Chapter Six
Kas
“So you”re telling me you’ve got all these here museum-worthy drawings, but you”re keeping them to yourself and going to some high-falutin university to become some crackpot lawyer?” Tony booms in his loud voice.
We are back in the diner, and I”m working my shift while Charli sits in her now-assigned chair in the back, where she hangs out with me and Tony. She’s become a permanent fixture at my side for the past three weeks, and Tony has fallen in love with her almost as much as I have. Barb, Tony”s wife, is the same.
“Kas, what are you telling your girl, there, boy? She needs to be showing these to the world!” he says, turning to me and causing me to smile at a blushing red Charli.
“I’ve been saying the same thing since I first saw her work. She won”t listen to me.” I smile and give her a wink as she glares my way for throwing her under the bus. But maybe if someone else sees how talented she is, she will start believing it, too.
“Well, that just don”t make no damn sense. You know there”s an art school about thirty minutes from NC State. Barb knows the dean up there. I”m gonna have her put in a call,” Tony says, nodding once before turning and walking out of the kitchen to a sputtering Charli.
“Hey! Tony! Wait, don”t do that!” Her calls go unanswered, and I chuckle, knowing nothing she says will stop him, and by her defeated shoulders, she knows it”s true as well.
“He never listens,” she sighs, but I see the loving smile on her face. She”s taken to Tony about as much as Tony has taken to her. He’s treated her like the daughter he never had, and I know she will miss him when she has to go, too. They spend most of their time bickering but in a loving way. I place a plate of fries drizzled with cheese, ranch, and bacon in front of Charli, kissing her hair and returning to my work.
This is how we’ve spent the last three weeks, and it”s been the summer of my life with this girl. I couldn”t have imagined a better time. We spend our time between the diner and the beach, and tonight I have the biggest surprise for my little fairy. I’ve been taking her to some amazing spots I thought she might love to draw or paint, but I’ve been holding on to the best place.
The girls were supposed to leave yesterday, but we were lucky enough to get them to agree to stay until the end of the weekend. It”s ripping my heart out at the thought of her leaving. I’ve slept in the same bed as her since that very first night she let me into her room, and I’ve never slept better.
I have three more tickets to get out before Charli and I can ditch this place and head to her surprise, and I can”t wait. The plates are piling onto the window, and I look around.
“Where did Al go?” I ask Charli.
“I saw her go to the bathroom earlier but haven”t seen her since. She’s been acting weird for a couple of weeks now,” Charli says with a worried look. I’ve noticed the change in our friend and one of the diner waitresses as well, and I had hoped to talk to her today, but she seems to be avoiding us.
“Last ticket, get your stuff together, fairy. I’ve got something to show you,” I tell her as I place the food on the hot plate. She excitedly packs, and when Tony returns to the kitchen, we say goodbye and make our way out of the diner. I hurry her down the road, pulling her along behind me.
“Woah, slow down, tiger!” she laughs. I slow my pace but still make my way in the same direction. We move through town toward the beach, but I take a less noticeable path off the side.
“Ohhh, you’re taking me to another secret location, huh? How do you find all these places? Am I going to have to hike a long way? I did not bring the right shoes for that.”
I don”t answer her, focusing on the trail ahead instead. We finally make it almost to the top of the hill before I turn back to her and tell her to close her eyes. Tony helped me set this up by giving me an excuse to get out of the diner for an hour earlier. He kept Charli company in the kitchen while I “ran to the market for more anchovies.” I was able to get two easels set up with a table full of all different colors of paint in the middle. The biggest surprise, though, is the view. The bluffs and cliffs are the most gorgeous view, and Charlis” reaction confirms that as I tell her to open her eyes, she gets her first look.
“Holy Moly,” she breathes, not taking her eyes off the scenery. Still, I notice the minute she recognizes the paint supplies set up, because she almost bursts my eardrums with her screech as she jumps into my arms. I laugh, but stop as her lips come down on mine. Just like the one before, it”s over before I have a chance to move, but the excitement on her face about this date is too great to worry me right now. This is all about her, and that”s how we spend the next few hours.
“I can”t believe you’re painting with me. This is the best date ever,” she says, but I watch when she catches what she said about a date. She”s still holding back the romantic part of our relationship, and I know it”s because she”s leaving. I’ve just been going with the flow and loving every moment I get to spend with my girl, and she”s let her walls down almost all the way. I still don”t know what I”m going to do when she leaves. It might be crazy, but I”ve already thought about moving to Georgia just to be closer to her. I could get a job in any kitchen.
“Well, I figured you would love the chance to paint this view, and I figured I could give it a go… oh shit.” I cut off when I dropped a huge glob of red paint in the middle of my portrait. Don”t get me wrong, this painting wouldn”t win any awards, but I got the cliffs right, and the water was almost the right shade of blue. Oh well.
“Oh no! I hate when I do that. I always have to throw out the whole thing. So frustrating,” Charli says, looking sadly at my painting. I raise my brows at her.
“No need to throw it out. Just because it was a mistake doesn”t mean it can”t turn out beautiful. Just got to give it a little life and love,” I tell her and hear a soft gasp, but I have a painting to fix. I get back to work, and after a few more minutes, I turn to show her.
“Ta-da!” I present it and can”t help but smile when she laughs. Yeah, it”s a mess, but this has to be one of the most enjoyable moments of my life, so it was worth it.
“What is that?” she asks, pointing at the red blob with a tentacle coming out of the water.
“That”s my Kraken,” I say proudly, making her laugh again. When she finally gets herself under control, she looks at me, and I can see her wipe a tear from her cheek.
“Thank you. You have made this the summer of my life. Actually, the time of my life. I”ve never felt so free before,” she says.
“You’ve made this time of my life, Fairy. Thank you for hanging out with me, even if you had to do it in the greasy kitchen of the diner most days.”
“And they will always be some of my favorite memories,” she whispers.
We clean and pack everything away. It”s time to meet up with the guys and Harper, so we rush to get back down to the Inn. We spent the rest of the night with our big group, and the next morning, we lie around, laughing and joking around on the beach.
It’s Saturday now; we only have until Monday with them, and my heart is breaking. The girls fit perfectly with our group. They make us whole. Charli makes me whole.
“Oh shit,” Charli whispers, and I”m instantly on alert. I follow her wide eyes and see a tall, pissed-off-looking man standing on the sidewalk in front of the inn. He’s glaring a hole at Harper, and the anger radiating off him is suffocating. I watch as Grayson stands in front of Harper protectively, and I’ve already pulled Charli behind me. This can”t be good. I turn to look at Charli and see her face pale.
“Daddy,” Harper whispers nervously.
“Harper Grace. I have both your bags packed and in the car. We will be pulling out of here within the next ten minutes, and I don’t want to hear a word about it. Say your goodbyes and get your asses up here,” the man nearly yells, and my worst fears are coming true. No, this can”t be happening. We still had time left.
“But… we’re coming home tomorrow,” Charli protests. His eyes swing to her, and she stops talking, visibly shrinking under his stare. I growl and step between his view of her again.
“And since neither one of you has been answering your phones for almost a week now, your parents, Charlotte, and I decided it was time to put an end to this charade you both think you were getting away with and bring you home,” he grits through his teeth. I hear Charli’s snort at that, but I grab her face and bring her eyes to mine.
“I’ll fix this. Please, just give me time,” I plead with her, not knowing if she understands what I”m saying, but before I can reassure her of us, she”s ripped from my grip and heading home in the car.
“How did this happen?” I almost choke out. I nearly fall to my knees as I watch Charli turn to look at me out the back window. She gives me one wave before wiping a tear from her cheeks, and then she”s gone.
“I can”t believe that”s the end. This can”t be real,” Grayson says from beside me. I can barely think, breathe, or move. My mind is racing almost as fast as my heart, and I don”t know what to do. I stand there for lord knows how long. I”m only brought out of my misery by the sound of a text coming through. It”s from Charli. After reading her words, there”s only one thing on my mind.
“Fuck this. We”re going to get our women,” I tell Grayson, and head straight for his truck.