Chapter 10 #2
Now that she had this recording, she could send it to that cop. Maybe then they would finally grant her that restraining order she’d been asking for. At least it would be a step in the right direction.
She retrieved her book from where she’d set it down earlier, turning to the page she’d left off on.
With each word scrawled across the page, she knew that she could lose herself to the beautiful and enchanting world unfolding before her.
A temporary oasis from the shadows that loomed in the corners of her reality.
The knock on the door came promptly at ten minutes before seven. Exactly ten minutes before Charlie had said he’d arrive, and decidedly, ten minutes too early.
She really shouldn’t have waited until the last minute to get ready.
Her brain had been fried from her earlier call, making it difficult to focus on any kind of writing, so she’d resorted to reading for the remainder of the day.
It wasn’t until she finally managed to tear herself away from the ending of the most recent chapter she’d read when she realized the time and had rushed to get ready.
All she’d needed to do was to finish fussing with her hair and makeup. She’d managed to curl her hair into loose beachy waves that cascaded down her back and had just opened a tube of lipstick when she heard the knocking.
In her haste, she’d run to unlock the front door, so Charlie could let himself in when he arrived, but given her conversation earlier, she froze in her spot.
“Charlie?” she called out, crossing her fingers that she hadn’t made a huge mistake.
“Yeah, I’m a bit early,” she heard from the front door, Charlie’s familiar voice floating down the hall toward her. “I hope that’s okay?”
A sigh of relief escaped her. “The door’s open! Let yourself in. I’m finishing up in here, but I’ll only be a minute!”
The sound of the door clicking shut loudly from the next room confirmed he’d heard her, and she resumed.
She did a little spin in front of the mirror, watching as the skirt of her dress danced and twirled around her.
She didn’t often wear dresses, as most of them rode too high on her tall frame, but she could appreciate their appeal.
The black tulle fabric around her cascaded down her figure, showcasing a femininity that she didn’t often embrace so openly.
It had been a birthday gift from Angel on her last birthday, when Angel had last come down to visit. Despite the plunging neckline that had initially given her pause, the dress was adorned with a cute little strawberry pattern that Sam simply hadn’t been able to resist.
“You really shouldn’t leave your door unlocked like that, you know,” Charlie scolded, his voice carrying down the hall like an admonishing echo that already had her smiling. He definitely wasn’t wrong, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of being right.
“Relax. I only unlocked it when I started getting ready, so you could let yourself in while I finished getting ready. Worked out in our favor this time, didn’t it?”
“This time.”
“You’re such a worrywart. But sorry, I’ll be out in just a minute. I’m just putting on a few last-minute touches,” she called out as she opened the container where she kept her earrings. Her eyes were drawn immediately to the pair of strawberry studs that would perfectly match her outfit.
“Take your time. I know I’m a bit early,” he called back.
Her smile reflected back at her in the mirror, a mix of sudden nerves and anticipation dancing in her green eyes.
She pictured Charlie sitting at her kitchen table, patiently waiting to take her on a date, a fake-date.
It all seemed so absurd that under different circumstances, it probably would have sounded completely insane.
Satisfied with her reflection, she fluffed up her hair once more before grabbing the pair of earrings.
She brought the first one to her ear, attempting to snap it into place as she walked out of the bathroom.
The pair of heels she had already chosen clicked across the hardwood floor as she made her way into the kitchen.
As she attempted to secure the other earring in place, she saw Charlie standing there waiting for her, leaning back against the kitchen counter with one hand behind his back.
It gave her pause as she took him in, unable to stop herself from admiring the picture he made.
He looked fresh, clean cut. The usually wavy locks of his hair were combed back neatly, a few loose strands framing his face in a way that somehow, combined with the trimmed cut of his facial hair, perfectly accentuated the sharp cut of his jawline.
He looked as if he’d stepped directly out of a magazine.
The dark navy material of the casual suit jacket he wore was slightly opened at the front, showing off the crisp white dress shirt he had on beneath it—a color combination that suited Charlie remarkably well.
With the top button of his dress shirt undone, she caught a glimpse of the sprinkle of dark chest hair just below.
It made her vacantly wonder what it would feel like if it were to tickle her face if…
No, down girl.
“You look nice,” she said simply, unsure of what else to say without her voice betraying her.
His smile further illuminated his face, sharpening his features. “You look beautiful.”
Beautiful. He thought she looked beautiful. He’d told her that a few times before in the past, but for some reason the word clung to her like a second skin.
“Thank you,” she replied, realizing with a hint of shyness that she still hadn’t hooked her other earring into place, having come to a stop mid-motion when she’d seen him.
She began fussing with it again to keep herself from staring.
Charlie in his regular clothes was enough to cause distraction, but this?
Deadly. Even the smell of his familiar cologne flared in her nostrils as she passed by, the scent of citrus and pine like a warm embrace that forced her to button her lip to prevent a delighted sigh from escaping her.
At least it had its usual effect in calming her nerves considerably.
“I seem to have a theme tonight with the strawberries. I hope you don’t mind?” she commented quickly.
When he didn’t respond, she turned, surprised to see him watching her.
His eyes roved over her, as if he were studying her.
If he saw that she was now watching him, too, he made no inclination.
Sure, she knew this was probably the first time that he’d seen her in a dress in a few years, but there was something about the way his eyes studied her that suddenly made her very aware of his presence.
She’d told him that she wanted these dates to feel real, to feel like even though they were “fake dating” that she wanted them to act like a normal couple might.
And the way his eyes felt on her body suddenly felt very real.
She cleared her throat. “Charlie?”
He blinked a few times and shook his head before meeting her gaze. She could feel the heat practically pulsing in her cheeks, but she hoped that it wasn’t obvious.
Charlie grinned as he fiddled with the collar of his shirt. “Sorry. What’d you say?”
“I-I said that I apparently had a theme with the strawberries tonight, and that I hoped you didn’t mind,” she repeated.
His smile softened. “I’d expect nothing less with you. Besides, I like it. The color looks nice on you.”
Noticing that he still had one arm behind his back, she nodded at it as she finally finessed her earring into place. “What’s that?”
Another couple of blinks before Charlie moved, revealing a handful of sunflowers he’d kept behind him. Bright and vivacious in his grip.
“Oh, Charlie, they’re beautiful!” she exclaimed, giddily accepting them from him. “Let me put these in some water real quick.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
She gathered the flowers from him, sneaking a quick whiff in as she plucked a vase from under her kitchen counter. She’d take proper care of them when she got back, but she wanted to make sure they didn’t wilt in the meantime.
The momentary distraction also helped her to steel her nerves once more. She could do this. This was what she had wanted for her research. She just needed to keep it together.
That said, she couldn’t help but smile down at the flowers, fluffing them out a bit as she settled them into the vase. Even if it was a sort of girlish notion, it made her happy. No one had ever gotten her flowers for a date before.
“You didn’t have to get me these, Charlie,” she chided, not meaning a word of it.
He followed behind her, leaning against the kitchen counter opposite her. “What is a good first date if not preceded with flowers?”
She couldn’t help but giggle. “Quite the romantic, aren’t you?”
“I’d like to think so, not that I’ve had too much practice these days.”
She filled the vase with water, bunching her eyebrows together. “I guess that makes us two peas in a pod. When was the last time you went on a date anyway?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, a year or two ago maybe?”
“Anyone I know?” she asked, ignoring the slight flare of jealousy that cropped at that. She, of all people, had no reason to feel that way given the situation with Paul.
“Nah, just lasted one date. I think I’ve just been so satisfied spending time with you that I haven’t really felt the urge to date.”
She returned the smile he gave her then, sharing in the sentiment. “Why sunflowers by the way? Isn’t the traditional flower for dates roses?”
“Sunflowers are your favorite, though, so it made more sense,” he replied, opening the front door and stepping to the side. “Ladies first.”
Yeah, this man was going to be trouble, she could tell already.