Chapter 10
10
I find myself studying Charlie as we pull up to the dock, trying to figure him out. Arrogant, definitely. Unpredictable, too. A loose cannon. The kind of guy I normally avoid. The Everly clan has ego, attitude, and drama aplenty. I don’t need it elsewhere, especially not from men. Security. Safety. Comfort. It’s what I thought I had with Trevor.
“How’s your grandmother settling in?” Charlie asks.
“Okay, I think.”
He waits for her to continue.
“She’s more tired than usual after her surgery, but she’s healthy. Her doctor says she’s recovering well. I’m hoping being here will lift her spirits.”
“Let me know if you need anything else. I’m happy to help.”
I frown. “Why?”
Green eyes sparkle back. “Why not?”
“You don’t know us.”
“Let’s just say I owe the universe a few good deeds.” He raises an eyebrow. “And now you owe me.”
I’m not sure if he means to be suggestive or if it’s because his voice sounds like foreplay, but I find myself growing pink. “Is that so?”
Charlie cuts the engine, secures the back of the boat, and hops out to tie the front. When he’s done, he stands over me, extending his palm. “Big-time.”
I take his hand and climb out of the boat. But he doesn’t let go. Goose bumps rise on my arms.
“Safely ashore,” Charlie says.
“My hero.”
My gaze lingers on the slash of his jaw and the stubble that covers it, before falling to the base of his tan throat. Here I am with the boy from my photo. Only he’s all grown up. And so am I. My pulse quickens against my wrists.
Charlie tilts toward me with a wolfish grin. “Are you blushing ?”
“It’s sunburn.” I let go of his hand and step back.
A delighted bellow bursts from his chest. “You tell yourself that, Red.”
And there it is. Red . The reality check is impeccably timed.
I let out a growl, growing an even deeper shade of crimson.
“I told you not to call me that,” I snap.
“You’re cute when you’re mad.” Charlie reaches out, flicking the brim of my hat.
I stare at him, stunned. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Far too many things to list.” He’s smiling—impervious to my irritation or simply enjoying it. “I’ll let you discover that for yourself another day. How about I take you around the lake? Point out the spots you need to be careful of.”
“That’s really not necessary.”
He glances at John’s boat. “I think it might be. Besides, we’re neighbors. I’m just right over there.” He points to the big white house across the bay, the place that once beckoned to me in the early morning sun.
“I think I’ll pass.”
“But why?” His forehead scrunches. I doubt he’s been turned down once in his entire life.
“It’s nothing personal. You’re just not my type.”
He puts a hand on his chest, as if offended. “I’m everyone’s type.”
I can’t help it. I laugh. Loudly. This guy is something. Charlie blinks at the sound. Admittedly, I have a bloodcurdling laugh. Heather calls it my witch cackle.
“You know, some people consider boasting distasteful,” I say.
“Nah.” His eyes flash with mischief. “Not you, Alice Everly. You like it.”
His voice is deep and rough. Somehow, he makes my name sound illicit. I imagine him whispering against my skin.
Alice Everly. Alice Everly. Alice Everly.
Nope. No. Not happening. I square my shoulders. “You have no idea what I like.”
He smirks. “I think I have a pretty good idea. Let’s not forget how we met,” he says with a wistful sigh. “I remember it like it was only this morning. You, me, the cucumbers…” He leans close and whispers, “ Whoa. ”
He’s teasing, but he’s so ridiculous I’m not embarrassed. He’s right; I don’t mind it. If anything, I might like it. I’m not sure I’ve met such an unapologetic flirt before. But we have a whole summer ahead of us, and I’ve got to put a stop to it.
“You have a great face,” I tell him.
He cocks his head. “Thank you, Alice.”
“But there’s an almost infinite number of great faces in this world, and I’ve seen a lot of them.”
“Oh?”
“I’m a photographer. Faces are kind of my thing. And to be fair, yours is…” I squint into the sun, considering my word choice. “Remarkable,” I say, looking at Charlie again. “You’re handsome, obviously. You know that. The shade of your eyes: It’s rare. You know that, too.”
He squints at me. “Why doesn’t that sound like a compliment?”
“It is a compliment,” I tell him. “The first thing I thought when I saw you this morning at the store was that I wanted to photograph you. There’s a kind of lived-in quality to your features that makes you interesting to look at.”
Charlie is completely still. Aside from his throat moving with a single swallow, he’s turned to stone.
“You have the perfect imperfect face. Hence the whoa .” I tip my chin up, gathering strength. “But it’s just a nice face. It’s literally the last thing that would make someone attractive to me.”
At first all Charlie does is stare, but then he grins. “Message received. Alice Everly: not into faces.”
He moves past me and steps onto the end of his boat so he can haul in John’s skiff. I watch the muscles in his back shift as he pulls on the rope. Charlie glances over his shoulder, catching me mid-ogle. Busted.
“More of an ass woman, then?” His smile is a brilliant display of straight white teeth and dimples.
I know I’m as purple as a beet, but something about him, his lack of modesty, makes me feel emboldened. “I was checking out your shoulders.” My eyes drop to his backside. “But your ass is okay.”
Charlie tuts. “It’s exceptional.”
I battle the smile that wants to bend my lips. Trevor was nothing like this. He was sincere, earnest to the point of being businesslike, but I always knew where we stood. Trevor was solid ground; Charlie is a sheet of thin ice. So it’s bizarre how not awkward I feel with him. We’re sparring , and it’s easy . I’m not sure what he’s going to say, and while it’s slippery new terrain, it feels like I know how to skate across it.
“I’m not sure what to make of you,” Charlie says as he kneels, tying John’s boat.
“You don’t have to make anything of me.”
“I think I do,” he says. “It’s kind of my thing.”
He reaches for my caftan and beach bag and sets them on the dock. I spot my notebook on the floor of the boat at the same time he does. It’s exactly as I left it, folded open to the page with my bucket list.
“I can get that,” I rush out. But it’s too late—Charlie’s climbing in to retrieve it.
“Allow me,” he says. “Since I can’t win you over with my remarkable face.” He shoots me a pointed glance before picking up the notebook.
Please don’t look. Please don’t look. Please don’t look.
He looks.
“What is this?” Charlie’s brows ascend toward space. His gaze flicks to mine. His lip twitches.
“Just give it to me.”
Charlie holds it out, and I lunge so quickly I almost fall into the water. He steadies me by the arm, smiling.
“Not a word.”
He lifts his hands. “I didn’t say a thing.”
Charlie steps onto the dock just as I hear Nan’s voice. “Alice, are you going to introduce me to your friend?”
I stare at the deck, where she stands with her walker.
“He’s not my friend,” I call back.
“Rude,” Charlie says.
“Bring him up for tea.”
Charlie turns to me, grinning. “Bring me up for tea, Alice.”