Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 86158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
“I don’t know what you did to make it come back,” Kara said, stepping close to me. “But if you do anything else to take that smile off her face, I will end you.”
“I won’t,” I said, my eyes on Charlie.
“We’ll see,” Kara muttered, walking back into the darkness.
“Kind of hard to believe,” Rose told me from a few feet away. “But my kid is usually the sweet, quiet part of that duo.”
“Charlie’s the mean one,” Lily agreed. She smiled reassuringly when I opened my mouth to disagree. “Rose is the mean one in our duo.”
“Truth,” Rose said, toasting me with her beer.
Eventually, we got the fridge out of my truck and onto a dolly that we parked right outside the door of the cart, but we didn’t put it inside because Farrah started ordering everyone around. Within half an hour, there were people inside and outside the cart, paint brushes and rollers in hand.
Painting the coffee cart in the dark.
“This probably wasn’t our best idea,” Charlie said with a laugh as she found me in the shadows.
“Can’t say I’ve ever seen paintin’ done by moonlight before,” I replied, wrapping my arm around her shoulders as we watched everyone painting. “Well, I’ve seen people taggin’ shit at night, but that’s different.
Charlie chuckled as she leaned against me. “I’ll probably have to touch it up, but it was a good idea to try and finish it while everyone is here.”
“You’ve got an awesome family,” I replied as we watched Leo pinch Lily’s ass, making her jump and splatter paint all over herself.
“They’re not too bad,” Charlie said. “I better go help.”
I watched her walk away, her ponytail swaying from side to side, and took a deep breath of the cold night air. We weren’t solid, not yet, but I figured we’d made a good start.
It was late by the time the walls were freshly coated in paint and people started leaving.
“We’re gonna grab some food on the way home,” Draco told me, dropping some unused lumber in the bed of my truck. “Any preferences?”
“Didn’t have lunch, so I’d eat grass at this point,” I replied, making him chuckle.
“Salad it is,” he joked. “We’ll grab you something. See you back at the house.”
He and Kara left with Charlie not far behind them, and I walked around the cart making sure that I hadn’t left anything behind. I almost missed the wrench Charlie had thrown over her shoulder earlier.
“Can’t thank you enough for all you did,” Casper said from his seat across the driveway.
“No worries,” I said, walking toward him. “I was happy to do it.”
“I can reimburse you,” he said seriously, taking a drag off his joint. “Had to set you back quite a bit, especially the fuckin’ fridge you brought back.”
“It’s all good,” I told him, shaking my head. It had. I’d used a good chunk of what little I’d been able to save—but it was worth it.
“Feels a little suspicious havin’ you buy all this shit after you fucked up with my daughter so bad,” he said easily, watching me for a reaction. “You tryin’ to buy your way out of the doghouse?”
I jerked in surprise and stopped in the middle of the driveway.
“It’s a legit question,” he said, still leisurely enjoying his smoke.
“No, I’m not,” I said, tightening my fist around the wrench.
“But you can see how it looks,” Casper continued.
“I’m investin’,” I said after I got my temper under control. He’d waited to say this shit until we were done with the coffee cart, and while I respected how wily the old fucker was, it still irritated the shit out of me.
“Investin’,” he repeated thoughtfully.
“Yes,” I grit out. “In the future I’m plannin’ on havin’ with Charlie.”
“Oh, is that what it was,” he said, his lips twitching.
“Leave him alone, Cody,” Farrah said from inside the trailer. I looked up in surprise to see her face in the window. “Let the boy make his grand gesture in peace.”
“She needed it,” I said to Charlie’s mom, not wanting her to think I was shallow enough to try and buy her daughter’s affection. “And I had it to give.”
“Good boy,” she said to me. She put her hand against the screen in a gesture that surprised me by how sweet it was. Then she turned to look down at her husband. “Cody, save some of that for me.”
After I’d tied down all the odds and ends in the back of my truck, I headed for home. For the first time in a while I was anxious to get there, to just be in the place where I felt most comfortable, to walk in and know Charlie was somewhere inside. When I pulled into the driveway, Draco’s truck was still missing but Charlie’s car was parked in the usual spot.
I was looking forward to the fact that she didn’t have to work the next day and I’d hopefully be able to wake up next to her, and I wasn’t paying attention as I let myself inside and swung the door shut behind me. I probably should’ve noticed how quiet the house was, or the fact that every single light in the house was on, but I was too distracted. I kicked off my boots and jogged up the stairs in my socks, wondering if we had enough time for a little cuddling before Kara and Draco got home—and nearly fell back down the stairs when a softball bat swung toward my head.