Lucy cut a glance at Charlie. “See?”
Charlie moved his head up and down in agreement. When he noticed Dylan’s confusion, he said, “You glow, Dylan.”
“You would glow, too, if you were marrying Ben,” she said, and winked.
Charlie’s eyes narrowed as he reached for a cupcake. “I don’t think so.”
“So, the party is Saturday,” Dylan said, and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. “Is there anyone specific you want to invite?”
“Mike,” Charlie answered. “And Meredith’s sister.”
“Okay, so that’s Chloe and Mike? Really?” Dylan frowned while she wrote his name
down. “Good luck with getting Mike there. He never comes to anything, Charlie.”
“He’ll come,” Charlie said quickly.
“I don’t know. He didn’t even come to your wedding,” Dylan said with a puzzled look. “I didn’t even invite him to mine. What’s the point?”
“Invite him to your wedding,” Charlie said, and shot Dylan a look that told her to move along with the list.
“Mike it is,” she said simply, and tapped her pen on the table. “What about Meredith’s parents?”
“They’re in Michigan now to stay in their summer home. They left last week.” Charlie let out a heavy lungful of air. “They want Jack to come visit for a weekend when the weather gets nicer over there.”
“Are you going to do it?” Dylan asked. Lucy couldn’t help but notice how big her eyes had grown at that. “He might not like being away from you for a weekend.”
“If I do allow it, I’d go with him, of course,” Charlie said. “They’re Jack’s grandparents. I could never keep him from them, no matter what happens between us.”
“Yikes,” Dylan said quietly.
Nothing more was said, but it was obvious to Lucy that a strain had grown between Charlie and his in-laws. Maybe it had always been there, but it seemed a bit deeper than just a typical disliking; it was definitely something that wore on Charlie’s conscience.
Lucy watched as Dylan bit into her cupcake and began to chew. After a moment, her eyes grew wide, just as Lydia’s had, and Lucy’s stomach roiled with hope. She leaned forward, waiting for Dylan to make some kind of sound that would drive it all home. For some reason, Dylan’s response was important.
An unmistakable “Mmmmm” burst from Dylan as she closed her eyes. She swallowed that first bite and picked up the cupcake to look at it. “Wow,” she said, which made it nearly impossible for Lucy to subdue the smile on her lips.
“That good, huh?” Charlie asked with a laugh. “Are you eating it or making love to it?”
“I want to roll around in it,” Dylan confirmed, and took another bite. “Charlie,” she said with her mouth full, “Try this.”
Charlie cut his right down the middle and put one half in front of Jackson. He cut Jackson’s half into smaller pieces and shook his head. “This is about to get dirty.”
Lucy leaned forward and couldn’t help but smile as Jackson eyed the treat before him and flashed her a drool-filled grin. “Try it,” she urged, as her insides turned to goo.
She was a Jackson Mathews lover, indeed.
With two chubby little fingers, Jackson picked up a piece that Charlie had cut for him and held it up to his eyes. He squished the cake between his fingers and went cross-eyed as he inspected it, before sticking out his tongue and placing the cake on top. He slid his tongue back into his mouth and moved it around, his cheeks expanding on each side.
Lucy took in each chew and the way his curious eyes seemed to widen. Everything was new to him and she found it truly miraculous to experience it all from his tiny world.
When the cake had been swallowed, he poked the frosting and pulled it up to inspect it again. This time, however, he didn’t wait as long. He stuck his finger in his mouth and closed his lips around it. He slid his wet finger back out and then his entire body shook when the sugar hit.
Lucy, Charlie, and Dylan all erupted into laughter, which made Jackson jump. He looked from face to face, and then let out an adorable chortle before going back to his cake.
“Damn,” Charlie said after taking his own bite. “Apples, bacon, and frosting.”
“And cheddar cheese,” Lucy corrected.
Dylan wiped her mouth. “Where do you get these from?”
“They’re made right here,” Lydia said as she approached the table. She winked at Lucy. “Everything here is made in-house … or, of course, in Lucy’s kitchen at home. That’s where the cupcakes are born.”
Charlie raised his eyebrows as he chewed. He swallowed and then pointed to Lucy. “You made these?”
Lucy smiled slowly. “I did.”
“She’s our very own cupcake whisperer,” Lydia said, and grinned. “The girl can do anything with a cupcake.”
“Oh!” Out of nowhere, Dylan jumped, and turned to Lucy. “Make the cupcakes for Jackson’s party!”
Charlie pulled out a pack of wipes from the diaper bag, which Lucy only then realized was Coach. “Is this too late of notice?”
“Of course not,” Lydia answered for Lucy.
Lucy exhaled through her nose and stared at Lydia, silently telling her to shut up. “How many do you think you’ll need?”
“Hang on.” Dylan pulled out her piece of paper and counted the names she had written down. “Five dozen or so,” she finally said with a fearful look. “I know for sure that Brandon can’t make it, but I still don’t know if Jonah and Hugh will be back in time.”
Lucy looked up at Lydia. “You have that wedding this weekend, right?”
Lydia frowned. “Yes, or I would totally help you.”
“How much help do you need?” Charlie asked. “Is it something Dylan can do?”
“Just little things,” Lucy answered. “Nothing too crazy.”
“I have an idea,” Dylan spoke up. “I want to spend time with my nephew here and I still have a ton to do for the benefit, so why don’t you help her get things ready, Charlie?”
“Perfect!” Lydia exclaimed, a bit too enthusiastically for Lucy’s liking.
Lucy met Charlie’s eyes and her heart beat erratically. It was a habit now; those eyes made her insides do uncontrollable things.
His lips slowly lifted into a lovely curve, making his white teeth appear. “I honestly don’t know how much help I’ll be to you,” he warned.
Suddenly, Lucy was very aware that the entire group was staring at her and waiting for a response, even Jackson. “I’m sure it will be enough,” she finally said, and shrugged indifferently.
Dylan looked between them, and asked, “Do you have her phone number, Charlie?”
Charlie sighed loudly and looked at Lucy. His cheeks flared with a red color that Lucy hadn’t seen on him before. He brought his folded hands up to his mouth almost bashfully. “I suppose I’ll have to get that, huh?”
“Perfect!” Dylan said with a smile. “Lucy, this means so much.”
Lucy smiled and nodded. “No problem.”
Dylan got a sly look on her face, like she was planning more than a birthday party. “And then, after you bring the cupcakes to Charlie’s house, you can just stay for the party. We’ll feed you and praise you with compliments on your perfect cupcakes.”
Charlie closed his eyes and shook his head.
“It’s my pleasure, really. I think I would do anything for this guy,” Lucy said, and rubbed Jackson’s cheeks. “You had me at ‘Bee,’ Jackson Mathews.”
“Bee!” Jackson yelled, and giggled when everyone repeated him.
“So, I’ll see you Friday night, then?” Charlie asked Lucy.
Lucy let out the breath she had been holding. “Friday night,” she confirmed.
Chapter Eight
“Subtle,” Charlie said when he walked into his mother’s house.
Dylan’s lips pursed as she tried to suppress the expression that would give her away. Charlie, however, didn’t nee
d a smile to confirm her intentions. He was well aware that his sister was meddling, which was annoying. All he had ever heard from her while growing up were protests about how her family needed to stay out of her life and here she was doing the same thing to him.
If he thought about it too hard, he just might realize that he deserved this from her.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he warned. “You know exactly what you did.”
Dylan squinted at him. “What?” she asked. “We need cupcakes for the party and I have my hands full with other things. Why can’t you help her?”
Charlie sat on a chair and placed Jackson on the table in front of him. He began untying his son’s shoes, a little bit too quickly. He pulled one shoe off and tossed it to the floor. “I’m not ready for what you’re forcing, Dylan. I don’t think I’ll ever be.”
Dylan swiveled around in her chair to face Charlie. “I really don’t think I’m forcing anything. You’re the one who suggested I use Lydia’s Delights for the benefit. I never even knew about that place until you told me about it.”
“I was just trying to help them out,” Charlie said, and began untying Jackson’s other shoe. “You took it to a whole new level.”
“All right, look,” Dylan said with a sigh. “I thought you liked her, but I guess I was wrong.”
“Just stop.” Anger bubbled up in Charlie’s chest, which was confusing. He loved his sister. He could never yell at her. Even when they were children he just couldn’t seem to stay angry at her. “I didn’t forget how to talk to women. Why is everyone acting like I need help?”
“You’re right,” she said. “This is none of my business and I’ll stay out of it.”
“Thank you,” Charlie said, and put Jackson down on the floor.
Upon his release, Jackson ran off to the basket of toys that Linda kept in her living room and dumped it upside down just to make a mess that served no purpose. He wasn’t interested in anything in the basket; he just wanted to destroy the room. He was a boy through and through and someday he would make a mess of other things in his life, just to make the mess. Charlie knew that it was the testosterone in him; men were senseless that way.
“Can I just say one thing?” Dylan asked, watching Jackson. Charlie narrowed his eyes at her and she added, “You don’t even have to answer. Just listen, and I’ll be done.”
“Go ahead,” Charlie said through gritted teeth. He was close to violating his own rules about yelling at his baby sister. She was getting insistent like their mother as she aged.
“Okay,” she began, her eyes wary. “I just saw something when I walked into the café and I thought maybe I would help you along. I guess I was wrong about what I was picking up on. I’ll cancel the cupcakes and get some from Fry’s or something.”
“No, Dylan,” he practically growled. “You can’t cancel the order now.”
“Then I’ll help her instead. You’re free and clear of whatever it is that you’re afraid of, okay?”
Charlie got to his feet. He was seething and he couldn’t figure out exactly why. All he knew was that he was done with this conversation. “Dylan, I swear to God I’m going to lose it on you, so stop.”
Dylan leaned back against the counter and met his eyes. She wouldn’t end it there. She was a fighter—probably the strongest one out of them all—and she wouldn’t back down easily.
“I miss her, too, Charlie,” she said quietly. “I still have these moments when I pick up my phone to call Meredith and tell her something funny, or even just to say hi. But then I remember that I can’t and it’s like I lose her all over again. She was supposed to stand up in my wedding and now I don’t know what to do with that place. I want to hold it and save it for her, but then I know that she would only tell me how tacky an open bridesmaid spot would look at the ceremony.”
As angry as he was, Charlie couldn’t help but be amused by that. She was right: appearances were everything to Meredith and she would, indeed, find it tacky. He shook off the thought and tightened his jaw. “She’s not here to say that, Dylan.”
“No, she’s not,” Dylan agreed. “So the spot needs to be filled.”
Charlie looked back at Jackson, who had focused his attention on the photo coasters from the coffee table. He stacked them up and babbled away at the pictures inside them as if they were talking back to him.
“Some spots just can’t be filled,” he said, and headed for the door. “Keep an eye on Jack for me.”
Charlie drove away without even thinking about where he wanted to go. This entire situation was the most confusing one he had ever been in. He had never put so much thought into one thing. It was like his brain had been awakened and now refused to shut down.
When he was younger, he just acted. When he was attracted to a woman, he slept with her. He didn’t even feel bad when he realized that he had hurt her. Of course, he did now, when he looked back, but that didn’t really help his conscience. He went through women like they were a table of desserts set out only for him. He had deserved to be called a dog. He’d never thought he would fall in love someday, but when he met Meredith, there was—again—no thought. He’d just known he loved her. He’d proposed and that had been that.
And then he lost her.
Since then, he hadn’t had the time to think about other women, but when he’d stumbled across Lucy at the park, it had done something to him—something he couldn’t control or make go away.
And, God, did he want it to go away.
Some days he would have a clear head and know to keep his distance. Other days it was like he was on autopilot and just found himself right in front of her gorgeous face. It was the most confusing feeling ever and he didn’t know what to do with it. He certainly didn’t want to die alone, but he knew without a doubt that losing Meredith was even more painful than the day he’d lost his father. He never wanted to experience that feeling again. It made him feel weak and vulnerable, neither of which were feelings that allowed him to function as a good father.
This was the heart of it all, of course: Jackson. He needed a sane, capable father who wasn’t always wondering when the rug would be ripped out from under him again. Lucy’s presence only clouded his ability to think as a rational human being.
He pulled onto the jobsite and looked up at the work they had done. It was almost finished. Soon, they would wrap it up and move on to the next job, though he wasn’t sure just yet where that was.
As he walked to the trailer, he spied Mike’s motorcycle parked in front. He wasn’t surprised by this; Mike always found a reason to be on the site, even on Sundays. And maybe that was the trick that Mike had mastered: when you kept your mind constantly occupied, there wasn’t much time to dwell on everything else. He didn’t know much about Mike’s past; he only knew what Mike wanted to share. The one thing he did pick up on, however, was that Mike was always trying to put something behind him. Like Charlie, there was something that Mike wanted to forget.
“What are you doing here, kid?” Mike asked, sipping coffee. “I thought I was the only workaholic.”
“Just trying to make my brain focus on something else,” Charlie grumbled, and picked up a pile of invoices from his desk. “Mike, we have to get that bid out to Marshall and Smith. I want that job.”
Mike leaned back, and brought his eyebrows closer together. “I’ve got it under control, kid. Marshall and Smith will be ours. I did one of their banks out in Mesa years back. Trust me, they’ll wait patiently.”
“Well, they’ve grown since then and everyone knows it. If we land this contract, we’ll be putting up the rest of them, too.” He narrowed his eyes at Mike. “I want to know that I have work for the next five years.”
“When the hell have you not had work in the last seven years?” Mike asked, and put his mug down. He crossed his arms. “Have I let you down somehow?”
“No. I just think you’re starting to drag your feet a little. I don’t know if you’re losing interest or what, but I think y
ou’re slowing down and it scares me.”
“Listen here, you whiney little baby, I’m not slowing anything down,” Mike snapped. “I just know when something’s a sure deal. I’ve gotten you this far, Charlie, and I’ll get you even farther. And then, when I’m ready to throw in the towel, I’ll hand you a completely functional company with a solid reputation that will get you jobs without even worrying about a damn bid, ya hear?”
Charlie spun around to face Mike, who was grinning smugly. “What?”
“Anyway, I already have Jonah working on it. He’s still figuring it all out, wants to take a few more classes on it and graduate, but he’s learning a lot faster than I did. He’s a goddamn baby out there as a laborer.” Mike lowered his chin and glared at Charlie. “Why do you look so confused?”
Charlie shifted his weight to his other leg and leaned against the desk. He needed to sit down for this. “Did you just say that you’re leaving me your company?”
“Who else would I leave it to?” Mike asked. Leaning forward, he looked at Charlie as if he were the dumbest person alive. “Don’t you want it?”
“Of course I want it, but how are you going to just give it to me?”
The corner of Mike’s mouth twitched. “It’s real easy. I say, ‘Here you go, Charlie. She’s all yours,’ and then you say, ‘Well, thanks, Mike.’”
“Thanks, Mike,” Charlie said as he stared at him in wonder. The man never ceased to amaze him.
Mike’s expression softened as he stood up. “I’m heading home. The Diamondbacks are gonna be on soon.”
Mike stopped just in front of Charlie and put a hand on his shoulder. Without looking at him, he said, “I’m not your father, but you’re as close to a son as I’ll ever have. I just think that’s important.”
“Me, too,” was all Charlie could make himself say.
“Sometimes you have to play the hand that you were dealt, kid. My hand led me to you and that’s good enough for me.” And, with that, Mike walked out of the trailer.
Charlie sat on the desk and listened to the rumble of Mike’s motorcycle as he left the site. When he could no longer hear the bike, Charlie walked over and sat in Mike’s chair. Smiling, he leaned back and put his feet up on the desk.
Beyond the Orange Moon (Mathews Family Book 2) Page 12