Chapter Eleven
Eleven
Charlie
Charlie slumped down on the piano bench in the empty music room with a huff, her phone pressed to her ear.
“I understand you’re not a moving company.
Yes, of course. I only wondered…” She frowned.
“Right, no. I understand.” She rubbed the aching space between her eyes.
“No, I definitely still want you to come for pickup tomorrow. I’ll figure out another way to get the furniture moved.
I promise. It will be on the porch as promised.
” The ache shifted to the middle of her forehead. “You have a great day, too.”
Charlie hung up.
“You don’t really sound like you’re having a great day.”
Charlie twisted on the piano bench. She hadn’t heard Julian arrive.
She’d shown up early to tweak the songs for choir practice.
She’d also almost forgotten that she’d arranged for some of Gram’s furniture to be picked up tomorrow for donation.
“Just a complication with some house stuff. No big deal.”
Actually, it was probably going to be a big deal when she was standing in the basement later tonight trying to figure out how to move a sofa by herself.
“Anything I can help with?”
Charlie stood, gathering up the sheet music she’d been looking at.
“It’s all good. I just didn’t realize that the charity Gram’s donating her furniture to won’t actually move said furniture out of the basement.
And I get it, they’re run by volunteers who are pushing sixty-five, and they don’t want them having to trip through people’s houses.
I guess I only now realized that all this furniture is trapped in Gram’s basement, and I am only one person—”
“Charlie?” he interrupted.
“What?”
“This sounds like exactly the kind of thing I can help with.”
Her pulse skipped, the thought of having Julian around to help with all sorts of things, of being alone with him, a little too enticing. “No, no. I’ll figure something out.”
“By tonight? Who else do you know that’s going to help you drag furniture out of Doris’s basement?”
“Well, no one, but—”
“Exactly. So why don’t you ask me?” he teased.
She let out a heavy sigh. Because she was still trying to keep a lid on her feelings, and the closer Julian got…
the more she thought about his hands on her, his voice rumbling in her ear, the heat of his breath on her neck.
Bad things. Complicated things. “I wasn’t trying to trick you into offering up your help. ”
“I know that. I’m the one who crashed your phone call.”
Charlie studied his expression. She really could use his muscles. Purely for furniture-moving purposes. Nothing more. Her gaze dropped to his hands, to his long fingers, to those ropy forearms, and heat surged through her veins.
Julian’s lips twitched, and she wondered if he suspected exactly what she was thinking. “Ask me,” he said.
“No.”
“Charlie, just ask me.”
She didn’t want to be a burden. She didn’t want to make Gram’s house his problem. She didn’t want to be alone with him in the house. Actually, she did. And that was the real problem.
“C’mon,” Julian said. “I’ve been looking for a way to pay you back for getting roped into volunteering. You’ve surprisingly complained very little. Let me do this one thing for you.”
Well, when he put it like that… Besides, what other option did she have? These things needed to get done. “Fine. Can you come over tonight and help me move Gram’s really heavy furniture to the porch?”
“I’d be delighted.”
Charlie snorted. “You might be less delighted when you see it. It’s very old and very heavy.”
“I think I can handle it.”
“Just don’t blame me if you hurt yourself.”
“You mean if I pull one of my many muscles?” He flexed a bit.
“That’s not what I said.” Charlie’s gaze drifted against her will. She was very interested in getting acquainted with those muscles again. The little taste she’d had at the community center had only been enough to awaken her desires, not to sate them.
Julian winked playfully. “But it’s what you were thinking.”
“You don’t know what I was thinking.”
“I bet it was that you should get me to sign a waiver before doing this very dangerous task.”
“Hmm… That’s actually a good idea. To release myself from all liability.”
“I’m more interested in what the job pays.”
Oh, now he wanted payment? “I thought you were doing this out of the goodness of your heart?”
“It’s true. I am quite fond of Doris.” Julian’s eyes dropped to her lips, and for a long moment Charlie thought he might kiss her like he had the other day in his office.
“I can do pizza and beer,” she said.
“That’ll work. See you tonight.”
Charlie trapped a sneeze behind her hand, rubbing at her watery eyes.
She needed to get out of this horrible basement and the avalanche of dust that had accumulated. Now she was almost glad the charity had refused to move the furniture out of the basement, because the last thing she needed was some poor old men tripping over antique rugs or choking on dust bunnies.
Charlie abandoned the basement for some fresh air, coughing as she sat down in the recliner in Gram’s living room. She picked up her phone as it started buzzing in her pocket. “Hey.”
“How goes the furniture situation?” Alicia asked.
“Currently locked in a stalemate. I’ve at least managed to unbury the couch, but that’s as far as I’m getting on my own.”
“Did you underestimate how heavy everything was?”
“That and how awkwardly shaped. I couldn’t even get the side tables up the stairs on my own because I couldn’t get my arms around them enough to get a grip.”
“Have you abandoned that project for today then?”
“No, Julian actually offered to come over and help me. He’s swinging by after work, and we’re going to get the big stuff out of the basement. I’m just waiting on him now.”
Alicia’s tone shifted. “Horribly handsome Julian, huh?”
Charlie groaned. “Don’t say it like that.”
“Like what?”
“You know.”
Alicia laughed.
“Stop. He’s doing me a favor.”
“Like the favor he did for you in the community center?” Alicia asked. She’d practically blown out the phone speakers when Charlie told her what they’d done.
“No, that is not the kind of favor I’m talking about.” Charlie touched her cheek, glad Alicia couldn’t see how red her face was turning. “As he pointed out, he actually owed me a favor since I’m such a gracious volunteer choir director.”
“Speaking of the choir,” Alicia said. “I watched that video you sent me of their performance at the community center.”
“Cute, right? They’re actually going to be on the news soon. We just did a little interview.”
“I sent the video to some colleagues. A few of them had already seen it.”
Charlie climbed to her feet. “I think it has something crazy like one hundred thousand views now.” She cleared some boxes out of the hall to make space between the basement and the front door.
“Your name is starting to circulate,” Alicia said. “People are interested in this little feel-good story, which could be very good career-wise.”
Charlie frowned. “I’m not trying to capitalize for a career move.”
“I know that,” Alicia said. “I’m just saying, there’s some buzz. Have you had a chance to look at any of the emails I sent you?”
“Er… I’ve glanced at a couple,” Charlie said, biting down on the lie.
The thought of taking on any kind of role made her more uncomfortable than usual, and not just because of Tom.
She needed to see if this choir competition panned out so she could figure out when she could actually leave Elm Springs.
Until she knew that, what was the point of looking at any of the emails?
“Okay, well, I’ve got to run to a meeting, but keep me posted. And I’ll let you know if I come across anything that I think will intrigue you. Talk later?”
“Sure thing. Bye,” Charlie said, getting back to work and trying not to feel guilty about blowing off Alicia’s emails. The timing just wasn’t right. But soon… Maybe.
She’d only just finished clearing out the hallway when the doorbell rang. Julian was early. She hurried to answer the door.
Julian stood there, wrapped in his coat and a scarf and a pair of hot-pink knitted mittens.
She raised an eyebrow.
“A present from the resident knitting club,” he said, holding his hands up.
Charlie swung the door open farther. “You didn’t dip out early, did you?”
“I was all caught up. No new emails in my inbox.” Julian shrugged. “Figured I’d swing by now.”
She stepped aside, letting him in. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I’ve put in a lot of extra hours over the years. Diane was happy to let me sneak out.”
“As long as I didn’t pull you away from anything important.”
“Just more complaints about the gingerbread contest being fixed.”
“I really do think the nurses were slighted,” Charlie said, chuckling as Julian rolled his eyes. “Come on, they made a gingerbread hospital!”
“They make one every year,” he said, playfully exasperated. “The admin team is just more creative.”
“I think I’m Team Harriet and Warren on this one. There clearly needs to be an internal investigation.”
Julian tutted. “I come all the way over here to help you and get nothing but accusations.” He pretended to leave.
Charlie grabbed him by the front of the coat and hauled him back inside, closing the door to the chill. “I’m kidding. But you can’t deny those gingerbread men with the little icing casts were adorable.”
“They took second place again. That’s almost a win.”
“Don’t say the word almost near Harriet. Any word from the Arts Council?”
“Nothing.” Julian sighed. “But I’m trying not to check my email every two minutes. Moving furniture might actually be a nice distraction.”
“I’m sure they’ll reach out soon,” Charlie said. Though as the days passed, she’d started to worry that maybe Glendale hadn’t made the cut. She kept the choir rehearsing on the off chance they did, but the reality was she had no idea what kind of amateur competition Elm Springs might stir up.