The Charm Bracelet ~April Part 1~

Chapter 2- The Beginning of April

Christoph Mulligan knew he had to find a way to get Meredith to the meetings. The Lost Spouses Society was formed shortly after Christoph lost his wife. He needed someone to talk to, as did some of the other residents in the town.

Christoph decided he would have a special dinner for Easter, to celebrate the arrival of Meredith and Connie. It had been a while since Em Island had new residents. He made up some invitations and handed them out. Then he found some books about the history and founders of Em Island. The Lockhouses were a big part of the town's history.

As he gathered up the books, Christoph grabbed the invitation for Meredith and checked his hair in the mirror. He walked to the front of the store and turned off the "Open" sign. He normally wouldn't close the store, but he didn't have anyone else to cover for him.

It was a short walk to the old Lockhouse place on the beach. Easter was just a week away so it seemed right to give her the invitation now. Christoph approached the house and rang the doorbell.

Connie wasn't surprised to see Christoph at the door. She was actually wondering how long it would take him to show up. She opened the door and invited him in.

"Christoph, it's nice to see you. Please take a seat." Connie motioned to the couch in the living room. "What brings you here today?"

"Well, I felt really bad about the other day. I brought some books over that I thought Meredith may like. Don't worry, these are history books, not romance novels. I figured since she is living here now, she might want to know a bit about her family. These books are about Em Island and the founding families of this town. I also wanted to invite you and Meredith to an Easter dinner I am having." Christoph spoke so fast he almost ran out of breath.

"What a lovely gesture. I will go get Meredith. She is upstairs in her room. She has been up there for days. I fear that this situation has broken her spirit. It's nice that she is meeting new people. It might be good for you two to talk. If you would try to lift her spirits, I would greatly appreciate it. Give me a moment." Connie turned and went upstairs.

Christoph felt horrible that Meredith was having such a hard time. He knew exactly what she was going through and knew how hard it was to handle the stress of everything.

Connie knocked on Meredith's door and hoped this was a sign from God. She had been praying that Meredith would find love again or at least a friend. She realized it had been less than a month since Jason passed, but it would be better for Meredith than sitting around all day.

Connie wasn't surprised when Meredith opened the door in a robe. Her hair was a mess and she looked as though she hadn't slept in days, but at the same time, she looked as though she had just woken up.

"Were you still sleeping?" Connie pushed past Meredith and made her way to the closet. "Christoph from the bookstore is downstairs. He brought some books and would also like us to attend Easter dinner with him. Please put on this dress and come downstairs. I am going to make some lunch for you two so please ask him to stay for a bit."

Meredith groaned as Connie shoved a turquoise dress at her. She was astounded that Christoph was here. She also wasn't sure why Connie was pushing her. It was nice in a way to know she might have someone else to talk with, though. She also felt bad for breaking down in front of him. Meredith put the dress on and fixed her hair, hoping this would allow Connie to have some relief in knowing that she was trying.

Meredith and Christoph talked for an hour about Easter dinner and the books he had brought for her. Meredith was actually having a wonderful time talking with someone new. She barely even thought of Jason or the situation she was in the entire time they were talking. However, after Christoph left, Meredith felt like she was doing something wrong. It didn't feel right to be having a good time.

A couple days later Meredith had a job interview at Em Island Elementary. She was nervous about her first interview. She had started teaching about a year before Jason's death and had stopped right before Jason passed away. It wasn't something she had been doing very long. She just felt like she had to do something besides sitting around all day.

Meredith entered the office of Em Island Elementary and walked up to a woman a bit older than her sitting at the receptionist's desk.

"How may I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"My name is Meredith Lockhouse, I have an interview with Principal Stiles." She could feel herself shaking. The receptionist smiled.

"Mrs. Lockhouse, it's nice to meet you. My name is Flora Demoile. I will let Callie know you are here." Flora pushed her blonde hair behind her ears. " Please have a seat."

Meredith sat down across from Flora. She noticed that Flora had blue eyes. It almost looked as though she walked out of a movie. Meredith nearly fell over when Flora stood up. She was tall and thin enough to be a model and Meredith wondered how she came about being a receptionist for the elementary school.

About fifteen minutes later, the principal's office door opened and a short woman with long red hair walked out and motioned for her to come into the office. Principal Stiles smiled as she gestured for Meredith to sit down.

After an hour of questions and answers, Meredith was the new First Grade teacher at Em Island Elementary School. She would start the following Monday, the day after Easter. She felt lucky and relieved knowing she had time to plan.

While Meredith walked down the hall, she turned a corner and bumped into a man.

"I am so sorry," he said as he reached down to pick up some books and papers he dropped.

"Oh no, it's my fault. I don't really know my way around here." She bent over and helped him pick up the papers.

"I am guessing you are Mrs. Lockhouse. News travels around pretty fast here." He reached out a hand to help her up. "I am Brad Stevenson, the fifth-grade teacher here."

Meredith looked Brad over. She was amazed by his looks. He had gorgeous blonde hair, green eyes, and was tall and muscular. She wasn't too sure of what to say.

"Are you okay?" Brad finally asked with a concerned look on his face.

"Yeah, sorry. Just been a long day. Actually, come to think of it, it's been a long month," Meredith responded. "It was nice to meet you, Brad. I will see you around." Meredith left in a hurry and went straight home.

Connie had been doing some shopping the past couple of days. She thought it would be a great idea to get something for Meredith. While she was shopping, she found the most beautiful Sunday dress and thought it would be perfect for Meredith to wear for Easter dinner in a few days.

Meredith wasn't too thrilled about the dress. However, she knew it was a nice gesture so she went ahead and wore it. The dress was white with yellow flowers on it and fit her body perfectly. She looked in the mirror, almost not recognizing herself. It had been some time since she had dressed up. She could actually hear Jason's voice.

"You're a winner!" The voice spoke.

Meredith smiled and replied as though it was actually him speaking. "Well, you're not so bad yourself." It was their routine.

Christoph hoped Meredith and Connie would show up. He had a great time talking with her the other night. Christoph actually thought he had finally found someone who he could become close with.

Besides Meredith and Connie, there would be two other guests. Though they were identical twins, Flora and Donna Demoile were complete opposites. Flora was very conservative. She had lost her husband six months ago. She was a very sweet woman and got along with others very well. Her sister, Donna, though, was another story. Donna was very stuck up and knew how to use her looks to her advantage. She was stubborn and very flirtatious with both single and married men.

Meredith noticed that Connie had been very quiet lately and wondered if it had anything to do with this dinner. It seemed that Connie was going out of her way to get Meredith and Christoph to sit next to each other.

"So Meredith, I heard you got the teaching position at the school. Congrats!" Christoph mentioned, passing the chicken around the table.

"Thank you. Yes, I start tomorrow," Meredith responded looking down at her plate.

Donna stood up with a big smile on her face and grabbed a bottle of champagne. "So this means you will be working with Mr. Sexy."

Flora rolled her eyes and grabbed the bottle of champagne from Donna. "Don't bother with him! He is a player and will rip your heart out."

"Oh, come on, Flora! You act like an old lady sometimes." Donna sat back down shaking her head at her sister. "Brad Stevenson is so hot. He is the most eligible bachelor in Em Island!"

Christoph cleared his throat and laughed. "Ha! If you like guys who use you, then yes he is perfect!"

Donna gave Christoph a know-it-all look. "Chris, you just don't like him because he always stole your woman."

"Who is Brad Stevenson?" Connie asked, looking directly at Christoph as though he knew everything.

"Brad Stevenson is the local town player as well as the fifth-grade teacher. He gets any woman he wants," Christoph explained.

"Anyone but one girl," Flora chimed in. "Mary, Christoph's late wife, was engaged to Mr. Stevenson. But after she started talking a bit more with Christoph, she fell in love. Christoph basically got his revenge."

This embarrassed Christoph even more because it wasn't completely true, but then Christoph and Mary's family were the only ones who knew the complete truth. Christoph and Mary weren't truly in love. It was actually an arranged marriage.

Christoph was a little worried about Meredith. She was quiet during some of the dinner. He had a feeling he shouldn't have invited Donna. She always had a way of making others feel really uncomfortable. She spoke her mind but didn't need to throw all this awkward information at Meredith. Christoph often wondered what Donna said about him when he wasn't around. Luckily, Flora and Donna left right after dinner.

Connie urged Meredith to stay a bit and talk with Christoph. She thought Meredith should be more outgoing. Soon it was just Meredith and Christoph. They cleaned the table off together.

"You and your mother-in-law have an unusually close relationship." This was something Christoph had never seen before. Normally, most women fought with their in-laws.

Meredith laughed. "Yes, this I know. I have been told that many times before. Connie is like a mother to me. Jason and I met in high school. Shortly after that, my mom passed away." Meredith looked down thinking of the old days. "My father left when I was younger and my mother was the only family I had. Now Connie is all I have. She actually took me in and let me live in her guest house."

"She let you move in? In high school?" Christoph looked at her and scratched his head. "Wasn't she afraid of you two living together, and you know, stuff happening?"

Meredith laughed again and ran her hand through her hair. "Well, it wasn't without major discussions and precautions about what would happen if we were caught alone."

"And were you ever caught alone?" He had a big smile on his face and started washing dishes.

"No we were never caught alone, but that just means we were extra sneaky." She winked at him. "I’m joking. Jason and I actually waited until we were married to have sex."

"Really? That is very rare! You two must have gotten married at a young age," he commented.

"No, we were only married for a year before his accident," she explained. "That doesn't mean we didn't do other things."

They both laughed as Meredith grabbed a dish and started helping him clean up. Meredith turned to put a dish away and ended up bumping into Christoph. They stared into each other's eyes for a second, slowly moving toward one another, and kissed.

She jumped back. "Oh, my Goodness! I am so sorry. I should go!"

"Meredith, don't go. You have nothing to be sorry about. I should have known better." He chased after her as she ran out of the house.

"I don't even know what I am doing." Meredith was upset with herself. She stopped and stood on the front patio with her hands on her head, shielding her face. "I just lost my husband and here I am with you. I feel like I am cheating on him."

Christoph frowned. "I don't want you to feel that way. That is not my intention."

Meredith's face started to turn pale. Christoph wasn't sure what was wrong, but he noticed that she was starting to sway. He ran after her and grabbed her as she started to fall over.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked her, lifting her up and carrying her back into the house.

"I don't know. I felt like I was going to pass out," she confessed as Christoph laid her down on the couch.

"Let me grab you some water." Christoph left the room and ran into the kitchen.

Meredith finally had a chance to look around. She noticed that the walls were completely bare. There were also boxes in the corner.

"Whats with the boxes?" Meredith asked as Christoph handed her a cup of water. She took a sip allowing him to speak.

"I have to move into a smaller, cheaper place. I don't make enough to stay here. I was doing fine on my own for a while, but things have been getting harder without the extra income."

This gave Meredith an idea. "I'm not sure if you are interested, but you have seen my house. There is a room there for you, if you would like. You can stay with us, rent free. This way you can save up for something decent."

Christoph smiled. "That would be nice. Thank you. I have a few places I am looking at. I will let you know by Friday."

Meredith knew that she just met Christoph, but she loved to help others in need. That was one trait that Connie had that rubbed off her.

"How are you feeling now?" Christoph asked, hoping she was okay.

"I'm still a bit dizzy. I think everything is just hitting me. The loss of my husband, moving, meeting new people."

"I completely understand. When Mary passed away, it was hard."

"What was she like?"

"She was fun and laid back. She had the most gorgeous red hair and blue eyes. Mary knew how to make people smile." He knew it was true but he felt odd talking about Mary. He never knew what to tell people about her, because even though they weren't in love, he still felt it would be wrong to tell people that.

"She sounds amazing," Meredith moved a little closer to Christoph. There was something about the way he was talking that showed her what a wonderful guy he was.

Christoph noticed that she was moving closer. He followed the lead and moved in closer with her. He leaned over and kissed her again. This time, she didn't pull away. Christoph lifted his hand and held the back of her head gently. Meredith allowed her feelings to take over, giving completely into her fears and passions. She decided that she couldn't let her guilty conscious blind her from seeing Christoph for who he really was. She felt like this was right and knew Connie would approve.

Christoph thought about what he was doing, knowing he might be a "rebound" guy. He didn't really think it was that big of a deal. He just had to be careful not to let his feelings get the best of him. He continued to kiss her, taking her sweet scent in.

It had been forever since Meredith had actually made out with anyone. The only person she had ever made out with was Jason. This experience was new and exciting. She was actually happy to get the chance to encounter this feeling again.