Authors: Gina Hummer
“Morning, sweetheart,” Karen smiled as she folded the newspaper she was reading. “Haven’t seen your boyfriend yet this morning.”
“He’s
not
my
boyfriend
.”
“
Psh
! You sure do move slow, girlfriend.” Karen turned her attention to the lake. “So how are you?”
“I’m okay. A little tired.”
Karen raised an eyebrow, and Charlotte chuckled. “No, no. Nothing like that. Although…”
“What? Although what?”
Charlotte sipped her coffee. “Well, we did kiss last night.”
Karen forgot about the lake and swept back over to Charlotte. “Woo
hoo
! Now we’re talkin’! Gimme the dirt, girl.”
Charlotte ran her fingers in her hair and sipped her coffee. “So after we plowed through the disaster you left for us last night----” Karen rolled her eyes and fluttered her hands, indicating Charlotte should keep moving. “So we danced----”
“Danced to what?”
“Are you going to let me tell this or not?”
Karen bristled. “Go on.”
Charlotte related the events of the evening, everything from their sexy kitchen dance all the way to the fight and the lingering kisses.
“And you didn’t hit that?” Karen asked, her mouth gaping.
“Jesus Christ, Karen! I just met him. What do you think I am anyway?”
“A dried up old biscuit.”
Charlotte spit out her coffee, spraying the still-dewy grass with a little extra moisture. “Karen!” Charlotte wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her flannel nightshirt. “With as much grief as you’ve been giving me, I have to ask how much sex
you’re
having?”
Karen adjusted her sunglasses. “Girlfriend, I’m not one to kiss and tell ---- no, strike that; I’m
exactly
the type to kiss and tell. Let’s just say I have a few rather,
well-endowed
gentleman friends who don’t mind squiring a hot divorcee such as myself around town.”
Charlotte wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so she drank her coffee instead.
“Alright, so what’s the hold up?”
“I ----” Charlotte shook her head and put the empty coffee mug down on the bench. “I mean, I’m just…he’s so young, and I’m so not…”
Karen flapped the paper down in her lap. “Listen, if you ask me---- and I know you didn’t but I’m gonna tell you anyway---you’re over-
thinking
this. It’s not like you’re gonna have some great romance with him. Have a fling with him. A little sex never hurt anybody.” Karen paused. “I mean
safe
sex.”
“Okay, but Karen, you were married to a younger man, and it didn’t work out. So you know better than anyone the risks----”
“First of all, my ex was an A-1-asshole. Now I haven’t been spending the kind of time you have with Mr. Movie Star, but he seems decent enough, so I don’t think you’ll have that problem. Second, you planning on marrying this guy?”
Charlotte crinkled her. “No.”
“Okay, then--- so what’s the big deal? Pull your head out of your ass and go for it. This may be the last time you can say you had a wild and sexy fling with a hot movie star.” Karen flicked the newspaper open and started reading. “And then you’ll tell all of us about it over dinner next year.”
#
Karen’s words of wisdom continued to rattle around inside Charlotte’s head as she showered and got ready for the day. What
was
the big deal? She could do this. Maybe all she needed was a sweet and sexy affair to help her get her groove back, and David could be just the guy to do that. The front door opened, and David came bounding through it. He smiled when he saw Charlotte in the kitchen washing out the coffee pot.
“Well hello,” he said, eyeing her tight blue jeans and long-sleeved black tee-shirt. “I’d hug you, but I’m drenched.”
She smiled. “Good workout, huh?”
“Quite. I’m going to hop into the shower, and we can head to breakfast.”
Charlotte nodded and sat down on the couch. “See you in a few.” The sight of David dripping in sweat gave Charlotte an image of what it would be like for him to be sweating for another reason.
“Huh. Maybe I am like my characters after all,” she muttered.
#
CHAPTER 5
The next few days passed in a tizzy for Charlotte, though she did manage to slip into town and purchase those much-needed sunglasses. The days were filled with book clubs, card games, and a few leisurely writing workshops. The group let David join in on some of the games, and based on the way they all interacted, a casual observer would have thought he was just one of the girls. There was even a David King movie night, as a few of the ladies ventured into town to plunder some of his films from the video store to watch on the DVD in the divorcee cabin.
David and Charlotte spent their nights alone in the cabin swapping music, sharing Cape Cods, and learning more about each other’s background. They hadn’t taken things to the next level; Charlotte lost her nerve and was still reluctant, but David told her he’d wait as long as it took. They continued to indulge in numerous hot and sexy kisses with a few roaming hands for good measure.
Charlotte’s birthday rolled around and when she woke up, she saw she’d received some texts from a few far-flung friends. She headed to the kitchen, expecting the usual fresh pot of coffee David would make before his workout. Instead, she found a chocolate cupcake with one lit candle stuck in the middle, resting on the table. David was making the coffee and Charlotte burst out laughing.
“What’s this?” she asked as she sat down.
“Happy Birthday!” David said as he joined her at the table. “Come on. Make a wish.”
“This is silly.”
“Ah, ah,
ah
. No doubters allowed today. It’s a beautiful day; the sun is shining, and today is all about Charlotte.” He motioned for her to blow out the candle. She closed her eyes and thought a moment before she blew did so.
“What’d you wish for?” David asked.
Charlotte licked the cream off the bottom of the candle. “You know I can’t tell you that, or it won’t come true.”
“Can’t have that now, can we?”
Charlotte didn’t answer; she licked the chocolate frosting, savoring its rich sweetness as it melted in her mouth.
“Charlotte, do you cook?”
“Define
cook
.”
David leaned back in his chair. “I just noticed that whenever you’re on breakfast or dinner duty, it’s always frozen pizzas and toaster waffles. But no actual cooking.”
“Okay, you caught me. I’m a lousy cook. Can barely boil water.”
“No kidding,” he mused.
“Hey, whoever has kitchen duty after I cook has the easiest clean-up of the bunch.”
David chuckled. “Well, I was thinking I’d like to cook you dinner.”
“Speaking of frozen pizza.”
“No; I’m actually a pretty good cook. My mum taught me.”
Charlotte leaned back, surprised. “You never told me you could cook!”
“I said I could scramble an egg and make toast.”
“Oh well, most people can do that.” David lifted his eyebrow. “Alright, except me.” David chuckled and stood to pour them each a cup of coffee. “So what’s on the menu?” she asked.
“Ancient Chinese secret.”
“Oh so it’s Chinese,” Charlotte beamed.
“Didn’t say that.”
“Oh. Don’t I get a little hint?”
“You’ll find out when you get here tonight. Seven p.m. sharp, and don’t be late.”
#
Because it was her birthday, Charlotte got out of any kitchen duties for the day. Instead, the ladies presented her with a huge chocolate cake at lunch, but Charlotte was disappointed to see that David wasn’t among the well-wishers. They took the rest of the afternoon for a trip to the nail salon for manis and pedis and a quick glass of wine at Jake’s, the ladies’ favorite bar in Lake Arrowhead. By 6:30 they were on the road back to the retreat, and Charlotte was jittery over what David had planned.
At seven, Charlotte turned the key in the lock of the cabin and peered inside.
“Oh my God!” she gasped. David had transformed the space. The room was loaded with huge vases of flowers. Flames from a crackling fire filled the room with a warm orange glow, and the comforting aroma of Italian food hung in the air. Charlotte noticed David had moved the small kitchen table, which was now draped in a white linen tablecloth and adorned with two long red candles, in front of the couch. David popped his head around the corner from the kitchen.
“Punctuality. I love it. I’ve got a few more things to finish up.”
“Can I help?”
David came over and planted a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Nope. You can have a glass of wine.”
Charlotte saw that David wore a button- down shirt with his jeans. Suddenly feeling frumpy in her tattered jeans and frayed tee-shirt, she decided to change. Back in her room, she examined her clothing – she’d brought so little in the way of dressy clothes. She finally decided on a simple black sweater and a pair of dark- wash jeans. Charlotte pulled her ponytail loose, fluffed her hair, and lined her lips with a pink lip gloss she found marooned at the bottom of her purse.
She stepped out of her bedroom, and her heart stopped when she saw David standing in front of her door. She hoped one of the butterflies flitting around her stomach wouldn’t come flying out when she opened her mouth. He smiled and handed her a bunch of daffodils.
“The rest of the flowers are from town. These…picked them myself.”
“I never would have guessed,” she said as she lifted the bouquet to her nose, inhaling the fragrant scent. She looked back up him. “Thank you. They’re beautiful.”
“You’re welcome,” David said as he took Charlotte’s hand and led her to the table and pulled out her chair. She was speechless. He took the flowers from her and put them in a glass of water; but not before extracting one and sticking it behind her ear.
“This is amazing,” Charlotte said sincerely. “Normally I hate surprises, but this is…this is great.” David poured them each a glass of wine. “I’m still wondering how you made all of this happen.”
“I pressed Shirley and Hendra into being my co-conspirators. I gave them my shopping list last night, and while you were off gorging on chocolate cake and getting your nails done, they smuggled all the food and flowers in.”
Charlotte picked up her wine glass. “Oh, so that’s why they both cried headache when we went into town.” She took a sip of wine. “So they did all the cooking?”
David shook his head. “All me, my dear. I told you I could cook.”
Charlotte set her glass down. “You are a man of many talents.”
“Come on; let’s toast,” David said, indicating Charlotte should pick up her glass. “To many more birthdays. Together.”
“Cheers,” Charlotte said as they clinked glasses, not quite sure what to make of his last word.
David brought two plates and a bottle of wine from the kitchen and carefully sat them down on the table. He’d outdone himself. They started with a few bruschetta and a basil, tomato, and mozzarella salad. The main course was baked manicotti, wrapped around layers of gooey cheese, a succulent blend of veal and beef and topped with a spicy tomato sauce. Each bite melted in Charlotte’s mouth, and she still wasn’t convinced he’d done it on his own. They spent more time getting to know each other, and they continued the easy, fun banter they’d enjoyed since day one. They both came with new tales to share with each other as she relayed that she and Karen were represented by the same publisher and after meeting at a promotional event had become fast friends.
David filled Charlotte in on how William used to be a struggling actor and the two had crossed paths at various auditions. They became casual acquaintances and, when William decided his real talent was on the business side, he became David’s manager. Over the years the business relationship had grown into a fierce and loyal friendship.
David cleared the dinner dishes while Charlotte poured the last of the red wine into their glasses.
“So not only are our parents similar, our best friends are as well,” Charlotte said as she set the bottle down. “This is getting scary.”
“What is?”
“How much we have in common. If I didn’t know better, I’d start to wonder if we were separated at birth,” Charlotte teased.
David chuckled as he came back, brandishing another plate. “Perish the thought. Besides, it’s not scary--- it’s fantastic.” Charlotte smiled when she realized his other surprise for her.
“Strawberries.” she said.
“Chocolate covered strawberries,” he clarified. He sat down, picked one up, and held it toward Charlotte. She reached out to take it from him, but he pulled it back.
“I want to give it to you myself.” he whispered.
A slow smile crept over Charlotte’s face, and without hesitation she opened her mouth slightly. David nudged the tip of the strawberry onto the rim of her lip. Charlotte let her tongue slither out and grab the bottom of the fruit while she bit down. A dribble of strawberry juice snaked down her chin, and they both giggled while she lapped up the edge of the strawberry along with a nugget of milk chocolate. David gave her the rest of the strawberry, juice and chocolate bursting in her mouth.
“I must look ridiculous.” Charlotte said as she wiped her chin, unable to stop laughing.
“You look sexy,” David responded. “You’re driving me mad.”
Charlotte picked up a strawberry. “I’m not going to be the only one sitting here with food dripping down my face.” David took the strawberry Charlotte offered and surprised her by chomping down on the whole thing and licking her fingertips while he was at it.
“You cheated!” she yelped as she wiped her hands on her napkin.
“It’s called being
strategic
.” he laughed.
They each had one more strawberry that they fed to themselves before they polished off the wine. After they lingered a bit longer, Charlotte helped David move the table back to the kitchen area. They snuggled on the couch, watching the fire.
“Thank you for giving me the best birthday I’ve ever had,” Charlotte whispered as she leaned in to him and rested her head on his shoulder. “I loved it.”