by Nicole Ellis
“You need to get that looked at.”
She wanted to protest but knew that he was right. It had been a wonderful first date, ending in the worst way imaginable.Spending the evening at the doctor’s office probably wasn’t what he’d had in mind for their date.
She sighed and said reluctantly, “The clinic in Candle Beach should still be open. You can drop me off there and I can call someone to pick me up when I’m done. I’m sure you have better things to do tonight.” She peeked at him from under the doorframe, hoping he’d object to her offer.
He studied her face. “Are you kidding me? I’m not going to leave you there alone. What would Parker say if I left his injured little sister alone at the clinic? I’m pretty sure he’d want to beat the tar out of me.”
She smiled faintly. He did care about her. “Well, I wouldn’t want that to happen. I guess you’d better come with me.”
He rested his hand on her shoulder, sending tingles down her spine. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He shut the car door and walked over to the driver’s side, then drove her to the clinic to get checked out.
11
“These have to be the longest set of stairs I’ve ever seen.” Charlotte stared up at her apartment from mid-flight. The stairs seemed to have grown since she’d last been there.
Luke laughed. “I’m pretty sure it’s a normal staircase. Are you sure you don’t want help going up?” He held up her crutches in one hand. “I’ve got an extra arm.”
“No, I’m fine.” She pulled herself up another step in an awkward hopping motion. Finally, they reached the top and Luke handed her the crutches.
He helped her to sit down on the couch with her leg outstretched and her foot on the coffee table.
She sighed. “Sorry, this wasn’t a great date.”
He smiled gently at her. “Don’t worry about it. I had fun. Well, up until you got hurt.”
“At least it’s just a sprain. I should be off those things in a few days.” She wrinkled her nose at the crutches he’d propped against the side of the couch within her reach.
“Do you need anything else? Maybe something to eat?” He hovered over her, making her unsettled.
He’d been so sweet to her the whole time after she’d been injured and in the Candle Beach Clinic. Although this date had definitely had its downsides, she didn’t want it to end.
“I am still hungry. Maybe we could get takeout.”
“Chinese?” he asked. “We never got our Chinese food.”
“Perfect. We can eat Chinese food and watch a movie here.” She peered up at him. “Would that work for you?”
“Fine with me. I didn’t really want to leave you here right away without making sure you were going to be okay anyway.”
They placed their takeout order with Lu’s, and Luke went to get it when it was ready. On the way out, Alistair poked his head out from behind the couch and Luke waved a finger at him.
“I’m going to open this door slowly. Don’t even think about making a break for it.” He eased himself out the door and shut it behind him before the cat could follow.
Charlotte stifled a giggle at his overly exaggerated movements. “Alistair, come here.” The cat ran to her and jumped up on the couch, rubbing his silky fur against her hand, then kneading her legs with his paws.
While he was gone, Charlotte flipped through the movie selections on the TV, settling on a romantic comedy she hadn’t seen in years. After spending so much time with Luke that day and evening, the apartment seemed rather lonely with him gone. She hadn’t realized how much time she’d spent by herself lately, with only Alistair for companionship.
A couple minutes later, she heard him come up the stairs.
“I’ve got rice, General Tso’s, sweet and sour pork, and broccoli beef,” he announced. “Do you want to eat at the table or on the couch?”
She eyed the table. Too far. “Let’s eat here.” She patted the seat next to her. “Can you grab some plates out of the cupboard?”
He brought the food over to her and went back into the kitchen for plates and silverware.
“Did you find something to watch?”
“I did.” She grinned. “How do you feel about eighties brat pack movies?”
“Uh, I hate to admit it, but I’ve never seen any.”
“Ooh,” she squealed. “You’re missing out. We’ll have to change that.” Then she quieted. While the thought of watching many more movies with Luke appealed to her, she didn’t know if she was being too presumptuous.
“I can’t wait.” He smiled and sat down next to her on the couch. His weight settling in on the old cushions caused her to fall toward him slightly. He put his arm against the back of the couch, almost touching her shoulders and she nonchalantly rested her head against his arm. Being this close to him, she was acutely aware of how much she was enjoying being with him.
They finished the Chinese food and the movie, then turned the TV off and leaned back against the couch cushions.
“What did you think?” she turned to him and asked. He’d appeared to be engrossed by the movie, but she hoped he hadn’t been faking it.
“Of the movie?” He glanced at the blank TV. “I liked it. I’ll have to rent some of the others you were talking about.”
“I’d love to watch them again myself.” She held her breath, waiting for him to accept her implied invitation for another movie date. When he said nothing, to hide her embarrassment, she said, “I’m starting to get tired.” The adrenaline that had kept her going since spraining her ankle was wearing off.
“Do you want me to go?” He moved away from her and started to stand.
She didn’t want him to leave and grabbed for his hand. “No. Wait.”
He stopped. “Did you need something?”
“I was thinking about having a cup of coffee. Did you want one?”
“Sure.”
“Can you help me to the kitchen?” she asked.
He reached his arm out and helped her hop over to the kitchen table, then busied himself with making a pot of coffee. Charlotte watched him expertly grinding the beans and filling the reservoir with water. I could get used to this, she thought. It had been a long time since she’d been on a date or had a man in her apartment, but she was enjoying having him around.
He sat down at the table while they waited for the coffee to brew.
“How long have you lived here?” he asked, looking around.
“About eight months. I used to live in Gretchen’s house when I first moved to Candle Beach, and before that, in an apartment in Haven Shores.”
“Do you like it here?”
“I love it.” Joy rushed through her. “I can’t even remember what it was like to live anywhere else. The people here are so nice and I’ve made friends that I know I can count on. That’s something you don’t find elsewhere.” She looked at him. “What about you? Are you liking it here? It must be a big change from San Francisco.”
“It is, but I’m enjoying it. Things there didn’t seem quite real, almost like I was living someone else’s life. Having the food truck and producing something that people enjoy has been life changing.”
“Wow. That’s a big endorsement for the positive effects of owning a food truck.”
He shrugged. “It’s true. I love what I do.”
He stood to pour coffee for them and set a cup in front of her.
“Thanks,” she said, wrapping her hands around the cup.
They talked for a while longer about his plans for the food truck, and her art, then he stood to go. She pulled out her crutches and stood too, leaning against the kitchen table with her left foot hovering above the linoleum floor.
“I had a nice time,” he said.
“Minus the visit to the clinic?” she teased.
“Yeah, besides that.” He moved closer to her and her breath caught.
Was he going to kiss her? Her heart beat faster as she waited for him to make a move. He reached for her, then leaned down
and kissed her—on the cheek.
She fought the urge to scream. The date had been going well, so what had happened? Had he changed his mind about her? Was this because she was Parker’s little sister? She’d finally found someone that she liked, and who was interested in her, and now she’d just been pushed back into the friend zone.
He stepped back. “Did I do something wrong?”
Yes? No? She didn’t know what to say. Fine. She was just going to have to call him out on it.
“Is it because I’m Parker’s sister?”
“Is what?”
“The reason my goodnight kiss became a peck on the cheek?” Heat rose under the collar of her long-sleeve shirt, but she wasn’t backing down now. She met his gaze head-on.
His smiled at her. “Not at all. I was trying to be polite, this being our first date and all.”
She sighed. She didn’t want to have to wait to see if she’d imagined their chemistry after all these years. “Try again.”
This time, he leaned in and let his lips graze hers ever so slightly, but stayed there, tantalizing her for a few seconds. When he moved away, she took a deep breath and fought to gain control of her emotions.
“Better?” he asked with a gleam in his eyes.
She smiled. “Yeah, that was a little better. But you’ll have to try harder next time.”
“Oh, I will.” He stepped backward, narrowly missing Alistair, who’d decided he liked Luke and was trying to rub against his legs. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He locked the door from the inside and left. Charlotte lowered herself down to the kitchen chair she’d been sitting in before and touched her lips. They still tingled from the kiss.
“Oh, he’s going to be trouble,” she said to Alistair, who promptly ignored her and ran off into the bedroom. She sat there for a while, replaying their date. Luke had surprised her. He’d been kind and patient with her after she was injured, but he had a sense of play in him that she hadn’t anticipated. Unlike most of the men she’d dated, she could see a future with him, and she couldn’t wait to see where things went.
The Bluebonnet Café was busy when Luke stopped by to pick up some coffee and pastries to bring to Charlotte at the lot. Charlotte’s friend Angel was manning the cash register. When he and Charlotte had met for a lunch date earlier in the week, she’d introduced him to her friend, who’d then joined them for lunch.
When it was finally his turn, the line had died down and Angel greeted him warmly. “Hey, Luke.”
“Hi, Angel.” He leaned against the counter and scanned the selection of pastries in the glass bakery case. “What’s good today?”
“I recommend the cherry Danishes,” a voice from behind him said.
Angel blushed. “Of course you do,” she said to the man in a teasing voice. Then she turned back to Luke. “That’s my boyfriend, Adam. He’s a Danish-aholic. He’s rarely far from a pastry.”
Adam shot her a faux scathing glare. “Hey, that’s not fair. This time I’m here so we can go for a walk on your break.” He eyed the baked goods. “Although I could use another donut.”
Angel grinned. “So, what can I get for you?”
Luke laughed. “The Danishes do look tasty. I think I’ll take two cherry Danishes and two of those blueberry muffins, along with two cups of coffee.”
“Ah,” she said knowingly. “Are you bringing Charlotte breakfast?”
He nodded.
“That’s so nice of you,” she said as she slid his credit card into the chip reader.
“Well, it’s the least I could do after she got injured when we were out hiking together. It’s hard for her to get around, although she’s been doing better every day.” He thought back to their first date. It had been a day of strong emotions. He’d wanted to kiss her while they were looking out at the ocean, but he’d chickened out and missed his moment. Then, she’d fallen on the trail and hurt herself. Seeing her in pain had been horrifying and he’d known then how much he cared for her. He’d thought the date was ruined, but they’d salvaged it. And that kiss they’d shared right before he’d left—that had been magical.
“Hey, here’s your food.” Angel gave him an odd look that told him he’d been daydreaming for too long. She handed him two cups of coffee and his pastries. “Tell her hi from me, okay?”
“I will.”
Angel had already greeted a customer that had come in and was taking his order.
Before he could walk out the door, Adam stopped him. “Thanks for volunteering to help with the fundraiser. It means a lot to this town.”
“No problem. I’m glad to help. This is my town now too.”
Adam nodded. “Charlotte’s been canvassing everyone in town for donations.” He laughed. “She’s a hard bargainer. I offered to donate a half-page ad in the paper to advertise the event and she somehow talked me into a full-page ad and a monetary donation.”
Luke raised an eyebrow. “Impressive. Thanks for the donation.”
“Of course,” Adam smiled. “This town has stuck by me too. It wasn’t too long ago that I was having some financial problems with the newspaper, but Angel and some of her friends figured out a way to save the paper. It’s been running continuously for over a hundred years, and it would have killed me to shut it down.”
“That’s amazing.” He felt surer than ever that starting his own business in Candle Beach had been the best decision he’d ever made. He held up the cardboard coffee carrier. “I’d better get these to Charlotte before they’re cold, but thanks again for the donation.”
Adam gave him a little wave. “Enjoy the Danishes.”
12
A week and a half later, Charlotte had business in Haven Shores. Her ankle was still bothering her, so Luke drove her there. She’d had him drive her to the big box store, but she hadn’t told him what she was picking up.
“What are you getting there anyway?” he asked as he drove south on the highway to Haven Shores.
“I ordered a new computer for Whimsical Delights. My old one is dying. They were able to get me a good discount on it in the store versus what I’d pay online, so I ordered through them.”
“Okay. So, we’ll pick up your computer and then maybe go eat somewhere?”
She nodded. “Sounds good.” She twisted in the passenger seat to talk to him. “I’m so excited about this computer. It’ll make ordering new inventory and paying bills a snap. My old computer is so slow.”
“It’s surprising all of the things you need for a small business.” He’d been astounded at how many things he’d had to buy for his business that he hadn’t anticipated. The desk in his studio apartment was looking more crowded with each day that passed.
He drove into the parking lot of the office supply store and parked near the door.
“Do you want me to come in with you?” he asked.
“Nope, this shouldn’t take too long.” She eased herself out of the car and limped slightly as she walked into the store. She hadn’t used her crutches in a few days, but the ankle injury was obviously still bothering her.
He rolled down the windows and rested his arm along the car door. A soft breeze blew through the parking lot, so although the temperature was in the eighties that afternoon, it was quite pleasant. After a while, he found himself tapping his fingers against the side of the car. Where was she? She’d been gone for at least thirty minutes already.
He rolled the windows up and got out of the car, stretching his legs before entering the store. He found her at the back, talking with the salesperson.
“Hey,” he said as he came up behind her and put his arm on her back. “What’s going on?” He looked between her and the salesperson, noticing the laptop box on the counter.
The salesperson said nothing, and just looked at Charlotte.
She flushed crimson. “I was checking out the computer and then I discovered that my credit cards aren’t working. I forgot I’d bought those decorations on my card and I left my checkbook at home. I’m trying to fi
gure out how I can get back down here to buy the laptop.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. The forgotten checkbook bit was a little too familiar to him, although the women he’d dated had usually used it for little trinkets or other things they’d picked up while out on a date with him. A computer was a big purchase. However, she wasn’t like the other women he’d dated.
He pulled his credit card out of his wallet and swiped it through the credit card reader. Almost immediately, the cash register spat out a slip of paper for him to sign. He signed with a flourish and then pushed it across the counter.
“Thank you, sir,” the clerk said, handing him the receipt and the laptop box, which he’d placed in a large plastic bag.
Charlotte stared at him openmouthed. “You didn’t have to do that. I didn’t ask you to do that.”
He couldn’t tell by her tone if she was happy or upset that he’d helped.
“No problem.” He smiled at her. Had he made the right decision? He’d acted without thinking and this was a big-ticket item.
“I promise I’ll pay you back.” She held up three fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
A smile broke through his concern. He and Parker had been Eagle Scouts together and Charlotte had been required to attend way too many badge ceremonies when they were kids. He wanted to think the best of her, but a little part of him remembered how she’d been as a teenager who’d lived to spend her parents’ money. He didn’t want her to think of him as nothing but a piggy bank.
She took a deep breath. Her expression was conflicted at first, but then a look of relief crossed her face. “Thank you. I swear, I’ll pay you back as soon as we get home.”
He took her hand and squeezed it. “I’m not worried.”
She nodded.
“Did you have someplace in mind for dinner?” he asked as they got into the car.