CHAPTER THREE
Sam said she needed to go talk to Jules, but that was the last thing on her to-do list for the day after their fight. By the time she got home, she wondered what Sarah was up to and if she was bored out of her skull hanging with her parents.
She reached for her phone and sent Sarah a text.
Are you still alive? Or have the parental unit killed you off from boredom?
She no more than hit send and her phone pinged with a response.
Alive. Barely. Can escape but need a willing accomplice. SOS.
Charlie laughed and dialed Sarah's house phone. Sarah's mom picked up on the third ring.
"Hello?"
"Hi Mrs. Drake, it's Charlie. How are you?"
"I'm good, Charlie. How are you doing?"
"Eh, I'm hanging in there. Would you care if Sarah came over and kept me company today?"
"Are you not feeling well, hon?" Her voice was full of worry and Charlie felt guilty laying it on thick... but an SOS called for desperate measures and it was a rescue mission. So, laying it on thick was required.
"Not the greatest. My dad has to go into work and everyone else is busy. I know you guys had family day today. I just didn't want to be alone when I feel like this."
"Oh, you poor thing. Let me go get her for you. Do you need anything? I can come with her if you need."
Oh shit. You better fix this before the operation goes belly up, soldier.
"No, that's okay. Sarah's used my stuff and knows what to do if something happens. She's more like my service animal than a nurse. Ya know. Like a companion?" She knew she was sinking fast.
"A service animal huh?" Sarah's voice came through the phone, triggering relief and then fear.
"Um. A very cute and lovable service animal?"
"You can stop kissing my ass. She's not on here anymore."
"Oh, thank God. The fucking quicksand was at my ankles one second and at my throat the next."
"No shit, Sherlock. I guess I owe ya' for the jail break. I'll be over in ten."
"See ya' then."
Charlie hung up, tossed her phone on the bed, and lay back next to it.
It didn't seem like ten minutes had passed at all when Sarah came tromping into her room. "I should lick your face, since I'm a dog and all."
Charlie laughed. "I didn't call you a dog. I said animal. So, kiss my ass."
"Thanks for breaking me out. I couldn't take anymore family time. My parents have no idea how to spend time with me. They think I'm still in the fourth grade."
"I'm sorry. Why didn't you send out an SOS earlier in the day? I would have rescued you sooner."
Sarah plopped down on the bed next to her, pulling a pillow under her chest. "I thought you and Jules were hanging today for some one on one time? I didn't want to get in the middle of that since he's been super moody lately."
"Okay, so it's not just me?"
"No, most definitely not. I tried talking to him to see what was up and he just bitched me out." Sarah shrugged like it was beyond her.
"It seems like all we do is fight anymore. I mean more than the usual bickering. This morning we got in this huge fight because I refused to teach him how to ride my bike. I don’t know why he’s hell bent on it all of a sudden. Then he kept taking digs at Sam. Has he said anything to you about Sam?"
She shook her head. "No. I thought they got along?"
"I thought they did, too. That's what didn't make sense to me. I guess I should go over there and talk to him." Charlie rolled over and stuffed a pillow under her head. She suddenly realized how exhausted she was.
"Well, if you want we can get dinner and then go talk to him together? Maybe if we gang up on him he can't escape. Plus, we'll outnumber him and can beat him into submission if needed."
Charlie laughed. "I like the way you think, Drake!"
"Let's go raid your cupboards."
"Again. Loving the wavelength you're on."
They headed downstairs and rummaged around in her kitchen looking for something to snack on.
"What sounds good, cookies or cake?"
"Ohhh cupcakes," Sarah said.
Charlie spun around and stared at her. "That wasn't an option, was it?"
"Well, it's not my fault your options suck, stupid. That's like asking if you're team Edward or team Jacob when the answer is obviously, team Emmett." Sarah rolled her eyes, mocking Charlie.
"You know what, Drake...the second you brought Edward into this, you put yourself at risk of getting a coke sprayed all over you."
"Call it a diet and we have a deal." Sarah stuck her tongue out and raised her eyebrows up and down.
Not used to being beat at her own game, Charlie's only choice was to try to deflect. "Do you want to order some pizza?"
"Let's do burgers," Sarah rebutted with a laugh.
"Oh my God, that's it. You're fired. Get out." Charlie pointed to the back door.
Sarah slapped the counter with mock horror. "You can't fire me. I'll file wrongful termination."
"I'm going to kill you." Charlie chased her around the kitchen island.
"You have to catch me first." Sarah took off her flip flop and chucked it at Charlie's head.
"Did you seriously just throw your shoe at me?"
"Yep! Oh and just for the record, your Ford wishes it was as cool as my Honda."
That was it. "I'm going to run you over with your Honda."
Joe walked into the kitchen and looked at the two girls. "How about we keep the shoe throwing and maiming outside. What is it with the teenagers in this house trying to kill each other lately? I feel like I'm living in an ABC Family drama. What the hell are you two arguing about, anyway?"
Charlie looked at him with a straight face. "Cupcakes and Twilight."
"I walked into the wrong conversation." Joe closed his eyes and shook his head. "This has gone too far. We're moving."
"What!" They yelled in unison and moved shoulder to shoulder.
"You two leave me no choice. Charles, you did something you vowed you'd never do. You've turned into a teenage girl." Joe pretended to shudder. "The spitting, scratching your butt, and cursing, I can deal with. But this... it's too much."
Nudging Sarah in the ribs with her elbow Charlie whispered, "Give me your other flop."
She slipped it off and handed it behind her back. Charlie waited for the right moment before she threw it at him and they burst out into giggles.
Sam walked in the back door and came to a stop.
"Sam, help me out here, would ya?" Joe asked and grabbed for the flip flop on the floor.
"Nope. Whatever it is, I'm not getting involved. Sorry, Joe. I'm more afraid of her than I am of you anymore."
Joe raised a brow and squared his shoulders toward Sam. "Don't underestimate me, Sammy boy. Just because I like you doesn't mean I won't still kill you."
Charlie playfully shoved her dad. "Oh, the only thing you're going to be killing is a big fat burger. Stop trying to be a badass."
"You don't have to try when you are," he stated matter-of-factly and smacked her on the head with the flip flop.
Sarah covered her mouth trying to hide her giggle. "He does have a point, Charlie."
"Oh, please don't feed his ego."
"Speaking of feed...did you forget about our date?" Sam asked as he walked over to Charlie and pulled her into his arms.
Trying to figure out how the hell she could have forgotten about their plans they'd made only hours earlier, she turned in his arms and gave him a shitty grin. "Umm...no?"
Sam hooked his finger under her chin and lifted it, so her eyes met his gaze. "Guess this means the newness has worn off, since you forget about me so easily." His lips hovered dangerously close to hers, causing her to lose train of thought.
"Huh? No."
"Mmmhmm. Sounds like a likely story to me."
She could feel the heat of his breath on her lips, and their bodies were merely inches apart. The sound of Joe clearing his throat brought her
out of her trance and made her step away from Sam.
"Father still in the room, ya' know." Joe raised a brow, and narrowed his eyes at Sam. He threw the flip flop with deadly accuracy and hit him in the chest.
Sam took a step back from Charlie and rubbed the spot the shoe just hit him. He was still obviously afraid of Joe, no matter what he'd just said.
"So, I guess this means we're no longer doing dinner?" Sarah asked with disappointment in her eyes.
Charlie looked back and forth between Sam and Sarah. It was nice to be able to have such a carefree night with her girlfriend, but she knew deep down she wanted to spend the night with Sam. Her hesitance to answer the question must have been all Sarah needed to hear.
"Well, I guess that answers that. Joe, do you want to be my date? Jules is busy being a douche and I don't feel like eating alone."
"Oh, so what? I'm your third choice?" he asked, pretending to be offended.
"Nope. You're the Evans I know won't let me down." Sarah gave Charlie a hard glare.
That's all Charlie needed to lose it. "Seriously? You're really going to pout over this?"
Sarah crossed the few feet that separated them and wrapped her arms around Charlie. "Go have fun with the boy toy, but you're mine tomorrow. Jules can't have you. I will not share. Got it, pretty boy?" She glanced around the side of Charlie with her eyes locked on Sam.
He smirked. "Pretty boy?"
"I'm certainly not going to call you Sir." Sarah gave him a warm smile and stepped back from Charlie.
"If we're picking nicknames, you can call me Mack Daddy." Joe chimed in.
Everyone laughed but Charlie. It was not an image she wanted in her mind. "On that note, I'm leaving. Sarah, have fun with your pimp." She grabbed Sam's hand and pulled him toward the back door.
✦✧✦✧✦✧
Distracted wasn't even the right word to describe how Charlie felt as they sat at dinner. Was it envy? She wasn't sure. Sam was talking to her, but all it sounded like was a dull hum off the in background. She nodded her head at what he said and went through the motions but she had no idea what he was talking about. Her focus was stuck on the family seated just behind them—a grandmother and grandfather doting on their little granddaughter. Everything this little girl did brought them bouts of giggles and shared looks of love and admiration.
Charlie felt jealous…definitely jealousy. It was something she'd never had and she'd never get to have.
Sam waved his hand in front of her face. "Hey, earth to Charlie. You okay? What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"
Blinking a few times, she shook her head and watched Sam carefully. "Huh?"
"What's going on with you tonight? You've been staring down that couple since we walked in. Do you know them?"
"No. Do all grandparents act that way?" She nodded toward their table.
He glanced back over his shoulder like he was studying them for a moment before he turned back to face her. "Yeah, I guess most do. Why?"
"Did yours?" She wasn't going to acknowledge his question yet. She had to know if that's what normal looked like.
Leaning back in his chair, he ran his thumb back and forth across his bottom lip like he always did when he was thinking. "Yeah, pretty much. They'd take me for ice cream or to the park. My grandma called them our special dates, but I didn't get a lot of time with them. They passed when I was pretty young." His brows pulled together and he looked away for a moment before he returned his gaze to hers.
Charlie nodded, absorbing all the information he'd given her. Even though they didn't have much time with him, they'd still made an effort...unlike her grandparents. She ran her hands through her hair and huffed in annoyance with herself for even thinking about those selfish assholes. They'd abandoned her and her dad when they needed them most. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why she cared all of a sudden or why she was feeling so overwhelmed when it'd never bothered her before.
His thumb brushed over her knuckles as he slipped her hand into his and brought it to his lips. "What's this all about? And don't say nothing."
She frowned. "Seeing them just made me think about my grandparents."
"I don't think I've ever heard you talk about them before." Sam dropped her hand back to the table, but never let go of it.
"Because I have no idea who they are. I don't know their names. I've never met them." It was the first time she'd ever said it aloud.
I don't even know their names.
The realization hit her like a freight train to the chest and she started to hyperventilate.
With concern etched on his face, Sam leaned forward and cupped her cheek. "Charlie, look at me." Her dark blue eyes lifted to stare into his pools of emerald green. "Breathe. Take slow, deep breaths. Just watch me."
She knew she had to get out of there, but it was easy to get lost staring into his eyes and Sam was now the one person in the world that had a calming effect on her. Focused solely on her breathing, she watched him.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. "Can we go?"
"Yep." Sam raised his hand to signal to their waitress.
She walked over with a smile on her face. "Can I get something else for you?"
"Yes. Actually, can we get our food to go and may I have the check? My girlfriend isn't feeling well and I'd like to get her home."
The girl looked like she was ready to swoon all over Sam for being so sweet, but couldn't wait for Charlie to be out of the way so she could take him to her place. Not that she could blame her.
"Sure. I'll have them box everything up for you." She batted her eyelashes and shook her ass from side to side as she sauntered away, looking back over her shoulder at them.
Only, Sam wasn't paying attention to her.
Charlie scowled at the girl, who realized she'd been caught and scurried off.
"I'm pretty sure I just got my food spit in."
"Why?"
"As Alex would so kindly put it, she was eye fucking you and I gave her a dirty look."
He rolled his eyes and scooped her hand into his. "The only person I have eyes for is you. So, I couldn't care less how she looked at me. You are all that matters." He flipped her hand over to kiss the inside of her palm.
All it took was one small gesture like that from him and all the chaos in her world felt like it dissipated into thin air. The waitress brought back their food and the check. Charlie wasn't sure if her food had been messed with or not. They paid and left in a hurry. She didn't know what Sam had up his sleeve, but he was definitely up to something. "Where are you dragging me off to?" She asked as she climbed in his Jeep.
"To our spot. You can't run from me there."
The entire ride to the river was quiet other than the radio playing in the background and she was thankful for the silence. She needed a chance to think of how she wanted to answer the questions she knew he was going to ask.
As they pulled into the parking lot, images flashed back into her mind from the first time they'd ever gone there. It had been their first real date. She still couldn't believe she let him ride her bike. Smiling to herself, she got out of the Jeep.
He raised a brow. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing. Just thinking about the first time we came here and how you got your shirts tangled trying to take off your sweatshirt. I think I stared at your abs for like five minutes before I ever offered to help you." She giggled.
Sam shook his head. "That was a pretty great day." He pulled two blankets out of the back of the Jeep and grabbed the food out of the back seat. Reaching for her hand, he threaded his fingers through hers and pulled her down the path toward the beach.
They laid one blanket out right in front of their favorite log and sat down.
"So, you going to tell me why you started to have a panic attack in the restaurant?" He pulled one of the food containers out of the to-go bag and opened it up before he handed it over to her.
She let out a deep breath. This conversation was bound to hap
pen and it was her fault that it was happening at all. "I have a few things I need to tell you and I don't know how to say it all, so I'm just going to spit it all out and then you can process it however you need to."
A hint of worry flashed across his face but he seemed like he was doing his best to mask it. "Okay. Let's hear it." He pulled the second container out and opened it as he handed her a fork.
"Okay. I don't really know where to start."
"How about the beginning?"
She snorted. "Yeah, I guess that would work huh?"
"Mmmhmm." He lay on his side, propped up on his forearm, and shoved a bite into his mouth.
Charlie sat crisscrossed in front of him and wiggled back and forth a few times, trying to find a comfortable position. "Well, from what I'm told and what I know, my mom came from a lot of money. My grandparents," she made air quotes, "Hated my dad. Callie says he was too much blue collar not enough country club for their taste. So, they gave my mom an ultimatum. Break it off with him, or they'd cut her off. Now, keep in mind, she has the same heart condition I do and that comes with a lot of...well you know, kind of…and bills. She still chose my dad and they did what they threatened. They cut her off."
He set his fork down and watched her. "Wow."
"Yeah. So, my dad says when they got pregnant with me, they reached out to them but they still didn't want anything to do with her because of him. Not even for a grandchild."
"What the hell is wrong with those people?" Sam's face scrunched together in disbelief.
"Oh, it gets better. The short of it, you know my mom died giving birth to me. What you don't know is my grandparents showed up at the hospital. Apparently, my lovely grandmother told my dad that his child killed her baby and she wasn't going to stand around and be a part of it."
Sam locked his jaw. "I hope your dad smacked that stupid bitch."
She shook her head and took a bite of her food. If the waitress contaminated it, she couldn't tell. "That was the last my dad saw of her, but I guess my grandfather didn't feel the same way. He set up a trust fund for me and gave my dad control to pay for all of my medical expenses and anything else I needed until I turned eighteen and then the trust was to be signed over to me." Charlie studied his face as he ate and waited a few moments before she continued. "I refused to sign my trust when I was eighteen. I felt like I was selling out or letting them buy me somehow."
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