Dad for Charlie & the Sergeant's Temptation & the Alaskan Catch & New Year's Wedding (9781488015687)

by Stewart, Anna J. ; Sasson, Sophia; Carpenter, Beth; Jensen, Muriel

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “MOM, YOU’LL NEVER guess what Simon and I figured out!” Charlie burst through the apartment door, the wind from the unexpected storm pushing her inside. She shoved the hood off Simon’s old raincoat Abby insisted she wear this morning, which sprayed rainwater all over the place. She couldn’t wait to tell her mom the news! “We did some research on Abby’s computer and we think we found—” She stopped. “Mom?” Her mind went blank when she saw the to-go bag open on the coffee table, the contents spilled out on the floor and chairs. That funky feeling in her belly started up again, the topsy-turvy swirling that she hated so much. “What’s that out for?”

  Her mom sat very still on the edge of her unmade bed. She looked tired, like she hadn’t slept, and she was looking at Charlie in a way Charlie couldn’t tell what her mom was thinking.

  “Charlotte Rose, sit down please.”

  Uh-oh. She’d used her middle name. Charlie took a step back and dropped into the chair. She hooked her damp, mud-caked shoes in the rung of the chair and locked her hands tight together. “What’s wrong, Mom?”

  “You and I have never lied to each other. I don’t want to start now, so I’m going to ask you a question and you’re going to tell me the truth. Do you understand?”

  Charlie nodded. Her throat hurt, like it did whenever she started to cry, but she swallowed hard. “Uh-huh.”

  “Did you use the credit card I had set aside in our bag for anything?”

  Charlie’s face went hot. She ducked her chin. She’d told herself if she got caught it would be okay, but she never thought her mom would be this mad. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “What did you use it for?”

  “Dinner tickets on a boat for you and Deputy Fletcher.”

  “You did that on your own, did you? Found this new restaurant, signed up for their mailing list and ordered dinner tickets that cost what it takes me two days at the diner to earn?”

  Charlie nodded again. “Yes.” When her mom didn’t respond, Charlie wondered if she’d heard her.

  “Why?” Her mom finally whispered, and it was then Charlie saw tear tracks on her mom’s face. “Charlie, you know that card is only for very special emergencies. Why on earth would you do something like this?”

  Charlie knew if she lied it would only make things worse. Besides, she might get in less trouble if she admitted the truth faster. “I wanted you and Deputy Fletcher to like each other. I don’t want to leave Butterfly Harbor, Mom. Not ever, and this was the only way I could think to get the two of you to like each other. Did you go? Did you have a good time? Did you fall in love?”

  “Fall in—” Her mom’s eyes filled with tears in the second before she stood up. “Charlie, that isn’t how things work. People need time to get to know each other. It’s not a matter of you pushing them together and making it happen.”

  “But I didn’t have time. And you said if you want something to happen you have to work at it. So Simon and I—”

  “Simon!” Her mom spun to face her. “I knew it! He helped you with this, didn’t he?”

  “It was my idea.” Charlie sank back in her chair as she spoke. She might be in trouble, but she wasn’t going to get Simon kicked out of school. “It’s not his fault. What happened at dinner?”

  “It doesn’t matter, Charlie, because nothing is ever going to happen. Not now. Not…ever.” She covered her mouth, shook her head so hard her hair slapped against the side of her face.

  Not now? Charlie frowned. What did that mean?

  “Where’s the credit card?”

  “In my room. Under the mattress. I was going to put it back, I promise.”

  “Get it, please.”

  “Okay.” Charlie slid off the chair and went into her room. She kicked the coloring book out of the way, sent the crayons scattering across the floor and the pink-and-white butterfly rug. When she scooped the card out from under her mattress, she took her time returning to her mom. “What are you doing? Mom, no!” Charlie flung the card onto the table and threw herself at her mother, who was pulling the new pictures and frames off the shelf and putting them in the bag. “No! We can’t leave. Not again. You’re supposed to fall in love with Deputy Fletcher so we can stay!”

  “I told you, things don’t work that way, Charlie.”

  “But they did for Simon! Luke wasn’t going to stay. He only came back for a little while, then he fell in love with Simon’s mom and now they’re a family.” The words tumbled out in a rush, like she couldn’t stop them. She couldn’t catch her breath. “I’m supposed to start school next week! You promised me I could go to school like a normal girl!”

  “Well, that’s just not going to be possible now.” She plucked Charlie’s hands off her arms and turned her back to her room. “They can find us through that card, Charlie. They can track me down, and I can’t let that happen. Decide what it is you want to take with you. We’re leaving first thing in the morning.”

  “No!” Charlie couldn’t breathe. Her entire body hurt and felt hot. She stomped her feet. “No. I’m not going!”

  “I beg your pardon, young lady?”

  Charlie hadn’t heard that tone in her mother’s voice before. She didn’t know why, but she sure didn’t like it. But she wasn’t going to give in. “I said no. I’m not leaving. Not again. It’s not my fault we have to keep moving, it’s yours! Because you helped Robbie, and that’s not fair! You weren’t supposed to. You knew it and you did it anyway, and now I don’t have a real home or a dad or anything I want. And now I won’t even have a best friend because you’re taking me away again and we’ll never come back!”

  Her mother’s expression eased, and her eyes turned sad as she took a step toward her. “Charlie, you know this is how things have to be. Just for a little while longer, I promise. I swear, pretty soon we can stop moving and you can go to school—”

  “I want to stay here!” Charlie yelled. She slapped a hand over her mouth. She’d never yelled at her mom before. “It’s the only place I’ve ever wanted to stay. I want to stay here with Simon and Fletcher and Cash and…” She tried to catch her breath. “And you can’t make me go with you!”

  She ran fast and ripped open the door. She kept running down the alley, down the street, not even bothering with her bike. She didn’t stop. Not at the corner, not down the street. Not at the bottom of the hill that would take her to the Flutterby Inn.

  And the one person who could help.

  * * *

  “MRS. HASTINGS.” PAIGE pressed a hand against her racing heart when her friend opened her door. “I don’t suppose Charlie is here by any chance?”

  “I’ve been expecting her, but no, my dear, I’m afraid not. Goodness, you look a fright. Come in.” Mrs. Hastings reached out her hands and pulled a soaked Paige inside. “Take off that jacket and sit down. I’ll make you tea. Warm you right up.”

  “No tea, thank you. I have to get to the diner pretty soon.” But even as Paige shook her head, she allowed the older woman to push her into one of her kitchen chairs. “I’m sorry to bother you, but Charlie and I had a bit of an argument and I know you always make her feel better.”

  “I’m sorry, Paige, she hasn’t been here yet this morning. What did you two fight about?” Evidently her refusal had fallen on deaf ears as Mrs. Hastings turned on her teakettle.

  Paige dropped her head into her hands, scrubbed her palms hard against her face in an effort to stave off a new rush of tears. Everything was so messed up. She’d made so many mistakes, all to protect her daughter. Now she was coming to the conclusion she’d probably done more damage to Charlie by running than if they’d stayed in New York. “We’re leaving,” Paige whispered when she folded her arms on the table. “In the morning. She came home, saw me packing and, well…” She waved a hand in the air. “She doesn’t want to go.”

 
; “Of course she doesn’t. This is her home. It’s your home.” Mrs. Hastings clucked her tongue and set a plate of sugar cookies in front of her.

  Paige sighed even as she picked one up. “Mrs. Hastings, you shouldn’t be baking with your diabetes.”

  “I’m old enough to do what I want when I want, and I wanted a cookie. Now tell me why you’re leaving.”

  Paige shook her head, surprised she had the energy after yet another sleepless night. “I can’t.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  “Both.” She took a big bite so she wouldn’t have to talk.

  “Seems to me you’ve got a bit of a trust issue when it comes to people, Paige.” She poured the hot water into the pot, dropped in her favorite teabags and brought it over to the table to steep. “Always one to jump in to help, but not very forthcoming with the details. People do talk, you know. Guessing where you came from, what happened. Why you never stop long enough for anyone to ask you questions. Like who Charlie’s father might be.”

  Paige rolled her eyes. “Small-town gossip. If that’s all people want to know, feel free to spread the word. Charlie’s dad died before she was born. Construction accident back in New York.” She stopped, set her cookie down. Sat back in her chair. “What’s in these cookies? Truth serum?”

  “Love and understanding.” Mrs. Hastings reached across the table and took a hold of her hands. “You’ve been running so long you don’t know how to stop. You belong here, Paige. You and Charlie both. When are you going to trust us enough to let us help you?”

  “It’s not that simple.” Paige leaned her head back. “It’s complicated and difficult and…” Tears exploded in her eyes, blurred her vision, triggered the last of her anger. “Darn it, I’m not a crier! I don’t do this!”

  “Maybe it’s time you did. You young ones just bottle everything up so tight inside. Holly with her dad’s accident all those years ago, Abby trying to do everything she could to save that inn of hers, Fletcher and what happened with his brother—”

  “You know about that?” Paige gasped. “He said he’d never talked about it.”

  Mrs. Hastings smiled shyly. “He didn’t. Not with me. I was friends with his grandfather. Good man. Hated what happened to his son’s family when Caleb died. Hated what his son and daughter-in-law heaped on both Fletcher and Lori afterward. Blamed them both. Turned on each other. It’s why he brought those kids to Butterfly Harbor. Told you about that day, did he?”

  “Mmm-hmm.” Paige nodded. “It’s so sad. So unexpected. He’s such an amazing man, I can’t believe he has that in his past.” How had he remained so unjaded? So open and caring? How had he not closed himself off?

  “Yes, well, he rose above his circumstances, didn’t he? Made a life for himself. A life that, if I’m not mistaken, he’d like very much to include you and Charlie in.”

  “Oh, not you, too.” Paige tried to pull her hands free. “It’s bad enough I’ve got Charlie and Simon playing matchmaker—”

  “Smartest ones in town, those two. Makes me glad I don’t have to be their teacher, I can tell you. But you. Oh, Paige.” Her hands tightened. “Think about what you’ll be giving up if you leave. Whatever it is you’ve done, or think you’ve done, ask for help. Tell Fletcher the truth. He cares for you.”

  “I don’t know that I can.” But having someone to come to, having Mrs. Hastings to talk to, did ease her heart. Maybe she was right. Maybe… Paige bit her lip. “He’s the most honest and honorable man I’ve ever met, Mrs. Hastings. What if he doesn’t understand? What if—” Paige gasped. “Oh, no. Oh. No.”

  Mrs. Hastings tilted her head, gave her a nod and slow smile. “Figured it out, did you? Fallen hard for him, haven’t you? Saw it that day in my yard. If you ask me, it was him eating that banana cake your girl made for him that did it.”

  “Yeah.” Tears spilled onto her cheeks. It wasn’t that she was afraid of telling the truth. She was afraid of Fletcher’s reaction. That he wouldn’t understand. That he’d blame her as much as she blamed herself. As long as she didn’t say anything, she was safe. But the second she opened up… “Oh, this can’t be happening. Not now.” She didn’t dare trust…did she? Every other time in her life when she’d taken a chance, taken a step onto a ledge, something always, always went wrong.

  “Love never happens when you want it to, my dear. It appears when you need it most. Have faith. In Fletcher. But most of all in yourself. You deserve to be happy. So go fight for it.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “HI, CHARLIE!” ABBY called absently as Charlie raced through the front door of the Flutterby Inn and headed straight for the dining room. “Bye, Charlie.”

  “Simon!” Charlie didn’t realize she’d shouted until the other people having breakfast jumped in their chairs and sent her disapproving looks. “Sorry,” she mumbled, ducking her head as she hurried across the room to the corner table. “Simon, you have to help me. We need to go find the treasure. Now!” She threw herself across the table and grabbed his arms, knocking the book he was reading to the floor.

  “Chill out, Charlie,” Simon snapped with a frown that hurt her heart. “What’s the matter?”

  “She’s packing. My mom. She’s packing and she says we’re leaving. Tomorrow.” She refused to cry, refused to give in. They still had one chance, one hope. “We have to find that treasure box. Today.”

  “But it’s pouring outside!” Simon looked out the window, back to Charlie. “Why so fast? Didn’t their date go okay?”

  Charlie shook her head and sent water spraying over the table. “She said the people who are after us are going to find us. Because…” Now the tears did burn her throat. “Because we used the credit card.”

  “What?” Simon’s eyes went wide behind his glasses as he jumped to his feet. She took it as a good sign he was wearing one of his superhero T-shirts today. She’d need all his superpowers if she was going to fix what she’d done. “What do you mean people are after you?”

  Charlie bit her lip. She wasn’t supposed to tell. Anyone. But Simon was her best friend. And right now, he was the only person she could trust. “My mom did something that got her in trouble. But we left before she could be arrested.”

  “Arrested? What did she do?”

  Charlie frowned. Was it her imagination or did he sound impressed? “We don’t have time for me to tell you. Please, Simon. Let’s go.” She gripped his arm and tugged.

  “Go where?” Jason asked as he came out of the kitchen with an oversize waffle he put in front of Simon. “Not without breakfast. And not while it’s still raining like this.”

  “But we have to,” Charlie said. “It’s really, really important.”

  “I’m sure it is.” Jason pointed to the chair next to Simon. “Sit, please. You can have something to eat before tackling whatever adventure you have planned next. No argument.”

  Charlie slumped into the chair, sagged back and crossed her arms, scowling up at the man in white. And here she thought Jason was so cool. “I’m not hungry.”

  “Pancakes it is. Simon, eat. As if I have to tell you.” Jason pinned them each with a stern glare before he disappeared back into the kitchen.

  “Okay, let’s go.” Charlie bolted out of the chair, but Simon grabbed her arm.

  “Uh-uh. We wait. We take off now, Jason will only tell Abby, who will call your mom, and we don’t know how long it’s going to take us to find that treasure. We need all the time we can get.”

  Charlie scrunched her mouth. She really didn’t like it when he made sense. “Fine. But I don’t care if it’s still raining. That map we found on the internet only tells us where to start. It might take forever.”

  “Would you trust me?” Simon reached for his orange juice, drank half of it, then handed her the glass. “I’m not letting you move away. We’ll find the treasure and ta
ke care of it, okay?”

  “Simon, Charlie, you guys doing okay?” Abby asked as she tapped away on her tablet, moving toward the kitchen.

  “Uh-huh,” Simon said before Charlie could. “Is it okay if we hang out in one of the old cabins after breakfast? We’re working on a special secret project.”

  “Go ahead. Anywhere but cabin number seven. They’re still working on the remodel. You can get the key from Alyssa.” She smiled at them before she pushed through the swinging door.

  “Why did you ask that?” Charlie frowned.

  “Because then she won’t wonder why we aren’t hanging around the inn today. And there’s another path down to the caves at the end of the trail to the cabin. I told you.” He slathered melting butter across the bacon-studded waffle and cut off a piece. “Trust me.”

  * * *

  “YES, NO, ABBY. Thanks for calling.” Paige braced herself against the pounding rain as she climbed the steps to her apartment. At least the mystery of where Charlie had disappeared to had been solved. “She had a rough morning. Just tell her I called and that I’ll come pick her up after my shift at the diner. Thanks.” She stopped on the landing, disconnected and opened the door.

  One part of her knew Mrs. Hastings was right. At some point she had to stop running long enough to trust someone. But then she remembered doing so could cost her the only thing she cared about in this world. Not that Charlie was particularly thrilled with her at the moment.

  She stopped just inside the apartment, looking out at the mess she’d made in her frantic, panic-induced determination to pack. She loved everything about this place, every little detail she’d added, every bit that had been given to her. She didn’t want to leave anything—any of it—behind. For the first time, what she’d thought of as a necessity would never fit in their solitary to-go bag.

  She’d need at least another suitcase. Or two. And she needed to get it done.

  Still, she didn’t move.

  Not until she heard the knock on the door. She turned and found Fletcher standing in the rain, his baseball cap soaked as he smiled at her in that way that had her breath catching in her chest. When had it happened? When was just the sight of him enough to make her feel better? When did that smile that was just for her make every other problem she had fade into the shadows? “Hey, Fletcher. Now’s really not a good time.”