Afterthoughts: A Charity McAdams Novella (The Charity McAdams Novellas) Read Free

expecting.”
    “I know. I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me. I care about you so much, I really do,”
    “Charity, I wasn’t proposing to you. I was going to ask if you wanted to rent a beach house together for the month of August and see how we do if we were to live together , on kind of a trial basis.”
    I feel like someone just dumped ice cold wate r over my head. How could I be so stupid? “ Oh my gosh . I’m sorry, I just thought,” my voice trails off , unsure of what to say next. “I guess the , uh, atmosphere , just made it seems like something else.”
    James looks around the restaurant as if seeing the low lighting, the bottle of wine, and all the people in fancy attire for the first time. As he takes it all in he seems to have an expression of comprehension. He lowers his head and shakes it slowly. “I’m sorry Charity. I didn’t even consider that. I made these reservations weeks ago when you first read the review and mentioned you would like to check it out.”
    I never grew up wishing I had a super power, but in this moment , the ability to disappear would be super handy.
    “I gotta go.” I pu sh back in my chair and stand up (being careful to smooth down the back of my dress, this dinner is fiasco enough without adding a wardrobe malfunction into the mix) and quickly mak e my way to the front doors of the restaurant. I can hear Ja mes call after me but I just keep walking.

Chapter Three
    I make it outside before I can think clearly enough to realize two very important things:
    1.         James had driven us to the restaurant , so unless I want to get a cab (not cheap when you are thir ty plus miles from home) I’ ll have to wait outside for him and pick up where we left off.
    2.        I had forgotten to pick up my coat from the coat check and Seattle , in May , is not an ideal time to be coatless.
    I get to the corner in front of the restaurant and began to pace, to stay warm and to try and formulate a plan. I figure I have a good five to ten minutes to figure out my next move as James will have to settle the bill and collect our coats before he can get outside again. The question is what do I want to do? Do I want to stay and talk to him? Can we pretend like none of this ever happened and go about our evening? Or do I want to cut my losses and walk away?
    Actually, the bigger question is why does it matter that he wasn’t going to propose? Half an hour ago I was on the verge of a mini-panic attack at the very idea. Now that I know that marriage is off the table (at least for now) I should feel better. Right?
    I shake my head and rub my arms.
    “Charity! What the hell? Why did you run off like that?” His voice is raised, but controlled. I can’t tell if he’ s angry or just concerned. His face is a strange mix between irritation and panic.
    “I don’t know,” I reply and shake my head. I can’t even answer that question to myself, let alone to another person right now. I doubt even Ashley could make se nse of my current mental state, and I’ ve known her since kindergarten.
    “It just seemed like the thing to do,” I offer, weakly. “I had to get out of there.”
    He sighs and holds open my jacket for me. Grateful, I slip into the coat and tie the belt tightly around my waist. “Thank you.”
    “Come on, let’s get you home. No sense makin g an even bigger scene out here, ” he says, looking both ways down the street as if worried other people are watching us.
    A scene? He thought that was me making a scene? He obviously does not have much experience around hysterical women.
    I shrug and follow a few steps behind as he leads us to the valet to retrieve the car.
    We don’t speak for the next ten minutes as we get into the car and start out to wards the freeway. A strained silence hangs in the air but neither of us appears to be willing to break it. Thoughts are pinging around my mind so fast that I can’t really seem to focus on one thought long enough to