9. Charlotte

9

CHARLOTTE

C harlotte shoved her clothing into her duffel bag as quickly as she could.

Tag was rounding up the kids, and they were all about to go back to his house. They had all decided that Charlotte was going to stay there until this place was up and running again.

Tag did his best to make light of it, but she was pretty sure it would take time to put the shop back together.

Tears prickled her eyes at the thought that she could have saved them from all of this trouble if she had just mentioned that the apartment was too cold. She was on the edge of sobbing again when Tag’s words echoed in her head.

You’re okay. I’ve got you.

Suddenly, even though she was alone in the frigid apartment, she felt that same rush of warmth she had when he’d wrapped his arms around her in the shop. Something about it had felt so good when he held her, so right, like pieces of her heart were fitting back together again.

Don’t think about it, she advised herself.

She’d already had enough bad luck with men to last a lifetime. And besides, Tag was practically her boss, and he was Allie’s brother. That had to be against the girl code or something.

And his kids had been through a lot with losing their mother. Poor Olivia certainly didn’t need some stranger mooning over her dad.

Once she had all her stuff more or less shoved into her bags, Charlotte headed down with the first one.

Tag was outside, standing by his truck with the kids by his side.

Chance was munching on what looked like a chocolate chip cookie, and Olivia was talking to Tag, her hands moving in the air, which Charlotte already knew meant she was excited about something.

Under the soft light from the streetlamps the three of them looked like a storybook family.

Would I even fit into that picture?

Charlotte shook her head and kept moving.

“Hey,” Olivia said when she came out. “Need any help?”

“Nah, I just have a duffel and another suitcase up there,” Charlotte said. “I can get it all on my next trip.”

But Tag was already moving past her, heading into the shop for her stuff.

“It’s a guy thing,” Olivia confided, rolling her eyes.

“I’m strong too,” Chance announced. “Look, Charlotte. Look at me.”

She watched as he flexed his muscles with a tough, grimacing expression on his cute little face that made her smile in spite of herself.

“Here we go,” Tag growled as he lifted her suitcase and duffel effortlessly into the back of his truck.

“Wow,” Charlotte said.

He held his hand out for her other suitcase and she handed it over, trying not to watch him, or even let herself think about his strength.

The man lost his wife, she told herself firmly. Have some respect.

“Charlotte, you’re going to live in the attic ,” Chance yelled to her as Tag helped him into his booster.

“It’s a finished room,” Tag said quietly.

“There’s a bed and stuff,” Chance added. “Don’t worry, Charlotte. And the bed is really good for jumping on.”

“But we don’t jump on beds,” Tag said sternly. “Right, bud?”

“No,” Chance said sadly. “I might fall down and hit my head.”

“Exactly,” Tag told him. There was a fondness in his voice that tugged on Charlotte’s heart.

It was only when they were all in and Tag was pulling out onto Maple Street that she realized Olivia hadn’t said a word.

Chance was going on a mile a minute about his rock collection, so there wasn’t much she could do to check in with the teen. But worry gathered in her belly. What if Olivia didn’t want another adult in the house, ruining her vibe?

What if she thinks I’m trying to replace her mom?

But that was silly. No one would think anything like that. Charlotte pushed the thoughts aside and gazed quietly out the window at the passing scenery.

The village quickly gave way to cheerfully decorated suburbs, and then the patches of holiday lights grew farther apart as they drove through more wooded areas and fields.

At last, they reached the covered bridge again. Tag tapped his horn lightly and waited an extra moment before proceeding.

“We have to make sure there isn’t another car, Charlotte,” Chance yelled to her from the backseat.

“That’s very smart,” she told him. “I’m glad your dad takes his time and keeps us all safe.”

The tires clattered over the boards of the bridge, and when they came out on the other side, she could see the holiday lights at the Johnson’s little brick house, and a swirl of smoke coming out of the chimney.

By the time they reached the tree-lined driveway that led into Lawrence Dairy Farm, Chance had gone silent. Charlotte stole a glance back and found him asleep on his sister’s shoulder again.

Olivia gave her a small smile and Charlotte nodded back, glad that the teen didn’t seem too upset to have her along after all.

Tag drove them past his parents’ stone farmhouse and all the way back to the big green Victorian at the edge of the wooded hillside.

It was darker back here, where the lights from the other houses were barely visible.

Tag parked and headed back to get Chance. Olivia gently unstrapped her brother as Tag leaned in for him, then pulled the sleeping boy onto his shoulder and headed into the house.

“Want to see your room?” Olivia asked.

“I’d love to,” Charlotte told her. “Thanks.”

Olivia nodded and they got out of the car together. It was freezing cold outside, but still beautiful to see the stars in the velvet of the night sky above.

“You can’t see them in the city,” Charlotte said softly.

Olivia was already grabbing one of the suitcases out of the back of the truck.

“Let Dad get the heavy one,” she said over her shoulder as she headed for the house. “Just take your bag.”

Charlotte grabbed her duffel and shrugged. There was no point arguing with the man, if that’s what he wanted.

She followed Olivia up the steps of the porch and into the house. Tag hadn’t turned on any lights except the one in the stairwell, so she couldn’t see much.

When they reached the second floor, she could hear Tag speaking softly with Chance in one of the rooms. Olivia opened a door that revealed another set of stairs.

Charlotte followed. These steps were carpeted, which would be good if she couldn’t sleep and had to get up and wander around in the wee hours like she sometimes did since losing Dad. She had grown so used to getting up with him in the night while she’d been taking care of him that it became a habit. It was like her body never got the message that he was gone.

Olivia flicked a switch, and Charlotte could see that the stairs opened into a nice-sized room with radiators, pink carpet, and a sloped ceiling on one side.

A narrow stone fireplace against the back wall, flanked by two small windows, gave the space charm. A nice big bed with a snowy white duvet and a big dresser took up just about all the rest of the space, though there were a couple of foot trunks and a stack of cardboard boxes along the right-hand wall. A door on that same wall led to a small bathroom in the eaves with a clawfoot tub.

Above the bed were a couple of prints of paintings of flowers. Charlotte walked over to look.

“We’ll take those down tomorrow as soon as I get home from school,” Olivia said. “And we can put up some of your photos. Maybe the one from your dad, if you have another copy.”

Tears suddenly prickled Charlotte’s eyes.

“You have play practice after school tomorrow,” Tag reminded Olivia as he came in with the last suitcase.

“I’m just an understudy,” she said, rolling her eyes. “And I don’t know why I have to do an activity anyway. There’s plenty to do around here.”

“We agreed that you would do an activity,” he said gently. “And that you wouldn’t skip out on it.”

“After play practice, maybe?” Charlotte suggested.

“Sure,” Olivia said.

“Bedtime, champ,” Tag told Olivia.

“Right,” Olivia said. “Good night, Charlotte. Night, Dad.”

“Good night,” Charlotte said, watching the girl bump her shoulder against her father’s on the way out. The gesture struck her as being almost more meaningful than a big hug would be for more affectionate people.

“I know it’s not much,” Tag began when they were alone. “And all our junk is up here.”

“It’s really nice,” Charlotte assured him. “And it’s so warm .”

“Warmest room in the house,” he said, his lips tugging up at the corners again. “I guess you’re drawn to extremes.”

“I guess so,” she said, trying desperately not to think about how drawn she was to Tag himself.

Breathe, she told herself. Don’t think about the fact that you’re alone with him.

“Help yourself to anything you want in the kitchen,” he told her. “If you need anything, I’m in the front room on the second floor.”

“Thank you,” she told him. “Thank you so much.”

His eyes met hers for just a second, and she felt his gaze sink into her, like he wanted to read what was written on her soul.

“Good night, Charlotte,” he said gruffly as he turned away and headed for the stairs.

She stood where she was for a moment after he left, wondering if he could tell what she was feeling. And wondering even more if maybe he was feeling it too.

But it was getting late, and she was being ridiculous. Shaking her head, she focused on unpacking for the second time in two days.

Somehow, even though she was in someone else’s space, it felt more like home here. It was probably only the cozy decor and the delicious heat.

Once she was mostly unpacked, she brushed her teeth in the cute little bathroom, and put on her pajamas. As she climbed into bed, she realized that she had a view of the stars from the skylight. It was beautiful and peaceful, and she felt a sense of hope as she slid under the covers.

But the longer she gazed at the twinkling stars, the more her worries began to swirl in her mind.

What if there was too much damage? What if they can’t ever open the shop again? What will I do?

The idea of having to go crawling back to the city made her feel more exhausted than the busy day on the farm. She had been so close to her goal.

But somehow it wasn’t just the idea that she might not be able to prove herself with the ice cream shop that made her feel heavy inside. It was also the thought of leaving Sugarville Grove and the Lawrences, just as she was getting to know them.

I wish I could just stay here forever.

The thought came unbidden. But the more she turned it over in her mind, the more relaxed she felt, imagining what it would be like to live on a farm with a nice big family all working together.

With that image floating around in her thoughts, Charlotte drifted off to sleep feeling safe .