Chapter 18
CHAPTER 18
C harlie showed up at her mother’s house Sunday night for family dinner. Everyone had already arrived judging by the familiar cars belonging to her brothers all parked along the side of the road in front of their mother’s house. She was late, dammit. The last person to show up was always tasked with dish duty. A standard her mother instituted years ago to keep her children from being late. Up until a few months ago that person had always been Del.
Now look who’s the family screw-up.
Not entirely true. She hadn’t been trying to get out of family obligations like Del used to do before he wised up and realized how much they all loved him. Her lateness wasn’t due to fear or rejection or her screwing up the time. There had been a form of screwing involved in her reason for being late. A very sexy one who’s place she’d just snuck out of after an hour of mind-blowing bedroom activities. A full body wave of heat hit her as the memories floated through her mind. The touches, the positions, the passion.
She should have left Luc’s place earlier, but even with the threat of a mountain of nasty dishes filling her night, she couldn’t regret staying. He’d certainly made it worth her while. The man had moves she’d never even dreamed of.
Totally dirty dish duty worthy.
Pushing through her mother’s front door, she made her way into the kitchen. Everyone was already seated around the long, aged, oak table that had been in the family since before she’d been born. The thing had nicks, dings, and various stains that never seemed to come out no matter how hard they’d scrubbed it as children. She loved it. It wasn’t just a table. She could remember dozens of meals gathered around the rectangular wood. Birthday’s, Christmas dinners, late night’s where her homework covered the entire surface.
A slight pang twisted her heart as a vision of her father sitting next to her at that table, hunched over her algebra homework and cursing under his breath filled her mind. The old man had never been very good at math, but whenever he was able, he always tried to help her with it. He encouraged her in math and science, telling her over and over again, no matter what anyone told her, she could be good at anything a boy could do.
Some people might think being his only daughter; her father would have doted on her like a princess. But Lawrence Jackson doted on no one. He loved her, but he didn’t tolerate laziness or excuses. No gentle hand for her because of her gender. He treated her the same as her brothers. An action she both appreciated and lamented. It would have been nice to be seen as daddy’s little princess once in a while instead of another little soldier.
“Look who finally decided to grace us with her presence.”
Pulled from her thoughts, she glared at her younger brother. Sitting at the table with a smug grin on his face and his arm around his wife and her best friend.
“Bite me, Jackasson.”
“Charlie!” her mother admonished with a scowl.
“Sorry, mom.” Thirty-two years old and she still felt like a scolded puppy who peed on the rug when her mother yelled at her. How did mothers do that? Walking over to the woman, she bent and placed a kiss on her slightly wrinkled cheek. “Sorry I’m late. Did I hold you up?”
“No, dear. We were just chatting and—” A ding sounded from the oven. “Ah, that would be the lasagna now. Perfect timing.”
“You sit. I’ll get it.” She placed a hand on her mother’s shoulder when the woman began to rise.
“Oh, thank you, sweetheart. Delta, go help your sister.”
“Help her bring a tray of lasagna to the table? It only takes two hands, mom.”
Their mother eyed her youngest son with a stern expression. “Yes, but there’s also garlic bread on the counter and a bowl of salad in the crisper. That will take two more. Now go, young man.”
Sufficiently chastised, Del rose and joined Charlie. She couldn’t help but mutter a small “Ha ha,” to her brother as they grabbed the food. Del, very maturely, flipped her off in return. Ah, family love. At least that was how her family showed love, insults and barbs. It was when they were nice you had to worry.
Once the food had been brought to the table and divvied up, everyone dug in. Her mom was an amazing cook, and her lasagna was a family favorite. For the first ten minutes of the meal no one did anything but eat. Charlie sighed in bliss as the rich meaty sauce and gooey, creamy, cheese exploded all the flavor receptors on her tongue.
“So, Charlie,” BJ said after swallowing a massive bite of garlic bread. “How’s anger management class going?”
She glared at her older brother. What was it, pick on Charlie night? She already had to do the dishes for being late, wasn’t that punishment enough?
“Just peachy. I’m learning so much. It’s been very helpful in controlling my desire to grab my water glass and hurl it across the table at my annoying brother’s face.”
Everyone chuckled, except her mother who simply sighed and shook her head, but truth be told, the classes were helping. The stupid breathing exercises worked. The other day at the restaurant she had to deal with a customer who complained about a dry steak. One he’d ordered well-done. How the hell else did he think it was going to taste? Normally she’d have to fight everything in her not to smack the guy in the face with said steak, but oddly she’d discovered after a few deep breaths, she’d been able to calmly explain that perhaps the man might prefer his steak cooked medium. After assuring him he wouldn’t get worms, the customer agreed, and she’d had the chef cook up another T-bone. The man had been satisfied, and she’d refrained bringing their online rating down by smacking a patron in the face with meat.
Go her.
In fact, life in general had seemed a lot less stressful lately. Everything felt lighter, brighter, happy. Guess getting phenomenal sex on the regular could do that to a lady.
“I’m sure having Doctor Hottie teach the class helps too,” Cassie said.
She choked on the bite of salad she’d just placed in her mouth. The Italian dressing stinging as it went down the wrong pipe.
“What? Doctor who?” Her mother glanced around the table, eyes wide.
She glared at her best friend who shot back a knowing grin. Impossible. Cassie couldn’t know anything. She and Luc had been very discreet. Sure, he’d driven her home after karaoke that night, but she’d never told her best friend what happened. Much as she was dying to spill the beans on the hottest sex in her life, she hadn’t said a word. They’d agreed to keep this a secret. There was no way Cassie could know anything. But her bestie was smart. The woman might have an inkling of something.
Leaving that worry for another night, she turned her gaze to her mother. “The new therapist working out of the hospital, not a doctor. Luc Woolf. He teaches the anger management course.”
“How did he get that ridiculous name?”
“Apple.” Everyone at the table, except Ace and Penny, said at once.
“But he is a hottie,” Cassie insisted. When Del cleared his throat, she patted his arm. “Not as handsome as you, sweetie.”
“Nice save, Sassy.”
Desperate to turn the conversation off her, she turned to BJ and Penny. “Are you all tying the knot soon or what?”
BJ glanced at Penny, who blushed, making her pale, freckled face turn bright pink. He raised his brow, and she gave him a slight nod.
“Actually, we are. We’ve decided to get married in two months. I know that’s soon, but Penny wants to have the wedding before she gets too big for her dress. We didn’t want to say anything until our first ultrasound, but everything looks good.”
Ultrasound? What did he—oh holy crap! Charlie’s squeals of joy were joined by her mother’s and Cassie’s.
“You’re pregnant?”
Penny nodded, a huge glowing smile on her face. Congratulations and hugs were passed around. Even Ace gave out brief side hugs. Hampered by the sling holding his left shoulder in place, orders of the doc they’d all forced him to go see after the bar fight.
“My very first grandbaby! I’m so happy. Oh, I have a box of the boy’s old baby clothes. Even if it’s a girl you can still use them, Charlie worn them too. They’re mostly yellows and green playsuits. Snaps, not zippers. Much easier for diaper changes. And I have Charlie’s old baby dresses too. So cute.”
As her mother gushed on, eyes brimming with happy tears, Charlie sat back, observing her family and how much they’d changed in the past year. Del had settled down his wild-boy ways and found the love of his life in her best friend. BJ had also settled down. Finding love with a woman who’d been a part of his life for years.
She was happy for her brothers, but it put her own love life into stark contrast. Swear to god, if Ace got married before her she’d lose it. The thought made her chuckle. No way would her grumpy, uptight, oldest brother find a woman willing to put up with him. Besides, she was a modern woman. She didn’t need a husband.
Hot sex? Now that she, well, didn’t need, but wanted. Good thing she didn’t need a significant other for that. Just a sexy, amazing, discreet man willing to come over in the cover of night and leave before dawn.
A strange prick of pain stabbed her chest.
Hmmm, when she thought of it like that it felt…wrong.
Glancing around the table at her happy siblings, a slight sting of envy wormed its way inside. She wondered what it would be like to bring Luc to a family dinner. Show him off. Claim him as her own in front of everyone. The more she thought of it, the more that small pang in her chest grew. Oh crap! The last thing she needed was to develop feelings for her hook-up. No. That wasn’t what this was. Her emotions were just getting the best of her right now. All the happy marriage and baby pheromones flying through the air.
She did not want a real relationship with Luc. No matter how much the tiny voice in the back of her mind screamed otherwise. She needed to put that voice in a box and toss it in the creek. Charlie knew better than to think this thing between her and Luc might develop into something real. A nice dream, but just that. A dream. Reality had a way of biting you in the ass the moment you thought life might not be a total suckage of crap. Dreaming and hope were for Sally Sunshines. Charlie had always been more of a Betty Badass.
After dinner—plus the half hour it took her to scrub cheese off the lasagna pan—everyone said goodbye. Charlie got into her car and headed home. Tonight, she had a date with a long, hot bath and a taster of Jacks latest peach vodka infusion. Since Luc had the overnight shift, he wouldn’t be able to come over, hence the earlier reason for her lateness.
Just as well. Her emotions were all over the place right now. Seeing Luc was the last thing she needed. Her head had to be clear before they met again. She needed to dig way down deep and really think about what she wanted.
Did she want a relationship with Luc? A real one?
Yes!
The small voice in her head screamed, getting louder and louder with each passing minute and the scary part was, she found herself starting to agree.