I thank her and follow the guys out with Liam’s arm linked through mine. He seems so thrilled that he won their bet. The more I think about it, the funnier it is, and I start giggling as soon as we’re outside.
“I can’t believe you guys really bet on that!”
Elliot laughs. “We bet on everything, but that was more fun than our usual shit.” He ruffles up my hair, and I’m still not sure if I love that or hate it. “I seriously underestimated how much of a nerd you are. I only guessed five!”
Grayson shakes his head. “After seeing your face when you realized where we were, I thought for sure you’d get as many as possible. I even asked the librarian the max amount you were allowed to check out. Which is twenty, apparently.”
I lean into Liam and smile up at him. I’m secretly glad he won, since he was sweet enough to pay for the arcade and ice cream earlier. He smiles back, and I tell him and the other guys, “Thank you for bringing me here.”
Arthur
I’m leaving work late again today, as usual. I can’t believe it’s almost six already. I always knew I sucked at this parenting thing. Luckily, Sebastian’s a pretty independent and self-sufficient kid. But now with Charlotte at home, I feel like I’m back at square one, and I have no idea what to say or do anymore. I can’t even remember the last time I went grocery shopping, so I have no idea if there’s anything for them to eat at home. I guess I can just order a pizza again.
I dial Sebastian’s number through the Bluetooth in the car to check if the guys are coming over for dinner or not. They’ve been pretty sparse around the house all week after I told Sebastian to give Charlotte some space. I didn’t necessarily mean they couldn’t come over and hang out anymore. I was just afraid they might overwhelm my niece while she was still settling in.
I sigh mournfully to myself. Every time I look at Charlotte, I feel so incredibly guilty. My brother Edmund and I used to be so close, and I know I didn’t try nearly hard enough to check in on his wife and daughter after he passed. I can blame my own grief, or say I was distracted because I met Adelaide not too long after, but it doesn’t make a difference.
Ava and Evelyn keep telling me it will work out, that I’m doing a great thing by taking her in and caring for two teenagers completely on my own. It doesn’t feel like I’m doing anything great at all. I wish I knew how I could do more.
Sebastian’s phone goes to voicemail, and I feel a slight jolt of panic. He always answers his phone, no matter where he is or what he’s doing. I dial the number once more just to be sure, but again it rings and rings until it goes to voicemail.
I’m still about fifteen minutes from the house. Should I call Grayson or one of the other guys? He’s probably with at least one of them. Charlotte’s most likely at home. She should be able to tell me whether Sebastian is home or not, at the very least. Even as I begin calling her number, I feel guilty yet again. I’ve been busy working all week. I know she’s probably starting to feel cooped up at the house, not knowing anyone or having any friends yet. I should talk to Sebastian. Maybe he should take her to hang out somewhere without all the guys first so she’s a little more comfortable? Sebastian hasn’t acted like he’s bothered by her being there, but is it too much to ask him to try and be her friend? God, I don’t know!
Charlotte answers on the third ring. “Hello?”
“Charlotte!” I’m so relieved she answered. I’m sure she can hear the panic and desperation in my voice. “Hey, I’m on my way home, but I was trying to call Sebastian and he didn’t answer. Do you happen to know if he’s home or where he’s at?”
“Oh, sure...he’s right here.” There’s a slight pause before she speaks in a slightly muffled voice. “Sebastian, Arthur’s on the phone. He said you didn’t answer when he tried to call you.”
I’m honestly taken aback. Charlotte has barely spoken to me all week. It’s nearly impossible to get full sentences out of the girl. I also haven’t seen or heard her and Sebastian talk at all, aside from the first night she was here, and when Evelyn brought her home after shopping last weekend.
There’s a shuffling sound and then Sebastian’s voice. “Arthur? Sorry, I think I might have left my phone in Liam’s car. What’s up?”
I breathe out a sigh of relief. “You scared the shit out of me for a second. You always answer your phone. I was just calling to see if I should pick up dinner on my way home. Are the guys over tonight or not?”
Sebastian doesn’t answer right away, making me worry. But then he laughs. “Uh, yeah, they’re here right now. But you don’t need to get dinner. We’re cooking! Well, I mean, Charlotte’s cooking, but we’re trying to help!”
There’s laughter in the background and one of the guys shouts, “She doesn’t want your help! You burn everything!”
I’m legitimately confused. I must be misunderstanding something. “What do you mean Charlotte is cooking?”
“She said she wanted to. She made breakfast for us this morning, and she offered to make dinner too. We went to the grocery store earlier and everything.”
I can’t begin to understand how this situation came about, and I breathe out in exasperation. “Please tell me you didn’t ask Charlotte to cook for you and your friends. Please tell me you’re not taking advantage of her like that!”
“What? No!” He sounds defensive. “It’s not like that at all. I told her a million times she didn’t have to cook. You can even ask her! Charlotte, can you please tell Arthur we’re not forcing you to cook for us or some messed up shit like that?”
I wince at hearing him talk to her when he sounds so frustrated like that. I’m sure she feels like she’s being put on the spot.
“Arthur.” Charlotte’s voice sounds clearer and less mumbled than I’ve heard all week. “I promise it was my idea to cook. They all tried to talk me out of it, but I told Sebastian you guys eat out too much and there was only, like, frozen dinners in the freezer. I hope you’re not mad. I bought the groceries with the card you gave me.”
Well, she’s not wrong about the frozen dinners and eating out too much. But I’m still in shock that she’s cooking and talking and apparently hanging out with Sebastian and his friends? She sounds like a normal kid on the phone.
“No, no. I’m not mad! So, you and Sebastian are getting along?”
“Um, yeah. I mean, we hung out all day.”
I can’t help smiling in relief. I guess that’s one less thing I have to worry about. If she and Sebastian are spending time together willingly, then I won’t have to awkwardly push them together, hoping they might make friends. Evelyn was pretty confident Sebastian, Grayson, and the other guys would make friends with Charlotte naturally, but after talking to Anne and reading Charlotte’s file, I wasn’t so sure.
“That’s great! I’m so proud of you guys!” I cringe once the words are out of my mouth. Before she can respond or I can think of something equally lame to say, I quickly try to end the conversation. “Well like I said, I’m on my way home, so I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
I hang up the phone as soon as she says goodbye. So, maybe I am a huge dork, and I definitely have no idea what I’m doing or how to be a dad, or the right way to deal with all the shit these kids have been through. But this feels like progress, or at least a step in the right direction.
When I pull up to the house a few minutes later, I see Liam’s SUV parked behind Sebastian’s car. I know Charlotte sounded okay on the phone, and I really am happy to hear that Sebastian and his friends are trying to make her feel welcome. But after everything she’s been through, I really hope they’re not stressing her. They’re all good kids, but they can be loud and rowdy sometimes.
I can hear the kids laughing as I walk up to the door. When I step inside, I don’t see them sitting around the TV playing video games like I usually do. Instead, they’re in the kitchen. Sebastian, Remy, and Liam are at the island, Elliot is sitting on the counter, and Grayson is standing near Charlotte at the stove. And whatever the kids are making smel
ls delicious.
Nobody looks up as I close the door behind me and hang up my keys. I feel awkward, like I’m interrupting something. Which is ridiculous because this is my house and I’m the adult here. While I’m walking over to the kids in the kitchen, Charlotte smacks Grayson’s hand when he reaches over her towards whatever it is she’s making.
“I swear to god, Grayson! You’re about to be banished from the kitchen!”
The guys laugh, and I’m stuck staring at them in shock. I guess I’ve gotten so used to Charlotte being as quiet as a mouse that it’s jarring to hear her say something in a normal tone of voice.
“But it smells so good,” Grayson whines. “I just want to taste it.”
I clear my throat to get their attention, and six heads simultaneously turn in my direction. Liam laughs in surprise and tells me, “Holy shit, dude. You’re almost as quiet as Charlotte.”
I chuckle and take a seat next to the guys at the island. “I think you were too distracted to hear me come in. What are you making anyways? It smells fantastic.”
Charlotte gives me a bashful smile and pushes her glasses up on her nose. Wait. Since when does she wear glasses? They look like something my grandmother would have worn. I’m about to ask her what’s up with them, but I quickly bite my tongue in case this is just some weird fashion statement I’m too old to understand.
“It’s just teriyaki chicken and rice. Nothing special.”
Elliot leans over and ruffles Charlotte’s hair. “Shut up, gorgeous. You’re an amazing cook!”
She swats his hand away and laughs. “You haven’t eaten it yet!”
He shrugs, smiling at me and then Charlotte. “Yeah, but I know it’s going to be good judging by the smell and by breakfast this morning. I’m totally going to marry you someday.”
Grayson shoves Elliot, causing him to fall off the counter. The other guys snicker at his expense, but I’m not overly worried. They always play pretty rough with each other. I am worried about something else entirely, however.
I’m such an idiot that I didn’t even consider the possible repercussions of having a teenage boy and a teenage girl in the house together. They’re not related in any real way, and they didn’t grow up together. Charlotte is a pretty girl, even though I keep thinking of her as the small, timid nine-year old I last saw at my brother’s funeral. She’s so quiet now, and she’s seemed so fragile since I picked her up from the youth detention center in Durham the other day. I keep picturing that same little girl every time I look at her.
It didn’t even occur to me that Sebastian or his friends might be interested in her like that. I’m a complete idiot! They’re sixteen years old. Of course they’re interested in a cute sixteen-year old girl. Sebastian has never brought a girl home before or ever mentioned any girls from school. I mean, I’ve talked to him about sex and given him condoms, but it never seemed like a really big issue. And as far as I know, the other four boys don’t have much experience with girls either.
I know Elliot is probably just joking around, but I can’t help watching him and the other kids in horror. Should I say anything? What about Charlotte? I have no idea if her mother or anyone else ever talked to her about dating or sex, or if it’s okay for me to say anything. Should I give her rules for dating? Jesus Christ, I’m totally freaking out.
Sebastian nudges me and lowers his voice. “Hey, are you alright?”
I force a smile and nod, keeping my voice low while the other kids continue laughing and talking. “Yeah, just tired. It was a long day. What did you guys do today?”
He keeps looking at me like he can tell something else is on my mind. He’s so goddamn intuitive sometimes. It can drive me crazy. As corny as it sounds, Sebastian is my best friend in the world. I relax and smile, showing I really am interested in hearing about his day.
He shrugs his shoulders and smiles back. “Well, after breakfast, we took Charlotte downtown. We went to the comic book store, the arcade, and got ice cream. After that, we went to the library and the grocery store before coming home.”
I raise my eyebrows and laugh, assuming he’s joking. “Right, like you guys willingly went to the library during your summer break.”
Remy leans forward around Sebastian and chuckles like he’s amused with me. “Charlotte likes to read. We went for her.”
“Yeah, she’s fucking crazy!” Grayson laughs, waving his arms around. “We were there for, like, an hour and she got twelve books! Twelve!”
Charlotte giggles, and the guys excitedly tell me more details about their day. They include Charlotte so naturally, like her hanging out with them is the most normal thing in the world. She talks a little bit, but she laughs a lot. All of my worries slowly disappear as I watch and listen to them. Evelyn was right about them being friends, and about Charlotte coming out of her shell once she felt more comfortable. I’ll still need to figure out how to set some boundaries between Sebastian and Charlotte, but for the first time all week, I’m confident things are going to be okay.
Chapter Twelve
The guys leave pretty soon after we finish eating dinner and watching Thor: Ragnarok. Grayson was summoned home first, and the other three boys didn’t stick around long after that. They gave me hugs and promised to see me tomorrow, which I thought was really sweet. I’m afraid for the day to end, just in case things go back to the way they were before.
Sebastian ran upstairs a second ago, and I decide I should clean up the kitchen. I was afraid I wouldn’t make enough food for Arthur, the boys, and me. Surprisingly, there’s some left, so I look for a Tupperware container I can put the leftovers in, and call out to Arthur in the living room.
“Hey Arthur. Do you think you might eat this for lunch tomorrow? It’s totally fine if you don’t. I just want to make sure before I throw it away.”
Arthur looks up from the television and beams at me. “Yeah, sure! Where’d you learn to cook anyways? I’m completely useless in the kitchen.”
I shrug and start filling the plastic container, happy the food’s not going to waste. “My mom never cooked, and I got really tired of eating microwave junk all the time. I just sort of started cooking one day. But I’ve never cooked for anyone other than myself before.”
“Well, as great as that was, I hope you know I don’t expect you to cook every meal. Especially not for all of the guys.” He rubs the back of his neck and leans forward on the couch before looking at me with a nervous smile. “And please tell me if you ever think they’re being bossy. They’re not used to talking to girls.”
Sebastian walks in and glares at Arthur. “Hey! That’s not true. We talk to girls all the time!”
Arthur smirks. “Grayson’s moms don’t count.”
I’m giggling uncontrollably as Sebastian walks over to the couch and playfully shoves Arthur. “Whatever! I don’t see you talking to any girls either, buddy.”
The two of them“start rough-housing, bantering back and forth. It’s cute to see them like this. I know they’re close, but they’ve been tip-toeing around me all week instead of acting how they normally would. I watch them play for a few seconds, and then I start unloading the dishwasher so I can wash the dishes we used tonight.
I’ve only put a couple of plates away when Sebastian rushes into the kitchen and waves his hands towards me in alarm. “Whoa, what are you doing?”
I blink at him in shock and stare at the plate in my hands. “Um, I’m doing the dishes?”
He shakes his head in exasperation and takes the plate out of my hands. “No! No way are you cleaning up our mess after you made dinner like that. I’ll do the dishes.”
I roll my eyes and go to grab another clean dish from the washer while he’s putting the plate away. “Don’t be ridiculous. We can at least do it together.”
Before I’m able to grab another dish, Sebastian picks me up from behind with his arms around my waist and stomach. My heart flips at feeling his strong arms around me like that without warning, causing me to go totally immobile.
>
Sebastian laughs and walks towards the bar stools on the other side of the island. “Elliot was right. You do weigh practically nothing!”
“What are you doing?” I ask, wiggling to try to escape his hold.
He plops me down on a stool and grins at me like a little kid. “Just stay here while I clean up the kitchen, alright?” When I continue staring at him like he’s a mental person, he quickly adds, “Um, please?”
I stare at him without blinking, trying to look stern. But he doesn’t blink either, and those damn mismatched eyes are so mesmerizing that I sigh in defeat and push my glasses up on my nose. “Fine.”
He looks so satisfied with himself it’s ridiculous. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look happier to do chores, and I can’t help laughing while he unloads the dishwasher. I swivel around in my seat to smile at Arthur, but I’m taken aback to see him staring at Sebastian and me in utter horror.
My heart drops as I try to figure out what I did wrong. He quickly shakes the expression off when our eyes meet and he gets up to walk into the kitchen. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he crosses his arms and leans against the counter between the island and the sink so he can face us.
“I, uh, I need to talk to you guys about something?”
He says it like a question and grimaces afterward, making me even more nervous. Does he not want us hanging out together? Or...oh god, does he want me to leave?
Sebastian goes still and stares at him in alarm. He slowly says, “Okay...”
Arthur tries to smile, but he looks so freaking nervous. I can see every emotion clearly on his face. “So, um, Charlotte, I made a doctor’s appointment for you tomorrow morning. And then we’re heading over to the high school at 10:30 to get you enrolled in classes. I’m not sure how long that will take, talking to the counselor and whatnot. The principal said he would have another student come in to give you a tour and show you where your classes will be.”
Smile Like You Mean It (Charlotte Reynolds Book 1) Page 12