Chapter 23 Charlie
CHARLIE
Fate conspired for me and Bennett Forrester to officially meet today!
I was rescuing Sandy (the Greenwoods’ calico) from the tree in front of the school for the fifteenth time, when he came to “help.” Instead, he tried to take over, and Sandy went higher than she ever has!
He’s still cute, even though he made my rescue harder.
And even though he said, “Nice to meet you, kiddo.” KIDDO.
I’m an adult, thank you very much. I’ll forgive him because I think I actually saw heaven when he turned those green eyes on me.
Iwoke up alone in the sleeping bag.
How in the world did Bennett sneak out of this tight space without waking me up?
This was a literal two peas in a pod situation.
And logically, I knew it wasn’t my fault we only had one sleeping bag, but it felt like my fault.
Like I should have known this might happen and done something to prevent it.
It had taken me hours to fall asleep last night, worries sitting at the desk in my brain like they were getting paid by the number of what-ifs they generated.
What if I moved too much and kept Bennett from sleeping?
What if my hair was tickling his nose and bothering him?
What if I breathed too loud or too hot or too wheezy, and the entire idea of me being so close to him was disgusting?
What if he was resenting me for roping him into this mess?
What if he never forgave me for kneeing him in the freaking groin? Seriously, though.
And the worst one of all, the one that made my empty stomach churn: What if he was only tolerating me?
Exhaustion had finally won the battle with my spiraling thoughts, and I’d managed to slip into sleep with the steady rhythm of Bennett’s breathing beneath my cheek.
He’d smelled like the outdoors—fresh rain, damp dirt, and that staticky scent of sunshine—and I’d dreamed I was running desperately from someone, but it was through a beautiful field of flowers.
I heard his feet scuffling outside of the tarp moments before he ducked inside. He was holding something, and his back was to me as he crouched down by the fire to stoke the flames he must have relit this morning.
“Hey,” I said, my voice dry with sleep. “You should have woken me up.”
He whirled around, and his gentle smile went a long way toward convincing me he wasn’t angry about last night. “Good morning, sunshine.”
“Now that’s an approved pet name,” I said with a yawn as I sat up and stretched my arms out to my sides.
I opened my eyes to find him watching me, which made me feel self-conscious (I had no makeup on and hadn’t even brushed my teeth yet) but also like I wouldn’t mind him looking at me all the time.
I tugged my shirt sleeves down and gripped them in my hands, a nervous habit that had stretched out more than one shirt collar. “What are you doing?”
“I’m brewing us a berry tea,” he said. “Figured it could help warm us up before we get to work today. It’s a little drizzly, and the clouds don’t look like they’re moving on anytime soon.”
“Feels like home.” Rainy, overcast days were the natural state of being in Winterhaven. I slid out of the sleeping bag reluctantly, cold air hitting my exposed skin. Goose bumps prickled over my body as I raced to my bag to find some clean clothes.
“Here,” Bennett said. I hadn’t even realized he was standing behind me until I felt his huge coat slip over my shoulders, enveloping me in warmth.
His arms came around me in a hug, and I froze.
His lips were right next to my ear, and he spoke so quietly, I almost couldn’t hear him.
“A little lovey-dovey smoochie-smooch for the cameras …” He moved his head, and I realized from this angle, the camera was capturing what would look like my neck receiving a whole lot of love.
I relaxed into him, accidentally making it so his lips and beard actually did brush against my sensitive neck. I giggled before I could stop myself, and we both paused. Bennett’s eyes twinkled, and I knew exactly what was coming.
“Bennett …” I warned playfully, but his grinning face descended into my neck, and I squealed and squirmed as it tickled. I broke away, breathing hard through my giggles, and backed away with my hands out.
“I didn’t realize you were so ticklish.” He stalked toward me, looking way too playful for my neck’s comfort.
“Just in certain places.” I backed up another step.
“Hmmm. That sounds like a challenge.”
“No, that’s not a challenge. Ben. Ben!” I squeal-laughed as he lunged for me again, but I tripped over something behind me. He swooped closer in a blink and caught me in his arms before I went sprawling into the dirt. I stared up at him, breathless.
“There she is,” Bennett murmured, one of his fingers brushing my bottom lip with a feather-light touch as his gaze scanned my face. The trail of his fingers left a tingling sensation in their wake, and I struggled to draw in air. “Haven’t seen this in a while.”
I hadn’t felt like this in a while.
But with Bennett holding me, it was easier to believe I didn’t have to carry the weight of everything that went wrong.
And perhaps all those giddy, heart-racing, dream-inducing, crush-like feelings I’d had as a teenager didn’t completely go away when I became an adult. They just hid out for a while, waiting for the right time to make themselves known.
Was this the right time, though? If my heart beat any harder, it was going to escape my chest and fly straight into the woods.
I studied Bennett’s eyes for any sign that he was reacting the same way to me as I was to him. I let my thumb brush against the soft skin at his bicep where I gripped him.
He blinked a few times, as if clearing his vision, and eased me quickly to my feet. “Alright, champ. Let’s eat and get to work.”