“You sure? There might be some naked baby pictures in there.” He smirked.
Charlee couldn’t help laughing, even as she opened it to the same page that had choked her up yesterday. “I doubt there’s any part of my body you haven’t already seen or touched.”
“Or kissed,” he said, leaning in, and nibbled her ear, making her giggle even more. “Is that you?” He stopped nibbling and focused on the photo of her and her nana.
Nearly cringing at her nappy hair and big toothless smile, she nodded. She wouldn’t say it because it was in the past and she was over it, but, geez, no wonder the neighborhood kids thought her such an oddball. She was only five, and already she was holding up the king from her very first win against her grandmother. Looking back now, her grandmother had probably gone easy on her, but Charlee remembered that while all the other kids were out playing tag or dressing up and having tea parties with their stuffed animals, Charlee spent her days studying her homeschool materials then trying to figure out how to master the game of chess.
“See what I mean by me being a little odd?” she said.
“You were a kid, Charlee. We were all a little odd at that age. I lost my front teeth around that age too. Is that your grandma?”
“Yep,” she smiled. “Her uncle was a grandmaster, and she was one of the very first women to make the U.S. chess team. She taught me everything I know.”
He smiled, staring at the picture a little closer. “Nice.”
They flipped through the pages as she explained every poem or ticket stub her mom had included, but then she froze when she turned the page and saw the envelope from Danny. Staring at it, her heart thudded when Hector picked it up. He flipped it over. “It’s sealed,” he said.
“Yeah, um, Gwen said she wrote me a letter.” Taking it from him as he handed it to her, her hand nearly shook. “I think I’ll read this one in private. She can get pretty sappy.”
Sticking it in her jeans pocket, she continued to look through the scrapbook with Hector though she could barely concentrate now. She didn’t think Gwen had done it on purpose. Charlee had watched her as she’d placed the envelope back in the same bag. It was an honest mistake. Obviously, even Charlee hadn’t thought twice about it when she took the bag from Gwen. She too had forgotten about the envelope being in there still.
As tempted as she was to just rip it up and throw it away, she was suddenly overwhelmed with curiosity. Curiosity killed the cat. Her grandmother’s words suddenly sprang in her head. It’s what she’d say every time she caught Charlee staring out the window at the neighbor kids playing jump rope. Any thoughts of getting the nerve up to go out there and play with them were squashed. The only neighbor kid she ever played with was Drew, Gwen’s best friend’s rambunctious platinum blond daughter.
Gwen and Drew’s mom had gotten knocked up the same year. The only difference was Drew’s dad stuck around and eventually married her mom. Luckily for Charlee, Drew’s parents couldn’t afford to live on their own, so they continued to live next door for years. Then when Drew’s grandparents passed, her parents inherited the house and stayed there for good. That is until they divorced.
Going against her better judgment, Charlee left the envelope in her pocket. She’d let it simmer there for a little and decide what to do with it later.
As the day passed, the contents of her front pocket weighed heavier and heavier. What could Danny possibly have to say now that would make a difference? Why would he want to rehash something that was long over? It made no sense. While her head said she should just dump the envelope in one of the airport trash cans and be done with it, a part of her needed to know why he did it. Drew had been so sure his feelings for her were sincere. The conversations they’d shared as she sat in her closet on the phone with him for hours felt so real. Maybe Gwen was right. Maybe having some closure would finally let her leave it behind her once and for all.
Their flight was another late one, but at least with the time difference, they wouldn’t arrive too late in California. Hector dozed off, and as tempted as she was to pull out the letter and just read it already, she couldn’t chance Hector waking and possibly seeing who it was really from.
Unable to stand it anymore, she got up and headed for the bathroom. She’d read it and rip it up and be done with it. She didn’t expect there’d to be anything new that she and Drew hadn’t already discussed in length, but, still, it was burning a hole in her pocket, and she had to know now.
After locking the bathroom door, she pulled the envelope out, ripped the side off, pulling the sheet of paper out, and braced herself.
Chapter 30
Charlee.
I’ve wanted for so long to apologize from the bottom of my heart for all the hurt that my actions caused you. If it hadn’t been because I knew how close you were to Drew when she insisted you’d understand once she explained, I would have never agreed to go forward with it. It’s unfortunate the way things went down, but we really had no choice. I swear to you like I did to Drew back then, I didn’t know they were going to do everything they did on Facebook. I didn’t realize how cruel they’d be about it. For the longest time, not a day went by that I didn’t think about it. Before you left, Drew promised me you were over it. And even though she said I shouldn’t ever contact you, that it would only bring back the ugly memories, I just had to. I really, REALLY needed to apologize to you personally, even if it is in the form of a letter. I want you to know that I meant it when I said you were special. I meant everything I said to you back then. I truly hope you have moved on and can someday forgive me.