by Haven Rose
“I like that you don’t automatically trust a stranger, but Dot, you can me. I promise.”
“Dot?”
His thumb swipes my left cheek, over my nose, to the right. “My freckles,” I sigh, always feeling as though they were the bane of my existence. It’s one of the very few differences between me and CeCe. I have them, she doesn’t. The other is our hair. We’re both redheads, but mine is a few shades darker. She claims the deeper color reflects my proclivity to think that way, and I say the brightness of hers fits her outgoing personality. “I hate them,” I tell him honestly.
“Why? They’re beautiful.”
“Colored spots on my face?”
“They’re beautiful because they’re on your face.” Oh, well, yeah, that’s wow. But he isn’t done. “Did you walk here?” I nod, my breath hiccupping when he pulls on the hand he never let go of and begins leading me out the way I came. Thankfully, the rain stopped so that’s not an issue as I find myself being taken up a set of steps.
“Woah, you’re sexy and all, but I’m not going to your place.”
“You think I’m sexy?” Damn. You were supposed to keep that piece of information to yourself, Charlotte. Not giving him the satisfaction of saying yes since he already knows I do, he just smirks, continuing, “I have some clothes you can borrow if you’d like to get dry. While you do that, I’ll get your …?”
“CRV,” I fill in. He lets go of my hand an opens the door for me to precede him in. Standing to the side, I watch as he goes to a dresser, pulls the top drawer out and rifles through it.
Returning to me, he once more takes my hand and leads me down a short hallway to a bathroom. “Take these,” he says, placing what appears to be a t-shirt and pair of gym shorts on the sink counter. “After you change, I’ll put yours in the dryer.” He must sense my hesitation because he raises his hand in surrender, then reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet, giving it to me.
This is a bit weird. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
“You can keep my license, giving you my name and address. And you already know I own the business downstairs.” My surprise must give away that I didn’t, making him chuckle. “Well, now you do. I was born and raised here, so every resident and can vouch for me, but, if it makes you feel better, keep that until I safely return you downstairs.”
“Thank you,” I say, sincerely, taking the license out and returning the wallet to him. He smirks, but doesn’t comment on me keeping it. Levi Garrick.
“Towels are in the cabinet to the right. In the top drawer, you’ll find a new brush and hairdryer you’re welcome to use.”
“Get many guests?” I ask, having no right to be jealous but feeling it all the same.
“No,” he answers without skipping a beat, leading me to believe he’s being truthful. “I used to live up here before buying my house down the street. I still use the place sometimes to clean up so I don’t get my car seat dirty. Once grease gets in upholstery, it’s a bitch to remove.”
“And the new brush and hairdryer?”
“I replaced my old one the other day and haven’t used it yet. The latter,” he just strokes his beard instead of commenting, giving me my answer. “Aside from me, my brother, and mom, you’re the only other person to step foot in here.” A sigh of relief escapes my lips and he throws a wink my way upon hearing it. “Come on out when you’re ready, okay?” I nod, agreeing to get naked in a stranger’s bathroom – something I never thought I’d do.
Fifteen minutes later, with dry hair, I walk into the kitchenette and see him leaning against the fridge, arms crossed, emphasizing thick biceps and revealing what must be some tattoos. Oh, please tell me that’s ink. I thank him again.
“Sit,” he orders, reaching one of the chairs in two steps and pulling it out for me. I do, a shiver going up my spine when I feel his hand smooth my hair, his scent hitting my nose. It’s overwhelming, but in a good way. Peppermint, sandalwood, and…motor oil? Why the hell do I find that mixture intoxicating? “What’s your name?”
“According to you, it’s Dot.”
“Yes, but what do others call you?”
“Charlotte.” He repeats it, his accent making the ‘Ch’ sound softer than I’m used to, but I prefer the affectionate tone it gives to his chosen name for me. He moves to the counter, then sets a mug of hot tea in front of me. How did he know? Lucky guess? “Drink this and get warmed up. I shouldn’t be too long.”
“Don’t you need to know where it is?”
“No. I’ll just drive south until I find a CRV on the side of the road.” I feel a kiss on the top of my head and inhale, drawing his smell in once more. “Cell,” he demands, then takes it from my hand. When the sound of ringing comes from his back pocket, I realize what he’s done. Apparently, we just exchanged numbers.
After he leaves, telling me to stay put, I’m at loose ends, looking around, taking in what I can see of the place. A buzzer sounds, alerting me the dryer is finished, so I remove my clothes. Returning to the bathroom, I close the door and put them on, hating the thought of his no longer touching my body. I fold his neatly and put them in the spot he’d left them for me earlier.
Debating on what to do, I take it as a sign when my sister’s ringtone hits my ears, the same one she for me…the Doublemint Gum Twins song. It’s old, way before our time, but when we were younger, being the only set of twins at school, we felt like a novelty people couldn’t stop staring at. Our mom found the commercial on YouTube and played it for us, showing us we should celebrate our uniqueness. Confiding that when she learned she was having two babies she felt so blessed she couldn’t stop telling the news to everyone she saw, which could be why it seemed like others were watching us. They knew how happy she was to have us.
When Mom got sick, CeCe and I had each changed our alert for the other to the jingle, neither knowing we’d done so until a few days later when one of them went off. “Where are you?” CeCe asks when I answer. Not wanting to admit I’m in the apartment of a man I just met, I tell her I’m leaving the garage now. “The owner went to get Sparkles,” I tell her, referring to the name we’d christened the silver CRV when the sun hit the paint and made it shine. Granted, we were seventeen when we gave it the moniker, but it stuck. “I found a place to stay, if we need it. I’m at the diner right now. Come meet me.” I agree to, then tell her I’ll see her in a few minutes.
Searching for a pen and paper, I write Levi a quick note and thank him once more, letting him know I’ll call the shop if I don’t hear from him in the next couple hours, then place his license beside it. With my chest aching as if I’ve lost something special, I retrace my steps, wishing I could see him one last time. Disappointment hits when he doesn’t appear and I clutch a hand to my chest as if trying to soothe it, already knowing it won’t work. Seeing the diner where CeCe is waiting for me, I force myself to take a step, then another, and a third until I’m standing at the entrance. It’s ironic, I think to myself, how reluctant I was to go to the shop a mere thirty minutes ago, and now I feel the same way about leaving it.
Chapter Two
Levi
June 8th…
“Fuck!” I shout when my hand slips and I scrape it on a sharp corner. Pissed, I throw the wrench down. I brought her SUV back, then hurried upstairs, eager to see her only to discover she’d disappeared. If it wasn’t for the fact her vehicle sat in one of the bays, I would’ve thought I’d conjured her from my dreams.
Within minutes of stepping out of the tow truck, it didn’t take long for a distinct odor to hit my nose. My suspicions were confirmed when I’d gotten it in the air. That fucker had put bleach in their gas tank. Of course, I couldn’t prove it, but I sure as shit know neither sister had done it. I was tempted to go kick his ass, no doubt in my mind I could do it, but the risk of losing even a day with Dot isn’t worth it. He isn’t.
Jerry is a piece of shit. I wasn’t bullshitting when I said numerous people had ended up here after him “working” on
their ride. Finding her gone once I’d gotten back, and unable to track her down, which is ironic considering how small this town is, I channeled my frustration into fixing their vehicle. Swiping my hands on my overalls, I grab my phone and dial her for the fifth time. I want nothing more than to tear this town apart until I have her in my arms, but I don’t want to scare her.
From the second I laid eyes on her, this intense feeling swamped me, and I knew if it overwhelmed, how the hell would she handle it? My younger brother, Mason, and I had grown up hearing of the legend of Love’s Valley, a town my maternal ancestors helped found. Our so many greats grandfather, Earl, was helping a fellow settler when he caught a glimpse of a woman that had just arrived. As the story goes, he’d felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck him and when he’d looked up, for he’d fallen to his knees upon seeing her, there Francine was, kneeling next to him and asking if he was okay.
It sounds fanciful, I know, but it’s happened at least once every generation since, the most recent being our mother, Josephine. Luther Garrick had been traveling for twenty-four hours when he saw a sign on the highway stating the Love’s Valley Inn was ten miles away. Needing a break, he’d taken the short detour required, and pulled in with a sigh as he cut off the engine. Stepping inside, all exhaustion had left him when he saw his future wife.
Likewise, our mom said she would’ve fallen if she hadn’t grabbed the desk to keep her upright. She’d known then that the fairy tale was real. He’d courted her, postponing his departure by days, then weeks, until his boss had said if his ass didn’t get back on the road, he was fired. Dad had said he’d understood and for the man to have a good life, because he knew he would.
They’d gotten married, had me, then Mason a couple years later. The two of them still act like lovebirds, and though I make the appropriate grossed out noises as their kid, I’m a bit jealous. I want what they found, and never thought I’d get it until Charlotte came into my world. Hell, as shady as Jerry is, I kinda owe him for sending her to me.
Mason, on the other hand, is a science teacher, which means he needs facts to back it up, and those based upon emotions don’t count in his eyes. Speaking of, I hear his voice ring out as I try to force myself to start working again. Dot and I will make contact soon, even if it’s just her wanting to know about her SUV, but it’ll give me the opening I need for more. I know it’s early, but I was hoping she’d be the first person I saw, not my brother. “Hey, nerd.” I tease, to which he reciprocates. In build, we couldn’t be more opposite, he’s lean like a swimmer where I resemble a football player. I prefer my hair a bit longer while he gets his shaved close to his scalp on the sides and short on top.
“Grease monkey,” he replies. “You’ve got dirt on your face,” he says, then laughs. “Oops, sorry, that’s your beard.” I flick him off, then ask what’s up. “I met this beautiful woman yesterday.” He better not be talking about who I think he is. “Gorgeous red hair, honey-colored eyes, and a body…”
“Finish that sentence and they’ll be the last words you utter,” I warn him.
“What the hell, man?” He asks, confused. Understandable as I did just threaten him. Mason doesn’t swear often, so when it comes out, you know he’s ticked.
“I thought you didn’t believe in all that woo-woo,” I remind him, using the label for it he himself has uttered before.
“And I still don’t, but there is something there, and I want to explore it.” Okay, that says a lot for him, for either of us, honestly. “I was visiting Mom at work, and there she was.”
“Mom?” I ask with a laugh.
“Don’t be a dumbass.”
“One in the family is enough,” I respond with a nod at him.
He flicks me off this time, then continues as if I hadn’t just insulted him, “She, as in the woman I mentioned. It was like the legend says.” The one he doesn’t believe in. “I didn’t get to talk to her yet, but Mom said she got into town yesterday. Her car broke down or something.”
I shove past him, done waiting. “That woman you were ogling is mine!”
“How the hell you figure that?”
“Because I saw her first.” I groan a second later, realizing how childish that sounded. Mason just looks at me, mouth twitching before he all out loses it and doubles over in laughter. It doesn’t last long though before the meaning behind what I said registers.
“Hell the fuck no,” he declares after straightening.
“Nice coming from a teacher,” I taunt. He pushes me, and though my bulk makes it hard to move me, the surprise from him doing it does. Mason is the most level-headed person I’ve ever known, too much so sometimes. I’m the hothead.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he chants. “I already claimed her.”
“You said you didn’t talk her, so you sure as shit didn’t touch her.” His muttered yet sends my long legs taking me out of the garage and striding toward the inn. I could drive and get their faster, but the walk might help clear my head before seeing her.
“Where are you going?” Mason demands behind me.
“To remind my woman who she belongs to.” Reaching the doors of the place that’s been passed down for generations in our family, though not nearly as long as the legend has, I stride toward the desk.
“Levi,” mom exclaims with a surprised smile when she sees me. “And Mason,” she adds when the doors swish open and shut less than a minute later. Taking in our expressions, Mom asks, “What the heck is going on? Do not disturb my guests,” she scolds.
“That’s exactly what I want,” I inform her, anything to get Charlotte to me sooner. Running up to where the rooms are for visitors, I start calling for her. “Dot!”
“You gave her a nickname?” Mason asks, catching up to me.
“Yes. That’s what couples do.”
“I never knew you were delusional,” he says, shaking his head in mock remorse. “I told Mom we should’ve had you checked as a child.”
My response is delayed when my beauty peeks into the hallway. When she sees me, she opens her door wider then steps out, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt covering her. “Levi?”
I turn and glare at Mason. A picture is worth a thousand words, and I know this one is proof of that. Walking over, I tug her into my arms and swallow her gasp as I seal my mouth to hers. She melts against me, then stands on tiptoes to wrap herself around me. I knew we’d fit together perfectly. Everything else fades as we pour our heart and soul into the connection. When we pull apart, moisture coating her bottom lip, I groan when she swipes her tongue across it, pulling a part of me into her. Oh baby, you’re going to be taking so much more of me into your delectable body.
“Told you she was mine,” I tell Mason, gloating without looking at him.
“Let go of my sister!” I hear Dot mumble at the shout and I shift to see behind me, keeping myself in front of her as she glances over my shoulder.
“Twins,” both Mason and I state. Why did that option never cross our minds? Then again, it’s not as if either of us were thinking straight. Plus, Charlotte said her older sister, so I was picturing an age difference like Mason and I have.
“That one is mine,” Mason whispers, though not quiet enough.
“You,” the newcomer says, seeming a bit unhappy to see him. Glancing at her, I can see the resemblance, but also the difference in their hair and eye colors. The former is a bit darker on Charlotte, the latter lighter, more like pure honey.
“Boys,” mom chimes in, “this is not the time. Please come back at a reasonable hour when you don’t run the risk of waking my other guests.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Mason and I tell her, though I twist and tuck Dot under my arm.
“Levi Michael Garrick,” she warns me. I don’t miss the slight gleam in her eyes when she notices the tight hold I have on Dot. Mom has been lamenting the fact for years she doesn’t have any grandchildren, nor the sense that Mason and I were interested in changing that. “Do I need to call your father?”
“No, ma
’am,” I see Dot’s sister smirk, then glare at me. Am I on her shit list simply because of my brother?
Grasping Charlotte’s face gently, I place a hard and quick kiss on her, and let her know, “I’ll be back for you.” She’s rumpled from sleep, but her eyes definitely clear up after I place that smack on her lips.
Mason tries to get close to the sister, but she holds her hands up. He acts innocent, as if he’s conceding to her wishes, but he tricks her and kisses her cheek. Then he whistles as he heads downstairs, missing the way the sister cradles her hand to the spot he just touched.
“Ladies,” I say, removing my baseball cap and tipping it with a flourish, then I follow my brother, fighting the urge to not let Dot out of my sight a second time.
**Charlotte**
“What the hell is going on? Who was that? Why was he kissing you? Why did you let him?’ CeCe spits out.
Not in the mood, lest I lose the wonderful feeling Levi gave me, I ignore her and return to our room. I know she’s following me, even without the huff.
“Have a good run?” I ask, she nods then looks at me, knowing what I’m trying to do. A knock on the door saves me.
“Girls, breakfast will be ready soon if you’re hungry,” Bea, as she insisted we call her, informs us, a smile obvious in her voice.
“Thanks,” I reply.
“We’ll be down after we get dressed,” CeCe responds sweetly while glaring at me. That’s a neat trick. “Spill,” she demands once Bea is gone.
“He’s the mechanic,” I hedge.
“Don’t be cute.”
“You know, that doesn’t really have the impact intended when you’re using it on a twin,” I tell her smugly, trying not to smirk when I see her thinking it through.
“Charlotte Ann Spencer.”
“Cecilia Louise Spencer. I can full name you back.”
“You’re lucky I love you,” she retorts and the shock must show on my face because her expression suddenly turns sad. It’s not that I’ve doubted it, I just haven’t really felt it in so long. I haven’t been much better, to be honest. As if she comes to the same conclusion, she gives me a rueful smile then states, “We’re a mess, aren’t we?”
