by Sophie Blue
“Want to grab it to take away?” I offer, pointing back in the direction of the door we came through a moment ago.
“Do you mind?” She looks so embarrassed, I hate it. Her shoulders have slumped and her eyes are focused on the floor. I want to pull her into my arms and offer to fight her demons.
“Of course not. I’d rather be outside in this weather anyway. I can show you around the area.” Offering her a reassuring smile when her gaze finds mine, I turn to the barista and give her my order, before looking back at Charlotte.
“Oh, can I have a large coconut latte with a salted caramel shot please?” she asks, and I smile at the drink choice. It’s very her.
“And two bagels to go as well please,” I say, handing over my credit card and refusing Charlotte’s outstretched hand of cash.
She smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes, she’s really not comfortable here. I wonder why that is. Maybe coffee shops remind her of her ex?
It took most of the morning to cover all the surfaces and masking tape all the skirting, but by early afternoon we are well on the way to having a new kitchen. The pale blue Charlotte picked is perfect. It makes the room look brighter while also fitting in with the nautical theme she suggested. She says she’s no interior designer, but I beg to differ. The woman knows what she’s doing.
Hearing a knock at the door, I put my paint roller down and move towards the front entrance, leaving Charlotte to it as she bops along to the playlist blaring out from her phone.
Opening the door, I grin when I find my friend Scott staring back at me. At six foot five, with shaggy brown hair and matching beard, he never changes. We worked together for a few years and developed a great friendship. I was best man at his wedding to his wife, Melody, last year. When he finally managed to put a ring on it.
“Hey, bud, what’re you doing here?” I ask him, pleasantly surprised by his shock appearance. I pull him in for a hug and slap him on the back.
“I was nearby for work and thought I’d drop by and say hey. This place is looking great,” he says, taking in the newly decorated foyer as I motion for him to come inside.
“Thanks, we’re making good progress.” It’s coming along much better than I expected. Charlotte really does have a good eye.
“We?” he asks, quirking a brow, and I remember my manners.
“Oh, yeah.” I lead him into the kitchen where Charlotte is putting down her paintbrush and introduce them. “Scott, this is Charlotte, Charlotte, this is Scott.”
“Oh! So you’re the best friend’s sister. Pleasure to meet you,” Scott says, shaking her hand in his huge one and offering her one of his friendly smiles. “How’re you liking it here?”
“It’s lovely. Puts back home to shame.” Charlotte smiles back and looks over at me. The light catching her blue eyes and making them shine, stealing my breath. For a moment time stands still and it’s just the two of us. When she turns back to Scott the moment is broken, leaving me wondering if it’s all in my head. “Would you like a coffee?”
Scott looks at the new coffee machine that Charlotte is getting ready and raises a brow at me.
“I’d love one, thanks. Going up in the world, are we?” he jokes, looking at me with a teasing smirk. He knows I’m the most low-maintenance guy you could find.
“Someone is a coffee snob and turned her nose up at instant coffee so I had to branch out,” I say, rolling my eyes at the look he gives me.
“I’m not a snob. I merely pointed out that your coffee tasted like dirt and if you were going to be offering people breakfast, then you had to offer them decent coffee too,” Charlotte reasons, grabbing three mugs from the cupboard above her head. I like seeing her move about the kitchen like she’s comfortable here.
Where did that thought come from?
“Woman’s got a point,” Scott says, grinning at me. Bastard is enjoying this.
“Don’t you start.” I groan, pulling out a chair and planting myself in it while Charlotte plays hostess. I’m pleased she is starting to feel more at home here. I want her to relax and be herself.
“So Scott, what do you do?” Charlotte asks, as she passes him a freshly made cup of fancy coffee.
“I’m a hauler,” he replies, taking a swig of his coffee and pulling out a seat.
“A what now?” Her eyebrows scrunch in confusion and it’s adorable.
Laughing, I answer for Scott, “Fancy name for a truck driver.”
“Oh, I see.” She sits beside me, taking a sip of her coffee and looks between us. “Is that how you two met?”
“Yeah, we used to work together. The company had a bit of a wobble last year, so they offered voluntary surplus out to any drivers happy to take it. I knew I wanted time to sort this place out, so I took it and here I am.” I look over at Scott and he’s nodding, leaning back in his chair and resting his mug on his knee.
“Voluntary surplus? Is that like redundancy? They pay you a settlement figure and you leave?” Tracing the rim of her mug, she tilts her head and looks up at me.
“Yep, that’s the one. Was a decent amount, gave me a little bit of a buffer and some money to pay off the bills I was left with, and a little left over to use to turn this place around. I don’t miss the long days, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah, you may have had the right idea. These hours are killing me. And Melody is always on at me for not being home enough.” Sighing, he shakes his head. I get where his wife is coming from. Sometimes you’re gone for almost a week doing one shipment. It’s full on. It must be tough for her. Becky, my ex, never seemed to mind. But now I know that’s because I was off earning and she could live her best life off of my credit card. Shaking those thoughts away, I look at my friend. He definitely looks tired. It is a rough job, but it pays well.
“I need to see you guys. I don’t think I’ve seen Melody since the wedding,” I admit regretfully. The only problem with being so far away is that it isn’t as easy to visit my friends.
“You do. Melody has said as much.” His face lights up as he has an idea. “Hey, I’m back in this neck of the woods next week. Why don’t I see if Melody fancies tagging along and we can drop by?”
“That would be awesome. We can go for dinner.” After the breakup, I’m not too proud to admit that I didn’t cope the best. I distanced myself from my friends. Trust became a big thing for me. But Scott and Melody never gave up on me. They’re the closest thing to family I have over here now, and I’m forever grateful for them.
“Cool, I’ll run it past the wife and see what she thinks. So, Charlotte, how’s living with this bum?” He nods his head to me with a laugh and she joins in.
Chuckling, I lean back and watch the two of them swap stories. I’ve missed this. Shutting myself off from anyone who could hurt me again may have felt necessary, but I was the only one missing out.
Chapter 9
Charlotte
With the soft yellow glow of the sun shining down on the sand, I have to squint to look up to see Ollie coming down the porch steps. Carrying the tired looking dining table, his grey vest gives me a mouth-watering view of his strong arms. The ink wrapped around one does nothing to hide the muscles bunching beneath under the weight of the furniture.
As he sets it down in front of me, on top of the old bedsheet we’ve laid down to stop sand from getting to it, I grab the sandpaper we picked up from the hardware store and get to work.
“So what are we doing?” he asks, wiping the bead of sweat from his forehead and causing a flush to heat my cheeks as I imagine what sweat would look like dripping from his bare chest.
Clearing my throat, I say, “Sanding down the table, then we can start painting it and it will look good as new.”
“That simple, huh?” He laughs and I smile at the sound, peering up at him. The sunlight is basking him in a warm glow that makes him seem almost angelic. Ironic, considering my thoughts at the view are anything but.
“That simple,” I agree, nodding to the sandpaper by the table leg.
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Pulling his phone from his pocket, he flicks through it for a moment before the soft sound of Kane Brown fills the air.
“You’re a Kane fan?” I ask, surprised that we have that in common.
“Yeah. Last time your brother was visiting, he had it on repeat all the time. Kinda grows on you.” His cheeky grin has butterflies fluttering in my stomach. My head is telling me to be smart, to put some distance between us and not jump into something new when I’m still so fragile. Not to mention the fact that he’s my brother’s best friend. But my heart… my heart is saying this man is something special. And the tug of war between the two is beginning to make me dizzy.
“Alex got me into his music too. His voice is so soothing,” I say, pulling myself from the flurry of thoughts flying around in my head. Music has always been an escape of mine. Carl hated my music choices, so after we broke up, I listened to my playlists on repeat. A rebellion of sorts I guess you could say.
“Yeah, your brother has good taste. But don’t tell him I said that, it’ll go to his head.” We both laugh at that. The easy conversation and shared memories have me letting myself relax and just enjoying the moment. It’s refreshing.
Working in sync, we let the music fill the comfortable silence between us. Humming along to the songs I love, standing in paradise, I can’t help but feel at peace. The world around me is still, other than the soothing sound of the waves crashing on the shore, there’s nothing. This is what I need.
We’re applying the first coat of paint to the table when I feel something wet hit the hand I have resting on the table top. Looking down, I see the splotch of blue paint on my skin. My eyes meet Ollie’s, and his cheeky smirk tells me it was anything but an accident.
“Seriously? How old are you?” I laugh, shaking my head and grabbing a rag from the floor to wipe my hand.
“What’s up, sweetheart? Scared to get a little dirty?” His tone is teasing but my insides heat at the word dirty slipping from his lips. God, if this man doesn’t spark all kinds of feelings in me.
Dipping my brush in the paint, I quickly stand on my tiptoes and wipe it across his nose, laughing at how he now resembles a Smurf. His eyes widen in surprise before a devious grin makes its way to his face. Sensing I may have bitten off more than I can chew, I take a tentative step backwards.
“Game on,” he says as he forgoes a brush and dips his finger into the paint. Spinning on my heels, I make a run for it, laughing like a lunatic.
He tugs on my shirt, pulling me back against his chest and before I can right myself, he wipes his finger along my cheek, coating it in blue paint. Turning in his arm, I stare up at him, the remnants of blue paint still covering his nose, and I laugh.
His smile is blinding, putting the scenery to shame as it dazzles me in the warm glow of the sun. The soft feel of his thumb running across my cheek has my heartbeat speeding up. Staring into his emerald eyes, I’m hypnotised. Everything else ceases to exist. In this moment, it’s just the two of us. Unconsciously, I find myself leaning into his touch, soaking up the warmth of his skin. Time stands still as he leans toward me, his gaze locked on my lips.
Just as he’s about to kiss me, something knocks into me, causing me to pull back in surprise.
“Lexie!” A flustered woman appears by my side, grabbing her energetic dog and attaching the leash she’s carrying to the dog’s collar.
“I’m so sorry. She is easily excited by people, she didn’t mean any harm,” she reassures us while trying to calm down the golden retriever. Her tail is wagging so ferociously, I’m surprised she hasn’t taken off.
“It’s no problem.” I laugh, stroking Lexie’s shiny coat and trying to process what the hell just happened.
What are we doing?
Stealing a glance at Ollie, I notice he’s already gone back to painting the table, our moment broken. Lexie soaks up the attention she’s getting from me, attention that for a split second, I thought Ollie wanted. But now I’m left wondering if it was a mistake.
Chapter 10
Ollie
After our almost kiss on the beach this afternoon, I tried to pull back. While I can’t deny the connection between Charlotte and I, she’s Alex’s little sister. I can’t betray his trust like that. I mean, it’s probably nothing. We’re both hurting and looking for some comfort, right?
Scott called yesterday to say he was heading this way on business again, like he said. Melody agreed to tag along, excited at the thought of meeting for dinner at a nearby diner. Although she’d probably more excited at the thought of playing matchmaker, knowing her. Charlotte seemed nervous at the thought, but insisted she wanted to meet them.
“Melody is great. I promise you’ll get on like a house on fire,” I tell her as I navigate my truck through traffic toward the diner. Her fingers are playing with the material of her skirt, a quirk I recognise as her trying to calm her nerves.
“I’m sure I will,” she says, smiling over at me, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. I don’t know why it bothers me so much, but I hate the idea of her being uncomfortable.
“If you want to leave early, just let me know. It’s no trouble,” I’m quick to reassure her as I pull into the parking lot, finding a space and turning the engine off.
“I’ll be fine, honestly.” With a slightly brighter smile, she opens the door and jumps out, with me following her lead. Her red skirt swings in the breeze and my gaze follows the movement, stopping at her black heels. As much as I tell myself not to, I can’t help imagine what she’d look like in just those heels. As many times as I remind myself to back the fuck up, to remember that she’s Alex’s little sister, I’m still bewitched by her. I crave her like a drug, needing a fix more than my next breath.
As we enter the diner, I spot the couple immediately and grin. Placing my hand on Charlotte’s back, I lead her toward the table. Melody hasn’t changed. Her brown hair is tied in a bun on the top of her head, and her red lips curve into a smile when she spots us.
“Well, look who it is.” Melody laughs. “I thought you’d vanished into thin air.”
“I know, I’ve been a shit friend. I’m sorry.” She stands and pulls me into a hug as Scott does the same to Charlotte.
“You’re forgiven.” Turning to Charlotte, she grins as she says, “And you must be Charlotte. Scott’s told me about how you’re classing up this bum.” She bumps her hip into mine, and I shake my head in exasperation.
“Hey, be nice. Charlotte, this is Melody. She’s Scott’s caregiver.”
Scott guffaws at my comment and pulls Melody back into the booth they were occupying. Motioning for Charlotte to sit opposite, I slide in after her.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she offers, folding her hands in her lap as she takes in the place. It’s not some fancy restaurant, but it’s one of our favourite places. I used to come here with my grandparents during the summers. With its bright red booths and white tables, it reminds me of a set from Grease. The jukebox in the corner is always in use and while this place is never packed, I’ve never seen it empty either.
“You too. So how did you end up in our little town? Scott said your brother is a friend of Ollie’s?” Melody definitely hasn’t changed. She’s still as nosey as the first night Scott and I met her in that club where she worked behind the bar.
“I was looking for a change of scenery, and Ollie was looking for cheap labour,” she jokes, and I bump my shoulder with hers in protest.
“Cheap? Miss ‘You need a top of the range coffee machine, no one drinks instant’.” She rolls her eyes in exasperation, and I have to bite back my laugh. She’s adorable.
“Girl has a point,” Melody pipes up, politely flagging down the waitress so we can order some drinks.
“Thank you!” Charlotte says in triumph, sticking her tongue out at me like a child and making me chuckle.
By the time our food arrives, conversation is flowing easily and Melody and Charlotte are getting along great. Sure their common interest is mocking me, but
if it takes the slump out of her shoulders, she can make fun of me all she likes.
It may have been their wedding, the last time that I saw them together, but they’re clearly every bit as in love as then. Scott’s hand seems to be permanently attached to her thigh, and she wastes no opportunity to press a kiss to his lips.
When Charlotte asks how they met, Melody tells her their little love story. How they were destined to be together. I’ve heard it more times than I can count, but even I have to admit that it was fate. They’re the definition of soulmates.
As Scott and I pay the bill, I’m sad to see the night end. I’ve missed these guys more than I realised.
“There’s a fair on tonight, we could check it out?” I suggest, reluctant for the night to end, and remembering driving past it on the way here. Scott shakes his head apologetically.
“We’d love to, man. But it’s been a long ass day. I think we’re just going to crash.”
We say goodbye in the parking lot and promise not to leave it so long next time. Charlotte hugs Melody and they exchange numbers, with Melody promising to dish all the dirt on me to her new partner in crime.
The fair is in full swing by the time we arrive. There are people everywhere, laughing and having a good time. The colourful lights, electric atmosphere, and cacophony of noise from the crowd is captivating. Leading Charlotte straight to the mobile coffee truck, I order us a coffee each.
She gratefully accepts her drink and I lead her through the crowd, keeping my hand on her back. It feels natural, being with her. Like everything is where it should be.
“This is quite something,” she says, taking in our surroundings. Stalls line both sides of the walkway, offering refreshments or the chance to win prizes. Kids line up outside of the rides in excitement and coloured lights are everywhere, lighting up the place. The smell of grilling meat and popcorn fills the air.