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She squealed, damaging all of our eardrums, then ran off to invite a few of her friends with us. Thankfully Beth and Mom followed her to organize everyone.
We might as well have moved the whole damn party with us.
‘How about that bike ride? Beach is close enough so you wouldn’t be afraid.’ Elijah asked, staring at Charlie as if I wasn’t standing there next to her holding her hand. I struggled for words for a second.
Charlie opened her mouth to answer, but I didn’t let her.
‘Charlie is not gonna go to the beach on your bike, Elijah.’
‘I’m not? I’ve never been on a bike before.’
I kept my eyes on Elijah, but spoke to Charlie. ‘I’ll take you out on one. Later.’
‘You have a motorcycle?’
‘No. I’ll find one.’
‘Where are you gonna find a motorcycle?’
‘From wherever people find motorcycles.’
She gestured at Elijah with her free hand. ‘But Elijah already has a bike. We were talking earlier and I promised him I’d try it. We’ll meet you at the beach.’
I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. ‘I’ll find us a motorcycle,’ I repeated softly.
‘Do you know how to ride one?’
‘Where is Pepp?’ I shot back instead of giving an answer.
She glanced over her shoulder and a small smile tugged at her lips. ‘He’s with the kids. He is having the best time of his life. Every few minutes he rushes to my side, says hi, hello, and then rushes back to them. I get teary eyed every single time.’
‘Well. If you’re so set on getting on his bike, you won’t be able to take him with you to see the beach. So it’s either the car with me and Pepp, or…’ I regarded Elijah with barely concealed annoyance, ‘or bike ride with Elijah.’
‘That was harsh.’
I raised one shoulder and dropped it. ‘Your choice.’
‘You really know how to ride?’
‘Yes, Charlie. I know. I had a motorcycle when I was in college.’
‘No, you didn’t.’
‘I did.’
Her whole face lit up. ‘I can actually imagine you on a bike and it’s not that bad.’
‘Yeah?
She bit on her bottom lip to hold back a smile, then asked quietly, ‘Are we bantering, William? Again?’
‘I’ll leave you two alone,’ Elijah spoke up, and I realized I’d already forgotten he was standing right there. It hadn’t been the first time I’d done that. It didn’t look like it’d be the last either.
Charlie turned to say something to him, and her hand loosened in mine, but I held on.
‘Okay kids.’ Mom joined us again with a line of actual kids behind her. ‘We’re ready. Nico and the others will stay back with some of them, but we can leave.’
‘I’m coming too,’ Beth piped up.
Everybody headed towards the house. Charlie pulled on my hand to get my attention so I turned to her. She rested her shoulder against mine, leaning in closer.
‘Is everything okay?’ she asked quietly.
I gave her hand a gentle squeeze, closed my eyes and took a deep breath. ‘You’re not trying hard enough.’ I started following the last kid in the bunch and gently pulled Charlie with me. At least no one had tried to question us on why we were holding hands, because if they did I might have lost it on them.
‘Trying hard enough for what?’
‘To be alone with me.’
21 Charlie
Don’t go to sleep before talking to me.
That was the note I’d found in my room in my book The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh. I’d left it on my bed that morning when I went upstairs after the video call we had with the CEO of the airline company. I was having the time of my life at Montauk and that was even before you added William and the way he was acting towards me into the equation. With how often he was holding my hand, touching me and putting his hand on the small of my back, I was starting to believe his love language was touch.
As much as I was secretly loving it, it was also wreaking havoc in my soul and in my heart. We were playing a dangerous game.
I still wouldn’t have changed the weekend I was having with him and his family for anything.
I’d simply fallen in love with every single one of them.
Leaving Pepp back in my room where he was happily snoring away, I stepped out onto the porch and rested my hands on the railing, peering up at the night sky that was filled with countless stars. Tonight was a big night for me, I could feel it in my bones.
This was the life I wanted to have. This was the life I’d always wanted.
The beach had been amazing. Pepp’s first time seeing the ocean. I couldn’t remember the last time I had laughed so much. Ivy, Evelyn, Beth and I had all taken turns coaxing him into the lazy waves and he had loved it so much that I’d had to drag him away when it was time to go. And when we got back home it was work time: we’d spent over three hours preparing statements for a new case William had accepted.
