Chapter 47- The Dance

After Nathan and Charlotte's emotional heart to heart conversation over coffee, they hugged goodbye and parted ways for the day. Nathan, to make his morning rounds. Charlotte, to run various errands in preparation for a special dinner she was making tonight at Nathan's, welcoming Maise to Hope Valley.

Her first stop was the Canfield's home. Joseph and Cooper came to the door. The father-son pair always made Charlotte smile with their synchronicities. Cooper had very much become Mr. Canfield's shadow. Following Joseph wherever he went, visiting various individuals and families from the congregation, and helping Joseph on different jobs and projects.

Their special relationship caused Charlotte to have visions of Nathan with his own son. Nathan taking him along on his rounds through town. Teaching him to play baseball or strum the guitar. All the various activities that fathers and sons enjoyed doing together. Most of all, what Charlotte looked forward to Nathan teaching their son was the values that were so deeply instilled in Nathan himself. Kindness, generosity, bravery, a sense of humor, and love.

Charlotte caught herself and heat flushed across her cheeks.

Their son.

The idea had floated into her mind too freely. Too naturally. She gently shook her head to clear it from the fog.

"Good Morning Charlotte!" Joseph chimed. "God sure is painting a beautiful day for us."

"That he is," Charlotte agreed, glancing over her shoulder to appreciate the landscape around them. "I was just stopping by to invite your family for dinner tonight at Nathan's. His mom, Maise, is in town and we are having a small welcome to Hope Valley party in her honor.

"How wonderful!" Joseph's eternally cheerful voice exclaimed. "We would be honored to join your family. Is there anything we can bring?"

Charlotte's cheeks again blushed at Joseph's use of "your family".

"Just yourselves. Maise and Allie offered to help me with the preparations once they get back from the library this morning."

"I'll let Minnie know about the party when she gets home, but I can't make any promises that she won't insist on bringing something along."

"You're probably right," Charlotte chuckled. "I look forward to seeing you all later. Dinner will be at six."

"I'm sorry Rosemary. Did I wake you?" Charlotte asked as she took in the appearance of the woman who stood in front of her.

"No. No." Rosemary answered as she stepped to the side of the front door, ushering Charlotte further into her home. "I've been up for hours."

"Oh… I just thought from the…"

"The robe. Yes, I know," Rosemary finished Charlotte's sentence, as she flopped onto the couch in her living room. Charlotte took a seat in the chair across from her. "I've just been so tired this week after all the planning and preparations that went into putting on the summer festival last week. And then because I was so fatigued, the other night Lee cooked dinner. He made some spicy chili that has not agreed with me since."

"I mean, who makes chili soup in the summertime?" Rosemary asked, dramatically waving her hands into the air as her voice rose in pitch.

Charlotte was happy to see Rosemary still had her flare, even while feeling a bit under the weather.

"Well, it was sweet that Lee tried to take care of you by making the soup."

"Yes. I suppose you're right."

"Where is Lee and Fred this morning?"

"They are at the office together. Doing some sort of father-son bonding I suppose. With only one bathroom, they both seem to be wanting to steer clear of the house with me feeling this way."

Charlotte successfully suppressed the giggle that threatened to release from within her. Instead she was able to give her friend a sympathetic smile.

"Next time Lee offers to cook. Maybe suggest he get something from the cafe. Or ask Minnie and I to help."

Rosemary laughed. Her beautiful, head-tossed back, laugh that was all Rosemary Coulter.

"So, what brings you by this morning?" Rosemary questioned.

"I have two items of business to discuss. The first is, I wanted to invite your family tonight to join us and the Canfields at Nathan's to welcome his mom into town. That is if you are feeling up to it?"

"Nathan's mom is in town? Why didn't I know about this?"

"Maise surprised us by arriving into town yesterday on the stage with Allie. She wanted to visit Nathan and see the town that he and Allie have been living in the past few years. Maise is staying at my house in the spare bedroom while she is here."

"Of course, we would be happy to join. The past couple of days, this sickness has been much worse in the mornings than in the evenings."

Charlotte raised her eyebrow, but did not reveal her suspicions to Rosemary.

"My other question stems from my conversation with Elizabeth I had just before coming over here. I presume she has told you about the book tour she and Lucas are going on in a couple weeks."

"Yes. She has. Although it was only in passing. I don't know many of the details."

Maybe it's best if you don't know the details. Charlotte thought to herself.

"Elizabeth had asked if I would be willing to fill in for her teaching responsibilities while they were gone on the trip. I had asked if she would give me some time to think about it and talk the offer over with Nathan first."

"Ooohhhh!" Rosemary hummed. Shifting so she sat up straighter on the couch. "So, what did you two decide over your morning coffee…"

Charlotte gave the other woman a playful scowl. Rosemary's best medicine seemed to be playing matchmaker and meddling in others' lives. It was just a part of her charm.

"We talked a lot about it actually, but in the end, Nathan told me to follow my heart."

"And what does your heart say?" Rosemary wiggled her eyebrows.

"I took Elizabeth up on her offer, but I did want to ask if you would be willing to help out occasionally with classes. In instances where there are large projects that come up requiring a second pair of hands."

"Of course. Of course. I'd be happy to help. What I really was asking though, since it is just us two women here, is what is your heart saying about Nathan?"

Charlotte's eyes grew wide in shock. "Wha… what do you mean?"

Rosemary glared at Charlotte across the room. "You know exactly what I mean. Don't play coy with me, Charlotte Thompson."

"It's not that simple," Charlotte pushed herself up out of the chair and began to pace the floor. "Nathan and I… we care about each other. A lot."

"That's been obvious for quite some time, but I know things have changed between you two since Christmas and especially in this last month. You let Nathan in and he and Allie have helped heal your broken heart."

"It's more than just my heart. They've healed me. Body and soul. I'm finally happy, Rosemary. So incandescently happy. And that scares me more than anything, because whenever I've felt even half this happy in the past, life seems to steal it all away from me in an instant. I just don't know if I could handle going through that hurt again…"

"Sometimes you have to experience that hurt, to really understand what you have. And what you and Nathan have, is love." Rosemary paused, ensuring she had Charlotte's attention. "True, once in a lifetime love, isn't all picnics and candlelit dinners, Charlotte. Sometimes true love is something a little more real. It's not always grand gestures or feeble words of surface affirmations, but moments that come straight from the heart. A soulmate is someone who can make ordinary days fun. Who can bring happiness to the mundane. They are your reason for waking up each morning and getting out of bed to face the day."

Charlotte had stopped her pacing and instead gone to stand in front of the table beside the wood burning stove. Charlotte's eyes scanned the pictures in front of her. There was a picture of Rosemary, dressed in a costume on stage. A separate photo of Lee on his old motorcycle.

"There will be hurt. Times when you are disappointed or upset with one another. Or heaven forbid Charlotte, a time comes when something bad happens to one of you. But when you love someone, you open yourself up to the hurt that comes with feeling something so fully."

Charlotte kept her back turned to Rosemary, listening to her words as she scanned the remaining pictures on the stand. Portraits of Lee and Rosemary on their wedding day and on their cruise a couple years ago. The biggest frame on the stand held their most recent photo. The one that Carson took of Lee, Rosemary, and Fred. They all looked so incredibly happy, like they were always meant to be a part of each other's lives.

"Charlotte," Rosemary's tone drew Charlotte's attention away from the pictures. "None of us know what God has planned for our futures or the way it all will unfold. We can miss the pains in life if we choose to to stand along the sidelines and not take a chance of getting our toes stepped on. But in not letting yourself fully experience every emotion, you are also going to miss the beautiful dance life gives you. Which would be an absolute shame, because you and Nathan are wonderful waltzing partners."

Rosemary's words stirred inside Charlotte.

Was she really ready to let her guard down and admit her love for Nathan. And in doing so allow him to fully love her in return?