8. Charlie
8
T he sun isn’t exactly beaming in through the windows when I wake up the next morning. My room faces the back alley, which won’t get much light. But even if it did, the windows in this building are old and cloudy which on the bright side, is a nice filter for early rays.
The bed is nice. Clean sheets. They’re not organic cotton or purple, but they’ll do.
I unpacked most of my toiletries last night and took the longest hot shower that bathroom had ever seen. It was refreshing not to have the tub drain clog up or the water turn cold after fifteen minutes.
I can’t make long showers a habit though or Mr. Reeves will kick me out of here in no time.
I shiver at my internal thought. I’ve been homeless for under twenty-four hours and already living in fear of another eviction.
It’s Saturday and I originally had nothing but wedding planning to do this weekend. But I’m hoping Emily will let me drop by and make up some hours at the library.
Heading downstairs, I can already smell the coffee and warm muffins
I love how Mr. Reeves turned the original lobby into a bar. It makes the Inn so much more than just a place people check in for the night. It’s a place of gathering, unwinding and celebrating.
I yawn. “Morning, Tessa.” I greet the waitress Aiden hired last fall. From what I know about her, this is the longest running job Tessa has held in town. She’s been fired nearly everywhere else. Which is impressive when you’re under thirty and hot.
She even worked at the library for a hot minute before we found out she wouldn’t charge people for late returns.
But that’s apparently Tessa’s style. She works at a place long enough to do something…well, heroic, but against the rules.
Last year she was almost arrested and fined by the police department after they found her destroying parking violations in the system and then sending a mass email to the citizens of Hideaway Spring that it’s been dismissed.
They call her the town Rogue .
“Morning.” She sips on her coffee behind the bar. “And welcome. How’d you sleep?”
“Well, thank you.” I nod politely.
Tessa’s face twists. “That bad huh?”
“I was just so exhausted. I’m sure Aiden told you?”
She shakes her head, loosening some of the wild red curls tied on top of her head. “I figured it out.”
“How?”
“Take it from someone who not only can’t keep a job, but a place to live.”
“You almost sound…proud.”
She shrugs. “Stability isn’t my thing. Coffee?”
“Please.”
I set my phone at the bar and see a reminder notification.
9:30 AM – Meet Noah at Township Bakery
Shit.
That's in thirty minutes. I glance down at myself. Black leggings, long heather gray sweater—okay. This is fine. Except… I should probably change out of my fuzzy purple slippers. And run upstairs to grab my planning folder.
“Morning.” Aiden comes through the back door and Tessa jerks, pulling the towel from over her shoulder and scrubbing the counter.
He rolls up his sleeves as he steps behind the check-in desk, pulling open the ledger.
I step over tentatively. “Mr. Reeves. Thank you so much for accommodating me here. And…for everything you helped me with last night.”
He scans the page in front of him and turns to the next. “Don’t mention it. What did you initially say? Three weeks?”
“Um, yes, but—”
“Hmm…I can’t do it this week, but I can upgrade you to a suite next week.”
“A suite? No,” I snap. “The room you gave me is enough. Perfect, in fact.”
He shakes his head. “It’s not suitable for long-term. The suite is.”
“Well then I insist on paying full—”
The overhead bell on the door chimes, signaling patrons, and we both turn.
Noah strides in like he owns the place—and okay, maybe a portion of it—and heads straight for the corner end of the bar. “Tess, espresso to go please.”
I hold my breath as his eyes scan the place before landing directly on mine.
His expression is hard as usual. And unfortunately for me, he doesn’t look away like he typically does when we accidentally cross paths. Shifting his gaze between Aiden and me, he starts toward us.
I turn to Aiden, unable to speak but hoping he can read the desperation in my eyes.
But just like the curse of the Reeves, Aiden’s expression is blank. Like he doesn’t see nor care what I’m trying to signal.
“What are you doing here?”
The tightness in my shoulders releases at the cold hostility of his voice. Because it can only mean one thing.
He doesn’t know.
“Oh, hey Noah,” Aiden starts, acting cool before turning back to me. He gives me a pointed look. “It was nice of you to stop by, Charlie. Tess will…uh, get that coffee ready for you.”
Great. In other words, I’ll let you take this one.
He disappears into the kitchen, abandoning me to handle Noah on my own.
“Hey,” I squeak uncharacteristically. “I guess I’m a little early for our meeting. But now that you’re here, we can get this over with. Where shall I park?”
Noah perks a brow. “We were meeting at the bakery.”
I frown. “Nope, pretty sure you said the Inn.”
“You insisted you’d rather not.” There’s an edge to his voice. The same one he gets when someone tries to challenge him.
“And then we decided it was easier to meet here,” I lie through my teeth.
Noah runs a hand down his face. The telltale sign of his irritation growing. He’s about to argue when his eyes drop to my purple slippers. He waits a beat before flicking his gaze back to me. “No. We didn’t.”
“Yes. We did,” I stammer back like he’s the idiot.
“Are you making a fool of me again?”
My stomach squeezes in a way that makes me think I’m going to be sick. But I’ve been here before with him. And I won’t make another scene. Not here.
“Let’s just get this over with,” I mutter quietly and take a seat at the closest booth.
From the corner of my eye, I catch him run a hand down his face again. Probably muttering something along the lines of 'It's too early for this shit.'.
It takes a moment, but he eventually joins me, sitting across the table. “I apologize.” His words are flat and low.
I keep my eyes fixed on the grains of the wooden table, avoiding his closeness, his pulling gaze, his familiar scent. I pull my phone out since I can’t exactly run upstairs to grab the folder I’d prepared. “Here, I’ll take notes and can email them to you later.” The screen is blurry, but I blink away the sting of tears.
“Charlie,” he starts again, his tone softer. “I’m sorry.”
That makes me look up. “What?” I don’t know why I need to hear it again. I don’t know why it’s so important to me. But those words, coming from him touch something deep and I can’t imagine why when I’m the one who screwed up.
But I’m also the one who suffered the most.
Who lost the most.
“I’m sorry,” he repeats. "That was uncalled for.”
I offer a small nod but I can tell it doesn’t appease him.
“Here you go, sweetie.” Tessa brings over my coffee and gives Noah a hard look. “You can make your own espresso.”
“Thanks,” he mutters but doesn’t take his eyes off me.
“Can I also have a blueberry muffin, Tess?” I ask softly.
“No,” Noah says sharply. “We’ll have the platter.”
Tess’s brows perk impressively. “Okay, I’ll get that in for ya.”
I sigh. “We’re not going to make it a whole month.”
He’s stoic as ever when he responds. “Nonsense. You called a truce. Now you have to live up to it.”
I roll my eyes. “Okay, first on the agenda, best man responsibilities. Have you done this before, do you know what to have covered?”
“Yes. Levi’s been married before. I’m familiar with the process. But before we continue, I would like it if you would accept my apology.”
I drop my phone on the table. “Why should I accept yours ? What makes you so special?” I snap.
Couldn’t help yourself, could you, Charlotte?
I hold his gaze. His icy blue eyes. The eyes that belonged to my best friend before they turned cold. There’s something familiar about the way he’s looking at me now. He almost looks like the man I fell for years ago and never had a chance to show how much.
Not only did I fall first. I fell hard. So hard I crumbled when he rejected me that night. And then fell to pieces when he dumped me hours later.
He doesn’t say anything and for the sake of Chase and Pepper, “I accept. Can we move on to business now?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I started a list that I can’t seem to find in my notes here,” I lie. “But I remember it off hand. Here’s what we need: dates for the bachelor parties and a coinciding plan, meaning you can’t go to Vegas while we go to the spa in the next town over. It has to be equal. Also, Pepper said no strippers, which means, Chase—”
“Yeah, I’m going to need that espresso.” He stands and heads behind the bar.
I release a heavy breath silently and try to remember what I had in my notes upstairs. Because for goodness sake, I should not be leading with strippers . But as usual, I'm rambling because I'm unprepared. And if I know my ex, he'll see right through it.
He returns, sitting across from me, and takes a slow sip of his tiny beverage. His back is straight, his eyes empty. Like he’s having tea with the Queen.
“Let me know when I can continue.”
He sighs. “Put your phone down and drink your coffee.”
And burn my tongue? No thank you.
A busboy brings over a platter of food and sets it between us.
I blink. This is not the continental breakfast I was expecting. It’s filled with a variety of berries, cheese, bite-size muffins, smoked salmon, and crackers. It's like a gourmet sampler.
I’ll occasionally grab a croissant from Township. But that’s as fancy as I get.
I fiddle with my coffee.
“Can I also get a cup of ice cubes, Ethan?” Noah asks.
“Sure thing, boss.”
I glance up. “Almost forgot you own half this place.”
“So did I,” he grumbles and I really think he means it.
He picks up a slice of cheese. “You can stop using your phone as a prop now and have breakfast with me. Just talk, Charlie.”
“You hate it when I talk.”
“No. I get irritated when you ramble. There’s a difference.”
I set the hot mug down as Ethan returns with the cup of ice. Noah pushes it toward me and waits.
“Thanks,” I mutter and flip the contents of my mug into it.
“You could have just asked for iced coffee.”
I wave him off as I pour the sugar. “Eh, I was planning to grab one at the bakery when we—”
Noah watches me and leans back in the booth. “When we what?”
“When… I go there later.”
He nods and sits up, lifting the small muffin and handing it to me. “Our muffins are better.”
I accept it, breaking off a piece and dropping it into my mouth. Heavens, it’s still warm. “So Pepper doesn’t want a fancy wedding dress. But I never get to dress up so she has to be super fancy so I can be semi-fancy, you know? Trust me you don’t want to piss off a bride by bringing it more than she does. Not that I hold a candle, but still. If she’s not going to make the effort, I will do it for her.”
He holds up a hand to contain my rambling. “I think what you’re telling me is you’ve got dresses, which means, I’ve got tuxes?”
“Yes…that’s the short version.”
“Let’s stick with short versions,” he insists, his tone hardening.
I blink, catching the sudden change in his mood. “Fair enough. So what did you do for Levi’s bachelor party? We’ll want it to be something totally different but similar in style.”
“Why?”
“So it’s unique but not outrageously different.”
“We went to a strip club. Levi left.”
Levi left…
“Smart man. Okay, we can talk bachelor party later. Does Chase have a list of everything he needs for the wedding and things he needs to do? You’ll need a copy of that.”
“Okay.” He says flatly, popping blueberries like popcorn. “What else?” He glances around impatiently.
“Umm…you need to stay on top of him. Make sure he’s not checking out. Some grooms and brides get cold feet and mentally check out of planning as a sign of denial or nerves. Make sure he’s present.”
He watches me like he doesn’t even hear me anymore. “Why are you wearing slippers?”
I meet his eyes with my quick response. “It’s Spring. I like purple and they’re comfy.” I take a sip of my iced coffee to cover my hard swallow.
He glares at me the way he used to when he knew I wasn’t being honest. It’s how he got me to admit I had a crush on him.
Which means…I need to bolt. “You know what? I’ve got to run. We’ll plan something again soon. Don’t forget about that list from Chase. Same time next week.”
I race out of there before he has a chance to make me spill my guts out.
And it’s scary how much I want to.