Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Charlie

“ I t’s all so… ordinary.” Bess sighed, browsing the rows of T-shirts and sweaters with the Cozy Creek logo.

The shop had fridge magnets galore, though. I went a little overboard selecting everything that I thought might make her daughter happy. Little rainbows, mountain scenes, a smiling pinecone and a big, fat pumpkin.

What’s up, Charlie?

The uncomfortable question hung in the air as I piled the treasures on the counter, blocking Bess from reaching in and returning them. Her soft chest collided with my forearm. “That’s too much!”

“They’re fridge magnets. Chill.”

I needed to chill. What was I trying to do? Buy her child’s affection? Erase the ill feeling I got just thinking about their story and what the future held?

Bess stomped off and eventually returned with a Cozy Creek baseball cap and a lumberjack style flannel shirt. “Here’s your new wardrobe.”

I paid for everything and immediately peeled off my paint-splattered Ralph Lauren henley to change into the flannel. She swiveled to face the display of postcards, waiting for me to get changed. I could have left the T-shirt on, but I was too committed to show her I had no shame.

“It looks a bit small,” I said, holding up the flannel. “But I’ll take the tags off and if it doesn’t fit?—”

“Oh, come on!” She turned to me, her eyes dragging over my naked torso before she grabbed the shirt and turned the tags on the outside. “Try it like this.”

“Thanks.” I smiled, pleased with myself.

She may have thought of me as a privileged idiot, but now she knew I was a privileged idiot with a six-pack, in case that made any difference.

“This is not the true test,” she insisted as I buttoned the shirt. “I’m not used to seeing you like this, but it doesn’t mean you look out of place here. Wait until you’re back in Denver and with someone you’re really trying to impress.”

I added the baseball cap, turning it backwards. “Is this any better?”

I wanted to impress her, but the rules were different. Everything was different with her.

She swallowed. “Very Luke’s Diner.”

As we exited the shop, we were already late for dinner. I might have suggested eating in town, but seeing Bess’s horror as I showed her the time, I rejected that idea. The retreat price included meals, and I was quickly learning the importance of not wasting anything.

I didn’t want to waste anything with her. Especially time.

I drove us back as fast as I could, and we headed straight to the dining hall. The heavenly smell greeting us at the doorway turned out to be chicken kebabs and roasted vegetables. We loaded our plates and grabbed a table vacated by two of the ladies, one of them Miranda. She glanced at my outfit and her eyebrows sailed up. “See you in the tub? It’s going to be a starry night.”

Bess stood frozen, watching them walk away.

“We don’t have to go,” I whispered. “You don’t have to wear that thing you bought. I’m not that mean.”

She looked out the window. The last light of the day had turned into intense blue. Cerulean. “It does sound amazing.”

“Well, if you’re brave enough to put that thing on, I can publicly take the blame. And I’ll wear my swimming trunks inside out or something. I’ll swim in the flannel.”

Bess offered me the tiniest of smiles. “I appreciate your willingness to humiliate yourself.” She picked up a chicken kebab, inhaling its aroma before taking a bite. “To be honest, I did bring a swimsuit, but it’s old and worn out and I wasn’t planning on letting anyone else see it.”

“What?” I tried to go for shocked but couldn’t quite commit. I would have taken her shopping, regardless. “You brought a swimsuit you wouldn’t wear in public? Did you think you’d have this place all to yourself?” I didn’t even try to hide my smile, and her shoulders dropped.

“I thought I could sneak in there by myself, in the dark… to be honest, I don’t know what I was thinking. Most days, I’m just trying to keep my head above water. Figuratively.” She gave me a wry smile.

“Your swimsuit can’t be as bad as the one you bought, though. That’s not possible.”

“It is!” She insisted. “Or I mean… when I saw what everyone around here was wearing, I decided to pretend it didn’t exist. But now I’m thinking it might be less noticeable than the lime green ruffles. I think the fabric dust in that place messed with my brain.”

“It can happen.”

“I wasn’t planning on ever letting you pay for a new swimsuit. I just wanted to replace the one I had with something cheap.” She sighed. “It was stupid. There’s nothing I can do to blend in with this crowd.”

“Why would you want to blend in?”

She shrugged. “I don’t want to embarrass you.”

I adjusted my baseball cap. “Embarrass me? I’m totally fine with that ruffled number you bought from the friendly ghost. How bad can the other one be?” I was curious now. I needed to see it.

Okay, fine. I needed to see her, preferably naked. I’d been watching that body in black jeans, band T-shirts and sneakers, the designer uniform, for two years, imagining what she looked like underneath. But if that wasn’t an option, I’d take her in a terrible swimsuit.

She winced. “It’s black, but really faded and the elastic is starting to wear out so it’s kind of baggy in places. I’m positive you’ve never seen anything that awful on a woman. Or a man.”

I stood up and collected our plates. “Okay. Let’s go try on both swimsuits and rate them.”

“What?”

“Come on. We need to settle this once and for all. Which one is the most hideous? I won’t rest until we have an answer.”

Her eye roll was adorable. “I’m not parading in front of you in ugly swimsuits,” she puffed, heading for the door.

I followed her outside, down the path that led to our cabin. There was enough light to see silhouettes of houses and the outline of the path, but not much else. The stars were winking above us. A perfect hot tub night.

“How else are we going to figure this out, though? You need my infallible fashion sense.” I kept poking, spurred by the strange, bubbling sensation that seemed to drive me when I was around her. Sparring with Bess was like drinking champagne without drinking champagne. She’d think me deranged if I told her, which made me want to tell her. Besides, deranged was better than elitist or spoilt. Marginally.

“How about you try them on and catwalk across the dining hall?” she suggested, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. “I’m sure we could get some opinions.”

“I’ll do a private show for you,” I offered. “But I can’t guarantee the elastic will survive my… um… muscles.”

Considering how excited I got firing lines with her, I’d soon be ready to split any swimsuit clean in two.

I took the steps two at a time, determined to keep whatever was happening between us going. Keep her smiling. Keep her having fun. Being brave. I loved that bravery, whenever it flashed behind her eyes. It was absolute magic and held me spellbound. She was all grit and determination; quick wit and curves, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away. What was worse, she had no idea what she was doing to me.