Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Charlie
The next morning, I woke up later than I had in weeks. My body’s natural response to this place had me crashing hard and sleeping harder. So hard, there was drool pooling on my pillow.
I decided last night that I wanted to stay an extra day or two and just meander through the town.
On my walk last night, I looked through the windows of the local stores and fell in love with the art and gift shops.
Today, I’m allowing myself to explore and see what else is around.
See if last night was a fever dream or if this place really does have a little healing power.
As soon as I got back into town, the uniqueness that drew me in yesterday hit me again.
Traffic slows as cars drive down Main Street, but it doesn’t seem as if anyone is in a hurry.
Locals and tourists vibe with such ease that I can’t tell which is which.
It’s a Thursday, but it seems like every day is a weekend here. I freaking love it.
The first store I went into was a clothing store that only sold alpaca apparel.
Everything was made from alpaca wool—socks, gloves, jackets, and blankets.
All things made locally by the owner and her family.
I spent nearly an hour talking to Camila, the owner's daughter, about their farm and why her parents ended up settling in Oregon. If I wasn’t ‘ballin’ on a budget’ and summer wasn't right around the corner, I could’ve bought the entire store.
Instead, I left with a pair of hiking socks and the potential of a new friend.
Out of my peripheral vision, I look up just in time to see an older woman step off the curb. I watch in what feels like slow motion as her foot goes one way and her body goes the other. Within a blink, she’s falling into the road.
I immediately sprint to her side and crouch down in front of her. "Ma'am! Ma'am, are you okay?"
Before she answers, I quickly look around our surroundings to make sure there aren’t any cars coming. Luckily, this is a side street and it’s empty. The last thing we need is to be hit by a car that doesn’t see us.
She gingerly tries to roll to her side and holds her wrist for support while groaning. "Oh, sweet heavens.” Her wrist is already swelling and turning colors.
I stand up and look around just as a police officer starts driving by on Main Street.
Without thinking, I move into action. Throwing my hands in the air, I practically jump in front of the moving vehicle.
It isn’t going fast enough to cause any real damage if it hits me, but in hindsight, probably not my safest idea.
The officer slams on his breaks and throws his hands in the air, looking at me incredulously.
When he gets out, the sight of him almost takes my breath away. He looks like Captain America meets an angry Ken Doll. Tall, blonde, and blue-eyed with perfect straight white teeth.
"What are you doing?" His tone isn’t angry but it’s definitely not happy either. Then again, I just threw myself in front of his moving vehicle.
"I am so sorry, sir! This woman just fell and I think she needs medical attention." I point toward the woman, who is still barely able to support herself.
He glances over, now noticing the fallen woman. "Elise! You okay?"
She shakes her head but says, "I'll be fine, Danny."
Instead of standing there any longer, I move back to my original spot kneeling in front of her as he radio’s something in.
I talk to her softly, like I would if she were my own grandmother. "Ma'am, we really should have a professional check you over. You took quite a fall. Can I call someone for you?"
"Don't you worry, honey. I'm sure ole Sergeant Turner is already calling my husband Cal and the rest of the town." She gives him a stern look, and he smirks in response.
Walking over to us, he says, "Let's get you out of the road, and then I'll make those calls."
He grips under her waist and I grab the elbow of the uninjured arm, hoping to help balance. She limps a little while holding her wrist close to her chest. As soon as she’s sitting on the bench, my body relaxes a fraction.
"Mind if I sit with you while we wait?" I ask, not quite ready to leave her alone. It seems like she knows Sergeant Turner but I still don’t feel comfortable just leaving her.
She smiles at me and the corners of her eyes crease. "I'd love that, darling. Just stopping through town?"
I swallowed a lump of emotion that came out of nowhere and nodded.
"Where ya from, sweetie?"
"A small town in South Carolina, Heartsville.”
"I figured somewhere in the south. You beautiful southern belles have such charm."
I choke on a laugh and look at my worn-out baby blue Vans and jeans. Not many people back home would refer to me as a southern belle; definitely no debutants or tea parties for me.
"Thank you. How's your wrist? And ankle? Does anything else hurt?"
"I'll be just fine. These old bones bruise easily."
An ambulance pulls up and out of the passenger seat, pops out an identical version of the sergeant. My jaw truly drops when I see him. How on earth this town has two men that look like this is beyond me.
"Daniel Turner!” Elise begins to scold him. “You went and called the medics?!"
The medic in question walked up with a lopsided grin full of playfulness. "Elise, my love. You know, it's only the best for you."
"You telling me you're the best they got, Levi?” She arches her eyebrow and purses her lips. “Where's Brian? Or Bill?"
He grabs at his chest dramatically, and I can't help the giggle that escapes. It feels like it's been months since I've laughed.
"I'm insulted that you think those imbeciles are better than me!" He crouches down in front of the bench and opens up his medic bag, pulling out a blood pressure cuff.
Before he places it on her, he glances at me and then does a double take. His eyes roam my face, and his flirty smile lets me know he likes the view. "You must be the hero that jumped in front of a moving cruiser."
Sergeant Turner appears behind him and grips his shoulder, lovingly chastising him. "Focus on your job, Vi."
Levi chuckles and gets back to work. The resemblance between them is uncanny. If they weren't wearing different uniforms, there's no way I'd be able to tell which twin was which.
I look at Elise, who is grinning at me like she knows exactly what I’m thinking.
"Does everyone in town look like this?"
Her lips twitch as she looks between the two of them. "No, but the Turner genes are impenetrable. Their daddy looked just like they did at this age, and Dan's son Ben is a tiny mini-me as well."
Levi shrugs. "It's the best. I get to share my genetics without having to settle down. I’m Levi, by the way, and the replica behind me is Dan.”
Dan rolls his eyes. "I heard you tell Elise you're just visiting. How long you staying for?"
I puff out my cheeks as I let out a breath. "I'm not sure. I don't really have any place to be for a little while."
His eyes narrow as he takes in the subtle undertones of what I'm not saying. "You in some sort of trouble?"
I let out one humorless laugh. "No, nothing like that.
I just graduated from the University of South Carolina.
I thought a road trip might help me clear my head and figure out my next steps.
" I don't know why I'm opening up so much to these people I've never met before, but I can't stop the words coming out of my mouth.
Maybe spending so many days alone in the car has me desperate for human interaction.
Dan's eyebrows furrow in concern. "But you don't have a plan? Find a job or settle down somewhere?"
I shrug, feeling a mix of uncertainty and freedom. "I guess I'll figure it out along the way. Right now, I just need some time to explore. Find myself, again."
He nods slowly, and his lips twist to the side. "My wife, albeit a real-life superhero, is feeling a touch overwhelmed with running a company and being an amazing mother. If you decide to stay around, even if only a couple weeks, I'm sure she could use the help."
I give him a polite smile, still unsure of my timeline. "Thank you. I appreciate the offer."
"She owns the Cascades Property Management company here in town. Two blocks that way," he gestures to the south of where we are standing. "She's renovating the inside, so it may be a little chaotic right now.”
"Another reason we need you. I mean, she needs you.” Levi says, and then winks.
An older gentleman comes running from the other side of the road, yelling, "Lise!"
She smiles and hollers, "I'm fine, Cal! Levi here got me all checked out!"
Levi stands and pats the newcomer's shoulder. "She's okay, but I think she should have a doc look at that wrist and ankle. Make sure nothing is broken."
Cal looks at me with a warm smile and says, "Thank you for rescuing my heart. I didn't catch your name."
Tears threaten to fill my eyes at his sweet words. You can tell he loves his wife more than anything.
I end up introducing myself as Charlie, forgetting that I should probably use a fake name.
When I look over at Dan, he's standing by his cruiser on the phone. When he hangs up, he shouts, "My wife's name is Olivia. She'll be expecting you." Then he gives me one nod and slides into the front seat, smiling.
Iwalk the two blocks south, still not even sure if I want to go into the building. A large sign is out front with pretty writing, "Cascades Property Management.”
I try to open the door, but it's locked, so I knock quietly. Half-hoping no one would answer.
I didn't expect a dark-haired woman with her brown hair in a bun, wearing yoga pants, and an oversized shirt to open the door. After seeing Dan, I expected a very put together housewife to be on the other side. Olivia, however, looks like every other mom in the trenches of motherhood. She can’t be much older than I am, but our lives are on completely different routes.
She opens the door with a toddler attached to her hip. Elise was right; this little boy is the spitting image of his dad.
"It's so nice to meet you! I'm Olivia and this is Ben." She greets me as Ben tucks his head into her neck while smiling shyly at me. He can’t be much older than three.
"Hi! I heard you need me." I say, trying to muster up as much courage and confidence as I can.
She grins back at me and motions for me to follow her inside. "I need an army right now. I just found out I'm pregnant and I'm drowning in bookwork and potty training."
We make small talk as she shows me around the building. Asking where I'm from and what my degree is. I try to keep everything light and positive while explaining my history but every question she asks has me word vomiting more and more of my story.
The building is empty except for one lone desk in the corner of the first floor. The bones are good, though, so Olivia gets to start with a blank slate.
A staircase leads to the second floor, which is in the middle of the room. I widen my eyes at the sheer grandiosity of this space. It's huge up here—completely open and bare.
"What do you have planned for up here?" I ask with genuine curiosity.
She lets out a tired sigh. "The contractor will be here next week to put up glass partitions.
I'm going for an industrial vibe that separates work and play. I'll still be able to see the kids playing so I can get work done but I need things to be separated. Two offices parallel to each other, a full kitchen, and a playroom. Besides the crew that I have to take care of the properties and my accountant, it's just me running the business. My adopted mother, Lovey, left everything to me a few years ago. I’ve been trying to keep the same standards she had, grow the business, and also raise Ben—all while being a good wife. It’s been a surprisingly big undertaking. In case you can’t tell by the outfit. "
I nod and give her a reassuring smile. She's got more on her plate than most but she just keeps smiling.
"Well, I'd be happy to help. Whether that be with Ben so you can get stuff done or whatever you delegate to me, the only thing is that I'm not sure how long I'll be here.
And…" I chew on the edge of my nail while I try to think of the right way to explain my circumstances.
I don't know how to tell her I can't be traced without sounding like a crazy person running from the law.
"I don't want anyone to know that I'm here."
Her head tilts to the side for a second and then she nods. "Let's go get something to eat and talk about details."
We walk down to the SnowPeak and I order the same thing as yesterday: a burger and a milkshake.
"Do you feel comfortable telling me what you are running from? I promise you, I'm a vault. Even my husband doesn't need to know everything." She gives me a reassuring look that says no matter what, she has my back.
My shoulders sag as I contemplate telling her everything.
I don’t know if Carter is still in jail or if he’s on house arrest, like the detective assigned to the case said he might be.
The threat of him finding me still feels real, but other than myself, I don’t necessarily have anything to hide.
Olivia feels like a safe person that I can vent to, and I could really use a friend right now.
The more I talk, the more I end up spilling though. Until my entire story is thrown out on the table in front of us. From Hayes, to Carter in my bed, to the attack, to leaving South Carolina.
I’m sure that I end up talking about Hayes more than anything.
He’s been at the forefront of my mind, even despite the attack.
The most hurt I’ve felt comes from him. He was always such a protector in my life and for him to abandon me like that rocked me to the core.
Now I’m stuck in limbo until he gets back and can be reasoned with. If he even will at all.
She listens intently and then shakes her head with a small grin, tugging the corner of her lip up.
"That man is going to beat himself up when he finds out.
" She has no idea how much. Hayes has always been the worrier, trying to fix everything.
This situation may set him over the edge, but right now he isn't my problem.
He's focused on his career and staying alive. I’m focused on figuring out my own life.
"I'd like to hire you as my assistant. Under the table. Cash. There's no expectations, and when you're ready to leave… Well, I have a feeling I'll miss you, but I'll understand."
Relief washes through me. I could use the money, and the fact she's taking a chance on me seems like a once-in-a million opportunity.
Tears well in my eyes as I say, "Thank you, Olivia."
With a laugh, she says, "Don't thank me yet. You have no idea how far behind I've gotten."