CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY THREE – PICKING UP THE PIECES

The next day, as Charlotte was leaving the community center after her mentoring session with Zoe, she quite literally bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, looking up to see a handsome man with kind eyes. He smiled warmly. "No harm done. I'm afraid I wasn't watching where I was going either." As they both bent down to pick up the papers he had dropped, their hands brushed against each other. Charlotte felt a small jolt of electricity at the contact. "I'm Charlotte," she said, standing up and handing him his papers. "James," he replied, his eyes twinkling. "Do you volunteer here?" Charlotte nodded. "Yes, I'm part of the mentoring program. What about you?" "I'm actually starting a new art therapy program for the kids," James explained. "Today was my first day." Charlotte's eyes lit up. "That sounds fascinating! How did it go?" As James began to tell her about his day, Charlotte found herself drawn in by his enthusiasm and warmth. For the first time in a long wh