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“It’s a coffee house,” she corrected her sister and immediately felt bad for doing so. Who cared if Sutton called Adele’s place a café or a coffee shop or a coffee house? What if Adele decided she was being snotty?
“What’re you doing here?”
Sutton was dressed in skimpy denim shorts and a t-shirt. Maybe at first glance, a guy might find her attractive. Bleached blonde hair. Makeup. A little too much when you looked closely. Sutton was only twenty-five, but she looked old and hard. Her blue painted nails were chipped, and a new bruise colored her upper arm.
Charlie turned sideways at the counter and looked from Tatum to Sutton. This would be a good time for him to cut and run. He didn’t appear to be in any hurry to get back to work, though. Maybe Tatum should do it for him. Get him out of here for now. At least.
“Um.” Sutton cleared her throat and looked at Charlie.
Tatum opened her mouth to introduce them, but she wasn’t even sure what to call him, even if she did want Sutton to know they were together. Would calling him her boyfriend be too much since they’d only been together a short time? On the other hand, Charlie had said he loved her. Introducing him as a friend might upset him.
“Charlie, Adele, this is my sister Sutton.”
“Hi.” Charlie nodded at her and reached to shake her hand. Sutton lifted her own and eyed him like she was afraid he might not give it back.
“Sutton.” Adele offered her a bright smile. “So nice to meet you.”
Sutton glanced at Tatum as Adele reached over the counter to shake her hand. Tatum wanted to slap her. She had better manners than this. She hadn’t uttered a word to either of them.
“Can we talk?” She looked back at Tatum. “Please.”
“Where’s Bryony?”
“She’s with Bill.”
“Bill,” Tatum repeated.
“Please?” Sutton flicked her eyes over Charlie and Adele again. Tatum saw Charlie noticing the tracks in her sister’s arms. At least she’d warned him. What must Adele think?
“Go ahead, hon.” Adele nodded at Tatum. “I’ll holler if I need you.”
Tatum nodded and mumbled her thanks. She didn’t want to have this conversation here. But what choice did she have? Charlie watched her move out from behind the counter. She met his eyes as she untied the apron strings and laid the apron on the counter.
“You okay?”
He spoke so softly, she knew she was the only one who heard him. She wasn’t, but again, what choice did she have but to sit down with Sutton? To listen to her ask for money? To try once again to talk her out of taking off with Bryony?
She nodded and led Sutton to her regular table. Sutton eyed her laptop and bag as they sat down.
“You’re still doing web design, right?”
“Yeah.”
“What’re you doing pouring coffee for old ladies?”
“The clientele here is very diverse,” she answered as she met her sister’s eyes. “And I was helping out a friend.”
“The guy? Or the lady dripping diamonds?”
“Jesus.” Tatum rested her elbow on the table and pinched the bridge of her nose. “What’s up, Sutton?”
“I need cash.”
“Of course you do.”
“For Bryony.”
It wasn’t the first time she’d used Bryony to get money from Tatum.
