Chapter 23: Puppies and Butterflies
The next morning I awoke to my cell phone ringing a little after nine.
“Hello?”
“Meet me at Tru-Rox in twenty minutes.” CeCe said pertly before hanging up.
I was excited to get to the diner and meet with CeCe. I kissed Lucy and woke her up. I got her dressed quickly and changed my clothes. We hopped into the car and headed to the diner; a few minutes later we arrived.
“Hi Char.” Trudy smiled, bringing the coffee pot over, as we slid in our booth.
“Good morning Tru.”
“Morning Ms. Trudy.” Lucy said grabbing some crayons and a kid’s menu to color on.
A minute later CeCe walked in beaming. I waved to her and she strolled over.
“Can I get you anything CeCe?” Trudy offered.
“How about a chocolate milkshake?”
“Sounds good; it’ll take me a second. We’re short-staffed. I haven’t been able to find another server as good as Char and it doesn’t look like she’s coming back anytime soon. Your mom said your book got picked up and is being published. I knew it was only a matter of time for both of you to find your wings and soar.” She smiled.
“Awe, thanks Tru,” CeCe and I said in unison, before we looked at each other and started laughing.
“I want cheese fries.” Lucy said pressing down firmly with her pink crayon.
“Good choice Lu. Your momma and I use to order the chocolate milkshakes…”
“And the cheese fries she told me.” She said, finishing CeCe’s sentence.
“That’s right.” CeCe smiled looking over at her.
“Ladies, I’ll be back with your food in a few moments.” Trudy said, leaving to put in our order.
“So, are you okay?” I asked, reaching my hand over to hers.
“I’ll be okay. I’m sad but I’ll survive.”
“I finished my book at 11:59 PM.” I smiled back.
“I trust that I gave you enough material to finish your book.” She grinned.
“Ughh, yes you did. Thank you for that and for everything.”
“You’re welcome. I owed you one.”
“What do you mean?”
CeCe smiled and looked down and back up again. “Last night after I finished talking to Christian, I mean Skylar— I thought about you and Skylar and Eric. Do you remember the day we first met Eric?”
“Yeah—I remember fighting over the locker with you to put on my make-up before we saw him.” I smiled.
“Do you remember when Mrs. Newwater asked for a volunteer?”
“How could I not? You about ripped my hair out trying to get your hand higher in the air than mine.” I said as Lucy shot CeCe a strange look before looking at me. “Auntie Ce was crazy mad for Eric when we were in fifth grade.”
“Do you remember what I promised you that day?”
I thought back—recalling the conversation we had twelve years ago. “It’s a bit fuzzy—”
“I promised you that if you let me show him around that the next good guy that came along was yours.” She bit her bottom lip.
“Ladies, here are your fries and two chocolate milkshakes, on the house.” Trudy unloaded the tray before hurrying off.
Just then the doorbell dinged. I glanced over to see Skylar look around before his eyes landed on mine. He started towards us.
“I love you Char. I’ll always be there for you and I know you’ll always be there for me. It’s your turn now; your Prince Charming has arrived.” She said, standing up to kiss me on the cheek before she headed towards the door.
She stopped and hugged Skylar on her way out.
“Wait CeCe, where are you going?” I shouted.
She smirked, “I’ve got some business to do at Sothersby Insurance Company.”
“On a Sunday?” I asked, before her words registered and she was out the door.
“Is this seat taken?” Skylar asked Lucy and I as he approached.
“You can sit there.” Lucy interrupted.
“So, do you come here often?”
“A lot, me and my mommy love the cheese fries and chocolate milkshakes.”
“Chocolate milkshakes—those are my favorites!” Skylar smiled.
“I think we’re going to be friends then.” Lucy giggled.
Skylar gazed at us. “I think we’re going to be good friends too, Lucy.” He said reaching for my hand, “How do you feel about puppies?”
Lucy’s eyes widened as she watched him. “Oooh I love puppies!”
“Me too, I have a bulldog named Zeus.” He said, grinning widely at the two of us.
As Lucy began asking questions about Zeus, Skylar gently tucked my hand into his. Seeing him smile made me smile and from deep within me I felt the pitter patter of butterflies being released.
~The End~
Acknowledgements
A huge thank you to my husband Andrew Anderson for helping me with quirky book things and ensuring our children were not bleeding and ate dinner on the countless nights I spent at my desk bringing this story to life, to my children, the most amazing blessings in life and why I do what I do, and to my mother and biggest fan Barbara Dzuris for so many things and especially, for instilling in me the love of writing and storytelling. Thank you to my dad, Milan Dzuris, for being such a great father and papa. To Katie Hess for a great photograph and Amy Guilford for rescuing my book cover-thank you ladies. For all the women I’ve come across that have blessed me with laughter, friendship and wisdom, thank you. And to my Heavenly Father, the author of absolute love and second chances, thank you for your patience and your wild sense of humor.
About the Author
Sarah Anderson grew up in a not-for-profit family camp serving children and families from low income, urban neighborhoods in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating high school, she traveled the world, went on missions trips, and received a Masters of Social Work degree to make a positive impact in the world around her. She draws from these experiences to write moving and humorous stories to inspire people of all ages to reach for their dreams and never give up. She and her husband live in Michigan with their four children.
Visit Sarah Anderson’s website to learn more about her and other works in progress.
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