“Where are we going?” he asked.
“I’m not certain. Gran got to pick the restaurant and its likely going to be Black Angus. She loves that place.”
“You know I don’t care for places like that.”
“I know, but they have a big menu and I’m sure you can find something acceptable.” She felt his fingers begin to loosen on her sweater. “I’ll ride with you and Charlie can drive Gran in
the Bronco.”
Thomas arched his eyebrows and slightly smirked. “That would be acceptable.”
“Good, good.” She latched onto his arm and moved towards the door.
When they got downstairs, Gran was waiting with Charlie, who’d changed into a tan pair of jeans and the flannel shirt he’d bought earlier in the day. He still wore his jean jacket. She found it difficult not to look at him.
“So, Thomas is coming with us.” She glanced at Charlie. “Would you drive Gran in my SUV?”
“Sure.”
“Great, let me get the keys.” She headed to the coat hanger and pulled her jacket off the hook. She took the keys out of her pocket and handed them to him. “Where are we going?” she asked and slipped on her coat.
****
Charlie watched Lark and could tell something bothered her. She wasn’t her usual easy- going, mischievous self. She looked stiff and kept her hands folded in front of her.
Gran hooked her hand around Charlie’s arm and they walked to the Bronco. After Gran was settled and buckled into her seat, he walked around to the driver’s side. He slid in, moved the seat back and started the engine.
He backed the SUV out to the road and pulled forward slowly until he saw the Lexus headlights in the rearview mirror. Charlie noticed Gran fumble with something around her feet. “Is everything okay over there?” he asked.
She looked over at him and smiled. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She sighed and sat back in her seat. “I don’t like that Thomas very much. It seems like whenever he’s here from Denver, Lark is on edge.” She looked out the front window. “I never understood why she accepted that man. He seems so arrogant and stuffy. I wish I’d chosen Burger King for dinner instead of Black Angus. That would have turned him on.” She laughed.
“I think I only said five words to him and got the arrogant attitude completely. He seems like a jerk. You know Gran, Burger King works for me.”
“No, let’s do Black Angus. I love their Fire-grilled Artichoke. It’s so good. I don’t know, maybe he’s the way he is because we’re small town folks and he’s big city,” Gran said.
“If that’s the case, I’ll stick with the small town folks. We’re much warmer and friendly.”
He stopped at a red light and lost sight of the Lexus. He figured Thomas, not being familiar with the roads, might be driving slowly. He thought about waiting for them to catch up, but the light turned green and he decided to go.
They got to the restaurant parking lot and Charlie wedged the SUV into a spot as close to the front door as he could.
He helped Gran out and they walked carefully to the entrance. Charlie arranged for a table and since it was Sunday night, the place wasn’t that busy. They would only have to wait a few minutes.
Just as the hostess pulled out the menus, the door opened and Lark and Thomas entered. Thomas held on to her upper arm and steered her into the entrance. Charlie could see what looked like blood on the corner of her mouth.
Gran moved quickly to Lark. “Sweetheart, what happened?” She pulled a small package of tissues from her purse.
Lark pursed her lips together and looked down. “Dorky me, I slipped on a patch of ice getting out of the car and bit my lip.” She looked up at Charlie and he instantly knew it was a
lie. She shook her head slightly at him.
Gran took her arm. “Let’s go get it cleaned up.” She led Lark toward the ladies room and they disappeared.
The hostess led the men to a table. They sat across from each other and Charlie stared at Thomas. He felt he knew exactly what happened to Lark and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He watched Thomas reach for the wine list and glance at it.
Thomas looked up from the list at Charlie and smiled. “Fine dining,” he smirked.
Charlie wanted to fly over the table and beat this asshole into a pulp. He’d seen this kind of behavior too often with his mother not to recognize it.
The ladies returned and both men stood up to assist them. Lark sat next to Thomas.
Charlie didn’t look at her, but continued to stare at Thomas across from him. The waitress came and took their drink orders. Thomas ordered a glass of red wine, Charlie and Gran had coffee and Lark, a cup of tea.
Charlie watched as Lark started to take her coat off. Thomas turned to help her and she flinched ever so slightly. It verified his suspicions. He felt the anger build and continued to watch Thomas.
The waitress brought their drinks and pulled out a pad to take down their food orders. When she turned to Charlie, he held the menu up to her. “New York strip, medium well with a baked potato, no sides.”
Thomas laughed. “You didn’t even look at the menu.”
“I have it memorized.” Charlie frowned at him.
“Have you worked here?” Thomas asked.
“No,” Charlie answered and that was all he said.
****
Dinner seemed to drag on forever, although they only sat at the table for about an hour and a half. Charlie paid the waitress in cash and looked at Gran. “Are you ready to go home?”
“Yes, thank you for a great dinner. How did you like the artichoke?” she asked as she stood.
Charlie helped her with her coat. “It was fine. The pesto sauce was really good.”
“Yes, it was very good. Thank you, Mr. Stone. You really didn’t have to pay for all of it, but it was an interesting meal,” Thomas said. He stood next to Lark who struggled into her coat and turned to leave.
Charlie felt worried about her and wanted desperately to talk to her. She’d barely said two words since she sat down. He really hadn’t said much himself and when Gran asked him a question he’d asked her to repeat it more than once. He felt guilty for not paying better attention, but it was all he could to keep his eyes off Lark. He wanted to go over and wrap his arms around her and to protect her from the dick sitting across from him. At one point he thought he saw tears in her eyes.
As they walked out, he heard Thomas tell Lark he was going back to Denver and she would have to ride home with her grandmother. He said he’d see her on Saturday for the dance.
Charlie got Gran into the Bronco and looked toward the Lexus. Lark and Thomas stood by the trunk. Thomas reached for her, but she stepped back and started toward the SUV.
Charlie felt fed up. He shut Gran’s door and started toward the Lexus. He walked past Lark and went straight toward the asshole. Thomas looked surprised. Charlie put his hand on the man’s shoulder and grabbed the collar of his coat. He pulled him close and moved him to the driver’s door.
“Let me explain something to you, fuckhead. If you ever so much as think of hurting Lark again, there will be consequences to pay.” Charlie shoved him against the car.
“Get your hands off me,” Thomas said and struggled against Charlie’s hold.
“I just want to make sure you understand what I’m saying clearly. If you ever touch her again, you will pay for it.”
“She is my fiancée, Mr. Stone. I can do what I like.”
“See, you’ve got that all wrong,” Charlie said between clenched teeth. “If you do whatever you want, then I will become angrier than I am now. I have experience with making people stop breathing. So if you want that, just try me. I’d be more than happy to attend your funeral.”
He let go of the coat and saw the look on Thomas’s face. He
felt he’d gotten through to the bastard maybe just a little. “Drive carefully, asshole. I have friends in big rigs out there who would love to take you out head-on,” he said and turned.
“Is that a threat, Mr. Stone?”
Charlie heard that and laughed. He turned back to Thomas. “If that’s the way you want to take it, then fine, but remember what city you’re in. I have friends here, too.” He walked back and saw Lark still stood in the same place. “I just wanted Thomas to know how nice it was to meet him.” He smiled at her and held out his arm.
Chapter Fifteen
When they got back to Gran’s, Charlie saw the ladies into the house and then said goodnight. He told them he needed to take Breaker out for a walk, and left.
Lark and Gran took off their coats and moved into the kitchen.
“That was a nice dinner. Would you like a cup of tea, sweetheart?” Gran asked and started to fill the kettle.
Lark sat at the table. “Yeah, no, I’d rather have some cocoa. I want to sleep tonight.” She moved the sleeve on her arm a little and looked at her wrist. She saw a bruise forming and when Gran approached, she moved it back down. Her grandmother sat next to her and crossed her hands. “Gran, why did my mom call me the stupid name of Larkspur?”
“It isn’t stupid. It’s a beautiful, wild mountain flower. Your mom loved wild flowers so much. She said when she first saw you that you were so beautiful that Larkspur was the only name she could think of. I’m just glad she didn’t call you Bistort or Tansy Astor. Those would have been really strange names.”
The kettle started to whistle and Gran got back up and poured. She brought the cups over and set one in front of Lark.
“Thanks, Gran.” She picked up the cup and blew on it, taking a sip.
“Lark, what happened on your way to dinner? Did you and Thomas have an argument?”
Lark looked at her and wondered how much to tell. “Yeah, we had an argument. Gran, he hit me.” Her eyes welled up. “It was my fault. I smarted off to him and...”
“Lark, no.” Gran stood and wrapped her arms around her granddaughter. “Oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry.”
She didn’t think she would cry, but she did and having Gran’s arms around her made her feel safe. She leaned forward and got a napkin out of the holder. “It’s not your fault either. There’s no reason for you to be sorry, Gran.” She sniffed and tried to get the waterworks stopped.
Gran sat back down and held onto Lark’s hand. She wished she hadn’t said anything, her grandmother looked so worried.
“Has he done that to you before?”
“Yes, a couple of times.” Lark hated telling this secret to her grandmother, but she didn’t want to lie to her either. She needed to be honest now that Thomas had done this on several occasions. “Gran,” she looked up, “I don’t think there’s going to be a wedding at the end of the month.” She blew her nose and wiped her cheeks again. “There’s been something brewing for a while now and I have to finally be honest with myself, I don’t love Thomas. I should never have accepted his proposal.”
“I’m glad, sweetheart. I have to be honest, too. I have never really cared for him all that much. He always seems fake and at times he’s treated me like I didn’t know which side the butter went on the toast.”
“Yeah, he did that to me, too.”
“Why did he hit you tonight?”
Lark took in a deep breath and felt warmth start in her cheeks and spread down her neck.
“Why are you blushing, sweetheart?”
Lark looked up and thought Okay, she’s an adult, just tell her. “On the trip back from the Gorge today, Charlie and I had a moment.” She didn’t want to go into too many details.
“A moment?” Gran’s eyebrows came together and then rose as her eyes opened wide. “Oh...a moment. Did you two make love?”
“No, we didn’t go that far, but we enjoyed an extremely hot moment and if Thomas hadn’t been here when we got home, we would have.”
Gran stood up and walked to her coat. She pulled Lark’s bra out of the pocket. “This got tangled under my boots when we left for dinner.” She handed it to Lark. “You may want to throw it into the wash.”
“Thanks. I wondered where it went. Thomas could tell I wasn’t wearing it and asked me why. Silly me, I wanted to be honest and he asked me some other questions that aren’t appropriate for normal people and I made a smart aleck remark.” She squeezed her grandmother’s hand. “Please, don’t tell Charlie. He went through so much with his parents and I don’t want him thinking about all that.”
“Sweetheart, I may be way out in left field, but I believe Charlie already knows.”
“What?” Lark sat up straight.
“He didn’t say as much, but during dinner he looked mad enough to eat bolts. I tried to talk to him and he said that he didn’t have anything to add to the conversation. I think he probably knew when you walked in the door with blood on your lip.”
“Yeah, and that’s more than likely why he walked Thomas to his car door.” She put her head into her hands and shook. Her eyes were closed and she thought she might have a mental
break down. “Damn. Poor Charlie. What have I gotten him involved with?”
“Lark, you know I love you very much, but there are times when you’re a little dense.”
She opened her eyes and looked up at Gran.
“Charlie has been nuts about you for years. Anything you asked of him, he’d do his utmost to accomplish. I also think he wants to protect both of us. He acted that way when he was a kid and it’s part of his nature, I think.”
Lark sat back in her chair. “I’ve got to get some sleep. Hopefully things will be clearer in the morning.” She stood up and kissed her grandmother’s head. “Night, Gran.”
“If you want to talk some more, I’ll be up for a while.”
She went up the stairs and started to take off her clothes. She looked at her breast. When Thomas stopped the car on their way to the restaurant she’d felt very scared. After he hit her in the face, he’d hit her chest, grabbed her breast and squeezed hard. It hurt so very badly and when she’d started hitting at him to release it, he’d grabbed her wrist and nearly pulled her arm off. The bruise on her wrist ran up her forearm and was almost to her elbow. The bruise on her chest seemed to have gotten bigger.
She shook her head and put on her fleece top. She crawled under the covers and clutched at one of her pillows. “Please, God, let me get a decent night’s sleep.”
Chapter Sixteen
Charlie walked up to Gran’s back door with Breaker at his side and knocked. When the door opened part way, Gran stood with a dish towel in her hand. He and Breaker just stood there and looked at her. He wasn’t sure what to say and cleared his throat.
“I want to apologize to you, Gran. I think I was a little rude at dinner and you didn’t deserve that. I’ll have to make it up to you and Lark.”
“Charlie, no apology is necessary. Why don’t you two come in out of the cold?” She opened the door all the way and the wolf strolled in.
“I still can’t get the fire started. Can we do one more night on your very warm and comfortable couch?” He said and closed the door behind him.
“Of course you can. I wouldn’t be happy if you caught pneumonia.”
Charlie took his coat off and hung it up. He looked at Breaker who danced around Gran’s legs.
“Hello, there Mr. Breaker. Would you like a treat?” Gran rubbed behind his ears and the wolf sat down on her foot. “I got on the Internet and found a recipe for doggy treats. I made a batch this afternoon.”
“Gran, I think you’ve made a friend for life.” Charlie smiled at her.
She walked back to the sink. “Breaker was a good wolf earlier, weren’t you? He protected me from that nasty mean man.” She looked
up at Charlie. “Why don’t you go up and talk to Lark? She went up about ten minutes ago. I don’t think she’s asleep yet.”
“I don’t want to bug her, Gran. I’m sure she has a lot to think about.”
“Charlie.” She walked up to him and turned him toward the hallway. “Go on. I can tell by the look on your face, you want to check on her.”
“Am I that transparent?”
She laughed. “You’re a man in love, honey. It’s written all over your actions.”
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thank you. Breaker, stay. Protect this fine lady,” he said to the wolf. Breaker woofed at him and sat next to Gran.
Charlie headed up the stairs and stopped in front of Lark’s door. He lightly knocked and heard her say, “What?” He opened the door and stepped into the dark room.
“Lou, if you want me to leave, I will,” he said. She was quiet for a moment and then he heard her move and turn on the bedside lamp. He watched her look up at the ceiling and shake her head.
He could tell she’d been crying and it made him want to put his arms around her and give her some comfort, but he didn’t know if that was what she needed.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I will be. What did you say to Thomas?”
Charlie nodded and sat on the foot of her bed. “The basics of it were that I enjoy attending funerals.”
Lark frowned at him. “You threatened him.”
“I made him a promise. I knew what happened the minute I saw you at the restaurant.
Sorry, Lou, but it’s not acceptable for people I care about to be treated so bad.”
“I appreciate that.” She pulled down the sheets on the other side of the bed and patted it. “Shoes off, Ducky. You’re too far away from me.”
Charlie took off his boots and flannel shirt. He wore a long-sleeved thermal undershirt.
“If you’re wearing long john’s you can take off your jeans, too.”
Love's Embers (Canon City Series) Page 11