Tides and Tidings

Chapter 43

Blythe

T he woman staring back at me in the mirror was exhausted and horrifically hungover. I took note of the dark bags under my eyes and pale-looking skin. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow but had some strange dreams from the alcohol. Nights like last night were the reason I don’t drink often and why we stay home.

I don’t remember posting those damn pictures, but Charlie proposing to me with a straw wrapper will forever be engrained in my brain. Asking Charlie if he remembered anything from last night was just a test to see what we could discuss. I wouldn’t bring it up now that I knew he didn’t remember anything.

I slipped into an oversized hoodie, my most comfortable jeans, and swiped mascara on my lashes. My hair was pulled into a bun, and I was ready to return home. My toiletries bag was packed up, and I returned to the bedroom to find Charlie rifling through his backpack again.

“Looking for gold?” I teased.

He turned towards me with a look of guilt on his face. “I’m just packing up.” He stood up and handed me a piece of paper. “I found the item in question from those pictures.”

My heart skipped a beat. I wondered where it had gone. I must have taken it off and placed it somewhere when we got back to the room.

Charlie looked at it once more before throwing it into the trash.

My heart sank as my eyes followed it to the trash can. I couldn’t let on that the straw wrapper meant something when Charlie had no recollection.

“I’m packed up and ready to go whenever you are.” I sat down on the bed and waited for Charlie to get changed. I scrolled through the comments on my post and counted fourteen asking when we got engaged.

I felt a light tap on my shoulder, “All set?”

Despite being exhausted, Charlie looked like he was fresh out of a damn magazine photoshoot. He wore a navy T-shirt and dark-wash jeans.

“Sure am. Can we grab coffee after we stop by the toy store? I think caffeine will be the only way we get through today.”

Charlie reached for my suitcase, “Of course.”

I glanced down at the ring in the trash. “You go ahead. I’m going to do one more look around to make sure we got everything.”

“I’ll meet you out front.” He placed a kiss on my lips and lingered. I’d take him back to bed and cuddle if we had more time.

When the door closed, I immediately went to the trash can to fish out the silly straw wrapper. I opened my wallet and put it in there for safekeeping. The elevator pinged on our floor, and I got in, only to meet with the older couple from yesterday.

“Good morning, darlin’.” The woman greeted me. I don’t know if we ever caught her name. Maybe we did…

“Good morning,” I smiled widely at them both.

“Where’s that handsome husband of yours this mornin’?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

“He’s not my husband.” I corrected.

“Sorry, I assumed. You had a paper ring or somethin’ on your finger last night.”

I faked a good smile, “It was just a joke.”

How did she know that?

She cocked her head, “Interestin’.”

The elevator dinged and we were on the bottom floor. The three of us made our way out into the lobby. I let her ‘interesting’ comment lie there without a follow-up question.

“It was lovely meeting you both. Have a great day!” I offered a slight wave to them before the woman reached for my arm and pulled me aside.

“That boy loves you with his whole heart. I could see it plastered all over his face. I think he was going to propose to you last night.”

I shook my head and laughed. “No way.”

She nodded slowly. “I saw the outline of a ring box in his jacket pocket when y’all were leavin’ for dinner last night. He also looked nervous as hell.” She pressed a hand to her chest, “After we left y’all, Albert told me he saw a visibly nervous man with a beautiful woman who was pissed that his night was just ruined. He was sure your handsome devil was gonna pop the question.”

She had to be making this up.

“Oh, I don’t think so.”

The woman raised a shoulder, “Seein’ y’all together this morning when you got back reminded me so much of Albert and I. We’ve always put each other first. We prioritize date nights—even in our old age. You both looked like you had the time of your lives last night. Do that more often.”

“I’m too old for that,” I laughed.

“You’re never too old to go out and have a good time with the one person you can trust the most.” She rested a hand on my shoulder, “Al and I have been together over fifty years. I’ve never been more in love with him than I am today. Every day, there’s a new reason to fall in love with your partner. As you get older, your needs change, and the way you show your love changes. Ten years from now, your life will look different than it does today. Learn to embrace the changes.”

This was an intense conversation for not even nine o’clock in the morning. For some reason, this woman knew exactly what to say. I was upset that Charlie didn’t remember the fake proposal because it was fun. It added to the stories for the night, but I couldn’t tell him.

“Can I hug you?” I asked. Moving to the South really made me a hugger. When I lived in Seattle, I hated any form of physical contact, especially hugs.

“I would love a hug!” The woman wrapped her arms around me and gave me a good squeeze. She reminded me so much of my grandma. As silly as it sounded, I took this as a sign that I was on the right path.

“Thank you for your advice.”

“It was my pleasure. Y’all be safe drivin’ home!” And instantly, she was gone and I was standing alone in the lobby.

I went to the concierge to check out while Charlie pulled the car around. I made my way outside, and he was waiting in front.

“Was everything okay?” Concern covered his face.

I offered up a hundred-watt smile, “Yeah. I ran into the older couple from last night.”

“Albert and Eden?” He clarified.

I tilted my head and looked at him like he had four eyes.

“How do you know their names?” I buckled my seatbelt and we drove over to the

There’s a reason for my question.

“They told us last night.” He looked at me weirdly as we rolled up to a red light.

He had added a backward Coastal Cup baseball hat to his outfit. With one hand on the top of the steering wheel, he reached out and grasped my hand.

“When did they tell us last night? When we met them the first time?” My eyes turned to slits.

“No, when we got back this morning. When they took the pictures of us by the elevator.”

“I don’t remember any of that. You do?” I raised a brow in his direction.

His eyes went wide while looking straight ahead at the road.