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“You should know that you’re supposed to wake Sleeping Beauty with a kiss,” Claire said.
My cheeks heated as I realized we had an audience, and that I’d fallen asleep at the table.
Char reached for me, and I closed my eyes, that still-groggy part of my brain wondering if he’d kiss me. Instead, his fingers brushed my forehead, and a strange sensation made me frown.
I opened my eyes to find that Char had plucked a puzzle piece that had evidently stuck to my head when I’d fallen asleep at the table. He snorted, giving me a chiding look only I saw before he turned and fit the piece into the puzzle without even a moment of hesitation.
Show off.
“I’m so sorry,” I rushed out to Claire. “I can’t believe I fell asleep.”
Claire waved off my concern. “Don’t be. You looked tired, and if you were tired enough to fall asleep here, you needed it. Besides, I’ve seen how Char gets carried away with whatever he’s doing. It’s hard to blame you when you’re left just sitting here.” Her words were clearly scolding Char.
He pressed his lips together, a crack in that mask of his, before affixing his smile back on his face and turning. “I’d better get Sleeping Beauty back. It was good to see you, Claire. Make sure you give me a call if you need anything.”
“We’re having a dinner here next month. It’s for family.”
“Last I checked, I’m not family.”
“Maybe not by blood, but that’s never mattered. The truth is that most the blood relatives don’t come to these things. It’d be nice if you came and brought Kenz with you.”
Char’s gaze darted to me, but he neither agreed nor declined. Instead, he bypassed the question. “I’ll have to take a look at my schedule.”
He said his goodbyes to Claire, and on our way out, he stopped at a number of others to chat. Each one treated him like Claire had, as though they couldn’t be happier to see him. He asked them about their health, the recent issues, all the questions showing he not only knew about them but had committed those facts to memory.
The more I saw, the less I thought he was doing this for personal gain.
“Is she ready?” Char asked the receptionist before we left.
She nodded. “Yeah, she’s waiting for you. You know the way.”
Char tucked his hands into his pockets and headed the opposite way from the receptionist desk than we’d gone before, passing the front door, until we reached an office with the door open. Char poked his head in, and when the woman behind the desk spotted him, she flashed the same happy smile I’d seen from every person here.
“Sorry it took so long,” she apologized as stood and came around her desk. “I was on a call with distributors for our needles. They want to raise the price and they’re being very difficult because they know they’re the only game in town.” She let out a long sigh, exhaustion suggesting that the calls had taken a lot out of her.
Char’s eyes sparkled with that same intelligence Claire had mentioned, as though he were already working through that problem to find a solution.
“You stop that,” the woman said. “Let me handle this one, okay? You’ve done more than enough, and you’ll drive yourself crazy trying to fix every little problem.”
Char shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
What a crock.It didn’t take knowing him well to tell he wasn’t innocent, that he knew exactly what she meant.
And the woman’s expression said she knew it, too.
“Oh, and that other problem?” the woman said. “It’s been handled, too.”
“Oh, has it?”
“Yeah, I just got word that the money was redistributed to the accounts of each resident who paid—plus interest. I’m sure they’ll be thrilled when they find out.”
“Yeah, I bet they will, too. What a strange world. I’m glad it got sorted out. Well, we better get going.”
“Thank you,” the woman said, her tone having grown serious. “I know you don’t want to hear it, that you won’t accept it, but thank you.”
Char paused by the door. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m just glad it worked out.” With that, he walked out.
I followed him, feeling like all day I’d been behind him, watching him interact and work without knowing all the details.
