Seasons of Sorrow by C. C. Wood Read Free Book Online

night for the rest of your life. I know you want to curl up in a ball and pretend the world doesn’t exist, but you still have to take care of yourself.”
    That wad of anger in her gut shot forth a burst of ugliness. “If it’s too much trouble to be here, you don’t have to come at all,” Charlotte snapped.
    Brandy just stared her down. As a lawyer, she could out-stubborn a fence post. She also knew when to push past defensiveness and when to back away. Apparently, she wasn’t going to ease off.
    Knowing she was being unreasonable, Charlotte muttered, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
    Brandy nodded slightly. “It’s okay. Now, please go get dressed. We need to go to the grocery store.”
    Charlotte gave up the fight and got up from the kitchen table. She trudged up the stairs and chose a random outfit of jeans and a sweatshirt from her closet. After she pulled on her comfy boots, she went into the bathroom. In the mirror, her face was pale and naked of make up. She didn’t bother to put any on. Instead she threw her hair into a ponytail and washed her face.
    Moving slowly, she went back down the stairs, dreading this trip to the store. Just being around other people grated on her nerves and made her feel bruised and exposed. Brandy was sitting on the couch when she came down.
    She rose to her feet. “Ready?”
    Though she really wasn’t, Charlotte nodded. They grabbed their coats and bags and went out to Brandy’s car. Though she would never admit it, Charlotte pouted the entire way to the store. She didn’t understand why Brandy was making her do this. It was too hard.
    They went to Whole Foods, one of Charlotte’s favorite places. It was a foodie’s delight, with the freshest vegetables and meats, even difficult to find produce and international foods. Despite her irritation with Brandy, Charlotte found some enjoyment in looking at all the selections and making her choices. It had been almost two months since she had done her own grocery shopping or cooking, two things she enjoyed most about being a homemaker.
    It happened after they left the produce department. Brandy led Charlotte over to the meat counter and she was browsing when a cart appeared at her elbow. The woman pushing it smiled at them, but Charlotte saw what was in her buggy and her skin flashed hot then ice cold. Sitting in the cart was a car seat that held a baby boy. He was small, probably no more than two or three months old. Almost the exact size Adam had been that morning when Charlotte had lifted him out of the crib and started CPR.
    The baby was sleeping peacefully in his seat and Charlotte couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He looked sweet and angelic.
    The woman noticed her staring and smiled. “He’ll be three months old tomorrow.”
    “He’s beautiful,” Charlotte whispered, her throat constricting so tightly that she almost couldn’t get the words out.
    The woman seemed to sense something was wrong because the smile slowly faded from her face. “Thank you.” She glanced at Brandy, clearly alarmed at Charlotte’s distraught expression.
    Unable to stand it any longer, Charlotte wheeled around and walked away quickly. Her heart was pounding and she could barely catch her breath. It was the first time since Adam’s death that she had been in the presence of an infant. Vaguely, she heard Brandy saying something to the woman. A glance over her shoulder showed the woman staring after her with sympathy written all over her expression.
    Charlotte couldn’t face it and turned down the first aisle she came upon. Blindly, she stared at rows upon rows of wine bottles and wrestled with the urge to start grabbing them up one at a time and smashing them to the ground. Panting, she jumped when a gentle hand touched her shoulder.
    It was Brandy.
    “Just breathe, Charlotte. In and out slowly.”
    Charlotte nodded and tried to control her breathing, which was difficult considering her chest felt as though it were being