Emerald Cove

Chapter 20

Charlotte's POV

I laid in bed for a while after I woke up. The past few days have been a rollercoaster of emotions for me. Yesterday when I met Gina it hurt knowing that Katherine had moved on, but what did I expect? It has been years and she's an attractive, successful woman. It's no surprise that she isn't single. However, the sting of seeing her with someone else was still there.

When Gina first suggested this blind date with her friend I was completely against it and was plotting ways to get out of it, but the more I thought about it the more I realized this is exactly what I need. Katherine has moved on and I should too. I'm not getting any younger and the more time I spend ignoring my love life the closer I get to being a crazy cat lady.

I sighed and made my way to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. I didn't sleep well last night and I was going to need a good bit of caffeine if I was going to make it through today. I popped some bread into the toaster to make some toast.

"Mmm! Coffee!" Katherine said startling me. I turned to take in her glistening form. "Sorry. I thought you heard me come in."

"No... I'm barely awake. Why are you all sweaty?" I asked making an exaggerated disgusted face at her causing her to laugh.

"Well some people have to wake up early to work on their body. Not everyone can eat pizza rolls and sleep until moon and still look like you," she said.

"I haven't had pizza rolls in years... And I do work on my body," I said in a mock defensive tone. I poured us both a mug of coffee before making her coffee how I remember she preferred it and then passing her the mug.

"How do you do that?" she asked quirking an eyebrow at me.

"What?" I asked confused.

"Remember all of the little details," she stated simply.

"Is that coffee I smell?" Gina asked coming down the hallway before I could respond to Katherine's question.

"Charlotte just made a fresh pot," Katherine said passing Gina a cup of black coffee. Gina kissed Katherine passionately and I looked away feeling completely uncomfortable. I focused on buttering my toast and not on them.

"You need a shower," Gina said to Katherine. "We need to leave here within the hour. Dress nicely, but bring your swimsuits." With that she patted Katherine on the butt and headed back to Katherine's bedroom.

"Well I guess we have our orders," Katherine said grabbing a slice of my toast and taking a big bite out of it before heading to her room.

An hour later we were in Katherine's car heading down the interstate. I sat in the backseat hugging my bag in my lap for comfort. It has been a while since I've been on a date. I was feeling something between nervous and excitement. I wasn't sure how to cope with these feelings.

During the drive Gina talked excitedly about our plans for today. Her friend, Emily, had made us lunch reservations at a fine dining restaurant where we were meeting her. After we eat we are then going to go to a hot air balloon festival and then down to the beach. I had to admit this sounded like a lot of fun.

When we arrived at the restaurant I felt self conscious and underdressed. Katherine was wearing a pair of navy shorts, a mint green polo, and a pair of boat shoes. Her long blond hair was down in waves today. Gina was wearing a pair of khaki shorts, a light blue button up with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of loafers. Her curly red hair was up in a loose updo. They both looked like they stepped out of some sort of European magazine. I, on the other hand, was wearing a soft pink summer dress and a pair of leather sandals. My hair was up in a messy bun. I felt plain in comparison to them. I groaned at my insecurity. I hated comparing myself to other people, but it was something that I've never been able to move past.