Page 58 of Make it a Double

“Who’re you?” Charlie asked, staring up at Beckett.

He offered a tentative smile and cleared his throat. “I’m Beckett. And you are?”

“Name’s Charlie,” she replied, sticking out her hand like the little businesswoman she thought she was.

He stared at it, amusement written all over his features, as he took it and gave it a good shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Charlie.”

Her eyes swung between the two of us before she asked, “Are you Auntie Sawyer’s boyfriend?”

All gazes landed on me as I fought not to turn a bright red. Judging from how hot my cheeks felt, I’d say I failed. My only saving grace was having just finished the last of the Cherry 7UP. If I hadn’t, I probably would’ve ended up spewing it all over everyone to cover up the fact that I didn’t know how to answer her.

I mean, he wasn’t my boyfriend, and we weren’t dating, but it wasn’t like she knew what a baby daddy was. I also didn’t want to give either girl the wrong impression by pretending otherwise.

“We’re… friends,” I finally said. Olivia’s cough sounded a whole lot like a curse, but I let it slide. She wouldn’t listen or believe me if I told her otherwise.

“I know what that means,” Harper said, giggling. She stepped up beside her sister. “Our teacher says she’s friends with the vice principal at school, but we’ve seen them making out in her car after school.”

“Not us.” Beckett swooped in before I could answer. “There’s no kissing here.” To anyone else, his expression would’ve appeared polite, but I could tell something was wrong. There was tension in his tone I couldn’t place.

I should’ve been over the moon at his eagerness to play along with the whole “friends" shtick. Maybe he’d finally realized that was all we could ever be. It didn’t matter how good it felt when his hand brushed mine, or the way those goddamn bugs fluttered in my belly every time he looked my way.

Friends had to be enough.

Except… Now I wasn’t so sure. I tried to blame it on the hormones, but ever since Beckett had shown up, I found myself clenching my thighs together every time he was around. He looked too good. Smelled too good. And don’t even get me started on his cooking. The man was every girl’s dream, and I had him in the palm of my hand. Why shouldn’t I use it to my advantage?

When I asked him to bring me all the goodies, it wasn’t to see how well he could listen or to test whether he’d show up, but he had gone above and beyond anyway. The fact that he was so desperate to prove himself only fueled the flames of my libido. So much for me thinking it was gone completely.

I was in serious trouble.

“Who’s hungry?” Liv asked, clapping her hands together. “We could go to Lucy’s!”

“Can’t today,” Lukas said, tucking his phone away. “Duty calls.”

“Work or a woman?” Duke asked, his face a perfect mask of knowing curiosity. Lukas was the biggest flirt in Pinecrest, and he never tried to hide it. I was pretty sure he’d slept with most of the eligible women in this town and maybe one or two who weren’t. But he was also a very successful business owner, so it was anyone’s guess what had him slipping out.

He shot his best friend a wink. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Then he turned to Charlie and Harper. “Drink an extra milkshake for me. Make sure it has extra whipped cream, too.”

The girls cheered as their parents glowered in his direction. Lukas sauntered off with a wave and a laugh, heading toward the parking lot. He definitely liked to start shit he had no intention of finishing.

“We’re out, too,” Grady said, grabbing his wife’s hand. “Cleo and I are heading to Nashville today. My former bandmate is moving to the area, and I told him we’d pick him and his son up from the airport.”

Charlie’s features dropped as she regarded her dad. “Why do you get to see Maverick and I don’t?”

He kissed the top of his daughter’s head. “I’ll tell him you said hi, sunshine. And we’ll have dinner with them next weekend after they get settled.”

She crossed her arms, casting her eyes to her feet. “Fine…”

For all of Harper’s general good natured attitude, Charlie was a little spitfire. She never held her punches, and didn’t shy away from telling everyone in the vicinity exactly what she felt. On more than one occasion, I actually found myself wishing I was more like the ten year old. Maybe then, things wouldn’t be so complicated.

“Come on, let’s go,” Duke said, ushering the girls forward. He grabbed the chairs Beckett had brought and swung them over his shoulder. “I’ll put these in my truck, and we can switch them out at the restaurant.”

Beckett blinked. “Oh, I didn’t think I was invited.”

“It’d be rude not to invite Sawyer’s friend,” Liv said, suppressing her grin. “Besides, Lucy’s is one of the best diners in Tennessee. You have to experience it at least once.”

He looked at me, and I shrugged. “It’s true. Her burgers are better than anything you can fly in from out of state.”

For the first time since he arrived, I saw a hint of humor sparkle in his eyes. “Well, I can’t argue with that logic.”