Shattered Hearts

Chapter 16

"Isn't that unlucky?" Judy asked her eyebrows furrowing. "I mean it was the worst time for you to have a baby, and with the worst person. If the doctor is right about the shape of your womb then it's pretty awful luck that you had a successful pregnancy when you did."

Darlene gasped. And to think people think I'm tactless. Charlotte however simply nodded.

"Yes, it probably was the best and worst luck ever." She laughed without humour. "And to think all those times with Louis I was paranoid about getting pregnant. What a joke that was."

Darlene cleared her throat. "About Louis, I have a confession." She looked down her fingers playing with the ribbon on her the front of her dress. "I told him about Nick, about what he did to you. I didn't mean to but it sorta slipped out."

"Oh, that's just great," Charlotte said sarcastically. "No wonder he's been walking on eggshells around me." She stood up and threw her arms out. "Just when I thought there was one person who was treating me normally, who didn't pity me, who liked me for me-"

"So you do like him?" Judy asked grinning.

Charlotte sighed. "I've always liked him but it can't go anywhere now."

Darlene stood up, placing her hands on Charlotte's shoulders as they looked at their reflections in the mirror. "Lottie, I wish to god I could convince you that you are wrong about this. You're kind, beautiful, intelligent, any man would be lucky to have you, and if you think Louis is that man then you should go for it." Oh, John is gonna kill me for interfering.

Charlotte shook her head. "I think too much of Louis to condemn him to some kinda half-life with me."

"Don't you think he should be the judge of that?"

Charlotte frowned. "I was under the impression you thought it was a bad idea us getting together?"

"I did," Darlene admitted as she tried to remember her reasons why. "But, say your doctors are correct about the baby thing. I think he's someone who knows you well enough, knows what a catch you are, to not be put off by that."

Charlotte laughed. "Nice try but it's not that straightforward." She unzipped her dress and stepped out of it, quickly pulling her blouse and skirt back on. "Oh, guess who's trying for a baby? Dale and Ros, he told me the other day." She blew out her cheeks. "To be honest, it's got to me, I suppose it's reminded me of the life I could have had."

Darlene took a couple of deep breaths, not reacting to the news any better than Charlotte had.

So Rosalind gets to walk away, oblivious to the hurt she's caused? 

"Dale's a fool to have a baby with her, he should leave." She paused as she heard the front door open, John calling out a greeting. "Hey honey, we're in the living room."

He stepped inside, his eyes taking in the dresses. "Not intruding am I?"

Darlene laughed. "Half an hour earlier and you would have been! We're all done now."

"Until next time," Judy added playfully. "Let's hope the dresses fit then."

"Don't be such a worrywart," Darlene said rolling her eyes while Charlotte began to fold the dresses up.

"Actually, about the wedding," Judy said tentatively. "Now that I've uninvited Dale and Ros, I have a spare two places. I was thinking of asking Louis, I would have invited him in the first place had he been home." She looked expectantly at Charlotte who was fastidiously putting the dresses into bags.

"Yeah, good idea," John finally said sitting down and stretching out his legs.

"Do you think I should give him the other place as a plus one? He might want to bring someone."

"I think his plus one will already be there," John said giving Charlotte a pointed look and she flushed.

"Can you guys please stop talking like this?" she asked holding her hands to her face. "You're embarrassing me."

"Yeah, knock it off Johnny," Darlene said feeling inexplicably irritated. It was all well and good him joking about matters of the heart, he'd wasn't exactly suffering in that respect. "You know, we were just talking about Rosalind?" She was unable to keep the snide tone from her voice. "She's having a baby."

John gawped at her. "Seriously?"

"She's planning to," Darlene said her stomach roiling. "I guess she's moving on." John made a noncommital sound but she did not miss his face blanching or his clenched jaw. He still cared about Rosalind, there was no denying it.

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