“What about your sister?”
He waggled his brows. “You need my sister?”
I stepped back, horrified at what he’d taken my comment to mean. “What? No!”
It took me several moments to catch on to his joke. Charlie’s laugh was rich and sent an electric current through my body.
“No, there isn’t anything. I have plenty of food.”
“Tell me you have lemons?” he pleaded.
“Charlie, would you like a glass of lemonade?” I offered.
“Yes, please. I thought about it all day yesterday. My mouth is puckering already.”
The idea of his mouth puckering had me wondering what it would be like to kiss him, to meld our mouths together. I’d heard guys in gym talking about sex, about kissing girls, and I’d always wanted to kiss someone. Not like Mr. Jackson had done. I didn’t want to count that as my first kiss. It should be from someone who looked at me the way Charlie was at that moment. It was almost enough to make me believe that maybe I was special.
I bent down, wrapped an arm around him, and helped him to his feet. Once I had him steady, the next trick was getting him up the stairs. Now I understood why Teresa had been straining, because he wasn’t light. After I wrangled him into a spot where he’d be out of the sun, I leaned against the pole, wanting a moment to catch my breath. But when Charlie called my name, I looked over and was lost in his gaze.
“Matt?” he said softly, his eyes warm and gentle.
“Y-yes?” I stuttered.
He gave me a lopsided grin. “My lemonade?”
I HELPEDhim onto the porch and put him into the seat of the swing. He snuggled in, being careful because of his ribs. I grabbed the wheelchair and pulled it onto the porch where he could reach it. Afterward, he made himself at home while I poured him a glass of lemonade and brought it back outside.
“I suppose I should call Teresa and let her know.” He chuckled, and I couldn’t help but grin. “I can imagine what her reaction will be.”
As he dialed, I went into the house to make sure the sheets on the bed were clean. Fortunately the sofa in the living room was relatively lump-free. As I gazed around the room, a jolt of panic struck me. The dark wood bookcases, the small medium-brown stands that held my most prize possessions, my desk, which sat empty, and the painting I’d done in art when I was a freshman of an orange-and-red sunrise as it crested over the crystal blue waters that hung on the wall—this was my world, the one I’d cobbled together. Could I let Charlie stay here? He would be touching my things, making a mess. How the hell could I deal with that?
“I said I’d buy you a ticket home. You can stay in my place for a few weeks and call it a vacation. You’ll love the town.” Charlie sighed. “Teresa, listen to me.” A pause. “No, that’s not it at all! I just—”
Another longer pause, then an even deeper sigh. This time I went to the window where I could see him. He glanced up, noticed me, and made ablah-blah-blahgesture with his hand.
“Yes, I know you’re upset, but I told you, Matt—Oh my God, woman! Will you shut up and let me talk?” He chuckled. “Thank you. I know it’s not in your nature to let someone get a word in edgewise.” He laughed. “Yes, and the horse I rode in on, I know, I know.”
He listened intently for a bit, his eyes displaying deep laugh lines as he listened to whatever Teresa was saying. Everything about Charlie was beautiful. He glanced up and noticed I hadn’t moved. He smiled and gave me a wink. That simple gesture had my heart fluttering.
“The hospital shouldn’t have called you,” he insisted. “I appreciate you coming all this way, but you really didn’t need to.” He paused. “I should have updated that information a long time ago.” He dropped his head back, then shook it from side to side. “I would have been fine, really. They didn’t need to get in touch with you. This is where I want to be. I have friends here, and they would have helped me. And before you ask, no, it’s got nothing to do with Mitch. If he’s happy, then I’ll be glad for him, but it’s been over for years.”
He laughed, and I realized I’d been eavesdropping. Everything in me rebelled against the idea of him staying with me, but this time I pushed back. Charlie could stay here; we could work it out. I had no doubt about that. I stepped out onto the porch and waited while he continued talking to Teresa. It was obvious he loved her, but also that she was able to get under his skin.
“No, you can’t come up here for lemonade. Matt and I have a lot to discuss. If you could go back to my place and pack me some clothes, laptop, and other essentials, I would be eternally grateful.” He paused. “Matt? Is it okay if Teresa drops a bag off for me? She can leave it on the porch.”
“Yes, but she doesn’t have to—”
“It’s fine, honest.” He went back to talking with Teresa. “I’ll give you a call in a few days if anything changes. Uh-huh. Yeah, love you too.”
He hung up and turned his head in my direction. “Be glad you only have a brother. Sisters are… a challenge at times. Or maybe it’s just mine.” He laughed. “Either way, if you still want me here, I’d like to stay. If you think it would cause too many problems, I’ll have Teresa come get me.”
“After that call, she’s probably halfway back to New York by now.”
“That would be great,” he admitted. His smile faded a little. “After the accident, the hospital called her as my emergency contact. She’s the one who decided to jump on a plane to come and get me. It’s her feeling that I was much happier in New York, and that if I came back, me and my ex could work out our problems. I told her before I didn’t want to work it out. The more time I spent away from him, the more I realized we weren’t meant for each other. I was in love with love, nothing more.”
He held out his hand to me, and without questioning it, I went to him and took it. What surprised me was how natural it seemed that I let him touch me. Until I met Charlie, I never, ever allowed anyone to put their hands on me. Now I found comfort in allowing Clay to hold me when the pressures got to be too much, and Charlie’s hands on me felt right.
“Okay, last chance. If you’d rather I not stay here, it’s perfectly okay. I know you value your privacy, and I don’t want to intrude on that. If you want me to go, I’ll stay in town. Teresa will stay and take care of me, I’m sure. There will be a lot of complaining, though. You’ll probably be able to hear it way up here. But I want to stay, if you want me to.”
