this early.
“It doesn’t look like much from the outside but trust me.” Nicholas pulled into the parking lot, grabbing one of the available spots near the front door. There were a couple of other cars here, so he took that as a good sign they were open. “Lunch on the water. Can’t beat it.”
“I love the water.”
Nicholas smiled. It had been a shot in the dark, but something had told him Charlie would enjoy being on the water. Who didn’t? The beach would be more romantic, but he wasn’t sure romantic was the vibe they needed right now. Enjoyable would do just fine.
Upon request, the hostess led them to a table on the dock, which was pretty much where everyone sat unless the weather was bad. It was the perfect Sacramento day, though. Not too hot and not too cold.
“I always wanted to try this place,” Charlie said once they were seated, menus in front of them.
Oh, yeah. She was from here. How could he possibly have forgotten?
“I grew up in the suburbs, about thirty minutes from here,” she explained without him even having to ask. “We didn’t come downtown all that much, except for senior prom. Really, that was the only time, now that I think about it. We had everything we needed in town.”
Nicholas nodded. “I grew up in Pacific Heights. We were in the middle of everything.”
Her eyebrows arched, and he knew exactly what she was thinking. Pacific Heights. Anyone who had spent any time at all in San Francisco knew Pacific Heights was the uppity neighborhood in the city. Yes, he had advantages. He was well aware of that. But he also put significant time and resources into charitable work to try to pay it forward as much as he could.
He was eager to change the subject. “Well, glad I could introduce you to a new place to visit when you come to town.”
Charlie wrinkled her nose in an obvious signal of distaste. “I don’t come back to Sacramento, and certainly not to my hometown. My mom’s in Milwaukee, as I said. No reason to come back here.”
“Except for reunions,” he commented.
“I think this will be the last one of those for me.”
“You needed closure.”
The server came to take their order, interrupting them. Once she was headed toward the kitchen, Nicholas resumed waiting for Charlie’s response to his statement. He soon realized she either hadn’t heard him or had no intention of replying.
So he repeated it. “Closure. That’s why you came back, isn’t it?”
Still silence. He realized, as she looked out over the water, she was thinking about it. Thinking through what he’d just presented.
“I don’t know why. Why would I care what they think of me?”
As she asked the question, she turned her gaze on him, intense emotion in her expression. This wasn’t something she took lightly. It wasn’t like his reunion, which he’d simply avoided because it had felt like a nuisance. For her, this was a huge deal.
“I don’t think it has anything to do with Shellie or any of her friends. It’s about your own personal growth.”
Her eyes narrowed. She tilted her head just slightly in a look that clearly conveyed curiosity. She wanted to hear more.
“Last night—the towel. You wouldn’t get out of the pool until you were covered. Why?”
Her eyes widened, and for a scary second, he worried he’d gone a step too far. What made him think even if he was right about the towel, she’d want to talk to him about it?
When she finally spoke, she said, “It’s not just Shellie. Jamie’s just as guilty.”
“Jamie? The one who was talking to me at the buffet?”
“Yes. She’s been Shellie’s best friend since kindergarten. Heck, maybe before. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were next to each other in the hospital nursery hours after birth. Jamie was the one at the pool with Shellie that day when I was babysitting. They were the two girls I was telling you about.”
Wow. Nicholas hadn’t pieced that together. He was sure she’d mentioned the second girl by name, but he hadn’t connected the name when he’d met Jamie last night. Now he understood even more why she’d felt self-conscious at the pool.
“I wish I could say it’s just Shellie and Jamie. I’m just…I like being covered.” She looked down at her body, which was, indeed, covered from neck to ankle. She even wore a long-sleeved blouse. It seemed a bit much for daytime in Sacramento, especially as hot as it was, but it