Chapter Four
Jake
Yesterday, I’d have told you that nothing felt more natural to me than a hammer in my hand. Today, I realize how wrong I was.
Holding Charlotte’s hand, kissing her head, pulling her close, it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. She’s warm, soft, and from this close, I can smell whatever floral shampoo she uses. I guess it could be a perfume. Whatever it is, I find myself leaning closer for a deeper breath.
Her mother stands from the table when she sees us approach, a wide smile cracking her dark red lipstick. It’s wild how different she and Charlotte are. Both in looks and attitude. Where her mother wears thick layers of makeup and loads of jewelry, Charlotte has a more natural look.
“Oh, sweet Jesus. How did you get more handsome in the last few hours?” Her mother reaches for me first, tipping up onto her toes to wrap her arms around my shoulders.
“That’s kind of you to say, ma’am, but I don’t think a single person notices me when I’m walking next to this one.” I pull away and nod toward Charlotte.
“Charming too, I see.” Her mother retreats to her side of the table next to a woman I’ve never met before.
She’s young, barely an adult. I’m assuming this is the eighteen-year-old sister Charlotte’s been talking about.
This one seemed to take after the mother.
Loads of makeup, jewelry, and eyelashes nearly the length of my fingers.
I nod hello to the brunette and pull out a chair for Charlotte, drawing her hair to the side of her shoulder before leaning in and whispering, “If you want me to shut up, bump me once. Ready to leave… twice.”
She leans into my breath, and I drag my hand down her delicate shoulder and back into her hand as I take my seat beside her.
Being next to Charlotte feels good, but this restaurant isn’t my scene.
I’d have preferred the diner, and that’s nothing against this Italian restaurant.
The folks who own the place are great. We helped them with a barn build last year out on their property near Eagle Rock.
That said, I’ll always be the kind of guy who prefers a down-home kind of meal over a fancy restaurant.
I swear that fried chicken plate at the diner could win awards.
“Are you excited for your wedding?” I ask her sister who’s glancing over the menu.
“I am. My fiancé will take over his father’s medical practice in the Springs once he graduates from medical school.”
I nod slowly, unsure of how to respond to her comment.
“Sounds like you got yourself a real catch.” I move my hand toward Charlotte’s thigh as I talk.
I’m not sure why the liberties I’m taking feel so natural, but I go with the flow and let the moment happen, hiding behind the guise of our fake relationship. “Are you in college?”
“No… not now. I don’t know what I want to do with my life,” she smiles turning to her mother for approval, “except marrying a doctor.”
I drag in a heavy breath and glance down at the menu myself, trying to fathom where to take the conversation next.
I force a grin. “That is quite the accomplishment.”
“She’s a smart girl,” her mother adds. “Top of her class all senior year. If she wanted to go to college, she could. Then again, Charlotte spent five years in college for psychology and look at her now… working in your construction office, struggling to pay off loans.”
I glance toward Charlotte, wishing I had every detail of her life up until now. “I couldn’t do things at the office without her. None of us could.”
“Well,” her eyes narrow playfully, “I think you could’ve done better today given the circumstances.”
“Well,” I bump her shoulder playfully, “we’ve gotta keep those city guys on their toes.”
“Why don’t you use your degree, Charlotte?” Her mother leans in as the waitress settles a basket of bread and dipping oil between us. “You spent so much money on that thing.”
I feel Charlotte stiffen and I hold her closer, attempting to take some of the weight I feel piling on her chest.
Charlotte huffs. “I like my job at the construction office. It’s low stress and the people are nice.”
“But you paid out the nose, you struggled for years, and then you missed the last days your father was here to take some stupid test. Remember?”
I’ve heard Charlotte talking about her dad in the office and I even had the pleasure of meeting the guy a few times before he passed. I know he wouldn’t want anyone talking down to her.
“Whoa,” I interject before anyone gets a chance to respond. “That’s not okay.”
Her mother shakes her head and tips back the glass of wine that’s settled before her.
“You don’t understand, Jake. My daughter is a chronic dreamer.
When she was young, it was the theater. She was going to move to Hollywood, be an A-list actress, and buy a house in the hills.
When she realized that was unattainable, she took up photography and spent all this money on expensive equipment.
She even talked her dad into buying her some big lens that he didn’t have the money for.
” She tilts her head to the side and glares at her oldest daughter.
“How long did that last? Four months? And don’t get me started on boyfriends.
She went through them like she does chocolate until she met you. ”
I let most people talk to me however they want and I go on with my day like nothing happened, but for some reason, I can’t listen to this woman talk to Charlotte like this. I narrow my gaze at her mother. “Watch how you talk to her, ma’am.”
“Noble,” her mother laughs. “I just think you should know what you’re getting into.”
“I’m very well aware of what I’m into,” I say, glancing toward the woman I’ve been studying for months.
“Charlotte is the kindest woman I’ve ever met.
She’s the first person everyone goes to in the office to talk to.
” I hold my gaze on the blue-eyed woman I shouldn’t be quietly obsessed with.
“There’s a warmth about her I admire and can’t get enough of. ”
“Hmm,” her mother laughs and looks at her youngest, “good to see the degree is coming in handy. Nothing says value like giving your talents away for free.”
The waitress interrupts our train wreck of a conversation looking for orders. Part of me wants to leave right now, end the pain I can feel Charlotte stewing in, but she warned me how awful her mother is, and she’s given no signal that it’s time to leave. So, I order with the rest of the group.
When the waitress has taken our orders and left the table, Charlotte’s sister twists her dark hair to one side of her shoulder and leans in toward me.
“So, Charlotte tells us you two met at the tree lighting a couple years ago. I go to that lighting every year. I think I’d have remembered someone like you. ”
This is a fucking witch hunt and I’m getting really fucking annoyed now.
I squeeze Charlotte’s thigh in comfort, though I’m not sure if it’s more comforting for me or her. “I was keeping my head low. It’s good you didn’t notice me.”
Her mother and sister tilt their heads to the side simultaneously like two dogs following a bone. “Keeping your head low?”
“I was out on work release at the time.” I wait for Charlotte to nudge me, but she doesn’t. Instead, she takes over talking.
“Jake was in prison for a few years. He was on work release up until recently.”
Her mother’s eyes widen as does her sister’s, but they don’t say a word.
“They got me on a drug dealing charge,” I say, completing the story.
“I did some time in the desert, came back with a back injury. I tried every medical intervention around, but nothing helped like this off label pain killer I got from a buddy of mine who’d been through the same thing.
I was never actively ‘selling’ but I did buy in bulk and offer the drugs to folks in similar situations. ”
Her mother scoffs and picks up her ice water, sipping on it slowly before she speaks. “My Dave was in the military for ten years. Came home from war with a leg injury that made it very difficult to walk. He managed to stay away from ‘off label pain killers’ and certainly never distributed them.”
“Mom!” Charlotte shoots her mother a dark glare then looks at me with sympathy. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I don’t need anyone to understand. This is my truth. I did a thing I’m not proud of and I own it.”
“How righteous of you,” her mother balks.
“So, while you were out on work release, you were sneaking around to see my daughter? This explains why you couldn’t do any better.
” She grins and glances toward the sister.
“I knew something wasn’t right. There’s no other reason a man that looks like him would be messing around with a girl like Charlotte. ”
And that’s my final straw!
“Ma’am, I’m about to give you some unsolicited advice, and if I were you, I’d take it.”
The woman stays quiet as I stand from the table and pull out Charlotte’s chair.
“If you want a relationship with your daughter, you’re going to need to talk to her like you give a damn. Otherwise, I’m not allowing it.”
Her mother grins as she chews on my comment and twists at the strand of pearls around her neck. “And who the hell are you? I’m sorry, jailbird, but you date my daughter for two years, you don’t bother coming around once for dinner, and now you’re telling me how to talk to her?”
I shuffle forward slightly. “I said, talk to her right or don’t talk to her at all. Your choice.” I tuck Charlotte’s hand into mine, set a hundred-dollar bill on the table, and turn toward the door.
I’m not sure what happens next, but I know I meant every word I said tonight.