Behind me, the door let out a loud creak as it opened, pulling me back from my fantasies. “Derek! Took you long enough gettin’ here!”
Charlie’s thundering voice met me before I could even turn back. Strong arms whirled me around and pulled me into a tight hug. A muffled laugh escaped me at the affectionate squeeze.
Charlie was a big guy, broad-shouldered and sturdy, but he’d always been more of a teddy bear than a grizzly. At least… outside the courtroom.
“I didn’t think it’d be a great look to start my new job with a speeding ticket,” I teased as I pulled back.
His green eyes sparkled as they took me in, the mustache over his smile twitching familiarly. He had more grey at the temples than when I’d seen him last, the freckles over his face faded some. The wrinkles around his eyes had deepened, but it all came together to make him look more distinguished. Yet, my heart still squeezed, recognizing the time that had passed. I was suddenly even more grateful to have this job.
He ushered me inside immediately, sweeping me into the living room for drinks and a catch-up. Ellie came in long enough to scold me for not visiting sooner and made me promise I’d come by for dinner now that I’d be living in town.
And just like that, I was back home.
I sighed contentedly, swirling my glass of whiskey absently.
“So, where are you staying, my boy?” Charlie asked, setting his own tumbler down on a coaster.
I rubbed the back of my neck, sheepishly. “I’ll figure itout,” I muttered, hiding behind my glass like it might shield me from the question.
I knew summer was peak season in Westwend, but I’d severely underestimated just how popular the town had become. Every rental was booked or only had single day availability scattered here and there. Long-term properties were off the table. Even the local bed-and-breakfast had no vacancy. Westwend didn’t have proper hotels or inns—part of its charm, supposedly—so the only option now was finding a place further out and commuting in.
And buying? That felt… premature. I couldn’t explain it, but I wasn’t ready to drop a mortgage on a town I was just getting reacquainted with, even if being here had felt more right than the last four years of my life.
Charlie made a humming sound, his mustache twitching in a way that meant he wasn’t impressed with my lack of planning. My back stiffened. As much as I considered him my friend, he was once again my boss.
“I’m sure something will open up,” I added, trying to smooth it over.
I’d considered asking to stay with Charlie again, just until something came available, but with the knowledge they were already hosting an intern for the summer, that plan was shot. I was right back at square one. Worse case scenario, I’d see if Charlie would be willing to let me sleep on the couch till I could secure a rental outside of town.
He hummed again, but thankfully let it go. Or, at least Ithoughthe had.
Twenty minutes later, Charlie was midway through recounting a ridiculous custody case involving a horse when the front door slammed open, and quickly after someone rushed in like the house was on fire.
“Colton!” Charlie beamed when he caught sight of the visitor.
My brain mentally ran through their family tree. If I was remembering correctly, this was Charlie’s youngest son.
Standing, I automatically found myself jumping into lawyer-mode as I assessed the situation.
The man Charlie was conversing with looked like he belonged in a surf town in California, not a landlocked portion of Texas. He was tall, lean, and sun-kissed in a way that felt unfair. Honey blond hair fell in choppy layers to his shoulders, tousled like it hadn’t seen a brush in days, yet it somehow looked intentional. His build was that of someone who didn’t try to stay fit but did through some sort of regular sport activity, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long limbs.
He wore tan beach shorts that hugged his legs, a loud floral button-up that was probably two sizes too big, and black slip-ons. It all screamed, ‘I care but not enough that I stress about it’. The whole ensemble was very relaxed—too relaxed, in my opinion.
Looking at him closer, he resembled Ellie, mostly. Same build, same olive coloring, but his jawline? That was all Charlie. Sharp and defined, like it had been cut from granite.
Colton rushed in with a clearly panicked expression, but visibly relaxed when Charlie reassured him everything was fine. I was just about to excuse myself to give them some space when Charlie dropped a bomb on us.
He wanted me to live with this guy? It wasn’t a suggestion, either.
He wastellingus both that we would be living together.
My spine went rigid.
Charlie hadn’t even made a call that I was aware of, but he had slipped off to the bathroom for an awkwardly long amount of time. Either way, it was clearly news tobothColton and I that we would now be living together. Yet, Charlie introduced this arrangement like it had been pre-approved andmutually agreed upon. His hand landed on my shoulder like punctuation.
My years of courtroom training kicked in, and was the only thing keeping me from openly gaping at this situation. Colton though? His expression was somewhere between deer-in-headlights and mild betrayal. And honestly? I couldn’t blame him. I had no idea how Charlie got away with thinking this would be okay.
I tried protesting, politely, of course, but Charlie shut me down immediately. I’d been contemplating using my friend card, to put my foot down without risking my new job, when Colton did an about-face and offered his hand to me like we hadn’t already been introduced earlier by his father with a forced grin. It was weirdly charming and it had taken everything in me not to bust out laughing.
