Chapter 14

I waited. Made myself a sandwich and then watched some TV. Once I figured out that she wasn't coming back anytime soon I decided I might as well make myself useful by fixing the wall.

As I left, I pulled the door behind me, leaving it unlocked. As I drove through town, I couldn't help but wonder what Charlie saw when she drove these streets. Violet Ridge was as far away from New York City as you could get. I passed Dot's Diner as I cruised down Main Street and briefly wondered if I should stop for some pie. A slice of her apple crumble would probably do more to get me back in Charlie's good graces than anything else I could do.

Finally, I pulled up in front of the hardware store. From outside I could see my mom talking to a customer. I waited until she followed them down one of the aisles before I slipped inside. I would just gather the things I needed to fix the drywall and settle up with my father later. He wouldn't care.

It was hardly the first time an Evers needed emergency supplies to patch something. Van trashed his bedroom after Beth left him the first time and many of the holes in the walls of my parents' house were there because of me.

Mom would want to know where I was going, and she had an uncanny ability to tell when I was hiding something. If her Mom-dar caught wind that something was wrong with Charlie, the whole family might show up on her doorstep.

I definitely couldn't claim to be a Charlie expert, but I didn't think that was what she needed right then. There was way more going on than just an unexpected repair bill.

Surrounded by the familiar smell of lumber and paint, I quickly made my way to the stock room. The shelves were lined with everything from duct tape to power tools. I knew this room by heart so I made my way down the aisles, grabbing the things I would need.

I picked up a four-by-four sheet of drywall. There was a putty knife in my toolbox, but I would need joint compound and another sanding block.

Mom suddenly appeared at the entrance to the room, the light from the store casting a glow around her. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Just grabbing a few things." I shifted the drywall to the side, hoping she wouldn't pay too much attention to what I was buying.

She walked into the room and started organizing the shelf next to me. "Okay but just make sure you leave a list."

"Will do."

"I feel like I've barely seen you lately." She was trying to be casual but there was an element of hurt in there.

I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I was running late today so I missed you."

She gave me a quick hug. "Sorry to be so needy. I just worry about you. That's all."

"I know but you don't need to. Everything is fine. Actually, Carter is going to help me find some land to buy so I can work on building my own place."

Mom smiled. "That's nice of him."

Her gaze dropped to the drywall sheet at my side. "Your new roommate have you punching walls already?"

Busted.

"Actually, I'm just fixing a few things."

Mom crossed her arms. "Uh huh. And when were you planning on telling us about your new living situation?"

Sometime after never.

"You know…whenever. I've been so busy with everything."

"And you didn't want us butting in. I get in."

I scowled. "It just happened. I was going to tell you. But I also didn't want you to get the wrong idea."

"The wrong idea?" One eyebrow lifted.

"You know, assuming that something is going on just because we're living together. Men and women can be just friends, you know?"

"Is that right?"

"Yes."

She crooked a finger at me. I moved closer. She shook her head and motioned for me to come even closer. When I bent my head down, she swiped at something right below my bottom lip.

Then held up her finger to showcase the reddish lipstick on her thumb.

"Mom … "

She turned on her heel and walked away, carrying one of the boxes with her. "Don't forget to leave a list!"

I hurriedly swiped at my mouth, groaning when I saw another swipe of red on my hand.

So much for keeping things low-key.

Well, it was too late to keep things under wraps at this point. So I just grabbed everything I needed and then went up front so Mom could ring me out. When I was done, I gave her a wave, ignoring her smug smile.

I was definitely getting the third degree at Sunday dinner after this.

When I got back, the driveway was empty, so I knew Charlie wasn't back yet. I was measuring the hole in the wall when she came in. She didn't look at me, just sailed past with the puppy on her shoulder. When he saw me, he gave a little growl-bark.

I made a face at him.

Whatever. She could ignore me, but she'd have to come down eventually to walk him. We both knew the little gremlin couldn't hold his bladder.

* * *

There was no sound downstairs except the soft scrape as I smoothed over the seams of the newly replaced drywall. It was now close to eight o'clock and she still hadn't come down. The repetitive motion was exactly what I needed to help me forget what I'd seen.

Not the bitch fit. Hell, she could trash the whole place if it made her feel better. That I could understand.

It was the look on her face. The complete loss of control and the utter devastation.

The Charlotte Monroe I knew was always in control. Whether it was something good or bad or unexpected, Charlie just accepted it with a smile and a laugh. I used to wonder if she ever felt the way I did, tumultuous and vulnerable.

I used to wonder if she really cared about anything at all.

The woman I saw tonight was not in control and she definitely wasn't handling things well. It was the only time I'd ever seen her display a raw reaction instead of the perfect fa?ade she usually showed the world and like the beast I was, I wanted to see it again.

Although I wanted to understand what caused it more. I looked at the stairs behind me. She wasn't going to tell me which only left me one choice.

I pulled out my phone and called Tana.

"Why did Charlie come back?"

She was quiet. "She owns the house."

"Don't play games with me, sis. Because I just watched her wage war on all the loose valuables in the room. I either need to understand what's going on or I'm going to have to stock up on drywall."

"Is she okay? What happened?"

"Not really sure. I think the contractor gave her bad news. But I need to know what I'm dealing with here."

"It's too long for me to even explain it other than to say it's the stepjerk"s fault. Just google Christian Delacourt and you'll understand."

After assuring Tana that things were fine and that she absolutely did not need to come over, I started my web search. Ten minutes and what felt like a million CNN articles later, I wanted to throw something at the wall, too. I knew nothing about finance but even I understood that the words "SEC" and "insider trading" were serious and Charlie had been living smack-dab in the middle of all that.

After high school, I'd just assumed that Charlie was off living the life she'd always deserved. She'd gone to some Ivy League school for her degree so I figured it wouldn't be long before she'd settle down with a Wall Street Ken doll just like her mom had. She might look back on her time in Violet Ridge with fondness, but she could never truly be happy in a place like this, with one diner, two beauty salons (one courtesy of my sister), and a whole lot of nothing else.

I wanted to go up there but what would I even say? It wasn't like she'd want comfort from me anyway. I wasn't good with words. Never had been. So I'd just do what I knew how to do. Fix what was broken.

I just wished I could patch up what was hurting Charlie inside as easily as the wall.

Hadn't I already promised to do that? I'd told my father I would look over her estimates, but there was nothing stopping me from actually doing the renovation myself in exchange for free rent. My eyes darted to the estimate on the kitchen counter. I'd looked over Dusty's list and the only things I couldn't handle were the electrical issues and the potential mold. I could probably call in a few favors and get my brother or Carter to help when I needed an extra set of hands.

If I helped her, she would be getting all the labor for free. Then she could afford to renovate the house at cost and get it done faster than any of those big contractors who wouldn't be able to fit her in right away anyway. Plus it would mean that I had a place to stay while saving up to build a house. It was perfect.

Now I just had to convince Charlie.

I chuckled. Getting her to let me move in temporarily was one thing. But convincing her that we could live and work together without bloodshed wouldn't be easy. You would think that scorching hot kiss would help my point, but if anything, that was going to work against me. She probably hated having to admit that she didn't find me completely repugnant. Maybe pretending that hadn't happened was the right way to go.

I would just focus on the benefits and ignore the fact that I'd been minutes away from having my hand in her panties during that kiss.