Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Charlie
T he morning Charlie arrived in Cape Wilde for the second time was cool, but sunny. She drove straight to Wilde Outdoor Adventures, surprised to find the doors locked and nobody there. On the front door a single red rose was taped with a note.
Charlie looked around, but there was nobody about to ask. Fingers shaking, she reached for the note. Turning it over, she saw her name printed in a bold, masculine print.
Rhett’s handwriting.
She smiled, smoothing her hand over the paper before opening the note.
I’ve left you clues around the town, but not to turn it upside down. Your first stop is here, as I knew it would be, the second is to Mrs. Trombley for some tea.
Charlie laughed, delighted, and took the rose back to her car.
She had tea with Mrs. Trombley and had her fortune read, then she was taken on a brief tour of the harbor with Rhett’s artist cousin, Rowan, who Rhett had described once or twice as half-fish. She moved from location to location around the town, taking in the people and places that were so special to Rhett. She saw how it was a part of him, and how it could be a part of her too. By the middle of the afternoon she’d accumulated almost a dozen red roses.
“Eleven,” Charlie said as Cassie handed her one more with a smile. “Who do I get number twelve from?”
“Can you guess?” Cassie asked, holding out the final clue.
“Rhett,” she said, taking the note. She opened the paper and read it with a laugh.
The final stop is just for you and me, you’ll find me waiting near THAT tree.
Charlie laughed and, throwing a hasty thank you over her shoulder, headed out the door.
Of course he’d bring her back to the cabin where they’d been stuck in the storm. Somewhere quiet and amongst the trees he loved so much.
It didn’t take her long to reach her destination. She pulled up next to where Rhett had parked his truck and turned off the engine. She bundled up her roses and climbed out of the car, walking slowly to the front door.
Her hand hesitated, unsure if she should knock or just open the door.
“Charlie,” Rhett said from behind her.
She squeaked and spun on her heel to face him, holding one hand against her chest. How such a giant of a man could be so light on his feet was a mystery.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He ran his hand over the back of his neck.
His proximity, the smell of whatever he used to launder his clothes, his deodorant and a slight whiff of wood smoke had her head spinning. It was just uniquely him. No cologne. She couldn’t imagine him fussing with his appearance, and yet he looked like he’d stepped out of a designer clothes fashion shoot with the mood board of ‘sexy outdoorsman’.
Jeans that looked like they were made just for him were stretched over his muscular thighs, his feet encased in heavy boots that had seen better days. He was wearing another tight tee shirt—this time black—under a plaid green and black shirt. The man seemed incapable of spending five minutes with his hair not flopping over his forehead, the brown locks just begging to be pushed back from his eyes.
He belonged here like a fish belonged in the ocean. And she loved him with every part of her.
“You got the flowers.” He said. “I hope you had a good day.”
She smiled and walked a step towards him, holding the roses against her chest. “Yes, they’re beautiful. But isn’t there meant to be one more?”
“Oh, yeah there is. Come inside.” He stepped around her and pushed open the door, holding it so she could enter.
She gasped, staring around the cabin. “What have you done to this place?”
“You don’t like it?”
“No! I love it!” Charlie walked into the center of the room and turned on the spot, taking it all in. The kitchen had been renovated, and the walls painted white with pale green trim. The old furniture was gone, replaced with a cozy looking sofa and a small dining table and two chairs. Brightly colored rugs adorned the floor, giving the room a bright, cheery feeling.
Charlie walked to the bathroom, Rhett following with a smile. She gasped at the claw-footed tub and the separate shower, a far cry from the old bathroom fittings. And then there was the bedroom. Floor-length gauze curtains covered the windows, and the walls were freshly painted white. An armchair and bookshelf in the corner made for a cozy reading nook, and the bed itself was covered in a handmade quilt, another bright rug on the floor.
“You did all this?” She asked, turning to face Rhett.
“I wanted you to see what it could be like,” he said, flushing slightly.
“But you didn’t have any money…”
Rhett nodded. “I called in some favors.”
Charlie smiled. “I love it.”
“You do?”
“Yes.” She nodded.
“The rose,” Rhett said suddenly, leaving the room.
Charlie followed him into the kitchen where a single rose sat in a vase filled with water. She put the rest of the roses in the vase and arranged them to give her hands something to do, then placed the vase in the middle of the dining table.
“So, still only one bed?” She said with a small smile.
Rhett cleared his throat. “I figured I’d go home. Unless…”
“Unless I wanted you to stay?”
“Something like that.”
She turned and leaned her hip against the kitchen counter, fiddling with the hem of her sweater. “Rhett, I thought I belonged in New York. I’d been trying to fit in there for so long I didn’t know what I wanted anymore. And then I met you, and I started to believe I could have a different life. One that wasn’t about appearances and boardrooms, but about actually connecting with people. One filled with love.”
Rhett took a step towards her, his voice rough when he spoke. “Do you still believe you can have that life?”
“Yes.” She closed the distance between them and rested her hands on his chest, tilting her head back to meet his eyes. “Yes, I want that life. With you.”
Rhett’s smile lit his entire face. “You mean that?”
She laughed, tears in her eyes. “Rhett, I love you. I belong with you.”
He gathered her into his arms and swung her around as they both laughed. She looked up at him, her cheeks hot and her eyes filled with happy tears. He set her down and rested his hands on either side of her face.
“Charlotte Sinclair. Charlie. I adore you. You are an amazing woman. You’re strong, caring, kind, and compassionate. I am so sorry I didn’t listen to you at first. I was afraid of getting hurt, so I pushed you away. I hurt you before you could hurt me, and it all backfired on me, anyway.” He smiled sadly. “I’m sorry for not listening to you. You’ve given me every reason to trust you. I should have listened.”
Her eyes were wet as she smiled up at him.
“I love you, Charlie. More than anything else in the world. And if that means coming with you to New York, then I will.”
She gasped. “But what about the business? What about your family?”
He shrugged. “It’s just a business. I love it here, yes. I’ve lived here almost my whole life. Sure, my family is here. But I can always visit.”
He swiped his thumb over her cheek to catch a tear.
“Oh, Rhett, that means a lot to me,” Charlotte said as she smiled through her tears. “But I’m staying here. I don’t belong in New York anymore. I belong here, in Cape Wilde, with you.”
“Are you sure?” He asked. “It’s very different to New York.”
“I’m sure,” she said, smiling up at Rhett.
He bent down and touched his lips to hers. It was as if they’d never been apart. Heat bloomed between them as she opened to him. She slid her hand underneath his tee shirt and he growled, his hands dropping to grip her backside and lift her against him.
“I need you now, beautiful.”