Page 76 of Second Chances

Tess took a sip of her pop. “Oh, I agree, especially when you consider how she used Henry to take her to prom after her boyfriend took someone else. Totally played on his feelings for her. Even back then, he had to be the sweetest man ever.”

“Don’t forget romantic.” Ruth came up to them, holding a plate with a slice of cake. “I told you about the Eiffel Tower he made, Tessie.”

With dread, Charlotte asked, “What Eiffel Tower?”

Ruth said, “You know how proms have a theme?” Charlotte nodded; last year’s theme at Beverley High had been A Night to Remember. She had chaperoned it, along with Paul, and the two of them had danced, giggling the entire night, probably more than the teenagers. “Well, their prom theme was ‘Paris’, and according to Effie, Henry carved a model of the Eiffel Tower for Diadema.”

“Which I’m sure doesn’t mean anything to him now,” Tess assured her.

“Didn’t mean anything to Diadema that night, either.” Ruth forked cake into her mouth. “When Henry went to pick her up for prom, she was gone. Now, this next part I got from Cait, and her information is courtesy of her mom. Diadema told Nora that Henry was going to meet them at the prom, so she had Nora and George pick her up at her house instead. Anyway, Henry left the Eiffel Tower he made for her at her house, and she didn’t see it until the next day; by then, she was back together with her idiot boyfriend, and she threw it away.”

Charlotte felt humiliated on Henry’s behalf, being discarded so callously by Diadema. To have the grace now to help her whenever she asked illustrated his pure heart. “Poor Henry.”

“Hey.” Tess hugged her. “He survived. And now he’s happy with you. It’s like you two were meant to be, both single at the same time, meeting at the right time?”

“Tessie’s right. Don’t worry about his ancient history with Diadema. Imagine how bad she must be feeling, knowing this time she can’t drive you out of town.”

Charlotte pulled back. “What are you talking about?”

Tess said quickly, “Nothing—she’s not talking about anything. Ruth, didn’t you say Mom and Dad were taking your girls back to their place soon?” With her eyebrows raised, Tess shot her sister a look.

“Oh, yeah, that’s why I came over here.” Ruth backed away from the bar.

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Charlotte had to know everything. “Who did Diadema drive out of town?”

Tess paused and replied, “It’s so stupid, and there were other reasons why she left⁠—”

Ruth interrupted her sister, “A million, actually.”

Tess nodded. “Yes, a million. A million wrong reasons, of course. Why else would she leave her own kid and a husband like Henry?”

“You’re talking about Melanie?” Charlotte clarified.

Sighing, Ruth took a drink of her sister’s pop. “Now, keep in mind that no one even knew this until two years ago, but Effie says that one of the reasons Melanie left was because she thought Henry still had feelings for Diadema. That before Diadema moved back to Clover Lake with Effie after Effie’s dad died, everything was fine with her and Henry.”

“But how does Effie know? Melanie’s only been in contact with Henry’s dad, right? Is this what she told William?” Charlotte wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear the answer to her question.

“No, Melanie herself told Henry,” Ruth frowned.

“What? When?” Suddenly nauseous, Charlotte was thankful she hadn’t had that second slice of cake.

Ruth shrugged. “I’m not sure, in one of her phone calls to him.”

Phone calls? Maybe Melanie’s call this morning hadn’t been the one-off she presumed. Charlotte had assumed, stupidly, that Henry wasn’t in direct contact with her because in the time she and Henry had been seeing each other, spending every night together, he had never said anything about having recent phone calls with his ex-wife.

“Charlotte, please, this all sounds worse that it truly is.” Tess’s green eyes shimmered.

Dazed, Charlotte nodded, not wanting to think the worst of Henry. Was it possible that, while she’d been falling in love, he’d either been lying to her or, at the very least, withholding the truth? “It’s okay.” With tears forming at the back of her throat, she managed a wobbly smile. “I just need some air.”

In unison, they nodded. “You’ll feel better once you talk to Henry. I saw him go out that door before I came over.” Ruth pointed across the room. With a grateful smile, Charlotte made her way to the door.

At the edge of the dance floor, Trixie grabbed her for a hug. “Lottie, I’ve been meaning to tell you all day how gorgeous you look. That dress is stunning on you.”

Charlotte looked down at her dress, which was inspired by the Van Gogh painting Sunflowers. A couple of weeks ago, Henry had taken a Wednesday off for a day trip to Pierre after Charlotte commented the night before that she had not yet been to the state capitol. Only two hours from Beverley, Pierre was not accessible by the interstate that ran across South Dakota, but the view from the state highways made up for the slower speed limit. Rolling green hills, with crops of corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and sunflowers, made up the majestic landscape, as did pastures dotted with cows, sheep, and bison. While reminiscent of Iowa in some places, the view was also spectacularly different. The journey took them through two reservations, prompting Charlotte to ask where Grass Valley, the reservation Effie’s dad grew up on, was located. Henry informed her that was north yet, another fifty miles. When they encountered the Missouri River, whose surface glittered brightly in the summer sun, Charlotte gasped, marveling at how the land surrounding could be so desolate in some areas, yet vibrant and teeming with energy in others, and the juxtaposition was glorious. With Fort Pierre on one side of the river crossing and Pierre on the other, the entire area was a testament to both Lakota life and the French fur traders who settled there three hundred years ago. Hand in hand, Henry and Charlotte had walked around La Framboise Island, located in the center of the river, before visiting several small shops in Pierre. Henry had been the one to point the dress out to her, telling her how beautiful she would look in it. He hadn’t been wrong, and when she had put it on this afternoon, running her hands over the silky material, she knew she was dressing for his gaze. When he finally saw her before the wedding, he swept her away from the growing crowd, ushering her behind the gazebo. “You take my breath away,” his deep voice told her, hooking two fingers under the delicate straps on her shoulders before brushing his knuckles across her chest, sending lightning through her body.

“Henry.” She couldn’t contain her moan and used her own hands to elicit sounds of pleasure from him as she slid them inside his jacket, unsnapping the top few closures on his shirt to feel the heat of his skin. In his ear, she tempted him, “I wouldn’t say no if you had me right here…up against this gazebo…” thrilled when his body clenched. One of his powerful hands moved to her hip, the other down her bottom, where he cupped her. Panting, she bit her lip in a mindless effort to keep quiet as he stepped between her legs, drawing one knee up across his hip.

From the gazebo above them, Josh interrupted their reverie. “Dad? Dad?” He called out, “Has anyone seen my dad?” Laughing softly, Charlotte and Henry ended their make-out session, which was for the best, because she had no doubt that in the next minute, she would have shown Henry just how badly she wanted him and removed any clothing hindering all access to her pleasure.