by Melissa West
“You’re pretty nice yourself.” And then he reached up and gently pressed his forefinger to her cheek and then held it out for her. She reared back in confusion. “Eyelash. Make a wish.”
“I don’t believe in wishes,” she said, the words coming out before she could remember that this sort of Debbie-downer thinking wasn’t allowed in Crestler’s Key, with their forever smiles and happy demeanor.
But instead of Charlie correcting her or cracking a joke, he focused back on the eyelash, drew a slow breath and released it even slower, the eyelash blowing away. “Me neither, but maybe it’s time we start believing in them. Seems a shame not to believe in something.”
And Lila wasn’t sure why, but tears sprung to her eyes too fast for her to blink them away. She tried to swallow back the hurt climbing inside her, the fear that had rested over her heart, and thought about the way one encounter, one single encounter, could change her so completely. Because she used to believe in wishes and dreams, promises and futures. But life taught her the hard way that living in a dream world could land you on your face, your wrists and legs bound with rope, and no hope of surviving the night.
Lila fought against the memory, the goose bumps spreading across her skin despite the warmth inside the shop.
“Hey . . .” Charlie reached out to her, but she waved him off.
“Can I just . . .” She swiped a fallen tear away and walked out, leaving everyone staring after her. Oh, what a foolish woman she was! Breaking down after these people had been so nice to her, after Charlie had been so nice. But somehow, remembering what it felt like to dream and live, to not look over her shoulder, brought on a sadness so intense that she couldn’t push it away. Because that blissful naiveté she’d felt before may never exist for her again.
She closed the storefront’s door and shook out her hands. “Stupid, stupid, stupid. Just calm down. Breathe,” she told herself, but that all-encompassing sadness had taken hold, and she feared that if she didn’t get out of there, and fast, they might never invite her back.
So, instead of risking them seeing her, she took off for her car, slipped inside, and started backing away, ignoring the calls from Charlie as he started up the hill to where they’d parked, his form growing smaller and smaller as she drove away.
Chapter Nine
Charlie kept going around and around in his head over what had happened at the farm, what he had said, what the others had said, and still he couldn’t make head or tails of it or why Lila had bolted without a backward glance. And now, he was torn—go see her or leave her alone to figure it out? He’d driven halfway to Annie’s only to turn back, then turn around again, and then pull over on the side of the road. Finally, he told himself to stop being an idiot and just go. If she didn’t want to see him, then he’d leave. But maybe she did . . .
“All right, man, let’s see what you got,” Charlie said to himself. Because apparently he was talking to himself now. Damn, it sucked not having friends around that he could talk all this shit out with. He had his brothers, sure, but Zac and Brady were . . . he wasn’t sure, exactly. But not the kind of brothers you could unload on. Especially with a problem like this one.
He put the truck in park and stared up at the apartment over Annie’s detached garage, a strange flutter picking up in his chest.
“God, you look nervous.”
A smile split his face as he glanced out the passenger side window and then rolled it down.
Annie stood out on the front porch with her hands on her hips. The wood of the porch was stained to match the cedar siding of the house and detached garage; glossy white trim and a red door with stonework around it completed the house’s exterior. The garage boasted two doghouse windows with window boxes full of colorful flowers below each, and as Charlie stepped out of his truck and glanced up, he caught sight of Lila through one of the apartment’s windows, her hand raised as she held back a curtain panel.
And now his stupid heart did that galloping thing in his chest again. He was in trouble.
“Now you’re staring at her. Don’t you have any game at all?” Annie started forward, and he couldn’t help grinning wide at her. With anyone else, he might put them in their place, but Annie was born without a filter. She wasn’t changing anytime soon.
“How are you doing today, Ms. Annie?”
“I think you should have brought flowers. Lila seems like a flowers kind of girl. Or maybe you could buy her a pie. Maybe from that amazing AJ&P Bakery downtown. I hear it’s good.” She winked, and Charlie laughed out loud, until he heard the apartment’s screen door rap shut, and now he was staring again. Embarrassingly so. But damn, this woman in the sunlight was a sight to be seen.
Lila took her time walking down the stairs that ran from her apartment door down the right-hand side of the garage. “Um, hey,” she said, not looking at him. In fact, she was looking at Annie. And in that way that said she wanted her landlord to rescue her from Charlie. He needed to fix whatever had happened back at the farm, and fast, before he lost the best friend he had in town. Because, attraction or not, Lila was his friend, and he was hers, and right now, he got the feeling she needed a solid friend’s ear. No judgment, no offerings of opinions that she didn’t really want to hear. Just an honest ear.
“Well, see, I heard that Captain Jack’s was having a special on surf and turf tonight, and since you asked me out earlier, I thought—”
Her head whipped toward him. “What? Are you crazy? I didn’t ask you out. You asked me out.”
He had to bite back a grin. He tilted his head, enjoying himself. “Now, that’s not the version of the story I remember. There was you standing a few inches away from me, because you couldn’t keep away. And then I said I liked steak. And then you all but begged me to go out with you tonight.”
“Wow, a pretty girl like you begging?” Annie said, playing along. “I would expect better from a military family like yours.” She tsked, and Charlie thought Lila was going to stomp her foot or scream.
“It was a little pathetic, Annie, if I do say so myself. But look at her.” Charlie lifted his hand in her direction, those beautiful blue eyes glaring at him, her lips pressed together in an annoyed pout. He wanted to laugh, if not for fear that she’d forget that the moment of distraction would lift and she’d remember why she had been upset earlier.
“Well, aren’t you a gentleman to come all the way out here to pick her up, when she was the one to ask you out. I guess you better head on if it’s surf-and-turf night. Place gets crowded.”
Lila blanched. “I didn’t even know you were coming. I was cleaning. I’m a mess. Literally.” She motioned down to her cut off jean shorts and tank top, hair in a messy something on top of her head, not a stitch of makeup on her face. God, she was beautiful.
“Darlin’, if this is a mess, my heart might not survive being around you when you’re trying.”
A small smile played at her lips. “You have to say that because you’re my brother’s best friend.”
“No,” Charlie said, eyes locking with hers. “I shouldn’t say that because I’m your brother’s best friend.”
Her head lifted and though they were already looking at one another, something had changed, like maybe somewhere in her heart she’d thought about him the way he kept thinking about her.
“So you want me to go out just like this, then?”
“Your choice, but yeah.” He paused. “As long as you’re wearing a bra. Otherwise, you might need to go back inside. I’d hate to give the fellas at Captain Jack’s a heart attack.”
A laugh burst from Lila’s lips. “Wait a second. Wait. Are you telling me that you can’t tell if a woman’s wearing a bra or not? Seriously?”
Charlie’s eyes heated, all those hidden desires inside him stirring up images in his head. Images that would give Lucas every right to deck him.
“I’m saying I can’t tell if you are from here. We’re standing pretty far apart. But if you’d like me to come closer, I’d be happy to inspec
t you further. Give you a more definitive answer.”
Now her cheeks were flushed, and he’d officially gone too far. He needed to turn off his flirtation around her, but he couldn’t seem to keep his mouth closed. Or his lower half in check, which seemed to cause his mouth to spew shit he shouldn’t think, let alone say out loud.
“Y’all need to leave before it gets any hotter out here,” Annie said, fanning herself. She started toward her door, then glanced over her shoulder. “And for the record, I am not wearing a bra.” She winked, and then disappeared inside, leaving Charlie and Lila laughing after her.
“You ready?” he asked with a glint in his eyes.
“As I’ll ever be. I’m sure there won’t be anyone there I know anyway.”
“Right. Nobody important.”
* * *
So that hope of hitting up Captain Jack’s without a crowd? Yeah, not happening.
Charlie parked by the road, the gravel parking lot to the restaurant so full people had spilled over to the street. Music blared out from inside, and he was tempted to suggest they go somewhere else, but this was Crestler’s Key. Most places shut down at six, and as far as a steak and a decent beer, there was no better place than Jack’s.
“This all right? Looks a little crowded, and we never did finalize that bra talk.”
She flashed him a grin. “And what exactly were you wanting to know about my bra?”
Suddenly his throat dried up. When was he going to learn that Lila played the game better than him?
“Right, no more bra talk.” He pushed out of the truck. “And I need a beer, stat.” Lila laughed and he smiled over at her. “You keep me on my toes, you know that?”
“You do me, too,” she said, her tone light.
This was going to be fun, just two old friends catching up . . . and not checking each other out. Because that would be wrong, way wrong. He peered over at her, gaze travelling down her, before he cleared his throat and ordered his eyes to focus on the path ahead. And there went the no-checking-out thing.
The night was peaceful, clear and perfect, the lake behind Captain Jack’s calm, though Charlie wasn’t sure if they would be able to grab a table out back, not with what appeared to be half of Kentucky there to hear the band and eat.
He held open the door and the cacophony when they walked up was nothing compared to inside. Music blasted out from the band that Brantley, the owner, had set up against the left-hand wall of windows, all the tables that were normally there removed to make room for the small stage.
On instinct, Charlie placed his hand on Lila’s back and leaned into her ear so she could hear him over the crowd and the band. “Want to try for outside?”
“Sure, whatever is fine.”
But immediately a squeal came from their right, and Audrey rushed up, followed by Sophie, and it didn’t take much for Charlie to find their table. Zac and Brady were there and a few of the other guys he should consider friends and, for all intents and purposes he guessed they were. Or at least typical small-town friendships, where they all knew everything about each other.
“Hey, brother, get on over here.” Brady stood up and waved for him to come to their table. “We were just wondering where you were. Should have guessed.” He switched his attention to Lila, and Charlie knew what he was thinking without his brother having to say it—if Charlie wasn’t going there, then he sure as hell would. Yeah, over my damn body.
“We were actually planning to eat outsi—”
But Audrey had already taken Lila’s hand and was dragging her to the table.
“I’m sorry,” she called, and Charlie shrugged, because what was he supposed to say? This wasn’t a date. This was dinner among friends, and they were eating with friends now. No big deal. So why did Charlie feel so disappointed?
He shook his head as he approached Brady. “Boy, I hope you arranged a D.D. Band’s just started and already you’re trashed.”
Brady reached out to grasp Charlie’s shoulder but missed, his hand dropping beside him instead. “Nah, man. I’m fine.” Each word slurred.
Charlie glanced over at Zac as though it was all his fault. “Seriously? You know he’s a sloppy drunk.”
Zac shrugged. “I’ll get him home.”
“Hey Lila,” Brady called, leaning over the table and knocking over a beer in the process. Thankfully, this wasn’t Charlie’s first rodeo with his brother getting drunk, so he caught the bottle just before it hit the table and spilled everywhere.
“Yes, Brady,” Lila said, clearly amused that the youngest Littleton was this gone.
“Did you know our Charlie here is famous?”
Oh, shit.
She eyed him curiously. “Famous? How so?”
“See for yourself.”
He pulled out his cell phone, and Charlie tried to swipe it, but Lila grabbed it first. Charlie knew without having to look what he’d find on the screen.
“I don’t get it.” She stared up at Brady and then Charlie. “You’re on Instagram?”
“Nah, ahhh, not just on there. He’s like their king, worshipping followers and all.”
Charlie huffed loudly. “Shut up and sit down before you fall.”
But drunks tended to conjure together, and soon Kit, one of their high school friends, piped up. “No, it’s true. Dude has like half a million followers on there. They like his pecs or something. Hell, I don’t know.”
Now Lila’s face was drawn, her focus on Brady’s phone, and Charlie wished he could read her mind. “Southern Dive, so that’s why your shop’s called that? You . . . wow.” She was scrolling through pictures, and Charlie wanted to tell her to stop, beg her to stop, but how could he get out of this now?
“It’s not a big deal,” he said, eyes on the band.
“And wow, he’s right, you have so many followers. Do you have advertisers, too?”
“Ahh, yeahhh. He’s a genius, didn’t you know? They send him crap all the time, have offered to fly him out to test products. Like I told you, the boy’s famous,” Brady said, each word barely recognizable now, and Charlie contemplated decking him one good time to save them both from this drunken debacle.
But now Lila was staring at him like she was seeing him for the first time. “I never even considered that you were into social media. I mean, it makes sense for a business owner, sure, but this came first?”
“No. It was—”
“And he designs stuff, too. Look at his shit. I just told you to look at his shit.” Brady broke into laughter, and Charlie glared over at his other brother, half begging, half threatening for him to come to the rescue here.
“Dude. Seriously?” Charlie asked.
“Hey,” Zac said with a grin, “you are famous. Not a lie there. You should see all the people who come in the shop to meet him. Some even ask for his autograph.”
Not this again. It was one time, and he would never live it down.
“Good God. Can we talk about something else?”
“Aw, Charlie’s embarrassed, guys,” Sophie said, chiming in. “Leave him alone. He can’t help it that thousands of women follow him.”
At that, Lila stared up at him. “They’re all women? Huh.”
“No, not all women.”
Brady laughed. “Just most of them. There for the pec pictures, see.”
“You going to shut him up or am I?” Charlie asked Zac, who finally relented.
“Fine, fine. Brady, let’s go get everybody a round.”
Everyone seemed to separate at once, a few of them going to get a closer view of the band, a few to the bathroom, until it was just the two of them alone again.
“I had no idea this was your thing,” Lila said, still cycling through photos.
Charlie couldn’t decide if she was saying that in a good way or a bad, but there was something more in her tone. A question she refused to ask. “It isn’t my thing. Well, the designs, yeah. But not the followers, the attention. That kind of thing has never been me.”
“So, t
hen. . . you post pictures of yourself?” She glanced sideways at him, her entire demeanor changing from confident woman to innocent girl.
He scoffed. “Lord no. Back in the day, when I first started it, when I was in the Keys and pushing my diving business, then sure. There were lots of pics of me diving, returning from dives, etc. Now my followers want fishing stories, stuff going on at the farm, new products at the shops. And then the designs.” He ran his thumb over his lips and looked away.
“They’re good.”
Their eyes locked. “You really think so?”
“Really good. I think you could sell them, create an entire line, and people would scoop them up.”
He didn’t know why, but her approval was everything, and with that excitement on her face, for the first time, the idea seemed plausible. “I don’t know. I have the following, I think, and then stable business at Southern Dive to launch okay. But it’ll take time that I don’t really have, and then who knows if it’s successful.”
“Are you kidding? Everything you touch is a success. Remember when you decided to build the tree house on the farm? Everybody said you couldn’t do it by yourself, a little ten year old, but every day you went out there, and every day you nailed up boards.”
He stared at her. “You saw me working?”
“I went out there every day to watch you.” She fumbled with a napkin in front of her, and Charlie reached out, covering her hand with his. Her eyes lifted.
“Nobody else has ever believed in me the way you believe in me.”
“Maybe nobody else sees you the way I see you.”
The moment held, the band playing a cover of “I’ll Be,” and Charlie couldn’t help thinking there couldn’t be a more perfect song for them, because hell if he wasn’t her greatest fan, and the more time he spent with her, the more it seemed that maybe, just maybe, she was his greatest fan, too.