Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Finn
It’s 7 p.m. and I have to meet Charlie at Freddie’s in a half hour. Which means I’m pacing around my living room, rehearsing what I’m going to say to her.
Poor Frank’s ears keep twitching back and forth from the couch, listening to all the different variations of my rehearsed explanations.
“Hey, you’re probably wondering why I’m here. Well, you see, funny story. Ha. I’m a fucking dumbass.” I abruptly stop in the middle of my living room, pinching the bridge of my nose and shaking my head at myself. I grab my jacket and keys, practically sprinting out of the house. I can’t keep pacing around any longer or else I’ll drive myself mad.
Freddie’s is a pretty cool spot. It’s a moody pub with rustic brick walls, vintage sports memorabilia, and mismatched tables. It looks like a cross between a high-end yard sale and your grandparent’s basement—it’s incredible. I find a spot near the back corner facing the door so I can spot Charlie when she walks in. Once I sit down, the server stops by and introduces herself as Jody. She looks to be mid-fifties with bleach blonde hair and a T-shirt so tight it’s a miracle she’s able to breathe.
“You’re Donna’s nephew, right? New in town?” she asks while smacking her gum.
Just the mention of my aunt is enough to put me on edge. “Yep. Just moved here recently,” I reply. “I own the coffee shop a couple of blocks down. We just opened today, actually.”
“Oh, wow!” She smacks her gum. Again. My irritation is already beginning to rise.
“Yeah, I’m happy to be here! It’s a great town you guys have. You should stop by the shop for a coffee, on the house.”
Her eyes widen with joy as soon as the words left my lips.
Why the fuck did I just say that? I blame that online marketing course I took a month ago for my loose lips.
“Well, aren’t you a sweet thing? I’ll have to take you up on that.” She winks. As if I wasn’t already on edge enough, I’m hoping she doesn’t misconstrue my kind offer for something more.
“Well, Jody, my mom raised me right.” I flash her a quick smile. “Do you think I could get a beer? Whatever’s on tap is fine.” Then again, I may need something a bit stronger if my nerves refuse to calm down.
“Sure thing, darlin’!” She hits me with another, more seductive wink this time.
Clearly, I fucked up. Again. If this is any indication of how this night will go, I’m in for a wild ride.
I’m fidgeting now with unease, and my heart is racing a mile a minute. I look at the clock. It’s 7:27 p.m.; she could walk in at any moment. My phone buzzes with a text.
Charlie
Finding parking now, will be there in a few.
This was a mistake. Earlier at the park, I should’ve told her it was me she was meeting tonight at Freddie’s, not some random stranger. I take a few calming breaths to regulate my heartbeat. After what seems like an eternity, Jody brings my beer over, and I immediately take a large gulp of the cool, crisp liquid.
Just as I swallow, the door to the bar swings open and Charlie walks in. Her long, shiny, mahogany hair cascades over her shoulders, and she’s wearing a chocolate brown wool coat that hits just above her ankles. Charlie’s dark features pop with the warm glow of the bar surrounding her.
Simply striking.
She glances around, seemingly looking around for an unfamiliar face, and I, being the shameful idiot I am, keep my head down and refuse to make eye contact.
My heart hammers with each steady step of her boots, until they suddenly come to a halt. Out of the corner of my eye, she’s standing directly in front of me. There’s a light laugh that’s followed by a teasing voice.
Sheepishly, I look up at her.
“I knew it,” she says, a smirk spreading across her face as she shakes her head. “You little—” Her eyes trail up and down my long limbs. “—well, I guess not so little , scoundrel.”
It’s clear she’s not angry in the slightest, and my chest deflates with relief. “I-I’m sorry, I should’ve told you it was me you were talking to when I saw you at the park earlier,” I say, clenching and unclenching my hands—a nervous habit of mine. I fight the urge to anxiously run my hands through my hair, trying my best to play it cool.
Charlie clicks her tongue. “I deserved it, honestly.” She gives me a nonchalant shrug. “Though it’s good to know you can give as good as you get.” She sits down across from me and a rush of excitement has now replaced the unease I felt earlier.
“It was a clever prank. I was curious how many more horror movie references you had up your sleeve,” I say, taking another sip of my drink.
She slips off her heavy wool coat, revealing a soft, dark gray sweater that flows over her curves and highlights the warmth in her beautiful eyes. Charlie tosses her shiny, dark hair over her shoulder with a careful hand. “Not that many. I had to Google a few since I’m not a huge movie buff. Once I sent the first message, I knew I had to keep up with the theme.”
I smile. “Oh, of course. I would’ve been disappointed if you changed topics or even movie genres.”
“I had a brief moment of Shit, is this guy going to call the cops on me? And I was preparing a speech in my mind to say to the officers. I was calculating whether I had enough money available for bail. Then I was wondering whose phone number I knew off the top of my head for my one call. My brain was going down a very dangerous path on Saturday night.” Her eyes widen as she shakes her head at the memory.
I tip my head back and laugh. “Wow. You would make a horrible criminal.”
“Or”—she places her hands on the table—“and hear me out, would I make an excellent one? Because I think through all possible outcomes?”
I grimace and shake my head. “Nope. I think I read somewhere that overthinkers make the worst criminals.”
“I think you’re lying about that.”
“I most definitely am.” I shoot her a playful wink.
We both pause our conversation and smile at each other. She looks down bashfully—a faint pink blush coloring her cheeks.
I barely know her, but I'm already captivated by her. I have a deep desire to draw out a smile so bright it lights up her doe eyes. I want to make her laugh with such intensity that her face flushes with uninhibited happiness.
In my defense, the night I met her, I felt like something shifted in my world. When I saw her, a flood of emotions tightened in my chest. I got the sense that my life was about to change, but I couldn’t pinpoint why or how.
I’m about to ask Charlie a question when Jody comes over with her excellent timing and bursts our blissful bubble.
Damn woman and her gum smacking.
“Charlie girl! The usual?” she asks, her teeth chewing that gum within every inch of its life.
“Yep. You got it.” Charlie’s lips flatten into a thin line, looking displeased. Jody walks away, and before I have a chance to say anything, Charlie speaks up.
“Well, that’s not annoying at all.”
“What?”
“The gum smacking. Like, could she swallow it or something? Spit it out? Chew gum normally? Don’t chew gum at all?” Her brows pull together in disgust, and it’s endearingly cute.
I chuckle. “Yeah, I noticed that too. It’s a tad off-putting.”
“You’re just being polite.” She raises an eyebrow at me.
Jody comes back with Charlie’s drink—a Diet Coke—and I make a mental note of that for later, then spins on her heel to leave, but not before Charlie grabs her attention.
“Hey, Jody?”
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Stop that.” Charlie gives her a you know what I’m talking about look with a single cocked eyebrow and hands Jody a napkin.
“Yes, ma’am,” she says, spitting her gum into a napkin and promptly leaving. My eyes practically bulge out of my head.
The ovaries on this woman sitting before me are impressive.
Charlie shakes her head in disbelief, plucks the menu from behind the napkin dispenser, and looks at it. Without looking up, she says, “I’ve told her so many times she has to stop smacking her gum. It’s so rude.”
Wow. I can’t figure out if I should be turned on or scared of her.
“Wait.” Charlie pauses, and her eyes widen as she looks up. “You’re Mrs. Jenkins’s nephew.”
I swallow. “Uh, yes.” I’m not sure I like where this is heading.
“How do you handle holidays with her? She’s a bit . . . much. And very loud.” Charlie freezes, covering her mouth with embarrassment. “Oh god, I’m sorry. Sometimes I don’t have much of a filter and forget who I’m talking to.”
A hearty laugh escapes from my chest. I lean over the table slightly, meeting her eyes. “No, you’re putting it lightly. She is a lot. The only way to handle holidays and family gatherings is to first scope out the exits, and then you drink enough bourbon to make a cowboy cry.”
A faint smile touches her lips. “Ahh. Well, that’s one way to handle her.” Charlie looks around the bar briefly, and I can’t take my eyes off her. Her rich brown eyes scan the room while she nervously bites the inside of her lip.
“So, how did this whole little setup come about?” I say, motioning my hands between us. “Wait, let me guess. Donna barged into your store, acting like it was some kind of life or death emergency and then dropped the bomb on you?”
“That is shockingly accurate.”
“And then, you couldn’t say no because she does that weird lip thing, right?”
Her eyes crinkle with a smile, and her jaw drops open. “Yes! It’s really strange, right?”
“So strange. Growing up, my sister and I would steer clear whenever she went on one of her tirades.” I shudder. “And just for the record, I told her multiple times I didn’t need someone to show me around. I mean, Hemlock is just a single long street with a lot of trees. I can’t get too lost.”
Her head gently nods up and down, taking in every word I’m saying. She also keeps looking around the room as more and more people pour into the place, creating a much more crowded atmosphere.
I want nothing more than to keep talking to her, but I can sense that she’s getting antsy and tensing up. She must not enjoy super crowded spaces.
With that observation, I clear my throat. “How do you feel about getting out of here and maybe going for a walk? I’m feeling a bit jittery.”
Charlie’s body relaxes as she says, “Yes. That would be great.”
After I paid the bill, I led Charlie out of the bar by placing my hand on her back. Once she gets outside, she takes a deep breath, her shoulders dropping with relief.
“Thank you for suggesting we get out of there. It was getting too overwhelming for my liking.”
For a few moments, we walk in silence underneath the starlit sky. The wet pavement reflects the twinkling lights that wrap around the trees lining Main Street. It’s a calm night with just the sounds of the occasional car passing us by.
“So, do you have family in the area?” I ask, our arms casually bumping into one another.
She stops abruptly, and I immediately sense her discomfort. Instantly, I know that I’ve hit a sore spot, and I’m pissed Aunt Donna didn’t mention more details about Charlie to me.
Gazing down at her, Charlie’s lost in her thoughts. Not wanting to pressure her, I stand there patiently, waiting for her to speak. I want to give her as much time and space as she needs.
She sharply inhales before looking up at me with misty eyes. A heavy weight settles in my stomach, and I realize this is more than petty family drama.
“Charlie, we can skip this question if?—”
She lifts her hand, interrupting me. “I have two siblings: a younger sister, Joey, and an older brother, Jack. I’m the middle child.” The other shoe is about to drop, and my suspicions are confirmed as she goes on. “My parents died almost a year ago in a car accident around Christmas. I moved back here after they died to take over their shop and take care of Vera.” She sniffles, dropping her chin to the ground.
My heart drops with an overwhelming sadness. The pain she and her siblings are going through is unimaginable.
She wipes a stray tear away from her eye, and I grab a tissue out of my pocket. Holding it out to her, she looks at me like I’m holding an alien. “Do you really think I’d give you a used tissue? It’s clean, you little weirdo,” I say with a half-smile. Her tear-streaked face lets out a faint laugh as she grabs the tissue and dabs the corners of her eyes.
My voice grows somber. “I’m sure you’ve heard this a million times?—”
“I know. You’re sorry for our loss.” Her eyes fall to the ground. “It’s all we’ve heard for months and months.”
My heart is on the verge of shattering as I see her glossy eyes veiled with dark sadness. As I look at her, I notice her red-tipped, button nose and rosy cheeks, wanting nothing more than to scoop her up and tell her everything is going to be okay.
Even though I know that won’t fix any of her pain.
I do have an idea that could ease some of the sadness, even just for a night.
“Charlie,” I say softly. The beautiful, broken girl’s eyes flicker to mine. “How do you feel about hot chocolate?”
“Is it topped with marshmallows?” she questions.
“Would it be considered hot chocolate if it wasn’t?”
She hums in agreement. “Good point. But yes, I love hot chocolate.”
“Great, I know of an excellent place.”