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“Well, they won’t hear it from me,” Charlie said. “I learned long ago to stay out of my brother’s family business.”
“Devon has never said a word to me, but I think he’s always been in love with Aisling. Mike encouraged them to have a close relationship. When I heard them talking, it was like Mike was using Devon to keep his wife busy so he didn’t have to interact as much. Like a gay husband would work in a relationship.”
“I’m too old-fashioned for that garbage,” Charlie said. “You get married, you take care of your wife no matter how aggravating it gets.”
So they might have actually touched on something that would get a rise out of Charlie.
“What aggravated you about your wife?”
“Well, one thing was us always having to do something. My family has enough social activities to choke a pig, yet that wasn’t enough. She wanted to belong to the theater company and the garden club and the school board. And if that wasn’t bad enough, I was expected to tag along.”
“How’d you deal with it?”
“I got her calendar and made sure I was working for each event.”
“Charlie, that’s low. It’s better to deal with it out in the open.”
“There’s none of that with Clare, you have to believe me. It’s her way or no way.”
“I hope if we continue to see each other, we’ll be able to face our issues openly and honestly.”
“Well, I hope we continue to see each other, period.”
“Is that right? But we want it to be healthy, correct?”
“Right now I don’t care if you’re a crazy serial killer. I really like you, Lila. Like I said last night, I think I might love you.”
“That’s so nice, but I’m a little scared.”
“Because it’s so fast?”
“Yes. You don’t know me, Charlie. Give yourself a chance to get to know me first. No regrets, okay?”
“Absolutely no regrets,” he said, stifling a yawn.
“Aw, you’ve had a long day. I’m going to say goodnight. There’s a barstool in Oceanside with my name on it, and I’m afraid if I stay away too long, they’ll come looking for me.”
A little concern scratched at Charlie’s mind. “Anyone in particular?”
“Just other barflies,” she said. “No men, just an FYI. Not that we’ve discussed being exclusive, but since you said you loved me, I’m pretty confident you’re not going to have any female visitors in your cot tonight.”
It was just the right thing to say, and Charlie let out a whoop, laughing like a crazy person. When he calmed down, he answered her. “Oh god, no. I’ve never had a woman here. Not even Clare. I’ve heard of men who bring their dates to the station, but I’d have to take disciplinary action if I found out.”
“Charlie, relax, okay? I wasn’t accusing you of anything. I just wanted you to know I trusted you.”
“I hope we’ll be exclusive. I don’t see the point in even trying to see anyone else. I’ll even cancel my Lovematch.com subscription.”
Now it was her turn to laugh, and they shared bad online dating experiences for a few moments before saying goodnight for a final time.
“I’ll talk to you in the morning,” Lila said. “Tomorrow I volunteer at the Safari Park, so I’ll be driving right by the station. Can I stop in?”
“Yes! Send me a text before you arrive in case we’re out on a run.”
“Okay, I’ll do that. Goodnight!”
The next day Lila went to the Safari Park and spent the morning cleaning out the last of the annual flower beds so the gardeners could get the autumn plantings in the ground. Digging in the dirt gave her time to clear her head. An attentive man was an enigma. With next to zero experience under her belt navigating a committed relationship, Lila wasn’t sure what her next step should be. Prior romances had been limited to sex-driven weekends that ended at goodbye on Monday morning. With Charlie, she almost wanted to take sex off the table for a while. Who was Charlie Saint? Furthermore, who was she?
With each spadeful of the rich loam, she sifted through the confusion in her head. Why had she put the walls up, preventing real intimacy with a man? Thinking of her relationship with her parents filled her with despair. Her father was a cold, disinterested man. Although at the time she didn’t think her parents’ treatment of her was that unusual, now she knew it would have been considered abusive if it had come to the attention of anyone who cared.
