Healing Hearts

Chapter 4

"Charlotte?" he asked again. There was a hint of disbelief in his voice, much like hers had the night he showed up at her place drunk. Don't think about that night.

Allowing herself to look at him, she found Simon standing next to his car staring at her. He still had the tell-tale circles under his eyes and his hair was a mess of curls, but there was something different about him. He seemed...anxious?

"Simon, hi..." was all she could make out, her voice trailing off. What the hell is he doing here?

"How are you?" he asked softly. Charlotte didn't respond. "Can we talk? I...I owe you an apology," he tried again while offering a hesitant smile. The distance between them grew smaller as he walked around the back of his car toward hers.

Charlotte wasn't sure what to do. She had so many unanswered questions she wanted to ask him, yet was not totally sure she wanted to know what he would say in response. Just then, her stomach grumbled again, loud enough so they both could hear it. It was answering for her.

"I was just on my way to get some food," she explained as she gestured to her stomach. Simon nodded with understanding. She continued, "I, uh, just moved in today and I don't really have anything to eat."

Simon's eyebrows lifted. "You live here? In this building?" He seemed surprised.

"Yeah, I do." She waved both arms around, gesturing to the private parking garage they were standing in. "Why else would I be parked here?"

It took Charlotte a second to realize the implication of what she had just said. Hopping out of her SUV, she stood in front of him. "You live here too? This is where you moved?"

Eyes narrowed, Simon crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one foot. "You knew I moved?"

Uh oh, busted.

"Uh yeah, I accidentally overheard some of the nurses talking about it the other day," she said in defense. She felt heat spread across her face and figured she must be blushing. He can't know I was searching for gossip about him.

A knowing smirk flashed over his face. "I see." He paused. "Well, yeah, I did move here, about two weeks ago. Not long after..." Simon's eyes widened as he realized he was about to mention their tryst. Charlotte stiffened in response.

They were saved by another rumble from Charlotte's stomach.

"Look, I haven't eaten yet either. There's a place around the corner that seems okay--my treat?"

Charlotte was torn. On the one hand, she was starving--both for food and for information. On the other hand, Simon had already proven to be hard on her heart. Can I handle anything more?

She decided to bring out her best defense system: humor.

Glancing at his extravagant car, she took a risk and joked, "Are you sure you can afford it? How much did this thing run you anyway?" Charlotte paused to gauge his reaction to her playful banter. It seemed to have relieved some tension, as a broad smile had formed on his face.

"I think I can spare a dollar or two for a sandwich. Unless, of course, you wanted a full meal. Then I might need to take out a loan."

Charlotte couldn't help but chuckle, feeling a sense of familiarity in the moment. But as she considered sharing a meal with him, doubts and fears crept into her mind. Was this really a good idea? Would it bring up painful memories or heal old wounds? She knew they needed to talk, but was she truly ready for that kind of vulnerability?

***

The walk to the café down the block was too short for any meaningful conversation, just a comment or two about the weather and how moving had gone for each of them.