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An allusion to a future, the future he hoped they’d still have together, and she didn’t let it pass.
“That won’t be easy if we continue to avoid each other.”
“Can I get you a drink?” asked a woman dressed like Cleopatra. The college student was one of the employees Lawrence had trained just the other day, but she must have worked in a bar before. She balanced a tray of drinks in her hand like a pro.
“Tell Lawrence to send out drinks for his brother and his girlfriend. He’ll know what to give you.”
She flitted away as quickly as she had appeared.
“Girlfriend?”
Time to play hardball.
He licked his lips then, letting his tongue linger on his full bottom lip. Deliberately. Her eyes lingered on it.
“Girlfriend. Wife. Life companion.” He leaned forward. “It doesn’t much matter to me what you’re called as long as you never, ever leave me again. I’m madly in love with you, Charlotte.”
Charlotte blinked. Torr had never wanted anything more than he wanted to pull her onto his lap and convince her not to leave . . . and yet he respected her too much to do that to her. It felt important to do this right, all the way.
They watched each other, not breaking eye contact. Torr could hear every beat of her racing heart. He opened his mouth to speak, to tell her what he’d decided, but she beat him to it.
“I’ll go with you,” she said.
Her lips stayed parted, and Torr could not take it any longer. He shifted his seat back, needing some space for the conversation that had to happen.
“Your drinks. On the house,” Cleopatra said as she placed them on the table.
“How kind of him,” Torr said under his breath. He meant every word. Lawrence had always been there for him, for all these many years, despite the fact that he had so frequently acted like an arse. Torr handed the woman a hefty tip, and she left them with the drinks.
“You’ll go with me?” he asked Charlotte.
“Tonight. Tomorrow. Whenever you leave Stone Haven. I’ll accept your terms, if you insist, because honestly, I don’t ever want to be apart from you, Torr. Because I’m madly in love with you too.”
He grinned, more ridiculously happy than he’d been in a long time. Knowing and hearing the words were two different things.
She took a sip of her drink, her eyes widening at the taste.
“How did your brother know?”
“I may have mentioned the particulars of our night at Stage West to my brother. But kudos to him for remembering.”
“Death in the Afternoon.” She took another sip. “It’s still a good drink.”
“I’ve been thinking too, Charlotte. I was wrong. I’ll turn you . . . if you’re sure it’s what you want.”
She looked just as he’d suspected she might.
Utterly stunned.
Finishing the drink in one large gulp, much as she’d done that first night, Charlotte waved down the waitress. “Another, please?”
Cleopatra didn’t flinch. He’d have to make sure Lawrence and Toni knew this one was a keeper.
“I . . . I hardly know what to say. Why did you change your mind?”
Certainly he wouldn’t admit Kenton had a hand in his decision. Not aloud, anyway. So instead, he shrugged. “It’s complicated. Something we’ll have plenty of time to talk about.”
He smirked. Indeed, one might even say an eternity.
