“Yeah, but who’s going to want to come if there’s no entertainment?” Ava sighed.
“We could do a DJ,” Davis suggested.
“I already looked into it,” Ava replied. “The only DJ within fifty miles who’s available is Harry Leedale.”
“Oh no,” Charlie laughed. She glanced at Rick, who was obviously confused. “Harry Leedale is pushing eighty and his idea of dance tunes is spinning Elvis Presley and Hank Williams.” She paused. “Over and over and over. We’re lucky to get a song from any decade past the sixties.”
“I’m sure something will turn up, babe.” Davis grabbed Ava. “If not, I’ll get up there and entertain the crowd for you.”
“Good God,” Charlie said, covering her mouth in an attempt to hide the horror.
“What?” Davis replied. “I did all right at that bachelor thing a few years back.”
Charlie snorted. “Sure. If getting drunk and taking most of your clothes off is considered doing all right, then I guess you did.”
Ava giggled. “It was the highlight of my night.”
“Hey, I got the highest bid, didn’t I?”
“Yes you did. Old Mrs. McTeer paid top dollar for you,” Charlie replied wryly. “How did that work out for you?”
“Sounds like a story that I need to hear,” Rick said, tossing his empty bowl into the garbage. “But it’s going to have to wait until another time. I’m on a roll and I need to get back.”
“What is it exactly that you do?” Davis asked. “I don’t think I ever got that particular memo.”
Charlie jumped to her feet. She could practically see the wheels turning inside Davis’s head and Rick’s secret was still a secret. But Ava swooped in for the rescue and pulled Davis away.
“Jason that was rude.”
Charlie and Rick took a step back until they had a bit of privacy. Her eyes lingered on his hands, and she reached for them, running her fingers along his knuckles.
“Thanks for lunch,” she said.
“It’s the highlight of my day.”
“It’s becoming the highlight of mine as well.” She said slowly. “We’ve got leftover chili for dinner.”
“Sounds good.”
Something about those two words struck a chord inside her. There was nothing special about the words or the phrasing, but put into context, they implied intimacy.
What are we doing?
The thought slid through her mind and her eyes fell away from his. Her stomach rolled and that nervous feeling was back. Big time.
“Hey, are you okay?” His voice was gentle and his touch was like a whisper.
No.
“Yes.” Charlie nodded, leaning into the palm of his hand. “I’m just tired. It’s been a long week, and I’ve got an afternoon of paperwork to look forward to and spreadsheets aren’t exactly my favorite thing.”
“You sure that’s it?’
She nodded but Rick held her until she glanced up at him and whispered. “You should go.”
He studied her for a few more moments, a small frown on his face. “We’re good though, right?”
She nodded. “Yep. All good.”
Rick dropped a kiss to her forehead and she fought the desire to clutch at him like a child. She wanted to hold him and never let go.
He glanced over her head. “Do you need a lift, Ava? I’m heading out.”
“Hell yes. I was so mad about Back Alley that I walked right by my car and practically ran all the way over here.”
“Babe, it’s two blocks.”
She looked at Davis as if he had two heads. “Babe it’s um, freezing out there.”
“Okay, you guys have only been together a few weeks and you sound like an old married couple,” Charlie whispered, making a face.
“And?” Davis asked.
She ignored him and waved goodbye to Rick and Ava. Then she gathered up the rest of the garbage. She tidied up the workbench. She arranged her tools. She even dusted and then grabbed the large broom to sweep up the entire area.
It took a good twenty minutes and when she was done, she carefully set the broom back in its place and turned to Davis.
“Just say it.”
“What was that?” he replied, wiping his hands on a rag, eyebrows raised questioningly.
She glared at him. “You’re watching me in that way that you have.”
“I have a way?”
She wasn’t in the mood for games.
“Hell yes. I know you’ve got something to say to me so just come out and say it. That way you can get back to your Shelby, and I can go and spend a lovely afternoon in my office doing that massive pile of paperwork that I’d rather burn than deal with.”
Anger rolled over her. It was Hot and intense. Which was insane.
Charlie had to take a step back because first of all she had no idea where the hell had it come from. And secondly, to make matters worse, she was afraid that if she didn’t get her shit together she might cry.
No way was that happening.
It’s gotta be PMS.
Shoving her hands into the pockets of her coveralls, she arched an eyebrow at Davis. “Well?”
Davis ran his hands through his hair and sighed. “Look, Charlotte, I like Rick.”
“I don’t have time for a Charlotte conversation,” she complained loudly.
This wasn’t going to be good.
Davis ignored her. “I like him. Hell, he’s a good guy and the two of you seem like you’ve got something good going.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“It’s not a problem, more like a concern.”
“And that would be?”
“What is it exactly that you’re doing with him?”
“How is that any of your business?” Were they really going to do this?
“Can’t you just answer the question?” Davis was stubborn and she knew that he was dug in.
“What are you doing with Ava?” she shot back, not happy that she was being called out on something that she did not want to discuss. Especially when it was something that she’d already began to question.
“What I’m doing with Ava is different.”
“How’s it different?”
Davis’s eyes softened and damn if that big old lump didn’t find its way back inside her throat.
“What I have with Ava is different because I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. It’s different because I’m pretty damn sure that I’ve been in love with that girl for years. And I don’t want to sound like a dick or anything, but I’m pretty damn sure she feels the same way.”
Charlie was silent for a few moments. She let that anger settle a bit. Let the lump in her throat dissipate.
“Just because Rick and I aren’t in love doesn’t mean we can’t have some sort of….of…” God, what was it that they had? “I wouldn’t call it a relationship exactly, but shit Davis, adults do these things all the time. Hanging out with each other isn’t a crime. Sleeping with each other isn’t a crime.”
Davis studied her for a few moments and when he spoke, his voice was gentle, as if he was talking to a small child. “But Charlie, you don’t do casual. You never have.”
“How do you know what I will and won’t do?” she spat. “Seriously Davis. Where do get off giving me relationship advice?”
“You’re my family. It’s what I do.” Davis sighed. “I’m worried, okay? Can I be allowed to worry about you?”
“There’s no need.”
“Charlie. There is.”
She took a step back, wishing her stomach would just settle already.
“And why exactly are you worried?” she asked, but really, she knew the answer before Davis even spoke.
“I’m worried because I don’t want you to get hurt. I’m worried because as far as I can tell, Rick’s going to leave and go back to wherever the hell he’s from.” He paused. “Unless you know something that I don’t.”
She shook her head slowly.
Davis swore and sho
ved his hands into his pockets. “I’m worried, Charlie, because you’re in love with him.”
She opened her mouth, a hot denial on her tongue, but then stared at her friend with nothing to say. Because really, how could she argue with the truth?
Chapter Twenty-seven
Friday morning saw a bit of a break in the cold. There was still a substantial amount of snow on the ground, but the roads were clear and dry and the sun was shining.
Maverick should have been in a great mood. Hell, he should have been over the goddamn moon. He’d finally broken though his mental block and written some stuff. Great stuff. Good hooks and melodies he knew Donovan would be all over.
He’d met a woman who’d come out of nowhere. A woman who challenged him. A woman who made him laugh. A woman who made him crazy with desire because, hands down, she was responsible for the best sex he’d ever had.
Sure, she got under his skin. Hell, when was the last time he’d had to argue the merits of the adaptation of The Lord of The Rings? In his mind the books were okay, but the movies killed it.
He didn’t give in to her on that one, even when she played dirty and started a strip tease in an effort to get him to agree with her (she thought the movies didn’t come close to the epic greatness of the novels). Maverick held firm. He’d stood his ground because in fact, LOTR was the best damn trilogy ever made.
The truth was, Maverick was having a hell of a good time figuring her out. Or at least he was trying and up until the previous night, he’d thought he had a handle on her. But something was off. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. They’d gone to bed. They’d made love and it had been an intense coupling. He’d never felt so goddamn complete.
He’d held her for the longest time and felt as if he had the world by the balls.
But that feeling left him like air seeping from a tire. Whatever they’d shared the night before was long gone by sunrise. It was in the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn’t aware. It was in the way her eyes slid from his when they did connect. It was in that last kiss before she’d left for her shop. Something was missing. Some little piece of Charlie had vanished overnight.
So what was he going to do about it?
“Shit,” he muttered to himself. He brought his truck to a halt at the only traffic lights in town and then glanced at his cell.
“And why the hell aren’t you calling me back?” he growled at the device. He’d called Donovan as soon as Charlie left for work. Donnie was his person. His go to when things were heading south and for whatever reason, he had a feeling that things were heading south for him and Charlie.
Donovan would say the right things. She’d offer some frank, sometimes harsh advice. He’d probably bitch about it, but in the end he’d take it. Because that’s how he and Donnie rolled. They always had each other’s back.
The light changed to green and Maverick headed out of town. He needed some recording equipment and his guitar and a few other things he’d left behind at Cooper’s when he’d basically moved into Charlie’s place.
By the time he reached his brother’s home, the sun was slowly disappearing behind a significant band of nasty clouds coming in over the water. Maverick pulled the collar of his jacket up, frowning. They were definitely snow clouds.
He walked into Cooper’s house but the place was silent. Figuring his brother was out in the shop, Maverick headed that way, glancing up as a couple snowflakes hit him in the face and for the first time since he’d arrived in Fisherman’s Landing, he wasn’t liking the thought of more snow.
Was it just his mood? Or was this Californian boy in need of warmer temperatures and sun?
He pushed the door open and spied Cooper right away. His brother was sitting at the bar with his laptop in front of him and a half-gone bottle of whiskey at his side. From the looks of it, he’d been sitting in the same spot for hours. Most likely all night.
“Jesus, Cooper. Did you forget to bring a razor with you?”
“What’s it to you?” he shot back. “You look like a freaking lumberjack,” Cooper rubbed his eyes and reached for the bottle next to him. His hand hovered over it for a few seconds and then he sank back onto his stool.
“What time is it?” he asked, scrubbing at the dark blond stubble on his face.
“Time for coffee,” Maverick replied, heading to the kitchen area. “I’ll make a pot.”
His brother slid off his stool. “Good. I’m gonna shower.”
Twenty minutes later, Maverick was leaning against the bar when Cooper strode into the shop, fresh from the shower, though still unshaven.
Upon a closer look, Maverick whistled. “What the hell happened to your eye?” The bruising was fading but someone had definitely taken a shot at him.
“Mom wouldn’t like this look for us,” Maverick said as Cooper crossed the room and poured himself a cup of coffee.
“No, she wouldn’t.” Cooper said, moving over to the bar and motioning toward the bottle. “Hand me that, will ya?”
Maverick raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
“What are you, my mother?”
Maverick handed him the whiskey and watched Cooper pour a generous bit into his mug. “Hitting it a little hard aren’t you?”
Cooper shrugged and didn’t answer. Maverick studied his brother closely, noticing the fatigue and general haggardness about him.
“You okay?” Maverick asked. He knew Cooper was riding the edge of something dark and with a certain anniversary coming up, he was worried about his brother.
“Okay is not generally a term I’d use to describe things right now, but I’m hanging in.”
Cooper finished his mug and went back for seconds, filling both of their cups though Maverick refused the additional shot of whiskey.
“Have you heard from Teague?”
Cooper shook his head. “Nope, but I’m not surprised. He was in a foul mood.” Cooper pointed to his eye. “This is what I got for trying to make him stay.”
“Shit.”
“Shit is right. It was not a good scene. Aunt Eden was crying for Christ sake, and Teague looked through her.” Cooper shook his head. “It was like he wasn’t even here. Makes me think of….”
“He’s nothing like her,” Maverick said, fighting the anger that very thought created.
Cooper glanced up and Maverick’s gut clenched, because the sight of such raw pain in his brother’s eyes wasn’t something Cooper let anyone see. Would his brother ever get over the woman who’d broken him?
“No,” Cooper agreed. “I suppose he isn’t. But I sure as hell hope he makes it through whatever it is he’s fighting sooner than later because it’s hard on Eden and Noah.”
“He’s tough. He’ll get there.”
“I can tell you one thing, he’s no good around people right now. I think he needs some space and some kind of peace. And I hope he finds it before some other poor bastard meets his fist. Teague’s got a lethal hook.”
Maverick chuckled. “And he’s only got one good arm at the moment.”
Cooper grinned. “Yeah, well, I’m not the only one with a black eye. I thought Aunt Eden was gonna go after me when she caught sight of Teague.”
“You’re lucky she didn’t. You do know where he learned to throw a punch.”
The men were quiet for a few moments, each lost in thought. Cooper eventually made his way to the kitchen area and whipped up a plateful of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast.
Maverick dug in with gusto. He was nearly done with his plate when Cooper cleared his throat and sat back in his chair.
“What?” Maverick didn’t like the way his brother was looking at him.
“What’s the story with Charlie?”
Maverick glanced back at his plate, shoving his eggs around and making a general mess of what was left of his food. He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Cooper looked surprised. “What do you mean, you don’t know? You’ve basically moved in with the lady and her kid.”
“Broth
er.”
“What?”
“Connor is her brother.”
Cooper wasn’t impressed with his effort to deflect. “Okay. You’ve basically moved in with the lady and her brother. So what’s that about?” Cooper grinned. “You thinking of making this permanent?”
Maverick’s head snapped up so fast he heard the bones in his neck crack.
“Permanent? What the hell, Coop. We’ve only known each other for what, five weeks? Six?”
“And you’ve been living with her for several of them. You’ve never played house with a woman before. Hell, I don’t think you’ve ever dated a woman with a kid.”
“Brother.”
“Kid or brother. Like it makes a difference.”
Maverick sat back and stared at his plate. Permanent. Man. That was one heavy word. Sure he’d been thinking about some kind of future with her and Connor, but permanent? Hell, he’d been thinking along the lines of a long distance relationship. Or something.
“Do you love her?”
Maverick had nothing for that, which was crazy. How many songs had he written about that very thing? But real love? What exactly was it?
Cooper’s eyes narrowed. “Have you ever been in love with a woman? And we’re not counting Donovan here because we all know that was just lust.”
“Getting pretty deep here, Coop.”
His brother grinned. “Someone’s got to make sure you don’t screw things up. Just remember, there’s a big difference between lust and love.”
“What’s the difference?” Maverick didn’t ask the question because he was trying to be an asshole. He asked the question because he was curious to see what kind of sage words an acknowledged womanizer would dish out.
Cooper got up from the bar and grabbed Maverick’s plate. “The difference, brother, is that when you’re in lust with someone you’ll do whatever it takes to get them into bed because all you care about is possessing their body. Having a taste to quench your thirst so you can move on to the next one.”
Cooper took a step back and shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “But when you’re in love with someone, you’ll still do whatever it takes to get them into bed, but it’s because the next morning you want to wake up with them. You want to listen to her ideas, even the ones that are so fucking crazy you know they’ll never fly. You want to see her smile and hear her laugh. You want to know that you’re the reason for it and you hope that you get to do it day after day after day.”
Maverick Page 19