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The bell chimes and one angry blonde marches in and b-lines for the seat on the other side of me.
“Hey, Charlie,” Tessa chirps.
“Nothing for me, thanks,” she snaps.
Tessa jerks and turns on her heel. “Ya’ll are just a barrel of good cheer, aren’t you?” she mutters.
Charlie winces. “Ooof, was that mean?”
“Only a little,” I comment, taking another swig of my beer. “What’s your deal?”
“The library called and offered me my job back, apologizing for the misunderstanding,” she huffs.
“Charlie, I realize you’re short one girlfriend—as am I—but please tell me you didn’t call me here just to vent about your job.”
“No.” She swings a familiar backpack from her shoulder. “Pepper left this at Lonnie’s. I thought you could take it back to the cottage for when she’s—”
“When she’s what?” I snap, unintentionally.
She looks at me with sincerity. “She’s not marrying him, Chase.”
I take another swig, finished with this conversation.
“I heard the rumor Beau’s been spreading. About her taking the money. It can’t be true… unless…did she say something to you about it at the game?”
I shake my head. “Just that she’s fixing this. On her terms.”
“What does that mean?”
“Charlotte Whitley?” We both turn to a deep voice at the door. A man in a black suit—someone clearly not from town—strolls in, peering around.
Charlie’s eyes widen and she slides off her stool.
Levi steps in front of her. “I might know her. Who’s asking?”
The man withdraws a light blue envelope from his jacket. “We went to her address and were told she might be here or the town library.” The tall man starts to turn. “We’ll check there.”
“What do you want with Charlotte?” I ask, stepping forward.
The man sighs. “I have a delivery for her from Penelope Walker.”
“I’m Charlotte,” Charlie calls quickly.
The man turns. “I’ll need to see identification and obtain a signature on delivery.”
Charlie digs into her wallet and hands him her ID before I can do anything to stop her.
My brother and I watch as she tears into it. The glimmer of hope and a grin instantly fading when she finds what’s inside.
“What is it?” Levi asks.
Charlie glares at a piece of paper in front of her. “T—Tess can I borrow a red marker?”
Tess shrugs and looks near the register, finding a red Sharpie and handing it over.
I cross to her. “Charlie, what is it?”
“Beau was right. Pepper took the money,” she starts, angrily. “But she didn’t do it for herself.” She holds up a check made out to her for the sum of a third of a million dollars. “She did it for me. It’s my fault, Chase. I told her something that was never her problem to fix, and we’ve lost her because of it.”
