When Hearts Collide

That evening, a pre-wedding celebratory party was being held at the Briggs residence for Caleb and Heather. Bill had been planning the party for weeks, having invited almost everyone from town. He even arranged to have the day off to make sure everything was set up on time. Some family from out of town would also be arriving early, on account of the upcoming wedding.

It was a promising day of excitement and chaos and Charlie was running on less than three hours of solid sleep. She had been hovering over the coffee machine for much of the morning, tuning in and out of conversation with her Dad.

"Got a few errands to run this mornin' before everyone starts showin' up," Her father told her from his seat at the kitchen table. "You comin?"

"Where you headed?" She asked, followed by a slurp of hot coffee.

"Gotta pick up some food, some booze..." He replied, smirking. "Some streamers."

Charlie grinned, hugging the steaming mug in both of her hands.

"Yeah, sure," She nodded. "I'll join you."

After another mug of coffee and some peanut butter on toast, Charlie returned upstairs to get ready. She had a quick shower before throwing on a pair of denim shorts and a tank top. The forecast was calling for another hot summer day, much to Charlie's delight. She tied her damp hair up into a ponytail before trotting downstairs, meeting her father by the front door.

He was busy pulling on his beaten sneakers.

"Might have to stop by the shop," He told her as he stood, reaching for his keys. "Jamie said he needed my advice on a car due for repair."

"Sure," Charlie nodded, damp hair slapping her neck. After last night's episode at Josie's, she was certain that Jamie wouldn't want to see her, anyway.

She followed her Dad out of the house, footsteps crunching over the gravel driveway toward his truck. As she hopped into the truck and fastened her safety belt, the engine started up. Charlie was met by feelings of nostalgia as the truck rumbled along, classic rock playing softly in the background.

"I've been waiting so long, to be where I'm going... in the sunshine of your looooooove,"

She drummed her fingers against the arm rest, feeling the warmth of the early afternoon sunshine across her arms and legs.

"You sleep okay?" Her Dad asked, somewhat out of the blue. Charlie could only snicker.

"No... not at all, actually," She told him, shrugging her shoulders.

They were quiet for the remainder of the short ride into town. Once Zeppelin came on the radio, Bill reached for the radio dials, turning up the volume. Charlie smiled, gazing out the window at the clusters of tiny cottages. As they passed by the street Jamie once lived on, Charlie felt her heart skip a beat.

"How's Nana?" She asked aloud, somewhat absentmindedly. The memories from the night before were still playing in the back of her mind.

Her father was hesitant to speak.

"Nana.... passed away," He told her, eyes never leaving the road. Charlie felt her heart beginning to sink into the pit of her belly. "About... two years ago now."

The rest of the drive was quiet. The truck stopped outside of the local grocery store and Bill pulled the keys from the ignition. Charlie followed after her Dad into the store, finding everything laid out just as it had been before she left. She helped her father fill a grocery cart full of fresh veggies, fruit, chips, burgers, buns, various alcohol, juice, soda, and condiments.

Once they were done grabbing groceries, Bill stopped at the general store. He grabbed two packs of colourful balloons and some yellow streamers to decorate the house and yard.

After grabbing their supplies, her father made one last stop at the shop before leaving town. He pulled into the auto-shop parking lot and threw the truck into park, looking over at Charlie with a small smile.

"I won't be long," He assured her. "Gotta' get those burgers home."

"Sure," She nodded, watching as her Dad slid out of the truck, shutting the door after him. He hurried into the shop, disappearing behind the main door.

With a sigh, Charlie slumped in her seat. She played with her phone to kill time, messaging Sadie to ask how work had been. She checked her Facebook account, responding to a few posts she had been tagged in. Unfortunately, with such little distraction to keep her busy, Charlie found herself creeping Jamie's profile yet again.

She looked over the photos, finding a shot of him and Nana in his profile photos. She didn't think anything of it in the airport, but after reading the hundreds of comments on the picture, it was obvious that she had missed an important moment in Jamie's life. With a defeated sigh, Charlie powered down her phone and looked out the window. Her Dad and Jamie were leaning against the outer wall of the shop, talking and sharing a smile.

She didn't realize just how much she missed that sight.

Jamie was wearing a greasy, Briggs Boys t-shirt, along with a pair of work overalls that were hanging from his hips. It must have been warm in the shop, Charlie could only assume. His long hair was tied back out of his face in a tight bun, while a few streaks of dirt and oil stained his tanned cheeks.

After Bill took a few steps away, giving a final wave to Jamie, his blue eyes finally spotted Charlie. Even through the faint tint of the window, she could feel his eyes burning holes right through her. His jaw seemed to tighten. He tossed the wrench he was holding, back and forth between his hands, before finally heading back inside.

Charlie looked to her Dad as he made his way back into the truck.

"All good?" She asked.

"All greeeeeeat," He laughed. "That boy is a mechanical genius, Charlie."

She smiled, feigning delight.

The ride back home was filled with more Zeppelin and some Pink Floyd. Charlie kept quiet while her father belted the lyrics loudly. She was far too busy absorbing the little details that passed by her window. There were so many little things she didn't even realized that she missed about home - her father's singing being one of them.

As the truck parked outside of the family farm house, Charlie helped her father bring the groceries and supplies inside. She took a pack of balloons and streamers into the back yard to start decorating. Her father had already strung a few sets of patio lights from the house to the nearby trees, creating a dance floor and party center in the rear of the house.

Though she wasn't sure how tonight would play out, she was impressed by her father's commitment to party planning.

About an hour and a half into decorating, a red Chevy came barreling down the driveway, flinging stones in its wake. Charlie watched as the truck swung itself into a parking spot next to her father's truck. Simultaneously, all four doors opened. Her father's brother, Uncle Harvey, as well as his three kids, Nathan, Nick, and Nora, all climbed out.

"Bless my soul... is that...." Uncle Harvey yelled across the lot, shielding his eyes from the sun to catch a better look at Charlie.

She offered a shy wave, setting down the streamers in her hand to go greet her family.

Uncle Harvey had put on a bit of weight, but otherwise, nothing had changed. He was still wearing the same beaten running shoes and worn out Vikings jersey. His kids, however, had grown. Nathan was now nearly thirty, sporting a full beard and a wedding band. Nick, being the same age as Charlie, had also grown into himself, sporting a beard and a crooked smile. Little Nora was not so little anymore, having grown into a young woman that Charlie probably wouldn't have recognized in passing on the street.

"Charlie, is that... really you?" Nora squeaked, her smile lighting up her face.

"Yeah, it's me," She laughed, making her way over to the small crowd for hugs.

"It's been... how long?" Nathan asked, before engulfing her in a large hug.

"Almost seven years," Charlie told him, pulling away to snag a hug from Nick.

"Seven years too long, girl," Uncle Harvey told her.

When she finally reached Nora, Charlie enveloped her a big hug. She was so relieved to see her cousin, knowing well enough that they had years to catch up on. When she had first made the decision to move out west, Nora was the only one who had instinctively supported her. She knew that California had more to offer Charlie than Grand Marais ever would - or so they both had originally thought.

As the boys headed inside to find Charlie's father, Nora and Charlie headed to the back of the house to finish decorating.

"I can't believe Caleb is actually getting married," Nora laughed, helping Charlie with hanging the last of the streamers.

"Me either," Charlie snorted. "But then again... I never thought Nate would get married, either."

"Oh, yeah," Nora rolled her eyes. "To a real peach, at that."

"Oh, no," Charlie giggled, looking to her cousin for more dirt. "What's her name?"

"Daisy," Nora told her, flipping her hair over her shoulder mockingly. "He met her at some... farm equipment conference... I don't know. She's straight outta' Georgia. Looks like a regular Southern belle.... but... she's an absolute bitch. Unfortunately, she couldn't make it this weekend."

Nora raised her hands in prayer up to the blue sky.

Charlie burst into laughter.

"Let's hope Caleb doesn't get so lucky," Nora sighed, shaking her head as her arms fell back at her sides.

"What about you?" Charlie asked her cousin as she hopped up onto a two-foot stool to hang the streamers. "Any special men in your life?"

"Only Ben and Jerry," She winked. "You?"

Charlie rolled her eyes.

"At the rate I'm going, I wouldn't be surprised if I die alone," She grumbled, taping the streamers to the side of the house.

"Charlie, come on," Nora laughed. "That's bleak. You're only... what... twenty-six?"

"I work way too much to enjoy the novelty of dating," Charlie informed her cousin, stepping down from the stool. "And, out in Los Angeles, I'm willing to bet that my grande vanilla latte has more depth than the men that live there."

"So... why haven't you just moved home?" Nora asked, seemingly dumbfounded.

Charlie looked at her, eyebrows raising.

"Have you seen... uh.... what was his name?" Nora asked, her nose scrunching.

"Jamie," Charlie sighed, nodding her head. "Yeah, and... as expected, he didn't want anything to do with me. I can't believe how much I've just... fucked up."

"Ah, come on, cuz," Nora sighed, wrapping her arm around Charlie's shoulders. "Chin up. We've got one hell of a weekend to look forward to! You can get blackout drunk and forget about all of your worries."

"Gee, sounds.... fun," Charlie rolled her eyes.

"At the very least, you've got me," Nora smiled sweetly. "We haven't torn shit up in... how long? Seven years? It's high time we... well.... got high."

With a giggle, Nora began rifling through her purse. She pulled out a crisply rolled joint, wrapped tightly in peach-flavoured paper. Charlie could smell the weed as soon as Nora had opened her bag.

"Let's go for a walk," Her cousin suggested.

"Yes," Charlie sighed, smiling softly. "Let's."