The Perfect Love Song Read Online Free Page A

have so much to do, hopefully it will make time go faster, but for some reason, I don’t believe it will.”
    “Missing him will become part of every day, and it gets better. I promise.”
    Charlotte rolled dough onto the countertop. “I hope so. I really hope.”
    Yes, hope. What the holidays are all about.

    C hristmas Day arrived as most days do: while we sleep. Yet Charlotte awoke at midnight, for no real reason at all (that she knows about anyway). She sat up in bed and then walked across the hardwood floor to the window. She stared into the dark night where the neighbors’ multicolored Christmas lights blinked like frantic eyes. “Merry Christmas,” she whispered to herself, to the world. She pictured Jimmy’s bus moving
down Highway 16 toward Palmetto Pointe, toward her, toward Christmas Day.
    This was the only present she wanted that day—to see Jimmy. Little did she know that his present to her was more than anything she could have asked for. Charlotte crawled back into bed with a smile.

    W ith family gathered in the warm Larson living room, there was a lull—a beautiful, syncopated beat between notes—after everyone had opened gifts and before dinner, and this is when Jack proposed to Kara in front of the family and the Christmas tree. Jimmy knew this would happen, and he’d waited all day, hoping for Jack to hurry so Jimmy could sneak off and sing Charlotte her song, so Charlotte would know Jimmy did have a gift for her, just not one she could unwrap.
    After the hugs and tears, Kara lifted her glass. “I know it is love that brought us together, but I might not have had the courage to go looking for Jack Sullivan if Maeve Mahoney hadn’t reminded me how authentic love feels, if she hadn’t asked me this one question: ‘Would you wait for him if you knew, if you really knew, he’d return to you?’ When she asked me that, I knew, before I knew I knew, that of course I’d wait a lifetime if he were really returning. So instead of
waiting, what did I do? I went to find him. So here’s to Maeve Mahoney, her stories and her questions.”
    Overlapping voices shouted, “Hear! Hear!” as the glasses clanged together like heaven’s wind chimes. The wedding talk began. Rosie and Charlotte talked one over the other with Kara and Deidre until the men—Porter, Brian, Jack, and Jimmy—slipped into the kitchen to collect appetizers and more champagne.
    When they returned to the living room, Kara smiled. “Okay we think we have the best idea ever.”
    “And?” Jack took her hand.
    “Ireland. Let’s get married in Ireland at Maeve’s church—that chapel she always talked about in Claddagh. Next year. This time. Christmas Day.”
    Jack smiled. “Perfect. Seriously perfect.”
    And as the details filled the warm conversation, Jimmy motioned for Charlotte to follow him to the back hall. He wanted to sing her his love song. He took her onto the back porch—the place love had grabbed his heart. He brought his guitar out of the case, strummed until he felt it was in tune. “Charlotte,” he said, “someday I hope to buy you the most beautiful gift in the world, but today all I have for you is a song. I wrote it at Thanksgiving.” There was a nervous edge to his words that Charlotte had never heard before.

    She leaned forward and took his hand. “A song? Are you serious?”
    He nodded. “There was this moment when you walked across the room and I was completely overwhelmed with love. Words filled my head, and I went down to the old footbridge at the end of the road. That’s where I was when I disappeared for a while.”
    “I just thought you were exhausted of us.” She smiled, trying not to cry before she even heard the words.
    “So,” he said, “this is my song to you.” He played a few notes.
    She put her hand on his to stop him for a moment. “What is it called?”
    “‘Undeserved.’”
    And he sang. I believe the angels sang with him. No, I know the angels sang with him. And Charlotte