Chapter 9
Charlotte walks toward the main house, and wonders what the reason is for Duke asking her to come by. As she opens the door to step inside, she hears laughter from the sitting room, follows it and sees Momma and Duke sitting on the couch. This is an odd sight for her and she suspects they've been drinking but notices there are no glasses present and the bourbon remains untouched. Then she finally spots the vase of flowers on the table and the card sitting next to it.
"Well, this is something unexpected," she says, sitting in the chair adjacent to them. "When I got your text earlier, you made it sound like we were havin' some sort of family meeting, Duke."
Duke's shaking his head and smiling. He points to the flowers. "No family meetin', but Momma and I wanted you to come by to pick that up. So, who's the lucky man?"
Charlotte reaches for the card and pulls it out of its envelope. Now she's the one shaking her head with an added eyeroll for effect. She sets the card down and takes a good look at the them. Lilies.
"Are those from that Cooper fella? He send you apology flowers or somethin'?" Momma asks.
"No, they're not from Cooper."
"Oh, so they're from Bradley," the older woman surmises. "What a sweet gesture. Darlin', you need to bring him by here for dinner one of these nights. I'd sure love the chance of gettin' to know him again."
Charlotte tilts her head slightly and gives her mother a look. "Really, Momma. You sure you're not just sayin' that because he's a good, Southern man you always pictured me datin'?"
"And what gives you that idea?" Augusta leans forward to take the card, but Charlotte manages to swipe it away and tucks it into her purse. "Come now, baby girl. I'd like to know what it says."
"None of your business," Charlotte rises from her chair and reaches for the vase. She takes a moment to inhale the scent before turning to her mother and brother. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll be taking these. You need anythin' else?" Duke and Momma both shake their heads. "Alright then. Have a good evenin', the both of ya."
As soon as Charlotte's out of earshot, Duke turns to his mother and grins. "He kissed her the other night. I was walkin' on the grounds, comin' back from the stables and I spotted them on her doorstep. You got nothin' to worry about with Bradley, Momma. He's a good man."
.:..:.
Shutting the door with her feet, Charlotte lets her purse slide off her shoulder and walks to her dining table. She places the flowers in the middle and stands back to get a look at them. Bradley Nowak, sweet and charming. She goes to her purse and takes out the card, reading it again.
Charlotte,
I hope these flowers are as sweet as your kiss.
-Bradley
Smiling, Charlotte tucks the card amid the floral arrangement and inhales them once more. There's a shrill ring coming from her purse and she reaches inside, pulling her cell phone out. "Hi," she says. "Thanks for the flowers. But you really didn't have to."
"And what if I wanted to? It's not every day I have a good time with a beautiful woman. Think of this as a prelude to our second date for this Friday."
Here he goes with the flattery again, she thinks to herself. She walks down the hall to her bedroom and sits at the edge of the bed. Kicking off her shoes, she brings her feet up and stretches out, leaning against the pillows. "I had a good time too. Best I've had in a while, I will admit."
"Good. That's what I like to hear. So, how was your day?"
"Clinic wasn't too busy. Saw patients, did a bunch of paperwork. Just another day of bein' a doctor. And yours?"
"Well…" he drawls. "I'm still in the office. I'm stuck workin' late on a case. Thought I'd take a few minutes out of my evenin' to give you a call and see if you got the flowers."
"I did, so I guess you can get back to work now," Charlotte looks at the clock on her dresser. "I should go and have somethin' to eat since I just got home."
She hears him sigh softly, then the click of a pen before he says, "And what if I don't want to? Did you ever think the reason for me callin' you is so I can avoid doin' some work. Being a lawyer can be so overrated sometimes."
"I can say the same for bein' a doctor," she moves off the bed and starts toward the kitchen. With the phone perched between her shoulder and ear, she reaches into the fridge and takes out a container of leftover pasta from the night before. "But I like what I do, so I can't complain. I'm assumin' you feel the same about your work."
"I do, even if some of the cases I work on make watching paint dry seem more enticin' at times. Sorry, I shouldn't be sayin' that 'bout my clients. They're the ones who give me the money to pay my bills. Without them, I'd be a schmuck who wouldn't be able to pay for dinner this Friday."
"Or I could be the one to treat this time," Charlotte interjects. She hears the microwave beeping and opens the door, taking out the plate of pasta. She sets it down on the table and pulls out a chair to sit. "I don't mind, you know."
Bradley quickly voices his disagreement. "No, you're not goin' to pay. I'm the one askin' you out on a second date, it's only right that I pay."
"We'll see 'bout that. Just 'cause you're being a good Southern gentleman, it doesn't mean you gotta be the one always payin' for meals. I make a decent livin' in case you forgot. I don't need a man payin' for all my meals every time I go out with him."
"Fine. Fine, we'll see who can pull their credit card out the fastest on Friday," he laughs and Charlotte does too. "Okay, now I really need to get some of this stuff done or else I'm gonna be here all night. You have yourself a good rest of the evenin',"
"You, too. Try not to work too hard," Charlotte looks down at her plate, her food has probably gone cold by now.
"G'night Charlotte."
"G'night Brad," Charlotte puts her phone down and starts in on her dinner, which is no longer warm. As she's eating, her eyes are drawn to the flowers sitting in the middle of the table and she's reflecting on the kiss they shared at the doorstep the other night. The memory causes her to smile, because it's obvious Bradley's got a thing for her. It isn't often a man sends her flowers after their first date and then follows it up with a call. Hell, she can't recall a time Cooper did anything of the sort.
So, if Bradley wants to wine and dine her, she's going to enjoy it and see where this goes. After all, she left LA with the intention of starting new and dating him is definitely a way of starting fresh.
