Chapter 14
Fourteen
Axel
I set the breakfast I made for Charlie on the table in the bar and then went back to the kitchen to get her a glass of water.
I was thankful that Jo had convinced me to get a portable propane stove when I first moved here, given how often we went days without power during the heavy snowstorms. While I wouldn’t be able to open the kitchen to customers today, I could at least fix food for us until the power came back on.
The seating area inside the bar had a wood fireplace that came in handy during the winter.
I had added some wood and started it earlier, wanting to give us a comfortable place to hang out without having to be cooped up in the bedroom together.
Okay, so maybe it was more than that. Maybe it was because I couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss with Charlie and how much I wanted to kiss her again. It was safer if we hung out downstairs.
When I returned to the kitchen, Jo was standing at the island where all of the clothes were still spread out, playing on her phone. I set the glass of water down hard, getting her attention. Her eyebrow rose in question, but she said nothing.
“Whatever you think you’re doing, stop,” I hissed, narrowing my eyes at her.
“What exactly do you think I’m doing?” she asked in a sarcastic tone as she set her phone down and turned to look at me, her hand planted firmly on her hip.
“All that stuff about telling Charlie about me helping her. You purposely crossed that line and made this into something more than it is. You need to stay out of things and stop trying to meddle.”
I felt my skin prickle as heat spread over it with the lie I just told. While she might have been meddling, it was my internal struggle with how I felt about Charlie that had me feeling defensive.
“Meddle?” Her voice rose higher as her eyes widened in disbelief. “You think I’m trying to meddle? Seriously, Axel? The only reason that I’m even here this morning is because you called me, asking for a favor.”
“Yes, but that favor didn’t include you putting ideas in her head about having me physically touch her.” I knew the second I gave myself away when I felt the blush creep up my neck as thoughts of the kiss we shared flooded my brain.
Jo pulled her head back as the wheels in her brain turned. She shook her head and looked at the floor before letting out a heavy sigh as she looked up at me.
“You crossed that line with her already, didn’t you?”
I pressed my tongue into the side of my cheek to avoid answering her.
“Didn’t you?” she pressed, her eyes narrowing at me.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. No one has crossed any lines.”
Another lie. Great, I was on a fucking roll this morning and about to piss off my only true friend in Nowhere.
“Who initiated it?” she asked, cocking her head to the side as if she would be able to read my face to know the truth if she saw it.
“Initiated what?”
“I don’t have all day to play these stupid games with you, Axel.
We’re not in high school. It’s obvious something happened between you guys, and given how uncomfortable she is this morning, I’m going to hope that it wasn’t sex.
Because if it was, you have some serious learning to do.
So for your sake, I hope it was just kissing or very minimal foreplay. ”
I tossed my head back and pinched my eyes shut. There was no way in hell this was happening. I wasn’t ready to discuss this because I already knew where that would lead. Hearing Jo say what I already knew would only hurt, even if it was the truth.
“I’m not having this conversation with you,” I muttered.
“Fine. I don’t need to know the details of what happened because I can see it on your stupid face that you’ve already fallen for her.”
I opened my eyes and met her gaze, expecting to see judgment there. Instead, I saw the compassion of a friend who genuinely cared.
“I don’t know what happened,” I admitted, shoving a hand through my hair. “Last night, she let me feel the baby move, and then the next thing I knew, we kissed.”
“How did she react to it?”
I shrugged because I was in no position to speak for Charlie. While I thought she enjoyed it, I didn’t know for sure because we hadn’t talked about it since it happened. The last thing I needed was to assume she had enjoyed it just because that was what I wanted.
Jo nodded as if my silence gave her the answer she was looking for.
“She’s not in a position to play games right now, Axel. So don’t lead her on if you can’t follow through with the things you promise her.”
“I would never do that.”
“Not intentionally,” she said softly. “But I can already see that you’re letting your heart lead you instead of your head.
I worry that your interest in her will cloud your judgment, and she can’t afford for you to make any mistakes.
She’s walking a very thin line of trying to keep things balanced in her life; don’t make things harder for her. ”
“What are you trying to say?” I asked, swallowing hard because I knew her words were going to hurt.
“I’m saying that you need to put your wants aside and worry about her needs. The only person that we need to focus on is Charlie and that baby. Keeping them both safe and alive is the only goal we have. Don’t let your heart or your dick keep that from happening.”
She patted my shoulder as she walked past me out of the kitchen into the bar, where Charlie was still waiting for her drink. I let out a heavy sigh and shook my head because Jo was right. I needed to focus on what really mattered and put my feelings for Charlie aside.