A Thread So Thin by Marie Bostwick Read Free Book Online

sure. It must be awful to see the people you care about die—first Dad, and now her friends. It must feel so lonely.”
    “True, but she’s not alone. She’s got family. You and Garrett. And she has a sister, too, doesn’t she?”
    I nodded. “Aunt Sylvia, yes, but she moved to California seven years ago. The winters got to be too much for her. They talk on the phone pretty often, but it’s not the same, I’m sure.”
    “No. I’m sure,” he agreed.
    “I just hate to think of Mom being all alone with no one to talk to. When I moved to New Bern, I suggested she think about moving out here, but she wouldn’t even consider it. Said she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, thank you very much, and that she had no intention of moving halfway across the country at her age.” I smiled to myself. She might be slowing down a bit, but Mom was just as opinionated as ever.
    “How old is Virginia?”
    “She just turned eighty.”
    “Eighty.” Charlie clicked his tongue, impressed by the figure. “She sounds great for eighty. Say,” he said, peering longingly at the last two pieces of scone I’d left on my plate, “are you going to finish that?”
    “Go ahead.”
    “How long has it been since you’ve seen your mom? More than a year?”
    I nodded. The years since my divorce have been so crazy. What with opening a new business and then dealing with breast cancer and my subsequent mastectomies, I’d barely had a chance to take a weekend at the beach, let alone get to Wisconsin. Mom never complained, but it had been far too long since I’d gone home.
    “Why don’t you hop on a plane and go out there?” Charlie said. “Business is slow right now. Margot and Garrett can keep an eye on the shop.”
    He had a point. This was the perfect time of year to go visiting. Of course, I’d have to call Mom and make sure I wasn’t interrupting her plans, but somehow I doubted she’d have much on her calendar. It would be nice to spend some time with her, and it would give me a chance to see how she was getting along.
    “You know,” I said, brightening, “that’s a good idea. I’ll get on the computer later and see about booking a flight.”
    “Good! You need a break and Virginia will be glad to see you, I’m sure. And it’ll be fun for you to visit your old hometown. Just promise me not to go falling in love with any of your old high school flames while you’re out there.”
    “Not a chance of that happening.” I laughed. “I went to my twentieth high school reunion and trust me, Charlie, you’ve got nothing to worry about. You’re more and less of a man than any of those guys.”
    “More and less? ” He frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “It means that you’ve got more hair and less beer belly than any of the boys I went to high school with. And besides,” I said as I crumpled up my paper napkin and laid it on my now empty plate, “there’s not a one of them who knows how to make duck confit or macadamia butterscotch cookies like you do.”
    Charlie narrowed his eyes and nodded. “Oh, so that’s how it is with you. You’re just like all the others. You only love me for my cooking.”
    “Oh, no, Charlie Donnelly. That’s not so. You’re a fabulous chef, it’s true. But that is only one of the many things I love about you. Though it’s probably the lowest on a long list of very fine qualities you possess. There’s not a man I know who can hold a candle to you.”
    I meant it too. I’ve never met a man like Charlie.
    Upon first acquaintance, people tend to think that Charlie is tough, a grump even. It’s an image he likes to cultivate, but he’s never able to pull it off for long. Anyone who spends more than a day in his presence quickly comes to realize that underneath his prickly exterior, Charlie Donnelly has a heart as soft as a bar of chocolate left in the sun, and just as sweet. I love Charlie. How could I not? And yet, though he has asked me again and again,