Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Charity
“Why…uh, what?” I’ve lost track of the conversation again. And we are out of time for me to figure it out because the taxi has pulled over.
My mystery man slips the driver money and opens the door for us to get out. He waits for me to step out before asking me his question again.
“Why don’t you date?”
“Oh, um, well, it’s not necessarily that I don’t as much as I’ve not…ever, before.”
“So, no one has ever done what you were describing to me to you?” He seems mad and I immediately wish my big mouth would stop spilling every thought that enters my head.
I was really looking forward to that shake he talked about. Now, I’m pretty sure I talked myself out of it by being an idiot…again.
“Did anyone try to force you to do that?”
I shake my head and stare down at my red heels. I should have just insisted we walk the whole way. Maybe then I wouldn’t have put my bright red-heeled foot in my mouth.
“Good.” At his response, I look up and find his face not nearly so thunderous. “I would hate to have to hunt someone down.”
Hunt someone down? For me? No one’s ever…thought of doing something like that for me before. It’s sweet and makes my already mushy heart trip and flutter a little faster than it was already.
“I…that’s very sweet.”
“I promise I don’t mind paying, and I won’t try to guilt trip you into anything. I just want you to have a good time.”
“But it seems wrong to make you pay for it all.”
He waves my comment off and takes me by the hand so we can walk side by side to the diner, “I’m getting the bourbon sugar and vanilla shake. They have hundreds of different flavors, and their fries are so good. Sometimes I come here to think and remember…when I was younger.”
“Did you have a good childhood?”
“Not really. Shakes were something we didn’t get a lot of. Fries either.”
“I’m sorry.”
He looks so sad I want to…I don’t know, hug him. I’m close to opening my mouth to offer one when the lady behind the counter looks over at us and greets my mystery man.
“Brett!” She comes around the counter to give him a hug before she turns her motherly smile towards me. “And who do we have here?”
“I’m Charity.”
“Charity.” He says it again like maybe he was just as curious as I am about who he is actually with.
Maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to go with someone you didn’t even know the name of but I’m really glad I did so far. He leads me to a corner booth that looks out over the beach.
“What about you? How was your childhood?”
“I had a really good childhood. It was just me and my mom, so I was lonely sometimes since she had to work a lot, but it was great. She…always made everything so special and was so fun.”
“Was?”
“She passed away about six months ago. This is actually the first Christmas I won’t have her with me.” I look out the window and blink quickly trying to keep from crying on him. He didn’t ask for me -this strange woman- to burst out bawling when he just wanted to hang out and have fun.
Instead of getting up and running the other way - which is what I think he is going to do when he first stands up - he comes around the table and slides into the seat with me, putting his arm around me. I should feel crowded or freaked out that someone is blocking me in but all I feel is the warmth that comes from him surrounding me.
He gently tips my face back so our eyes can meet, “Don’t cry. We’ll have to figure out some way to take your mind off missing her.”