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I blinked down at her at the quiet hesitation in her voice, the words taking a minute to process because until today, I’d never once heard Charlie anything other than confident, brash, and larger than life. This was the second hint of vulnerability in less than an hour throwing one more unknown into our new dynamic.
“What? No, she wasn’t.”
She stopped short and whipped around with her cool glare in place. “Really, who got the better end of this deal?” she said with a snort. “My mom got you and your mom got this?”
She swept her hand along her body and I tensed, my initial confusion about my mother settling into a pang of disappointment.
I had reason to go head-to-head with Charlie. She’d been fucking with me unfettered for over a decade because, no matter what she did, you didn’t pay back your best friend’s little sister. Especially when you had four years on her and were old enough to know better. Well into adulthood and careers, I could shed the kid gloves. But now that I could, she revealed this hint of insecurity and it stole every bit of thunder in doing so.
I’d never paid too much attention to the dynamic between Charlie and our parents, but I was watching now—to prove her wrong or right, I didn’t know.
With my hand settled over her lower back, I led her to the far side of the room closest to the fireplace, where I knew she preferred to sit. Something about the crackle of the fire or something like that.
The year she turned twenty-one, the last time Chance was with us, she barely touched her food. Instead, she sat there facing the fire, her feet up on her chair, her knees to her chest, a hot toddy in her hands. Firelight danced along her warm brown waves, catching on the natural copper strands threaded throughout. She’d shut out the world and just basked in being. All flushed cheeks from the alcohol, with a smattering of freckles. I’d never seen her so at peace with subdued mischief still lingering distantly in her luminescent eyes.
I hadn’t seen her like that since.
We’d work on that.
Why did I suddenly care? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
I pulled out her chair but cupped her elbow and turned her to me before she could sit. She’d lost a bit of her shine back there. The mischief waned in her eyes. The exchange with our moms wormed its way in and whispered lies to her. A part of her bought the bullshit they sold.
But for the next thirty-six hours, she was mine. Mine to care for, to protect, and I needed to get my ass in gear and pay closer attention.
For this weekend, what hurt her, hurt me. A unit. Tighter than the ones we were born to.
“Charlie.” I tucked my fist under her jaw, brushed my thumb over the tip of her chin, and tipped her face up to mine. “Just so you and I are clear…” I swallowed against the lump in my throat making my words gruff. “There’s nothing wrong with this.”
Her lips parted on a surprised gasp.
The sound crawled right inside me. That was the only explanation for why I tugged over her bottom lip, pulling it just a touch away from her teeth before letting it snap back.
This wasn’t a display for our parents. It wasn’t for Mariah and Daniel. This was ours and what it meant, I had no idea.
But damn. Now, I wanted to find out.
I leaned in, my breath fluttering over the shell of her ear, making her shiver against me. “Now sit.”
For once, she did as she was told with no comment. I could get used to this. Who knew off-balance Charlie could be so docile.
I took my seat next to her and studied the menu despite the constant suspicious glances from the little demon.
Some of us didn’t need ghost peppers and scissors.
I smiled.
Our fathers chatted at the other end of the table, bringing their work right into the weekend with them as they always did. Profit margins, investments, scaling up businesses, yada nada. Our mothers usually settled into light gossip about mutual friends. Who was getting married, having kids, which ones bought a winter place in Florida—and of course the ones not doing well—hospital stays, new medications, and rehab. With all those topics exhausted, they’d soon try to finesse bankruptcy gossip from our dads.
But so far, silence. Mrs. McAllister’s gaze bore a hole into us and my mother… well, she’d taken an intense interest in the menu and from her expression, shit played the starring role in every dish.
Her eyes cut in our direction, a look of pure disapproval landing right on Charlie, prompting fiery anger I never thought I’d feel toward my mom.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I’m Jeremy. I’ll be your server tonight…”
Charlie’s leg bounced next to mine. With every lift of her heel her knee brushed mine.
Brush, brush, brush, brush…
