Chapter Twenty-One
Twenty-One
A SLIGHT KINK IN HER neck pulled her from the depths of sleep. Charlie arched, enjoying the morning stretch—her body relaxed and rested—almost as much as the feel of Grayson, solid and warm beside her. Surrounding her, actually.
He moved against her, his hand over her stomach, trailing up slowly and sleepily, waking her in a different way.
At some point, he’d pulled a blanket over them on the couch.
It was entwined around them like they were each other.
They’d fallen asleep sometime after the movie, after eating the most delicious spaghetti she’d ever had—growing up, carbs were a big no in Vivi’s house—in between kissing and talking and laughing.
Lux Cove had been wonderful, but last night was the best date Charlie had ever had.
Gray’s lips touched the spot where her neck and shoulder met.
His body pressed against hers in a deliciously appealing way that made her wish she woke up like this more often.
She was about to turn her head, say good morning, when the door opened somewhat dramatically, bouncing off the little stopper loudly.
Gray tensed but before either of them could move, Ollie stood in front of them. Her eyes widened at the sight of them, thankfully clothed, like a shocked cartoon character. Then she grinned and giggled.
“Levi let me come to work with him. Hi, Charlie. You and Uncle Gray had a sleepover. I sleep over lots, too, because he’s so fun. Levi’s making pancakes. Cinnamon-swirl ones. They’re the best and I’m helping, but I wanted to see if you wanted to go fishing later, Uncle Gray.”
Charlie had to bite her lip hard to keep from laughing. Gray didn’t even try.
“I love you, Ollie. You’re the coolest frickin’ kid ever.”
Ollie put her hands on her hips. “You’re not supposed to say frickin’, remember? But it’s better than when Uncle Beck said fu—”
Gray jackknifed up. “Ollie. We get it.”
Ollie grinned. She was utterly adorable and obviously pretty damn well-adjusted. She plopped her butt on the coffee table in front of them.
“We should all have a sleepover. Maybe we could take the tents up to the summit,” Ollie said.
Charlie’s brain was still processing the rapid-fire rate of Ollie’s words. Gray rubbed a hand over his face. Levi called Ollie’s name quietly, came into the room.
“Shit,” he muttered, seeing Charlie and Gray, now sitting upon the couch with Ollie swinging her legs in front of them.
“You’re not supposed to say shi—”
“Ollie,” Levi said with a laugh, cutting her off just in time. He glanced at Gray and Charlie, wincing. “Sorry, guys. You’re usually up by now, Gray, so I didn’t think it would be a big deal if she came in.” He looked at Ollie. “Did you knock?”
Ollie looked down. “I forgot.”
Gray reached out and tousled her hair. “It’s okay, kid.” Then he looked at Charlie. “I hope. Sorry.”
Charlie shook her head with a smile. “I don’t think there was any harm done. Certainly could have been worse.”
“I’ll say,” Levi muttered, earning a glare from Gray.
“Can we make the pancakes now? The guests start coming down at seven sometimes,” Ollie explained to Charlie. “Do you want to help?”
“Oh. Thank you,” she said, caught off guard by the little girl’s easy acceptance of her. “But I’m not much of a cook, and I should go check on Bernie.”
“He’ll be up for pancakes, too. He never misses pancake days,” Ollie assured her.
Gray shifted, leaning into Charlie with the blanket still over their laps. “How about you give us a few minutes? Charlie will go remind Bernie it’s pancake day, you help Levi, and I’ll get changed.”
Ollie stood up, held out a hand to high-five him. “Deal.”
She took off. Levi grinned widely, aimed it at Gray. “Sorry, dude. This is unexpected, to say the least. Let’s say a happy surprise.”
Gray’s gaze darkened and he put an arm around Charlie protectively. Her heart muscles twitched.
“Knock it off. Charlie and I are…” He trailed off and looked at her.
Levi held up both hands. “I don’t need an explanation.”
Charlie grinned at Gray’s obvious discomfort. He didn’t know how to label them.
She reached for his hand. “We’re dating. I suppose that’s what you’d call it. Seeing each other? Do people still say that?”
Gray linked his fingers with hers. “How would I know? But while we’re defining it, I’m not seeing or dating anyone else.”
Levi started to back away. “I’ll just leave you two alone. Sorry, again.” He slipped out of the room.
Gray continued to stare at her until she realized what he was waiting for and laughed. “Obviously, I’m not seeing or dating anyone else either. I hardly expected to find romance when I traipsed all the way from LA to the middle of nowhere to find a family member I’ve never met.”
His gaze softened even as his smile grew, lighting up his eyes. “Romance. I haven’t given you much of that yet. I’ll put it on the list.”
She stood up, pleased when he didn’t release her hand but instead stroked his up her arm and back down until he was holding it with both of his hands, looking up at her with a morning-sweet gaze.
“I think you’re doing just fine. I have no complaints,” she said. He’d been more romantic than he even knew, just in small ways she hadn’t realized could be special. His touch, a look, the way he slipped his arm around her to make her feel protected and safe.
Gray stood up, bringing their bodies perfectly in line. She sucked in a breath, wishing they had more time in this moment. But she knew his ten-year-old niece wasn’t going to wait around, so she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hard hug.
When he returned it, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, like he had the night before, she closed her eyes and absorbed the feelings running around like wild animals inside of her.
She pulled back, strangely overwhelmed by emotions. “See you later.” She patted his chest and let herself out of the lodge, grateful not to run into his family or any guests.
The morning sun shone brightly over the water. She shivered, realizing she’d actually forgotten her sweater at his place. That would make Bernie laugh for sure.
Letting herself take deep breaths of the crisp, fresh air, she felt settled in a way she hadn’t for a while.
But she couldn’t run forever, and at some point, she needed to tell Vivi where she was; she needed to talk to her and tell her that with the direction her mother was taking her life in, Charlie wasn’t entirely sure what part she could play anymore.
The thought of keeping her distance from her mom on a more permanent basis made her stomach roil like she was on a boat in bad weather. One step at a time. Practice what you preach. Don’t catastrophize. Tackle problems one little piece at a time.
Not ready to go in just yet, Charlie sat on the porch steps of the cabin, arms wrapped around herself, and let the sunshine bring her fully awake.
When Bernie opened the door behind her, she looked back over her shoulder.
“Well, good morning, Charlie. I was just going to have some tea out here. Can I get you a cup?”
She popped up off the stairs, feeling a lightness she almost didn’t recognize. “I can get it. You sit. Would you like some toast to go with that?”
He smiled at her indulgently. “It’s pancake day, dear. Grab some tea. Join me.”
Fixing her tea the way she liked, she swung by her room, grabbed a sweater, and pulled it on.
Her phone lit up on the nightstand. She hadn’t missed it one bit.
She was always telling clients to unplug, turn off the screens, and yet, she was the same as anyone else, tethered to a device the size of her hand.
Turning, she left it where it was, grabbed her tea, and went to join her uncle.
It was time to get to know him better. Because no matter where she ended up, she was going to maintain this relationship, not just because he was a tie to her father but because she cared for him.
She knew, because he was so good at showing it, that he cared for her as well.
Not because he had to or felt an obligation, not because of her mother or the advice she could give as a therapist. Bernie saw a version of Charlotte she didn’t even know existed before she came to Get Lost Lodge.
It made her wonder who she’d be when she left.
On the front porch, where Bernie kept a little two-seater bistro table, they chatted over tea, with Bernie telling her more stories about coming to the original lodge—it had changed hands several times over the years—with his family when he was younger.
“How old were you when you stopped coming?” Charlie leaned back in her seat, finishing the last of her tea while she watched guests emerge from the lodge.
“About Ollie’s age, I think. My dad got transferred to the West Coast, so we spent several years out there. Your grandfather never came back east. He loved California.”
She turned her head toward him. “So did my dad, from what my mom says. She loves it there. I can’t imagine her ever leaving.”
“How about you?”
Before she could answer, Ollie came running over from the lodge porch. She closed the distance to Bernie’s cabin quickly.
“Pancakes are ready. Hey, Bernie. Uncle Gray and Charlie had a sleepover and I said we should have one near the summit. You want to come?”
Charlie’s cheeks went impossibly warm. She kept looking straight ahead.
Bernie laughed as he stood up. “Your family has a busy few weeks ahead of them. We might need to postpone that sort of trip until next summer.”
Ollie’s shoulders slumped. “That’s what Uncle Gray said.”
Bernie looked at Charlie as he passed. “Shall we?”
Charlie stood up to follow after them, and she was surprised when Ollie walked beside her. Her seemingly untamable red hair bounced as she did.
“Do you have a job?” Ollie asked.
“I do. I’m going to teach psychology at the university,” Charlie said, a smile hovering on her lips.
Children should feel carefree in just this way.
The happy aura surrounding this little girl said a lot about the adults in her life.
Charlie knew Jillian was divorced, so obviously there was a father out there somewhere.
That made Levi the soon-to-be stepfather.
Presley was about to officially become her aunt.
Grayson and his brother had moved away and then come home.
From what she’d heard, so had Jillian. This little girl had experienced several big-ticket changes in life that could have left her unsettled or anxious.
Instead, she was so clearly loved by everyone in her life that she had an unparalleled confidence, a rainbow of personality, and a sweetness that was instantly compelling.
“Do you think you could teach me to play guitar?” Ollie asked as they took the stairs up to the lodge porch.
The fuzzy warmth of bittersweet memories filled her chest at the question.
She rarely played and had just said it in passing when she’d met Ollie, but the little girl hadn’t let it go.
Maybe it was time to stop hiding so much, and what better place to feel more connected to her dad? “Do you have a guitar?”
Bernie opened the door, waited for them to come through before closing it behind them.
Ollie shook her head. “Nope. But Uncle Gray said you guys are going to Bros’ today. Liam has one and he said we could borrow it.”
Bernie caught her eye as they followed Ollie to the dining room. “Learning an instrument is hard work, Ollie. But it’s something you’ll be happy you did.”
“Do you play anything?” Charlie smiled at the young lady working the check-in desk. There were a handful of young adults who worked at the lodge. There was a strong family vibe here at Get Lost Lodge and it tempted her to sink into it and forget the life she’d run away from. If only.
“Piano.”
Ollie turned down the hallway that led to the dining room. “Maybe I’ll play piano next.”
They both laughed at her enthusiasm. As Ollie pushed through the swinging door, Bernie said quietly, “Your dad learned to play guitar from your grandfather.”
And just like that, she had another little piece of herself to cherish.
The dining room was busy and noisy. Several people sat eating and chatting around the large farm-style table.
Everything in her own home, and Vivi’s, was modern.
Sleek, sharp lines and muted colors. Here, everything was full of life.
Even the furniture had energy. As Ollie hopped up onto a chair next to Gray, Levi came through the swinging door from the kitchen.
Their gazes caught and, while she felt no shame, her cheeks caught fire just a bit.
She could add this morning to her never-have-I-ever list.
Levi grinned, coming over with platter in hand. “There’s a chair on the other side of Gray, Charlie. Welcome to pancake day.”
She moved that way, ignoring Bernie’s low laughter. She told herself that teasing was a sign of acceptance. Jillian looked at her warmly.
She sat down beside Gray, who turned to say hello but was cut off by his niece.
“Uncle Gray and Charlie had a sleepover.”
Everything stopped. All eyes came their way. Levi cursed. Ollie corrected him and Jillian laughed.
She leaned across Ollie and looked at Gray. “Hmm. Doesn’t feel so fun when it’s you on the hot seat, right?” Then she winced and looked at Charlie. “Sorry. Ollie has a habit of oversharing.”
Seeing no other choice, Charlie laughed with the others even as Ollie said sorry. This was exactly the sort of thing that happened in big familial groups. She saw no reason not to embrace it and had certainly been privy to worse details of her life being shared.
“It’s fine, Ollie. It’s true, we did. And we might have another.
” She leaned closer to Gray, enjoying the way his breath caught.
Knowing she made this man feel that way, slightly off balance, she grinned.
She reached out, let her fingers touch his thigh under the table, nearly giddy when his hand found hers.
She held his gaze, lowering her voice when she told him, “Though, next time, we may want to lock the door.”