Chapter Six #2
He found Charity seated in a booth at the back of the filled diner, a menu in her hand.
Instantly, he was shaken out of his mood.
He’d intended to place a takeaway order for his sub, but Charity had settled in, looking as if she was intent on eating her dinner here instead of bringing it home.
She laid the placard down on the tabletop and pulled a pen and pad from her bag as he moved toward her.
Indecision was something Kolby never concerned himself with, but right now it ran unchecked. Place his order and go, or ask if he could join her? Both had more cons than pros.
But...
“You eating here or did you place a go order?” he asked when he arrived at the booth.
She held up a finger while she finished writing. Done, she dropped her hand and looked up at him.
“Sorry. I wanted to get that down before it slipped my mind. And yes, I’m eating here. It feels good to sit down after standing for thirteen hours straight.”
Lamely, he nodded.
Charity lifted her hand again and said, “Park it. We need to discuss a few things.”
Shock kicked the indecision to the curb. Without even a moment’s hesitation, he lifted his case, slid it across the booth seat and plopped down.
Ruthie Tewksbury, the owner, was at their table in a heartbeat, a glass of ice water for each of them in her hands.
“Hey kids. Stayin’ or grabbin’?”
“Staying,” Charity said. Kolby didn’t disagree with her.
They placed their orders. Alone again, his nerves ramped back up. And just like he did every other time in his life when his anxiety threatened to rear its head, he dug down for the fake, cocky, self-assured personality he’d cultivated.
“So.” He leaned his elbows down on the table. “What do we need to talk about?”
***
The realization she needed something to counteract the dryness in her mouth hit her the moment her gaze found his attention focused on her.
Lifting the water glass to her lips, her hand-damn it-housing a fine tremble, she took a long, slow sip, swallowed and then placed the glass back down on the table again before speaking.
“A few things about upcoming events,” she said once she was certain her voice wouldn’t falter.
“What things? And why couldn’t we have this discussion in the office? I thought we were off the clock now.”
She tucked a corner of her mouth between her top and bottom teeth. “We could have, I suppose,” she admitted. “But I figured now was as good a time as any.”
It was a feeble excuse, but it would have to do because she couldn’t say the real reason she’d wanted to talk to him.
For whatever motive, and she honestly couldn’t think of a good one, just like in the office, she’d realized she missed him.
Even though their relationship was prickly at the best of times, Kolby was someone she could depend on unreservedly when it came to the business.
He’d never shirked a responsibility and treated his job with respect. Charity admired that.
“Okay,” he said simply. “Shoot. What’s up?”
She related the details of the two upcoming weddings she’d solidified for the next two weeks and then moved to the Aruba destination wedding.
“I got an email on the way to the wedding this morning that our original flight was canceled, so I had to make a decision whether to fly out early Friday morning and pray everything was set to go without any problems for the cocktail hour and rehearsal that evening or leave on Wednesday. The added day isn’t necessary, but,” she shrugged, “it was the only viable option. So, now we’re leaving on Wednesday morning.
” She rolled her eyes. “It’s such an inconvenience. ”
Kolby’s smile came quickly from across the table. “An extra day of sun, sand, and beach breezes? Sorry. I don’t see that as an inconvenience as much as a nice little getaway.”
Charity shook her head. “It’s an added expense because I now have to book us each an extra night at the hotel and I’m not sure the bride’s family is gonna go for that.”
He shrugged. “Can’t be helped. Just lay it out for them like that and I’m sure it’ll be fine. Things happen. Plans change.”
She regarded him for a moment and almost wished – almost being the operative word – she could be like him and just take things as they came and never get ruffled when circumstances changed.
To be able to roll with the punches wasn’t in her emotional makeup no matter how many breathing exercises she did.
In this instance though, Kolby was right. Plans and circumstances always changed when you had to deal with a destination wedding.
“I imagine the guests are going to need to make new flight arrangements as well,” he offered as Ruthie brought out their food and drink orders. “Thanks, gorgeous,” he said with a smile.
“My pleasure, as always, handsome. Now. Anything else either of ya need?”
When they both told her they were fine, Ruthie nodded and skittered to the next table.
“Good thing you got on getting us different flights right away,” he said as he drowned his burger in ketchup.
Charity nodded. “My thought, too, so I figured it was better not to waste any time.” She took a huge bite of her grilled chicken sandwich, closed her eyes and sighed – audibly.
Kolby’s quiet chuckle drifted across the table. “You really love that sandwich,” he said.
She kept her eyes closed as the delicious flavors slid across her tastebuds. If she opened them, she knew exactly what she would see: Kolby, panty-dropping smirk in place, eyes lit with laughter, staring at her.
When he’d asked her to join him, every bit of common sense in her body screamed to refuse and just go with her original plan of takeout.
That was the smart thing to do.
The sensible thing.
The last time they’d shared a meal had turned into the night-that-should-never-have-happened.
She’d vowed not to put herself in a situation like that ever again with him, a vow she had every intention of keeping.
Until she realized she couldn’t ignore him completely because, duh, they worked closely together, and there were things they needed to discuss.
With Colleen out of the office for the next few months, Charity needed to do the best job she could, and if that included adding Kolby to the mix, she’d suck up her displeasure and do it.
Plus, she considered herself an adult (despite how her brothers saw her) and as an adult she should be able to deal with a man she’d slept with and be able to have an adult conversation with him.
Which is why she’d accepted his offer to join him before heading home. That, and the fact she wouldn’t be drinking and had her own car. There was no chance of another hook-up-that-shouldn’t-happen.
“It’s the perfect meal,” she said after swallowing. “Protein from the chicken. It’s grilled, not fried, so,” she waved a hand in the air, “no bad stuff added. The bun is my one daily carb and the lettuce and tomato serve the veggie selection. So. Perfect. Plus, it tastes great.”
He cocked an eyebrow upward. “You know a tomato isn’t technically a veg, right? It’s classified as a fruit.”
“Even better. I get fruits and veggies in one meal.”
When he shook his head and grinned, his piercing eyes zeroed in on her face, Charity felt that familiar rumbling low in her belly that had nothing to do with a hunger of the nutrition kind.
Stop it. Just stop.
She needed a distraction to get her body back on neutral footing, so she tugged her tablet from her bag.
“Don’t you ever stop working?”
“Of course I do, but I want to make sure we have rooms for the added day. Now that we’re going early, I don’t want to be stranded on the beach.”
While he shook his head, she typed in the link to the hotel, called up their reservations, and added the extra night to their room charges.
“Okay, done.” She tucked the device back into her bag. “The room rate’s almost double because it’s not included in the wedding package price. I hope the parents don’t mind.”
“If they do, sic Colleen on them. She’ll get them to see the light.”
While that was certainly true, Charity didn’t want to involve their employer, preferring to smooth the waters herself and deal with any issues. Colleen had entrusted the running of her business to her, and Charity wanted to prove herself.
And not only to Colleen.
“Anyway,” Kolby said, dragging a French fry through a red sea of ketchup, “everything else all set for the trip?”
She told him it was and then they lapsed into silence as they each ate for a few moments.
“Delia doesn’t need us tomorrow for anything, right?” he asked.
“Nope. We are, officially, done for the weekend.” She sighed, thinking of how she could sleep in late tomorrow before her karate class, a pleasure she hadn’t had in more months than she could remember since they’d had a wedding every single Saturday, with Sunday morning get-away events scheduled.
“That smile tells me you’ve got some plans for your day off.”
She shrugged and took a bite of her sandwich, washing it down with a sip of soda.
“I have plans to do nothing,” she answered after swallowing, “except sleep until noon. Then I’ve got a class in the afternoon.”
“Class? What kind of school is open on Sunday?”
“Karate. I’m helping teach a class tomorrow at my dojo to a group of beginners.”
His eyes widened. “Cool. You do that often?”
Another shrug. “When I can. It’s been tough with our work schedule lately.”
He regarded her with an expression she thought looked like admiration.
A warm trickle of pleasure slid through her at the notion.
She was proud of her status in the dojo, not because she felt she was better than the other students, but because she had fought hard and long to achieve her rank.
Imparting her knowledge to others, especially girls and women who’d joined the school, gave her a sense of purpose she’d never found with anything else she’d done, even working for Colleen.
“Can I come watch?” he asked.