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Mack gaped at her mom. “You’ve officially stepped into creepy lady territory.”
“What? You always kept your hair so short, and all I ever wanted was to braid someone’s hair.” Kelli bounced her gaze between Charlie’s giggles and Mack’s stone-cold glare and tossed her hands in the air. “Okay,fine.Maybe that’s a tad creepy.”
Booted footsteps approached the kitchen from the den. “Hey, kiddo,” Andrew said with a grin.
Mack rolled her eyes. “She’s not a kiddo.”
He clicked off his phone off tossed it on the table. “Yep, yep. Got it. Still working on my language. Women, not girls. Women, not kiddos. Hey there, woman.”
“You have a truly special gift to do a little worse every single time,” Mack joked, grabbing a bowl and crackers from the cabinets.
“I’m not as picky as Mack. You can call me whatever you like.” Charlie handed him the bag. “Brought you a treat.”
Andrew’s eyes lit up. “Blackberry scones?”
“Sure is.”
“Well, you may be my new favorite daughter.”
Mack pinched his triceps. “God, you’re the worst.”
Everything about being there was what Charlie had envisioned a family looked like. The goofy dad. The mom futzing with crackers in the kitchen. Mack pretending she was annoyed, but her grin busted her. The sting of jealousy was muted by a warmth developing.
“Would you mind helping me bring these into the living room? I wanted to talk to you about something.” Kelli handed Charlie a few sparklingsodas and napkins. “Mack and Drew, you two are in charge of popcorn.”
Oh no.Was this the dreaded parent talk? The “you better treat my girl right or else” conversation?
“Sounds good. Extra butter, extra salt, extra goodness,” Andrew said.
Mack furrowed her gaze at her mom. “I guess I’ll supervise?”
Charlie followed Mack’s mom into the den, where stacks of paper, notepads, and pens started from thickest to thinnest, perfectly lined in order across the cherrywood desk. “Whoa. This is like next-level organization. I’ve been cleaning my place lately but never thought of putting pens in weighted order.”
“Finally, someone appreciates my attention to detail.” Kelli reached for a black leather-bound portfolio holder. “I’m telling Drew this. He’s so cocky, always thinking his way of shoving stuff wherever it lands is better.”
Kelli’s smile faded.
The energy in the room immediately shifted, and Charlie felt like she was in the principal’s office. Her cheeks heated. Even though she only met Kelli one other time, the idea that she did something wrong, or let Kelli down, made Charlie’s stomach turn.
“Is everything okay?” Charlie croaked.
Kelli tapped her fingers on the portfolio she held like a shield. “I don’t know how else to say this… without just saying it.”
Oh God.She didn’t know Kelli well enough to decode her expression—flat lips, a rigid posture, and a crease cutting across her forehead. But all signs indicated this wasn’t good.
“I overstep. Always have. Mack’s been on me for years to knock it off,” Kelli said. “I started down a rabbit hole when reviewing your paperwork and emails from the contractor. There was a ton of information, and it took me a while to understand what I was all looking at.”
Charlie’s stomach fell to her feet. “Sorry… I know… it was so disorganized, but I’m trying to get better.”
Kelli put her hand up. “Stop that nonsense. I’m not talking about the organization. You did this all on your own? When Andrew and I took over analready establishedbusiness, we hired consultants, money managers, advisors, everything. How you did this on your own is beyond me.”
The heat in Charlie’s face now felt more like a blush.
Kelli gave her a firm nod. “Be nothing but proud of what you’ve done.”
Oof.Twice now, Mack’s parents said this to her on different occasions, and twice they produced the same reaction. “Thank you… That means a lot.”
Kelli leaned against the desk and motioned for Charlie to do the same. “So… back to me overstepping. I probably should’ve let you handle this on your own. I didn’t intend to take the reins. But when I read the emails you forwarded and scoured the contracts and bills, things just didn’t add up. I didn’t want to give you bad advice, so it took longer than I hoped to make clarifying phone calls.”
