury heli-ski lodge?” Charlotte raised her eyebrows. “Come on, Lauren.”
But it was true. At the time, all Lauren had seen was a young idealist who had the same patch on his backpack that she did. “We spent all night talking about living off the grid and alternative energy. There wasn’t a trace of this evil developer in him back then.”
“You obviously didn’t just talkalllllnight.” Charlotte winked.
Lauren’s face flushed and she stared at the black rubber flooring.
“Are you blushing?” Charlotte teased.
Lauren looked up, her cheeks burning, and smacked her sister on the arm.
“Come on, let’s get a drink,” Charlotte said. “Bar’s open.”
“I could use something stiff.” Lauren rarely drank, but she needed something to take the edge off. “And if I see him, I will say hi and that’s it.”
“And if he tries to talk to you?”
The two sisters mixed in with the crowd of spectators leaving the rink. “I’ll...” Lauren racked her brain. What would she do? “I’ll play it by ear.”
“Sounds like a terrible plan,” Charlotte said. “There’s the beer garden.” She grabbed Lauren, this time by her hand, and the two of them wove their way to the fenced-in beer garden, managing to snag the last picnic table. Lauren brushed the snow off the bench seat and scanned the crowd while Charlotte went to get their drinks.
“I feel bad leaving Tabitha with Logan,” Lauren said. Charlotte passed her a plastic cup filled to the brim with craft beer.
“Don’t be,” Charlotte handed Lauren her beer. “They both love each other.”
Logan had been a great presence in Tabitha’s life. She didn’t need a father. She had Logan, Lauren thought to herself. “I wish I had brought a reusable mug.” She pushed the image of Baxter as a father from her mind. She took a sip of the beer and licked the foam from her lip. “I can’t believe all the waste.” She looked around at the trash bins, already filled to the brim with plastic cups.
Charlotte took a sip of her beer. “You’re right, they should make everyone buy a commemorative cup.”
“That’s a great ide—” Lauren’s sentence was interrupted as she let out a burp. She clapped her hand over her mouth. “Excuse me.”
Charlotte giggled. “I didn’t know you spoke in burp.”
That’s a great idea,” she repeated and stared into the bubbly brew. “Geez, this stuff is super carbonated.”
“That’s because you never drink anything but coffee or tea,” Charlotte teased.
Charlotte was right. Tabitha’s career and motherhood had consumed her waking hours for the past ten years. She finished off the cup of beer and tapped it on the table. “Another?” she asked.
“Whoa,” Charlotte pointed to the empty cup. “Go easy there, killer.”
“They’re small cups.” Lauren shook hers again. “Drink up.”
Charlotte shrugged and then downed the rest of her drink.
