Waking Charley Vaughan by Elle Botz Page B

rambling. You know how I am. Sometimes I don't have a filter!"
    Charley sighed, "I need to lay back down. I've got to figure something out...but I can't think straight right now."
    She was back to looking exhausted. This conversation had taken it out of her. It was my fault. How was I ever going to make this up to my best friend?
    "I'm really sorry, Midge," I said again as I helped her adjust her pillows, "I'll help you figure something out. I pro-mise."
    "It's fine," she said quietly. "I guess I could always just forgive him and get married anyway."
    She must have seen the looks on our faces.
    "I'm joking," she said dryly, and closed her eyes.
    "She cut me off before," Brennan whispered. "Her mom said her sisters would be coming out to visit, too. That's got to be better news, right?"
    Charley groaned. "Please just kill me now," she said, her eyes still closed.

 
    CHAPTER 5 – CHARLEY
     
     
     
    "Charley! Charley!....Char- ley! " Someone's panicking voice broke through the fog of my sleep.
    "What?" I choked, my voice cracking.
    I looked at the clock. I couldn't have been asleep for more than an hour. I tried to sit up in my bed. It was hard--I was so tired, and my entire body was stiff and aching. Every breath hurt. And now they weren't even letting me sleep.
    "We've got it!" Sara's excited voice was just the trick for waking someone up.
    "Got what?" I asked her sleepily. I loved Sara, but her voice was really harsh to a swollen brain. It was like Brennan sensed my discomfort.
    "We figured a way for you to keep your bakery," he explained softly. "All Sara remembers telling your mom was that the wedding was off--not why--just that you were upset because the wedding was off, and that somehow lead to your accident."
    “Yeah,” I looked at each of them expectantly. “That’s pretty much enough to ruin it.”
    Sara looked sad for an instant, then she chirped up. “Yes, but what did you say right before you fell asleep?”
    “Sara, can you get to the point a little bit. It’s kind of hard to fight meds. I’m really trying to stay with you, but I have no freakin’ clue what I said before I fell asleep.”
    Brennan laughed at this. “You said something about taking Matt back—forgiving him—marrying him anyway.”
    Were these two nuts? It had to be the medication. Weren’t they both the ones who had assured me that I could do better, that I , in fact, deserved better? And now they wanted me to just take him back? Surely I was hallucinating.
    They must have seen the confusion on my face because Sara chimed in again. “We’re not suggesting you actually take Matt, back, Midge!”
    “Then, what?” I asked, having no idea what they were getting at. They were making absolutely no sense, and my ability to stay awake was diminishing quickly.
    “Brennan!!” Sara shouted exasperated.
    I looked at Brennan, thinking her shout had meant for him to take over. “So…” I said, still incredibly confused and wishing they would hurry this up.
    “Brennan!” Sara said again, this time slightly softer. “Brennan can be your fiancé for the week.”
    I started to say something, but Sara cut me off.
    “No, this is perfect, Charley. Perfect. We’ll make up some stupid reason why you guys were calling it off—some misunderstanding. Just tell them it’s all cleared up, and the wedding is back on! Your family will love Brennan, who, of course, will be playing the part of Matt. You will get your recipes, and your bakery money, and then, later—in like the spring or something, just tell them the wedding is off. By then you will already have your bakery up and going…what are they going to do? Take back your money?”
    I sat staring at my best friend, trying to process what exactly she had just said. Finally, I looked at Brennan.
    “Don’t you have like, a thousand better things to do? It’s almost Christmas.”
    “Yeah,” he said quietly, “Most of my family is pretty far away. It’s just me and my brother here.