A Thousand Sunsets (Band of Sisters)

by Rice, Marianne

  “I would have liked your brother.”

  “He’d kick your ass if he knew you brought me out in the woods to have sex with me.”

  “He was a big guy?”

  Charlie lifted her head and grinned at Owen. “You’d squash him in two-point-two, but that’s the kind of brother he was. It didn’t matter if he was outmatched, he’d give a hundred and ten percent every time and go in believing the odds were in his favor.”

  “What were his plans when he graduated high school?”

  “Something involving math. Maybe the Navy. My dad served in the Navy.”

  “Really? Then why did you join the Army?”

  She raised a brow and gave him a wicked gleam. Owen let out a loud laugh.

  “You enlisted in the Army to spite your father. Of course you did.” He laughed again and she couldn’t help falling for him a tiny bit more. “Sounds like you two are a lot alike.”

  “Not at all. He’d never spite our parents that way.”

  “That would be too brazen for him. Sneaking in alcohol was easier to keep his image. Had to have been hard for him, living under such pressure. I can’t imagine what it was like for either of you.”

  “To the outside world, we had it all. A nice house, two parents who volunteered for all the committees that would make them look good. A son with potential. A daughter...”

  “A daughter who could do anything and everything she set her mind to. You have as much, if not more potential than your brother. Not to disrespect him, but you stood up to your parents. You’re strong, Charlie, with an even stronger, bigger heart.”

  “No.” She shook her head, the tears threatening again. “I’ll never amount to half the person he was. He had so much potential. So much going for him.”

  “Charlie.” Owen cupped her face in his hands and stared deep into her eyes. “You’ve already amounted to so much more than ninety-nine percent of the people I know.”

  “Who’s the one percent in your life?” She arched her brow and attempted to give him a sexy grin.

  “I meant every word I said to your parents. You’re a strong, successful, intelligent woman with a huge heart. In life, there’s nothing more important than what’s inside.”

  “Shit. You really are pretty on the inside as well, aren’t you?”

  This time it was Owen who looked away, only for a moment. When his gaze returned to hers a forced smile lit his eyes.

  “Don’t make me out to be more than I am. It’s you we’re talking about. What makes you sexy as hell is your confidence. If you don’t find it soon, I may not be tempted to lure you into the back of my truck again.”

  Yup. She was doomed. Owen McDougall was the perfect man for her.

  Too bad they only had three more weeks together.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  In an attempt to blow off the significance of her drive to Portland with Owen, Charlie told Gina and Brooke about the event, her last-minute invite, and last minute uninvite, and then rambled on about the sales she found at Walmart.

  “Wait. Just wait.” Brooke pointed a lecturing finger at Charlie across the work island in the kitchen of the lodge. “You brought Owen to meet the ‘rents and didn’t even mention a word of this to us?”

  “It wasn’t exactly a trip to meet Neil and Tessa.”

  “You said they were there. What did they think of Owen?” Gina stacked a piece of cheese and salami on a cracker.

  “Exactly as you’d expect. If you’re a friend of mine you’re a worthless human being as well.”

  “Oh, honey.” Gina dropped her cracker and enveloped Charlie in a hug. “I’m so sorry. We would have been there for you. You should have told us what was going on.”

  “No need to drag you guys down into my family shithole.”

  “We’re your family, Charlie, and if you ever elude otherwise, we’ll kick your ass into next Tuesday.”

  “Oh, how I feel the love.” She crossed her hands over her heart.

  “Let’s get back to Owen.”

  “Let’s not.” She stirred the pot of sauce on the stove and sampled it. Adding another dash of oregano and pepper, she stirred again and tasted with a new spoon.

  “You two are cute together.”

  “I don’t know how he’d feel being referred to as cute.”

  “Gina finds the good in people. Me, however, am a voice of reason. You two are hot together. I know you said you won’t kiss and tell, but how many times did you two pull over on the way to your old stomping ground and on the way back?”

  Damn Brooke for knowing her too well.

  “Busted.” Brooke broke out in a laugh. “Your cheeks are as red as your sauce. I guess bringing Owen along was a ploy to ditch the little sister and have more sexy time.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Charlie opened up the loaves of Italian bread and began slicing.

  “She usually tells us about random hookups. Interesting she’s keeping mum about Owen, don’t you think, Gina?”

  “I’ll respect their privacy. Afterall, they’re an adorable couple. I’m happy for them.”

  “Cute, now adorable? You obviously don’t know Owen very well. Besides, we agreed to a no-strings-no relationship gig. I’m leaving in a few weeks, and I have no desire to have a long- distance relationship.”

  “Two hours isn’t far.”

  Gina may be right, but he’d been just as dead set on keeping the fling a fling. For whatever reason, he had no interest in a relationship either.

  The sound of cars on the gravel driveway had Brooke and Gina up and out of their seats in seconds. They’d take care of checking in the new campers while Charlie finished dinner. This was the last midweek camp session; a well-deserved camp for grieving children.

  With school right around the corner, they had only two more weekend camps and one more two-day midweek camp session left in August.

  Pretty soon she was going to have to figure out what to do with the other ten months of her life.

  HAVING A FEW DAYS OFF in a row felt wonderful, if only she’d been able to see Owen. Not wanting to come off as clingy or desperate, she hadn’t called or texted him since he’d dropped her off at the camp a week ago Sunday.

  She’d mentioned the five-day camp for grieving children, followed by a weekend camp for children who had family members in the military.

  Now, with four days off, she had time to rest, relax, and to think about her future. None of which included Owen. During their ride, he told her about his typical work week. Ten to twelve-hour days and Olivia sleepovers.

  In other words, no time for Charlie. She was cool with that, or at least pretended to be.

  Laying in the hammock under the tall pines, she jolted when her phone rang. Seeing who the caller was, her face turned into a warm smile.

  “Hey, Olivia. Long time no chat. How are your final weeks of summer vacation?”

  “Horrible.” She sounded like she’d been crying. Charlie sat up in the hammock and almost tipped over.

  “What’s going on sweetie?”

  “I had to work all day yesterday and all day today and every day this week. Mom is crabby and yelling at me all the time and the customers are mad because I’m too slow.”

  “Wait a minute, honey. Are you waiting on tables?” Charlie had learned Olivia bussed some tables and helped clean up, but she was too young to deliver heavy trays of food and take orders.

  “Al fell this weekend and broke his hip, so June has to stay by his side.”

  “Who are June and Al?”

  “Al is the cook and June usually waits on tables or cooks or whatever. They’re the only other people besides Mom and me who work here.” There was a loud crash and yelling in the background. “I have to go. Can you come help me?”

  “I’m on my way.”

  The phone went silent, and Charlie jogged back to her cabin to change into jeans and sneakers. She hadn’t been to the Black Fly Diner but programmed it into her GPS and was on the road only a few min
utes after Olivia hung up on her.

  Twenty minutes later, she turned into a semi-full parking lot. The lights to the sign on top of the restaurant were lit, except for the L in Fly which was burnt out. The building looked like it hadn’t been upgraded since the eighties.

  Old bricks, large windows outlined with steel casings, and weeds growing in the cracks of the sidewalk greeted her as she jogged to the front door. In diner fashion, a bell above the door chimed when she opened it.

  “Charlie!” Olivia’s ponytail had seen better days, as had her food-splattered apron and jeans. She welcomed Charlie with a strong hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “Livy! Table fifteen’s food is getting cold,” a loud voice hollered from the pass through behind the counter. Six cushioned stools—all torn and tattered in different spots—were empty except one.

  Charlie managed a quick glance across the diner. The white and black checkered linoleum had seen better days, as had the six four-top tables and eight booths.

  “Livy!”

  “I’ll get it. You tell me which table is fifteen.”

  “It’s Mr. and Mrs. Talbot.” She pointed to the booth in the corner where an elderly couple sat. “They’re extra grouchy today.”

  “I got it.” She slipped behind the counter, picked up the two plates sitting under the warmer and hurried across the diner. “I’m sorry for the wait. Who ordered the French toast?”

  “I did. I always order it,” Mrs. Talbot said with a huff.

  “Then it must be delicious. I’m new here and haven’t had the opportunity to sample all the meals. Are eggs, potatoes, and two slices of rye toast your usual as well?” she asked, setting the plates down.

  “I usually order the daily special but Nellie hasn’t had one out in four days. I could easily make this at home.” He salted his food and shoveled a forkful in his mouth.

  “Which special is your favorite?” Not knowing anything about the diner—other than the lack of adherence to child labor laws—she knew nothing about the reputation or the meals. Or Nellie.

  “Steak and eggs.”

  “Which isn’t good for your cholesterol, Herb.”

  “Biscuits and gravy.”

  “Neither is that.” Mrs. Talbot reprimanded, slicing into her breakfast. “You should stick to fruit and oatmeal.”

  “Boring,” he mumbled.

  “Do you have a suggestion I can give to... I can give that would be both delicious and healthy?”

  “I believe that’s Nellie’s job, not ours.”

  “Oh, but having recommendations for our patrons is essential in building a better menu.”

  “Are you making a new menu?” Mrs. Talbot perked up. “Because I’d hate to see the French toast turn into one of those ridiculous over the top affairs. Some things should be kept simple.”

  “Noted.” Charlie had no idea what the direction was for the diner, but she could play the part as the gracious waitress. “Enjoy your breakfast.”

  She cleared a table on her way past and asked Olivia where to put the dirty dishes. “Over here. Usually, I do the dishes and help my mom cook when it’s not busy. I don’t know how to take orders and stuff when people are mean and crabby.”

  “Nor should you have to,” Charlie said under her breath. “Do you want to introduce me to your mom?”

  “Sure.” They walked through the swinging doors and Charlie was welcomed with the familiar smell of grease and maple syrup.

  “Table three’s order will be ready in—oh, who are you?”

  A woman, Nellie, peered up from the griddle. She wore a stained red apron over her clothes; her salt and pepper hair chopped short, so it didn’t need to be pulled back.

  “Hi, Mrs.—Ms. McDougall. My name is Charlie Kellar. I’m a friend of Owen and Olivia’s. I work—”

  “You’re the girl Livy talks about from the camp?”

  “Yes.” She winked at Olivia, who’d submerged herself in dish duty.

  “You can cook and stuff, right?”

  “I can, yes. I have a culinary degree. I heard about your staffing shortage and offered to help out.”

  “Sure. Yeah. Well, it’s nearly eleven so our breakfast rush is over, but I’m backed up to hell with all the other stuff I gots to do.”

  “What can I do to help?”

  She dished up two plates of pancakes, sliding bacon on one and sausage with the other. “Deliver this and make sure the front don’t look like a war zone.”

  She snapped the next order from the clip in front of her.

  “Liv, your chicken scratch sure does make it hard to read. What is this?”

  “It’s Miss Peabody’s order.”

  “She still want that fancy egg white omelet?”

  “Yes. Same as usual.”

  “Pain in my ass,” she muttered.

  Charlie picked up the plates and looked for a table who seemed to be waiting for an order. She delivered it and asked if they wanted a refill of coffee. After making her rounds with the pot, she brewed another and began wiping down tables.

  She enjoyed talking to customers, being evasive with her status at the diner. “I’m helping out while they’re short-staffed,” became her canned response.

  While the building—inside and out—was in dire shape, the food smelled delicious. The kitchen wasn’t as fancy as hers at the camp, but it wasn’t dirty either. It appeared to be well maintained, even if outdated.

  There was another rush around lunch time and then the place emptied by two o’clock.

  “We can turn the sign now,” Olivia said, locking the front door and flipping the sign to Closed.

  Charlie stayed for another hour wiping tables, filling the condiments, mopping the floors, and cleaning the bathrooms. The place was a disaster to say the least. When the diner was clean and the dishes put away, Nellie took off her apron and tossed it in a laundry basket by the back door.

  “I appreciate the help. You able to work tomorrow too?”

  “Um.” She hadn’t planned on it, but one look at Olivia’s exhausted face, and then her mother’s, and she could hardly refuse. The favor wasn’t as much for Nellie as it was for her daughter. “Sure. What time would you like me here?”

  “We open at six sharp. Livy and I’ll be here at five-thirty startin’ the grills.”

  Five thirty was too early for a child of eleven, especially when she was forced to work an eight-hour day. The poor thing was wiped.

  “Olivia doesn’t need to come in so early. I’ll be here to help you open up.”

  “Don’t matter either way to me. She can sleep in my back office if she gets tired. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

  The woman was not necessarily rude, but gruff and hard around the edges. If Olivia hadn’t been in the picture, Charlie wouldn’t have any problem with her. Starting work before the sun came up and putting in a long day barely making ends meet—she assumed based on the condition of the diner and the home out back Olivia had shown her earlier—would do that to a woman. Or man.

  Owen put in long days as well. The McDougalls were a hard-working clan. Even the youngest.

  It wasn’t like Charlie was opposed to hard work. She’d been punching a time clock since she was sixteen and served twelve years in the Army; hard, physical labor was all she knew. But sometimes you needed a break.

  Down time. Vacation. A little R & R. Granted, she wasn’t working or serving, she was cashing in full tilt on the R & R. Life wasn’t meant for work seven days a week. It was called balance.

  After a long hug from Olivia, she left through the front door while the other two locked up behind her and left through the back. Charlie sat in her car for a few minutes watching them drag themselves to the trailer that sat amongst a field of weeds.

  “Poor kid.” She started her car and backed out of her spot keeping an eye on them until they reached their home.

  The place had to have been as old as the diner. Early fifties, maybe, with no sign of ever being renovated. The clock read two forty-
five. Too early in the day for Olivia to be trapped in her home all day, yet she needed a nap to recover from being overworked.

  Tomorrow she’d offer to take her to the pond for a swim.

  SHE WAS WIPED AFTER a nine-hour day on her feet serving customers and trying to make conversation with Nellie, but she still offered to take Olivia, who brightened right up at the offer.

  Tempted as she was to call Owen, she didn’t want to bother him at work, or seem like a bother herself. She, Olivia, Gina, and Brooke went for a swim and then floated in tubes on the water for over an hour.

  “Would you like to stay for dinner?” Charlie asked after they’d dried off and changed in her cabin.

  “Can I for real?”

  “We need to ask your mom first.”

  “She won’t care.” Olivia’s bottom lip dipped down in a frown.

  “I bet she would. It’s polite to let your parents know when you’ll be home.” Not that she’d offered the same courtesy to her own parents, but her reasoning had been mostly out of spite.

  “No.” Olivia shook her head. “She won’t. She goes out on Thursday nights anyway.”

  “And you stay home alone?” She didn’t want to judge or snoop into Olivia’s family life, but she cared too much not to ask.

  “It’s not a big deal. Owen bought me a phone for my birthday so I could let him know, remember? I should probably call him. He will be mad if I go home to an empty house and don’t tell him.”

  “I won’t bring you home to an empty house, sweetie. You’re more than welcome to stay with us if you need to.”

  “Really? Like in a cabin?” She tossed her wet towel on the floor and hopped on Gina’s bed. “Oh, this bed isn’t very comfortable.”

  “No.” Charlie laughed. “Cabins and camping aren’t exactly about sleeping comfort. Some nights when we don’t have any campers I sleep in the hammock. Gina comes out and wakes me up. I think she’s too scared to sleep in here by herself.” It wasn’t true but she liked to tease her friend about it.