Present Day:

That next afternoon the snow had let up and Lena was able to walk over to Charlotte's house. Upon seeing her best friend, Charlotte opened the door and smiled at her BFF. "Come on in L, it's freezing out there."

Charlotte took Lena's long coat and hung it on the antique rack near the door. "Come on into the kitchen, I'll make you a cup of coffee."

Lena smiled at her tall friend. "Thanks, Char, that should warm me up a bit. By the way, what smells so good?"

Charlotte smiled broadly and gestured to the restaurant-quality oven. "I made an apple pie from scratch. Can you believe it? It's just about ready, I think."

As Charlotte handed her a cup of black coffee, Lena raised her brows. "Really? You made an apple pie all by yourself not just heated one up from Winco?"

Charlotte stuck her tongue out. "I, you know, made it from scratch, from Gram's old recipe. I can cook you know when I have to anyway."

Lena stared into her coffee cup for a moment. "Hmm, what's the special occasion anyway?"

"Well, you coming over of course, and Justin and I are having roast beef with all the fixings tonight and I thought I'd better do dessert first."

Lena smiled. "Well, more on that later, and I want the full tour of the house. It is really quite spectacular. I've been coming over here for over twenty years and the transformation from Gramp's and Gram's old bungalow to something which could be featured in Architectural Digest is amazing."

Charlotte sipped her coffee and then deadpanned. "Actually, the Best of Boise, they are doing an article about the house and Justin later on this winter."

Lena laughed. "Of course, they are, and that brings us to the subject at hand. My brother and you that is. I want to hear everything, well almost everything. You may leave out the naughty bits."

Charlotte blushed a bit at that comment. "Well, you know that we went away for New Year's."

Lena rolled her eyes and chuckled. "More like snuck away in the middle of the night!"

Charlotte also rolled her eyes before answering. "It was nothing of the sort, I told you I was working every day until New Year's Eve and then spending the weekend in Seattle which was true. What did Justin tell you he was doing?"

Before Lena could answer, the timer on Charlotte's phone started beeping. Charlotte stood up and smiled brightly. "Pie's done."

She picked up a couple of hot pads, opened the oven door and removed a nicely browned apple pie. The crust was a bit lumpy and not quite perfect, but it smelled delicious and the filling was just bubbling out to the fork holes in the crust. Lena gave it a mom's appraisal. "Not bad Char, not bad."

Charlotte smiled at the compliment and carefully put the pie on a wooden cutting board to cool. "We'll try a slice after you take the full home tour if you want to."

"Of course, wouldn't miss it. The last time I was here it was drywall and painters and tile guys. So anyway, all Justin told me was that he would be away for New Year's with friends."

Charlotte nodded. "Well, all true. That reminds me, one of the things we did in Seattle was get a quick photo by Beverly V to um, commemorate the occasion. She's the photographer that did the magazine shoot, anyway, these just came in this morning. Tell me what you think."

Charlotte tapped her phone and brought up the message from Beverly with the three black-and-white proofs. "Bev says that these three are the best."

Lena swiped the phone back and forth a couple of times to take a thorough appraisal of the pictures. "Oh Char, these are gorgeous, and I really like the last one, the look in your eyes and his is wonderful. Can I get a copy?"

Charlotte smiled again at the memory. "Yeah, I like that one best too and so does J. Bev said that she would be happy to send me a couple of extras. Signed and numbered of course."

"Of course. And you did send me the pictures from the party and that morning after. Just so you know, Mike was blown away that you guys were partying with the quarterback of the Seahawks, he was quite jealous."

Charlotte laughed. "I assure you, that was just a happy coincidence. I know Russ from flying the team plane a few times and it turns out his wife has also worked with Beverly. So, it really is a small world."

Lena sipped her coffee and then made eye contact with her friend. "Char, if you're trying to distract me, it won't work. So, you and my brother finally..."

Charlotte smiled at the memory of the wonderful long weekend. "Yeah. Our first real date, our first kiss, first night together, and of course our first morning waking up in each other's arms..."

Lena rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay I get it. But TMI for now."

Charlotte laughed and reached over to hold her BFF's hand. "What? You have been trying to get your brother and me together for, I don't know, like forever!"

"Well, I was right, wasn't I?"

Charlotte laughed again. "Maybe, but just a few years early. If I remember correctly, which I do, you wanted us to go to his senior prom when I was a college sophomore."

Lena shrugged. "Yeah, on further review, that was a bad plan. But you two would've made and do make a beautiful couple."

"Yes, that was a bad plan. But luckily, your brother and I knew better, even back then."

Lena smirked a bit. "Yet here you are just a few years later."

Charlotte dramatically counted on her fingers. "Twelve years and some months later but you're right, now the time is finally right."

Lena smiled and gave her friend a thoughtful look and added. "I think that you both had to experience being with the wrong person at least once before you knew what was or had been right in front of your face."

In a low voice, Charlotte said. "Yeah, something like that. Both J and I are very glad that certain past relationships stayed in the past and didn't go any farther than they did. What was the name of that first guy you ever had sex with anyway? Oh, that's right you married him! Just so you know, we can't all find our true love in high school and have that person be the first one we ever slept with after all. For most of us, it's a little more complicated than that."

Lena smiled again. "Indeed. But I think it's all worked out in the end don't you think?"

Charlotte answered with a thoughtful smile. "I think that girl code requires me to tell you that this weekend was the best sex, no make that love-making, I ever had, we fit together so good and my new boyfriend is put together quite nicely if you know what I mean..."

Lena gave her friend a look of faux horror. "Charlotte Janssen, I'm shocked at talk like that!"