17. Chapter 17
Charlie
Before tonight, Charlie would have said she was good with names.
Give me a group of twenty kids sitting on the rug, and I can remember all their names after hearing them just once.
But there were way more than twenty people here, and they weren’t sitting on a rug.
They were moving all around the small backyard.
Names came at her from all directions—Val, Yvette, Isla, Diana—she was pretty sure she’d already introduced herself to the same people twice without realizing. Hopefully, they would forgive her.
Kat pulled her away from the group and pressed a drink into her hand.
“White wine,” she said. “Or would you prefer red?”
Either would do, at this point. Charlie settled for, “White is perfect, thank you,” and took a sip of the cool, crisp drink.
“Overwhelming?” Kat asked, one eyebrow raised in amusement.
“More like overwhelmed,” she said, smiling. “Just a little. But it’s better now.”
“Relax, it’s a crazy group, and growing crazier by the minute,” Kat said, giving Charlie a long look.
Charlie’s gaze drifted, searching for something, or—who was she kidding—someone.
She found Lorenz at the far end of the garden. He stood with Beau, Alex, and a huge man she hadn’t met yet.
“That’s Drake,” Kat said, helpfully. “He’s second-in-command on Damien’s team.”
Charlie nodded. She’d met Damien and Tess, their hosts, when she’d arrived.
“But maybe it’s not Drake you were staring at,” Kat laughed. “It’s okay to stare at Lorenz, you know?”
Charlie felt herself blush. “I … it’s not what you think.”
“Charlie.” Charlie turned, almost spilling her wine, to face a beautiful woman in a bright orange jumpsuit. It was a hard color to pull off, but she certainly managed. Charlie hunted in her mind for the woman’s name.
“Yvette,” the woman said helpfully.
“I’m sorry. I know we’ve met already.”
“It’s okay. Too many new faces, I know.” Yvette paused for a second. “You’re a teacher.”
“That’s me,” Charlie said. “I teach second grade.”
Yvette smiled, glancing briefly toward Lorenz before returning her attention to Charlie. “You must be very patient.”
Charlie gave a small laugh. “Sometimes.”
“And you were married to Lorenz.”
Charlie’s hand shook around her glass. She raised her eyes to Yvette’s, expecting to see accusation in the woman’s dark eyes, but there was only kindness.
“You know, sometimes second chances are worth taking,” Yvette continued. “I think—“
She didn’t get to finish the sentence. A man—Alex—came and hugged Yvette from behind.
“Hey!” she jokingly complained.
“Come on, we’re going to play darts.”
“Darts?” Yvette rolled her eyes. “In a party with small children?”
“Don’t worry. Jamie’s looking after the younger ones inside for a few minutes. Hugo and Jo are with them, too, feeding their baby.”
The word brought a brief, unexpected tightness to Charlie’s chest. She’d once wished that for herself and Lorenz. She’d been so sure it would happen, and then the dream had been taken away from them.
She shifted her weight, wrapping her fingers more firmly around the glass.
Stay here.
Stay now.
“Darts sounds good,” she said brightly.
Alex whooped and grabbed Yvette’s hand, who sighed in mock exasperation and followed him, bringing Charlie along with her.
“You don’t get to pick Lorenz again,” a good-looking man with bronze skin said, his voice cutting easily through the general noise.
“Shut up, Hiro.”
“I don’t want Lorenz,” Ry replied. “He’s annoying.”
“I’m standing right here,” Lorenz said.
There was a ripple of laughter, and Ry gestured towards a makeshift dartboard set up at the far wall.
“Come on,” Isla—Charlie was pretty sure her name was Isla—said, nudging Ry’s shoulder playfully. “You just don’t like losing.”
“I don’t lose,” Ry said.
“Statistically unlikely,” Isla replied, smiling.
“You will lose today, unless you join my team,” Lorenz said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Charlie found herself drifting closer to him, drawn in by the shift in energy.
“Charlie,” Ry said, spotting her. “You’re with me. We need someone neutral.”
“Neutral?” Lorenz asked. “She’s not neutral. She’s with me.”
“I asked her first.”
“She’s with me,” Lorenz repeated, his expression serious.
“Uh—“ Charlie stammered. “I feel like I’m being set up.”
“Ignore them,” Tess said, running up to her. Though they’d only just met, Charlie already liked her. “Behave, all of you, or I’ll cancel the game.”
There was a chorus of complaints, but the men quietened down and sorted themselves quickly into groups.
Charlie ended up with Lorenz. It felt good to stand beside him.
They’d stood like this once—the two of them, shoulder to shoulder, facing the world together.
Because no matter how far Lorenz’s challenges took him, he’d always come back to her. Always.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
Charlie nodded quickly.
“I worry I’m going to let you down. I haven’t played darts in years.”
Lorenz’s eyes met hers. He lowered his voice so that only she could hear. “Believe me, we won’t need any help to win. Ry is the worst player in the world.”
Charlie let out a small laugh, the tension in her shoulders easing.
“We go first. Come on, Tess, you start,” Ry said, pressing a set of darts into Tess’s hand.
“I just throw?” Tess asked, all innocence.
“Try to put it in the middle,” Ry said helpfully.
“Thank goodness you explained that to me,” Tess said. Then over her shoulder—“Shut up, Damien.”
A muffled cough. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You were thinking loudly,” Tess said.
“I hope you guys aren’t playing for money,” Damien said.
Tess shifted her body almost imperceptibly, her weight coming to rest on her front foot. She lifted her elbow, holding the dart at eye level for a single breath. Then she released. The dart left her hand in a smooth, controlled motion.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
“I think that’s bullseye,” Tess said mildly. “What do you think, Ry?”
Ry blinked. “I take it that was not a lucky throw?”
The garden exploded with laughter, all of it directed at Ry. He took it in good humor, letting the laughter die out before he replied. “Hey, settle down. I don’t know what you guys are laughing about. I clearly chose the right partner!”
“I’ve told you before, Tess, I’m not sure you should be allowed to play darts,” Damien said, slipping an arm around Tess’s shoulders.
Tess laughed, her eyes crinkling with delight. “You have no idea how much time I spent in the pub during my years at university.”
“Our turn,” Lorenz said, handing Charlie a set of darts edged in bright yellow.
An absurd uncertainty filled her as she faced the target. She knew how competitive Lorenz was. Even if this wasn’t serious—even if this was just a game—she didn’t want to disappoint him.
“Allow me to help,” Lorenz said, coming up behind her. And she could feel his warmth, his strength. She wanted nothing but to feel his arms around her.
His strength helped her find her courage. She straightened to her full height. “Thanks, but I think I’d rather have Tess help me.”
The team exploded in laughter.
“Your woman is smart, Lorenz,” somebody said.
Charlie tensed, wondering if she should correct them, but Lorenz was faster.
“She is,” he said, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Something in Charlie’s chest tightened—again. She wondered if she’d ever get used to these somersaults.
“Ignore them,” Tess said, stepping in beside her. “Ignore all of them. Especially him.” She jerked her chin towards Lorenz. “He’s the one who’ll make your pulse do strange things.”
Charlie huffed a quiet laugh.
Tess took one of the darts and placed it back between Charlie’s fingers, adjusting her grip with quick, confident movements.
“Not too tight,” she said. “Darts don’t want to be crushed. They want to be held gently.”
Charlie nodded, relaxing her grip.
“Lift your elbow. Not too much—just like that. And now, just look at where you want it to go. Don’t think about anything else.”
Charlie drew in a breath, and threw.
The dart struck the board with a satisfying thud.
Yes.
Not bullseye, but close enough to draw a murmur of approval.
“Not bad.”
“Impressive.”
Charlie stepped back, smiling. “Thank you, Tess.”
Tess beamed back. “Next, I’ll teach you to spin.”
“No helping the competition, Tess,” Ry complained.
“It’s my birthday,” Tess replied. “I can do anything I like.”
The rest of the game went quickly. Lorenz was good—though nowhere near as good as Tess. And Ry—Ry couldn’t hit the target to save his life. Scores were called, argued, then abandoned. Eventually, they lost track of the score completely.
Charlie stood in the middle of it all. She knew she should, by all rights, feel like an outsider—here, in this group of people who behaved more like family than friends—but she felt like part of them. She’d been accepted as part of them.
Lorenz’s woman.
She’d been Lorenz’s woman once.
She had to stop lying to herself.
She wanted nothing more than to be Lorenz’s woman again.
He looked at her between throws, and there was something in his expression …
“Let’s call it a tie,” somebody eventually said.
“A tie it is,” Lorenz agreed easily. “Charlie and I need to get going.”
A chorus of protests sounded.
“Happy birthday, Tess,” Charlie said.
“Thank you for coming,” Tess said warmly. “And remember, you two, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
“That doesn’t narrow things down much,” Damien muttered.
They made their way out through the house, stopping to say goodbye to Hugo, Jo, and the kids.
The air outside felt quiet.
“I like her,” Charlie said quietly. “I like all your friends.”
Lorenz glanced at her. “They like you too.” His arm slipped around her shoulders, as if it’d always meant to be there.
Lorenz
Lorenz tightened his grip slightly around Charlie’s hand as they walked.
She didn’t pull away.
He wanted this. More than he’d ever wanted anything before.
She’d chosen him once, and he’d disappointed her in the worst possible way.
He wanted to show her he was no longer that man. He wanted to show her that he could be trusted with her heart.
If she could forgive him.