Of course, her job situation was only part of the reason she’d skipped meals and was having trouble sleeping. The biggest part was residing on the other side of her shared wall. She’d managed to avoid Rick for the past three days, but she’d been aware of his presence. She’d seen him coming and going, but he hadn’t sought her out again. And that was fine with her. She didn’t want to have anything to do with him. Sure, he’d apologized, but so what? It was only words. Empty words that didn’t change a thing.
Deciding she’d spent more time than she cared to thinking about Rick Tyler, she pulled open her refrigerator door. Nothing appealed to her. She wasn’t the best cook, and apart from a few simple meals that she made on a regular rotation, she was pretty useless in the kitchen. After the past few rotten days she’d endured, she deserved something good and greasy.
She looked at her clothes. Upholding the family status as leaders in the community had been drilled into her since birth. Appearance had meant everything, so she’d never dreamed of being seen in public wearing jeans and a T-shirt. She might not still work for her father, but some things were too deeply ingrained in her to simply vanish.
Dashing up the stairs, she washed up and changed into a lavender sleeveless blouse and dark purple cropped pants. She pulled a comb through her hair then slid a band over it, to hold it off her face. She added lipstick then pronounced herself ready for the world.
The drive to Mabel’s Diner was short and she found a parking space right away. The sun was beginning to set and a cool breeze blew, filling the air with the scent of the flowers overflowing the planters lining the street. Even in the worst of economic times, Sweet Briar had managed to maintain the landscaping. Despite the gloom in her heart, her spirits lifted a little at the sight of the colorful flowers.
Grabbing her book from the passenger seat, Charlotte headed for the diner. She smiled at several people as she passed them but they didn’t smile back. She swallowed the pain of their rejection. She’d rejected them first. She’d treated the citizens of Sweet Briar—some of whom worked for her at Shields Manufacturing—like dirt beneath her feet. She’d been scornful, arrogant and downright rude. She deserved to be ignored. She’d earned it.
Besides, they had no way of knowing the kind of week she’d had and how desperately she needed a smile. Or maybe they did. News traveled faster than light in Sweet Briar. By now everyone could know that her father had given the job she’d lived for to a stranger and that the man who’d ditched her at the altar was back in town. She froze and reconsidered going into the diner. No. She wasn’t going to hide like a criminal.
She picked up the pace and walked through the door.
And straight into Rick Tyler and his son.
Great. Sweet Briar was a small town, and she knew they would run into each other from time to time, but now?
“Hi, Charlotte,” Rick said cautiously.
“Hi.” She didn’t return his smile. Maybe if she didn’t do anything to encourage conversation, he would take the hint and leave her alone.
“Bobby, say hello.”
Or not.
“Hi,” the kid said dutifully. There was a sadness in his eyes that she recognized. She saw it in the mirror every morning.
“Hi, Bobby.” She smiled at him. After all, she didn’t have anything against him.
She looked around, hoping to find an empty booth. After a few minutes, a group of four rose and a busboy began to clear the table. The hostess came up to Rick. “Your table is ready.”
Rick turned back to Charlotte. “Are you meeting someone or would you like to join us?”
He smiled again, and despite the fact that he was the last man in the world she wanted to spend time with, her heart skipped a beat and was off to the races. Reminding herself that he’d hurt and humiliated her didn’t help. At a couple of inches over six feet with a muscular body, he had always appealed to her. His face had matured over the past dozen years, but he still had those dimples that had always made her go weak in the knees. And darn if her knees didn’t feel a little wobbly now.
“I’d rather eat alone.”
Rick turned back to the hostess. “How long is the wait?”
“Twenty-five minutes. You’re lucky that party finished when they did.”
“I don’t mind waiting,” Charlotte said. “I’m not that hungry.” Her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, giving lie to her words.
Rick’s smile wavered, then faded. “I know I hurt you, Charlotte. And I also know my apology didn’t take away the pain of seeing me. Sorry for bothering you.”
He turned to go but his words echoed in her mind. Didn’t take away the pain? Did he think she wasn’t over being left at the altar after twelve long years? That her poor little heart was still hurting? That she couldn’t handle being around him without wanting to dissolve into tears? What kind of weakling did he think she was? No way was she going to live next door to him while he gave her pitying looks. She would show him that Charlotte Shields was stronger than anyone he’d ever met.
“On second thought,” she said loud enough to have him pausing midstep, “I am hungry and would prefer not to wait.”
He turned back and smiled. “Come on.”
They scooted around crowded tables, following the hostess to the vacant booth. She placed the menus on the table then smiled at them. “Your server will be with you soon. Enjoy your meal.”
Bobby slid into one side of the booth, and Rick stood aside waiting for Charlotte to sit on the other. She squelched a sigh when he sat down beside her. The bench was small, but she moved as far away from Rick as she could. She was eating with him to prove a point, but did that require sitting close enough to inhale his cologne?
The waitress appeared, pad in hand, ready to take their orders.
“Could we have another minute?” Rick asked.
“No problem.”
“It’s nice running into you here,” Rick said. “Right, Bobby?”
“Sure,” the kid said from behind his menu.
Rick removed the menu from his son’s hands and set it on the table. “Bobby, don’t be rude.”
Charlotte stared at Rick’s son. “I brought a book because I was planning to enjoy my meal alone. Your dad is the one who insisted I join you, not the other way around, kid.”
Bobby looked like he wasn’t sure what to make of her. “He dragged me here, too. I wanted McDonald’s.”
“Fat chance of that. There isn’t a McDonald’s for miles around. But Mabel’s food is great. I’m getting a double burger and a mega basket of fries. Maybe even some onion rings. And before you ask, I’m not sharing, so if you want some get your own.”
The kid’s eyes were the size of saucers. “You mean you aren’t getting a salad?”
“I hate vegetables. Especially salad. I gave them up for Lent one year and decided to make it a lifestyle. I’m going to use a bunch of ketchup on my fries and you can pretend it’s tomatoes if that makes you feel better.”
The kid looked at her with something akin to admiration. Hopefully it was a passing phase. She didn’t want Bobby to get the idea that they were going to be friends. “I want what you’re getting.”
She glanced at Rick, who was staring at her like she had two heads. Tough. She wasn’t responsible for the kid’s diet. If he