25. Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

Andrew

I said it once, and I'll say it again. There is beautiful, and then there is Charlotte Clarke. And I mean it when I say the woman's beauty only increases every time I see her, but there is something about her in a flowery summer dress that has my heart beating wild and free. It fits her feminine curves just right and the blue matches her eyes. I can hardly stand to look at her. I shouldn't, because I'm pretty sure every time I do, her students notice I'm drooling like a hound dog with a fresh bone. There's no chance her hair is pinned up in a messy bun as an afterthought, not when she keeps sending me those flirty smiles and casually brushing the loose tendrils at the nape of her neck back into the bun. Those dang freckles.

"She have any single sisters?" Koa asks with his eyes trained on Lottie.

I shove him and scowl. "Keep your eyes to yourself, and no, her sister is already married."

Koa shrugs and raises his hands in defense. "Listen, it's hard not to notice how gorgeous she is. Didn't hurt to see if she had any single relatives, okay?"

I know he'd never ease in on my girl, but I can't help the jealousy that rages through me whenever a man looks her way a little too long. And boy, are they looking. This fundraiser is going to be the death of me.

"Okay, you all know the drill. Man your stations and don't leave them unless there is an emergency. I'm going to show Mr. Rossi to the dunk tank. Do not annoy Mr. Keaton to death while I'm gone. Do your assigned jobs," Lottie says.

With her dismissal, dozens of students scatter to their designated stations. I have no idea why I agreed to get dunked all day, but at the time I was willing to do anything she wanted. I still am, but now that I'm about to get soaked by the school's baseball team, I realize what a foolish agreement it was. I should have volunteered to run the ring toss.

Her dress billows in the light breeze and she scrunches her nose when she approaches me. "Are you sure you're up for this? I don't want your shoulder to get injured again."

I rotate my arm and check it out. "Nah, it's feeling good and I'm not sure how much damage they can do making me fall into a tank of water."

"All right then, follow me." She raises her hands as if I'm not sure what I'm getting into. Maybe I don't know, but no matter how bad it gets, I'm still going to do it for her. The tank is the customary size of a dunk tank but the line already forming to send me to my doom is impressive. It's mostly the school's baseball team hoping to sink me, but the only one I'm really worried about is their pitcher. I've seen his stats, and he's pretty good.

"Destiny, I have our torture subject," Lottie says and squeezes a woman's arm. When she turns around, I recognize her from The Salty Dog. "Did I mention she's the one who gave me the card about the app? She's actually engaged to a Predators player."

I offer my hand even though I want to hug this woman for getting Lottie on that app.

"It's nice to see you again, Destiny. Thanks for slipping that card to this one." I nudge Lottie with my hip and she blushes. "Owen Fields and I have been friends forever. You know him?"

"I do! I didn't know you were friends with him. His wife and I spend a lot of time together. She's actually going to be one of my bridesmaids!"

"No kidding? What a small world." I ruffle my hair and glance at Lottie. I can't help wondering if she'll invite me to the wedding as her date. I'm sure she's been invited, but rather than look back at me, she opens the door to the dunk tank.

"All right, we can connect all of the degrees of separation between you two later. That line is getting anxious to impress you, Mr. Rossi." Lottie nods toward the teenagers chomping at the bit.

"Duty calls." I tip my head to Destiny and climb into the tank of death.

Lottie circles around to the front and starts selling tickets while Destiny directs kids and parents to where they can throw the ball at a little red dot. The first dozen kids miss by a mile, but then that pitcher steps up and hammers me. I go down into the water like a sack of potatoes, only to emerge from it amidst the shrill laughter of teenagers. It'll be worth it to raise money for their school and now that I'm wet, the temperature outside doesn't bother me as much.

"Okay, settle down. Next!" Lottie collects more money and the line continues, never seeming to slow. When the kids keep missing, I decide to start heckling them.

"You call that a throw? I was pitching better than that when I was still in diapers!" I shout at one boy who scowls and throws as hard as he can. It misses by six inches.

The crowd gets worked up a little more with each taunt until I've gotten the whole school going. Koa meets Lottie at the collection table. They share a laugh, but it's impossible to hear what they're saying from inside the tank. Now I have some insight into what a fish must feel like. More kids and parents try their hand, but I'm only dunked a grand total of three times out of over two hundred attempts. I'd say these kids need all the help Koa and I can give them, but then Lottie pulls a few bills out of her purse and hands them to Koa. He picks up a ball and drops it in her palm and I know I'm in trouble. The two were scheming all along, and I'm about to pay for it.

"What do you think you're going to do with that?" I raise my hands high but I'm not stupid, not after that epic game of pool she played against Koa last night. Not even played. She dominated it. My friend didn't stand a chance.

"I'm going to make you pay for all the mean things you said to my students!" Lottie puts one hand on her hip and tosses the ball up and down.

"Sorry to say, this is harder than it looks, darling." I cross my arms, taunting her further. I want to see her get fired up again, really push her into her competitive nature. If I'm a lucky guy, maybe I'll get a repeat of last night when she wins. Man, that kiss? Deadly. Makes me want to go ahead and put in my retirement paperwork to free up more time for kissing Lottie.

"Put him in the water, Lottie!" Koa shouts.

"Oh, I am." She takes a step back and hurls the ball harder than I anticipated, but…she misses.

"Too bad, so—"

I go down when Koa smashes the lever despite her missing the mark. I'm not expecting it, so I gasp when I fall and suck in some water. I'm a sputtering mess when I emerge this time, not to mention the laughingstock of the entire carnival.

"Oh, you two are going to pay for that." I manage to unhinge the door and get down the three little stairs before Lottie realizes I'm after her. She squeals and runs but even without shoes, I'm faster than her. I'm inches away from catching her when two of the biggest teenage boys on the planet step between us. They're a wall I'm not getting around, and I notice they both wear tees representing the school's football team.

Lottie peeks over their shoulders and sticks her tongue out at me. "Ha, ha. Can't get me now."

The linebackers smirk and protect their teacher, which impresses me in ways I can't explain. I'm about to attempt an evasive maneuver but think twice about it. If they tackle me, it'll be more than my shoulder out for the count.

"Lottie!" A shout from my right distracts all of us but it puts a sour expression on Lottie's face. The two guys have turned their attention from me to something else—a gaggle of girls giggling over cute stuffed animals—and go about their business.

"Hey, Lots!" a man calls again.

When the man gets closer, I realize it's Rory Elsher. Lottie glances between us and palms her cheeks. She's either embarrassed or nervous, but I can't tell which. It's not my place to listen in or even try to pull her away from him, especially since she said she planned to make sure he knew he was kicked to the curb.

"Well, that's all the tickets for this event. Want to take me for a hot dog?" Destiny offers her arm, her way of distracting me from whatever is about to happen between Charlotte and her ex. Either that, or it's a nice way of saying it's none of my business.

Despite being soaked, I let her link her arm with mine and slip on my shoes before heading over to the concessions stand. I buy us both some hot dogs and she leads me to a picnic table where Koa is already entertaining the school's physical education instructor. The two only glance at us when we sit but Destiny dives right into a conversation.

"She's not going back to him. You don't have to worry." She douses her hot dog with mustard and nibbles a bite.

I look over to where Lottie and Rory are still standing by the dunk tank and frown. Lottie is nodding while Rory is making some sort of presentation to her, moving his hands around in explanation. Lottie smiles and tucks her hair back, revealing those freckles. "Well, it doesn't look like she hates the guy right now."

"Of course not. We're at a school fundraiser and a lot of parents here like the guy. He's done some volunteer work for local schools, including this one, so she's not going to make a spectacle. He knows that too."

"So he's taking advantage of the situation," I grumble.

"Possibly, but he does care about these kids. Chances are, he's legitimately here to see if he can help." She wipes a smear of mustard from her face and shoots him a glare. "I hate to say it, but I do think he regrets his mistake."

"Hate? How so?"

"Well, for one he hurt my friend for no reason at all. His regret only seems to make it harder for her. You should know by now she's not one to stomp all over people's feelings. But that aside, it's going to be difficult for him to repair his reputation once the truth comes out. And it will. It always does."

I grumble some kind of reply even I can't make out.

Destiny chuckles. "Listen, I don't like the guy either but that doesn't mean he's meant to be hated forever. God gives us so much grace, we need to learn to forgive. Lottie likes you, Andrew, but she isn't going to want Rory to suffer. She'll end it her way. With grace and patience."

I don't know why, but knowing he's helped with things like this makes me jealous. It's dumb, but I can't help it. I feel like I'm losing in the nice guy department, and there is literally zero reason that should be. I have an advantage over him. I know how to keep my hands to myself when she's not around, unlike him, but Destiny isn't wrong. People do make mistakes, and if no one ever forgives them, then we're hypocrites.

"Eat and stop worrying. I told you, she cares for you, Andrew. She's just not the kind of woman who likes to make a big scene. She'll make sure he knows it's over, but if you're expecting her to do something drastic to prove that point, then you'll be disappointed."

Her statement is almost scolding in tone and I'm not too dense to figure out why. She's right. I should know Lottie well enough by now to know that what Destiny says is true. Lottie isn't going to blow up and freak out on the guy. Shame blooms on my cheeks and I sigh.

"I guess you're right. I can't help feeling like I only have the smallest grip here and I could lose it at any moment."

Destiny finishes off her hot dog and takes a sip of water. "Don't do that. You being you is what drew her in to begin with. If you start acting like a different person, she'll second-guess you."

I glance back over to the dunk tank and notice that neither Lottie nor Rory are anywhere to be found. Destiny bites her lip and I'm just about to ask her what's got her giggly when two petite hands cover my eyes.

"Guess who?"

Oh, thank goodness. This woman has me so twisted up, I never even saw or heard her coming. "Mmm…my date for tonight?"

"Ding, ding, we have a winner!" Lottie removes her hands and sits beside me before stealing a few of my fries.

"What did doofus want?" Destiny asks and glances at me as if she's about to prove her point.

Lottie's lips turn down and she shakes her head. "I messaged him last night to tell him we could meet this week to talk, and he took that to mean showing up here to help with the carnival was a good idea. I put him in charge of the bounce house." She waves it off as not a big deal and I remind myself of what Destiny said. She's not going to make it a public affair. "I told him I'd let him know when I was free, but he still wanted to help. You know him."

Destiny shrugs. "I guess. At least it'll bring in more money. I'm glad it didn't cause a scene."

"Oh gosh, me too. I want the kids and parents to feel comfortable here today. Even with Mr. Dawson paying to repair the roofs, we still have a lot to raise." Lottie nibbles another fry and I swallow my pride.

"Exactly. I think we're doing great though." Destiny smiles at me and gathers her trash. "Well, I'm off to make sure my coverage is here. Gotta get to my last gown fitting appointment."

Once Destiny is out of earshot, Lottie shifts to face me and settles her hand on my bicep. "I'm sorry about that. I hope you know I didn't ask him to come. I told you last night that I would message him and set up a time to talk to him. I didn't think he'd show up here. I didn't even think he knew about the carnival."

Regret tears at my stomach. "I know you didn't mean for it to happen this way. I wasn't expecting to run into him while spending time with you. That's all. I might have been a little jealous, but Destiny set me straight."

"I understand. I'm sure it feels awkward for you. It sure does for me." She lowers her head and her gaze to the bench seat. "I feel awful that—"

I tip her chin up and silence her before planting a kiss on her lips. It's fast so we're not kissing in front of her students, but enough for her to know I'm not upset or frustrated. "I know you don't want see anyone hurting. It's okay."

She sighs and nods but the tension in her shoulders doesn't dissipate. This is tough for her, and Destiny was right. She doesn't want to hurt Rory even though he betrayed her. Part of me thinks he knows that too and won't let her make a clean break, but I don't voice my opinion. I can't force her to do things how I would do them. It's not who she is, and I happen to like her exactly as she is…even if it means I have to swallow my jealousy until she handles her business her way.

The rest of the afternoon flies by now that I'm out of the tank. I only see Rory once more, but he's in a rush to get to a practice. I didn't even know hockey practice happened this time of the year, but I couldn't care less. It got rid of him, and I can help Lottie and the others clean up without him lurking in the corner.

Lottie hasn't been the same since the talk at the picnic table. She's reserved and pulling away from me, but in fairness, she isn't as talkative with her coworkers either. She smiles and gets excited for the kids, but when they're not looking, storm clouds descend upon her usually sunny disposition.

Eventually, it's down to just us. Koa stole my truck long ago, leaving Lottie to drop me off at my house. I'm completely dry at this point, but still ready to get home, shower, and relax with Goblin for a bit.

"All that is left is to take the trash to the dumpster. Just let me tell the custodians, and we can head out." Lottie turns to go but I grab her wrist. I don't know why, but I need her in my arms. I need her to see I'm still here for her, still waiting, and she doesn't have to be so sullen.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She lets me pull her into a hug and rests her head on my chest. "I'm tired for one, but I'm more emotionally spent than physically."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Mmm, this helps." She links her arms behind my waist and I tighten my embrace. "I can't help wishing there was an easier way to do all of this. You know? Like hire someone to really give Rory a lashing because even though I want to, I can't make mean words come out of my mouth."

Yet again, Destiny is proven to be right.

"My friends said it seems like I'm stalling, but it's not what I want to do. I'm stuck, and I don't like causing another person pain. It doesn't matter how much he hurt me first. I also don't like putting you in this position."

I slide my hands up her back and over her shoulders, gently tugging her away so I can look down at her. "You're the sweetest person I've ever met. I realized that on our first date, and you've only proven how wonderful you are since then. If you went on a rampage, it wouldn't be you."

Her eyes water as she looks back up at me, truly torn because she doesn't want this jerk to have his heart broken. He deserves it and more, but to her, he's still a human with feelings and she doesn't want to be responsible for burning them.

"Lottie, you stole my heart from minute one, and it's here for you whenever you're ready for it. Right now, months from now, heck, I think I'd even wait years for you. I like you. We fit, and I want you for the long term. What's a few days or weeks waiting for you to settle things with him if there's a chance I get you in the end?"

Her lips part and she finally relaxes. "It's not a chance. I thought we established last night that I am your girlfriend."

Oh, thank you. Thank you, Lord, for this. I needed the confidence boost and confirmation.

I grin. "Did we?"

She smirks. "Yeah, pink jersey, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, I seem to remember that."

"I'm a lucky girl that you weren't already snatched up." Her smirk relaxes into her usual smile.

I can't help laughing at that. "Well, they were honest last night when they called me grumpy. I can be a little grouchy when I'm not feeling great. Just ask Goblin."

"I'll be sure to do that later this week. I still need to give you drum lessons now that your shoulder is mostly better, remember? I mean, if you're up for it so soon."

"Well, I have an appointment with Doc Monday, and if all goes as planned, I'll be playing Monday night. Want to come?"

She grumbles. "I would love to, but I have parent teacher conferences all week next week. With church tomorrow and choir practice, I'm afraid I won't see much of you unless you want to grab me for lunch one day?"

"Lunch it is. Now smile and let's get out of here. I'm starving."