18. Charlie
CHAPTER 18
Charlie
The plumbers arrived shortly after Max had texted me. I texted him and told him so. Because it’s nice to be worried about, and honestly, it made me feel safer. The whole crew seemed really nice, and no one made me uncomfortable, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Ted Bundy seemed like a nice, normal man to some people, and I have a high sense of self-preservation.
I finish drywalling the living room wall, call Hubert Jefferson, and then head into town, leaving the plumbing crew to finish their work. They said with all six of them, they’d be done by the end of the day.
Before I go to the Flying J, I drive into Pine Ridge and park Max’s truck in front of the cafe. I grab a coffee, explain to Sharon that I’m borrowing the truck from Max, and then head back toward the general store.
The front door jingles as I browse the small electrical section for extension cords. I glance over my shoulder and drop the green extension cord in my hand.
Max is in the store, walking toward me. His confident walk with a little smirk on his face…it’s hard to look away.
I bend down to pick up the cord, trying to play it smooth as he stops in front of me.
“Why are you back so soon?” Subtle question. Good job, Charlie .
Max glances around the store and then steps a little closer. His voice is low as he explains, “I showed up to the house, and my brother and his fiancée were there. My parents wanted us to hug it out.”
I lean toward him and whisper, “That’s ridiculous. Everyone knows it’s better to fight it out.”
Max stares at me blankly for a split second; then, an ear-to-ear grin spreads across his face. His smile lines deepen, and his eyes sparkle. “Exactly. I knew you would understand.”
“Feel like chopping down a tree?” I ask him as I nudge him with my elbow. I don’t like seeing a brittle Max. He’s too much fun. No one should be cracking him this way.
“Only if it’s a very dull ax that I’ll have to swing too much.”
“Perfect. I found a rusty one in the woodshed behind the bunkhouse.”
Max drapes an arm around my shoulders and gives me a quick squeeze. He releases me so quickly I almost fall back against the display of light bulbs.
He walks away and says goodbye to Henry. I’m pretty sure Max St. James just tried to hug me. He did such a bad job of it I wasn’t sure if he was trying to crack my back, grab something off the shelf behind me, or dust some lint off my shoulder. I can’t help but laugh.
I leave the electric cords, follow him out of the store, and tap him on the shoulder. He spins around to stare down at me. I do my best to keep a serious face. “I can see why hugging it out wasn’t a good option for you. I’ll have to give you some lessons later.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Max says as he pulls his keys from his pocket and begins flipping them back and forth in his hands.
“It means you’ll have to report back, and I’ll give you hugging lessons at the first availability. I think I have an opening on Tuesday at 3.”
“I didn’t want to overwhelm you with my phenomenal hugging skills inside. My hugs cause people to swoon all across the state. That’s the real reason I didn’t want to hug my brother and his fiancée. The collateral damage would be too much.”
“You’re absolutely full of—” I don’t finish what I’m about to say because a young mother is climbing out of her SUV with a small child. I smile and nod at her as she walks inside the store.
“Let’s go get that tree,” Max says.
“But I want to hear more about your day!”
“Why?” He eyes me suspiciously.
I shrug. “Because it’s probably better than my whole ex-drama.”
Max takes a step toward me and folds his arms across his chest. “What did that dweeb say?”
I snort at that particular insult…because it fits so well.
“If I tell you mine, will you tell me yours?”
“Maybe.”
“Good enough.” Besides. Max is safe to say this to. He’ll never meet Bryce or cross paths with him. If I told Piper and Magnolia about this conversation, they might just show up at his house and do something that’s not completely legal.
“He told me he wanted to get back together and that he had made a mistake.”
“Obviously.”
I nod. “That’s not the good part. He said he realized this when he was out on a third date with a woman he’d met at the gym. He said he realized I wasn’t as strange as some other people out there and that my eccentricities could possibly be an asset.”
Max blinks slowly. “Third date. So, was he dating other people while you were together?”
“Yes, there was some strange overlap there. But I think it was the eccentricities that bothered me the most. Listen, I know I’m weird. But it’s who I am. I’ve decided it’s a take it or leave it situation.”
Max clenches his jaw. “He sounds like a piece of work. Maybe he and my ex-girlfriend are related. They have similar moral codes.”
I scoff. “My grandma would call them tools.”
Max smirks at that.
“Max! Charlie!”
We turn to see Darlene hurrying toward us on the sidewalk. She’s lifting her legs high and stomping so that she doesn’t slip on the ice, her arms out at her sides to keep her balance.
Max points at me. “We’ll continue this conversation later.”
“Stop making it sound like I’m in trouble. Good grief,” I mutter as Darlene stops in front of us.
“Dancing. You two are coming dancing tomorrow night, right?” She says in an out of breath voice.
“What kind of dancing are we talking about?” I ask as I fold my arms over my chest.
“Swing dancing. Line dancing. It’s a tradition. Every December, we have a Christmas line dance. Every New Year’s Eve, too. It’s a fun time. Food’s free, but not the drinks. There’s a raffle for a prime rib, and—” she pauses to waggle her eyebrows at us. “There’s mistletoe.”
She nudges Max with her elbow.
I turn to give him a glare as if he has any control over what Darlene is saying. The woman really is a force to be reckoned with.
Max holds up his hands in surrender. “Don’t worry, I won’t get in the way between you and Henry at the mistletoe.”
Now, it’s Darlene’s turn to look uncomfortable. She blushes and tries to brush it off. “Are you two going to be there?”
“Yes, we’ll be there,” Max says tiredly. “Er, I guess I shouldn’t speak for Charlie.”
I smile at him. “I’ll be there. Sounds fun. We’ll watch out for the mistletoe, though. Max and I might end up in a fight.”
“I’d win,” Max whispers to me.
My heart thumps a little faster, and it annoys me when I feel his arm bump against mine, sending little goosebumps along my arm. “In your dreams,” I whisper back.
“Well, well, well. I guess I’ll see you two later,” Darlene says slyly.
We both jump apart like guilty teenagers. “Right. Yup. See you later, Darlene.”
It’s a bunch of mumbled goodbyes. And we’re back to standing a reasonable distance apart as we watch Darlene walk away.
“I’m going to pick up a tree from Hubert. If you want to use the dull ax, you can follow me there,” I tell Max.
“Lead the way, princess.”