AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No.” Adele cut her off firmly. “No. Charlie hasn’t told me anything. But I’ve watched you every day for the past couple of months. I’m pretty good at reading people.”
“And what do you see in me?”
“Melancholy,” Adele told her. “Even when you’re happy, there’s a little bit of sorrow in your smile. And that’s okay.”
Tatum took a deep breath. She had no idea what to say, so she said nothing.
“My son’s in love with you, Tatum Pettit.” Adele reached to pat Tatum’s hand. Still silent, Tatum nodded. “I’m not sure what you’re feeling. But like I said, I’ve watched you, and I read people pretty well. I think you’re afraid to give him your heart. I won’t tell you he’ll heal all the broken pieces back in the right spots. But I will tell you he will do his best. Charlie’s a hard worker. He’ll give you every bit of himself and never ask for a thing in return.”
Tatum waited until Adele stood again before she spoke.
“Shouldn’t he, though?” She cleared her throat. “Ask for something in return?”
“He won’t.” Adele clucked her tongue at her. “Not until you have something to give him.”
29
Charlie almost understood the draw of iced coffee. Almost. The temperature had hovered in the nineties for several days, and being Illinois, the humidity made every one of those ninety degrees miserable. Still, he wanted his coffee hot and strong. He guzzled a bottle of water as he stepped through the plastic curtains they’d hung in the add-on to keep dust out of the main part of the restaurant.
He and Tatum had gone to a movie last night just to be somewhere cool. Turned out they liked the movie okay, too, so it was a good decision. He stayed over at her place. She’d sent him off this morning with a kiss after joining him in a hot, steamy shower. Sometimes they stayed at his place. Charlie didn’t have a preference. He liked his bed, but he liked hers just fine, too. As long as he had Tatum in his arms, he figured he could sleep on the floor or even out in his yard.
She wasn’t at her usual table when he entered the coffee house. That worried him, but for different reasons now. She hadn’t returned those words—the ones he’d said the night of Joy’s birthday party. But she hadn’t run from him, either. In fact, she seemed more open to sharing her life with him. He was happy to wait patiently for her to tell him she loved him. Obviously, he wanted those words, but her actions said so much.
No, the worry these days when she wasn’t working at her usual table in the coffee house wasn’t that he’d spooked her with his affection, but that something had happened with Sutton. Or Bryony. He’d been at her place two nights ago when her cell rang. They were stretched out on the floor—the same one they’d kicked and clawed their way around the first time they’d had sex—putting a puzzle together. He might have teased her about doing the puzzle on the floor, but they were going to eat dinner after, at her table, and besides, Charlie liked the floor and the memories. He had been hoping for a repeat of that first night complete with the frenzy of excitement and desperation minus the anger.
But the buzz of her phone on the floor had been ominous. Tatum had been paralyzed for a moment, eyes locked with his, afraid to answer it. Charlie had simply nodded at her, hoping she understood he wouldn’t go anywhere. Not then. Not ever.
The call had been from Bryony. She wasn’t on speaker phone, but he was close enough to Tatum to hear the little girl. She sounded excited and happy when she told Tatum she and her mommy were shopping, and Mommy bought her a candy bar. Tatum had ignored the crocodile tears sliding off her cheeks, swallowed her worry, and talked to Bryony like any other aunt might talk to her niece. She’d asked questions that might give her a clue as to where her sister was, but Bryony was too young to understand how to answer Tatum. Yes, they were shopping. Mommy drove by lots of corns on the way to the very busy store.
Bryony had ended the call with a big, loud I love you, Aunt Tatum, and then the line was dead, and Tatum had given in to the tears. Charlie watched her, arched his eyebrows in invitation when she met his eyes again, and opened his arms to her as she army-crawled closer to him.
He clenched his teeth together now, remembering that he’d commented that it was nice for Sutton to have bought a candy bar for Bryony. Tatum had nodded and mumbled something that he’d asked her to repeat.
Sure, it was nice. But it might be the only thing Bryony had to eat all day.
“Hey!”
Charlie turned his attention to the counter, surprised to see Tatum behind it. She wore an apron, the same kind his mom and Everleigh wore when they were working.
“What’re you doing?” He grinned as he approached the counter. For so long, he had been irrationally angry at Mal for being able to walk in here every day, lean over the counter, and kiss Everleigh. Now, Charlie leaned over the counter and kissed Tatum hello.
He didn’t know what Mal thought, but Charlie sure thought his dad was wise. Life was good, but it was sure as hell a lot more fun with a good woman by your side.
“Everleigh went to pick up some supplies for the place,” she answered. “Your mom got kinda busy. Some kind of tour group. Ladies spending the day in Long Grove.”
“Mmm.” He nodded. That explained all the blue hair in the place. “I like the look.”
Tatum laughed softly.
“I think I’d like it even more minus the jeans and the top.” He kissed her again. “And the bra. And your panties.”
“So, you’re saying you want me to model the apron with my socks and my Cons?”
Charlie snorted and shook his head. “Maybe not those.”
“Your mom has been wondering how you’ve been sleeping lately.” She rested her elbows on the counter and gave him a smirk.
“What’d you tell her?”
