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“Seven in the morning if that’s good for you.”
“Seven is perfect; I’ll pick you up.” I pushed her into the house, “Where’s your room?”
“The parlor is my room while I’m recovering.” I pushed her to the bathroom and started her bath water.
“That’s okay, I can do that myself,” she said, but I had already started the water.
“Jeez, why do people think I need everything done for me,” Charlotte whispered, but I heard.
“It’s no trouble.”
“Charlotte Primrose, what happened to you?” Miss Hilary exclaimed.
“I went swimming. Thank you, Levi; I’ll see you in the morning.”
I looked up Charlotte’s accident on the computer when I got home. Spiked walked into my office, and I scolded him for running off. What I saw on the screen was unreal. There was nothing left of her car; it was a miracle she survived. It was no wonder her recovery was taking so long.
Curious, I decided to do some more research on her. She had attended The University of Texas in Austin, her hometown. Her father was an inventor, and her mother was a librarian. I couldn’t help but wonder how she became a Homicide Detective.
“What are you doing?” my sister Jaz asked, standing behind me. “Hey, that’s Charlie? I remember her; she was my age. Why are you investigating her?”
“I’m not investigating her; she’s at her aunt’s recovering from an injury. I’m going to help her to walk again.” Come over here, and I’ll show you her accident,” I handed her boys some paper to color on and some crayons I kept there for them. Jaz grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to me.
“She can’t walk?”
“I told you she was injured. She says she can walk, but it’s still painful. She’s trying to get her muscles stronger, is what I’m thinking. I’ll pick her up in the mornings and take her back after a few hours.”
“Wow, that’s horrible, and she’s still alive; my goodness, that must have been a nightmare. Why is she at her aunt’s house?”
“Because her father and aunts thought it was a good idea for them to care for her. Hell, she would be better off alone. At least I can help her a few hours a day until I return to work.”
“How much longer are you going to be off?”
“Maybe a month. What are you and these two rascals doing?”
“We’re taking a walk. We thought we would ask you to accompany us; we’re going to Bailey’s.
“Sure, let’s go. Maybe we’ll be invited for dinner. Come, Spike,” we walked out on the porch, and Mertle lay there. She was still angry at me for getting her fixed. It took me forever to give her pups away with the last litter. Come on, Mertle, you can visit your son at Bailey and Viper’s house.”
26
Charlie
I longed to find refuge, a hidden place to escape the situation. I submerged myself beneath the water in the bathtub, contemplating how long I could remain concealed while my aunts persistently knocked on the door. The danger I had just narrowly avoided was terrifying. I had every intention of calling my mother and venting my frustration.
I am so embarrassed that Levi had to save me. I was grateful he was there, or I would have had to float until my aunts found help. And Levi’s so handsome. He’s always been attractive, but now he was a grown man who smelled so good.
I had a crush on him when I was thirteen, but now I needed to ensure he never discovered my feelings. I believed I could manage it, especially knowing his Delta Force code name was “Steel.” The name suited him perfectly.
After my aunts helped me out of the tub, I crawled into bed, and as soon as they left my room, I called my mother.
“Hello, darling. How’s everything going?” she greeted.
“Mama, if Dad doesn’t show up in two days, I’m leaving on my own. I had a near-death experience today because Aunt Molly accidentally pushed my wheelchair, and I went flying down the mountain and I fell into that freezing swimming hole. I could have injured my injuries and had unrepairable damage or died.”
“Now honey, don’t you think you might be exaggerating a little? I’m sure they’re doing their best; I bet Aunt Molly feels terrible about what happened. I hope you didn’t yell at her.”
I took a deep breath and counted to ten. “Mama, have I ever yelled at anyone that you know of? Did you ever get a letter for me from Levi Petterson years ago?”
