“Not in that way, no. She just idolizes him.” Kendall sighed. “Rick seems to be able to reach her when I can’t. Honestly I’m grateful someone can.”
“I’d say that Rick has a way with all women but that would be too flip for the situation. What Rick has is a way with children. Teens especially. The DARE program is such a huge success in our community thanks to Rick. He continues activities over the summer on his days off because it keeps the kids focused even when school’s out. They look up to him.”
Kendall nodded. She’d noticed that herself. Obviously when Jillian had taken off, she’d deprived him of the opportunity of being a father. And, oh, what a wonderful father he’d be. To a baby, a toddler, a child, or a teen. She clasped her hands to her chest, then realized where her thoughts were headed. That new and scary direction again. But it was true. Rick would be an exceptional parent to a child of any age.
Still thinking about commitment of any kind wasn’t easy for Kendall. She’d never envisioned a lifetime that included forever. Then again, no one had extended an invitation her way either.
“Hannah seems to have responded to Rick like any typical teen,” Charlotte said.
Kendall nodded. “That’s true. Hannah and Rick clicked from day one.” Just like she and Rick had clicked from the second they’d met.
“Hannah’s not the only Sutton girl who’s fallen for Rick’s charms, is she?” Charlotte whispered, in obvious deference to eavesdropping patrons in line along with them. “I know I’m being presumptuous. But when I was falling for Roman, I had Beth to confide in and I figure that since you’re new to town, you don’t have someone to talk to. Someone who knows you and Rick. And, well, I wanted to offer an ear.” Charlotte blushed red. “If you want one.”
Kendall opened her mouth to speak but words failed her. Charlotte’s gesture, so warm, compassionate, and thoughtful, took Kendall off guard. “I’m not falling for Rick.” The standard words came automatically but so did her heart’s immediate denial.
Charlotte raised an eyebrow in obvious disbelief. A half smile formed on her lips. “Sorry, Kendall, but I’m not buying the story. Try saving it for someone who hasn’t been in your shoes already. Same shoes, different brother.” Charlotte tapped her feet against the floor, pausing in her rhythm only to take a few steps forward in line. “You can deny it for as long as you want. Seconds, minutes, days, or years. It doesn’t matter. One day your feelings for Rick will catch up with you. Just like my feelings for Roman caught up with me.”
Kendall wasn’t sure whether to be outraged Charlotte had read and intruded upon her private thoughts or be appreciative she’d cared enough to give her the warning. When it came to feelings, Kendall had always kept her emotions inside and dealt with them on her own.
Necessity had driven her to solitude at a young age. Habit and constant moves prevented her from sharing things with others as she grew older. Now Charlotte offered Kendall the chance to confide in another woman. More importantly, Charlotte offered a chance at the kind of genuine friendship Kendall had never had.
Charlotte couldn’t begin to imagine the importance of her offer. Gut instinct told Kendall that Charlotte’s warmth came easily and without thought, whereas Kendall’s desire to accept came with more difficulty. Although the lonely little girl inside her heart was dying to reach out and accept the gesture of friendship, fear prevented her from doing so.
Gathering herself, she met Charlotte’s patient gaze. “You’re presuming you and I are alike. We aren’t.” They couldn’t be.
Because anytime Kendall had allowed herself to get close to someone—her aunt, her parents, another kid in a new town—as soon as she let herself accept that sense of security, the blanket was ripped off and Kendall was left alone. And that was the crux of her fear, she realized for the first time. The basis of her need to run. People she loved, people she cared for, left her.
Her parents had abandoned her. In her own way, Aunt Crystal had done the same, first when she’d had to send Kendall away and later in death. In Kendall’s experience, one rooted in childhood, she always lost those she loved most. Kendall’s life and the people in it were a series of drive-bys. Her biggest fear was getting close to the people in Yorkshire Falls, to Rick and his warm, loving family, and then losing them.
Charlotte shrugged. “Okay, we aren’t alike. If you say so.”
“I do. From what I understand you wanted to stay in Yorkshire Falls. I plan to leave,” But what if she didn’t? What if she stayed here, a small voice in her head asked.
Kendall shivered and shook off the notion. She’d never wanted to put down roots in one place. Never had a sense of belonging. Surely she couldn’t belong in Yorkshire Falls.
“What else makes us different?” Charlotte asked with a grin, obviously amused by Kendall’s assessment.
Kendall had a hunch she didn’t need her inner self giving a voice to her deepest desires. She had Charlotte to do it for her. “Well, you weren’t adverse to getting married. I’m as far from that mind-set as you can imagine.”
If that’s true, then why were you evaluating Rick’s potential as a parent, that small voice in Kendall’s head asked. Darn this small town and Rick’s warm family and friends. Damn them for showing her all she’d missed out on in life. All she could have if she weren’t afraid to grasp what life may or may not offer.
Charlotte stared, as if she knew the war going on in Kendall’s mind and was giving her time to fight the battle before interrupting. Then she cleared her throat. “I guess I was wrong. Considering all you just said, you and Rick are really the opposite of myself and Roman. I mean for starters, Roman was the wanderer, not me.”
“I suppose,” Kendall murmured, unsure whose side she fell on now. Why did she have the feeling that unsettling her had been Charlotte’s intent all along?
The other woman shook her head and laughed. “Well, if I’m presuming anything about you now, it’s that you’re human. And humans are complicated. They don’t always know their own minds though they think they do.”
“Do you have a degree in psychology?” Kendall grinned.
“No, just one in observation. Case in point. I thought I wanted to stay in Yorkshire Falls because staying represented security. Turns out security for me can be defined in many different ways. And any way that includes Roman works just fine for me.” Charlotte shrugged. “Maybe you just think you want to keep moving from place to place. Or maybe not.” She shook her dark hair out behind her. “Come to think of it, you’re right. I shouldn’t presume to know anything about you. But if you ever need a friend or an ear, I promise to listen and not preach next time. Deal?”
She held out a hand and Kendall grasped it. “Deal,” she said, her head whirling with Charlotte’s words and the game of Devil’s Advocate her own mind played.
“Next. What can I get you two ladies,” Norman asked, saving Kendall from having to think through the meaning in what she’d just heard.
“Orange juice for me. A frozen Chai Tea for Beth and . . .” She glanced at Kendall, waving a hand, indicating she should take her turn.