The server wrote down his order. “White gravy or brown?”
He found his first genuine smile of the day. “Do you even have to ask?”
She laughed. “I guess not. White it is.” Her attention turned to Karen, and she cocked her head. “Hey, don’t I know you?”
“No, I don’t think so.” His wife was friendly enough, but her words sounded like they were being sliced from her tongue by a switchblade. “I’ll have the chef’s salad and unsweet tea.” She folded her menu and placed it in the holder on the table.
Jenni-Lynn scribbled their order down. “That’s so weird. I would swear I know you.” She shoved her pencil behind her ear. “Do you have kids? Maybe I know you from school.”
“Yes,” Karen quickly answered, then chuckled. “I mean, no, but I am a teacher. That’s probably where you’ve seen me.”
Little frown lines slashed across Jenni-Lynn’s forehead. “Do you teach at the elementary school? Because I thought I knew all those teachers. I volunteer a couple of days a week.”
“No, I’m at the high school. But good for you for volunteering. Parental involvement is so important.” Karen was back to pointy words and no eye contact.
“Oh, don’t I know it. I just wish I could do it more.” She placed her order pad in the pocket of her apron. “But I have a second job at the Sleep Away Inn in the next town over…” Her wide eyes went to Hank, then back to Karen, then back to him. A smile that looked like it was being held in place by a broken pulley wobbled on her face. “Um…well…I’ll turn your order in. I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
Holy, fucking shit.
The Sleep Away Inn. That must’ve been one of the motels Karen and Matt Allen visited during their affair. Rage he thought he’d conquered reared its beastly head. Neither one of them said a thing. They both just stared at the white tabletop.
“Hank—”
“Don’t.”
The bell over the door dinged. He glanced up to see Scarlett Bain coming in carrying her little boy, followed by Luanne Price, and—because life hated him and enjoyed kicking him in the balls—Charlie Klein.
Scarlett spotted him and made a beeline to his table, her posse in tow. Which meant within a matter of seconds Charlie was standing directly in front of him and Karen. “Hank.” Scarlett switched the kid to her other hip and put her hand on his shoulder. “Honey told me how you helped her, Wardell, and Charlie with the paparazzi a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to thank you for intervening before she went and did some fool thing.” She pushed her red mane from her face. “You know how she is. Oh, sorry. Hi, Karen.”
He glanced at his wife, who’d just slid her hand up his arm and around his shoulder. “How are you ladies today?” she said to the group at large, but her eyes stayed fixed on Charlie.
What was going on? She hadn’t voluntarily touched him since they’d been back together. And given the recent revelation, compliments of Jenni-Lynn, it was entirely unwanted. The tremor that went through him when she ran her fingers through his hair wasn’t a that-feels-fantastic kind of shiver, but more a get-these-fuckin’-spiders-off-of-me shudder.
What was Scarlett saying? Oh, yeah. “It was no problem, Scarlett. And yes, Honey is a pistol.”
“I wuv Honey,” the little guy said.
Scarlett patted his back. “I know you do, baby.”
“She’s bootiful,” Honey’s biggest fan proclaimed.
“She told you to say that, didn’t she?” Scarlett asked.
The kid grinned like he understood the joke and nodded.
Everyone chuckled, but the tension between him, Karen, and Charlie was strung so tight you could practically see it.
“So, Charlie, how long are you in town for?” Karen’s question was as harmless as could be, but the innocence was manufactured, and he knew it.
Charlie pulled her purse in front of her like a shield. He didn’t blame her. The look in his wife’s eyes was armed with daggers. “Indefinitely. Zachsville’s my new home.” She rocked her head side to side. “Well, old home.”
“Mmhmm, I hope it works out for you. You’ll probably find that most things are still the same.” His wife wrapped her other hand around his forearm. “But some things are very different.”
Charlie glanced to where Karen’s other hand had covered his arm, and Charlie Klein slipped away as Charlie Kay took her place, complete with a phony smile and ridiculous eye roll. He hated it. “Oh, golly, don’t I know it. Thanks for the heads up, though.” She turned to Scarlett and Luanne, who looked at her like they didn’t know her. “I need to go to the ladies’ room. I’ll catch up with you at the table. Good to see you, Karen. Hank.” She never broke character as she bounced out of the room.
Any other time, he’d see this newfound affection as promise that his marriage was on the right track. But from the way Karen’s gaze sliced through Charlie, he knew it was just trying to win a pissing contest.
Wrong.
There was something very wrong about what was happening.
“We better grab a table before they all fill up,” Luanne said. “Good to see you both.”
Karen straightened in her seat and removed her hands from him. “Oh, Luanne, congrats on your marriage.”
“Thanks, Karen. See ya around, Hank.”
“Bye.” Scarlett waved, then she and Luanne made their way to a booth in the back.
“What was that?” It was out of his mouth before he could call it back.
Karen unrolled her silverware from the napkin. “What was what?”
He lowered his voice since they were the chief guppies in the fishbowl right now. “You know what? I’m surprised you didn’t pull out a brand and put your mark on me.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know who she thinks she is, marching in here like she owns the place and making lovey-dovey eyes at you. I knew this would happen the minute I heard she was in Austin after Wardell was hurt.” Her angry eyes followed Charlie as she made her way from the facilities to her table with Luanne and Scarlett.
“Wait, you knew Charlie was in Austin? How?”
She flicked the question away with a bend of her wrist. “Doesn’t matter. The fact is, she’s back, and she’s not getting what’s mine.”
He angled his body, sliding his arm along the back of her chair and his other onto the table in front of her. “Whoa, slow down. Tell me how you knew she was in Austin and when you found out.”
Her brown eyes the color of muddy water went wide. Whatever she saw in his gaze must’ve convinced her to spill her secret. “Carrie Rhodes told me. She works at the hotel where Lil’ Miss Hollywood was staying and saw the two of you talking in the lobby. I mean how pathetic can you get, than to cry on the shoulder of your ex-boyfriend. Seriously, it’s sad, really.”
Hank wanted to cover his ears as the deafening sound of puzzle pieces collapsing into place crashed around him. “Is that why you came back?” His tone was all cop, not one hint of affection.
She tried to laugh it off, but the nervous hysteria behind it betrayed her. “No, of course not.” Her gaze cut to the room then back to him. “Hank, people are watching,” she said through her plastic, happy expression.
He didn’t say a word, but waited for the truth.
She sucked in a deep breath and took the full brunt of his lawman’s stare. “I’m not going to lie. When I found out she was back and that the two of you were talking, it made me realize what I was throwing away.” Her hand went to his cheek. “I finally understood what I’ve known all along.” Her smile was reminiscent of the one she’d bestowed upon him on their wedding day, and it sliced him to ribbons. “You’re who I want.”
Lie.
Lie.
Lie.
He stood and peeled off several bills and threw them on the table. “I’m not hungry anymore.” Then he turned his back on her and walked away.
He hoped she got the message.
Chapter 27
Charlie popped a peppermint into her mouth to settl
e her sour stomach. Whatever she’d eaten at the café hadn’t sat well with her. Yeah, that’s what it was, not her interaction with Hank and Karen. The woman was still beautiful, still mean as a snake, and still hated her. There was no doubt that she’d make Hank’s involvement in Pod’s life miserable for everyone involved. Ugh, her unplanned pregnancy just got a whole lot more complicated.
“So what do you think?” Scarlett practically bounced up and down with excitement.
“I’m sorry.” She needed to get her head out of the clouds. Her friends already thought she might be losing it, because of the Charlie Kay response to Karen from earlier. They’d quizzed her about it at lunch, but she’d blown it off as high-school rivalry. Thankfully, they’d let it go. “What did you say, Scarlett?”
“I said, what do you think?”
Sunlight streamed through the windows of the empty storefront they stood in. Situated on the town square, the building wasn’t very large, but it was airy, with vaulted ceilings and tons of natural light. “It’s beautiful. Whose is it?”
“Yours,” Scarlett and Luanne said together.
She coughed to keep the mint out of her windpipe. “What?”
Scarlett took her by the arm. “Lou and I own it. Isn’t it great?”
Aiden ran around with his arms outstretched making airplane noises. He ducked behind a counter in the back of the store that would be the perfect place for customers to pay for their products.
Luanne moved around the room, opening more window blinds. “It used to be the old Emporium, among other things, but we thought it would be the ideal place for your shop.”
Charlie opened her mouth several times, but words failed to make it past her lips. Stunned stupid didn’t even begin to cover it.
“Oh, don’t cry—oof.” Luanne tried to stay upright when Aiden barreled into her and wrapped his arms around her knees. She ran her hand over his head and smiled down at him. “Hey, bud.”
“I wuv you, Lulu.” Aiden’s toothy grin melted Charlie’s heart, and he wasn’t even talking to her.
“I love you too, little man. Can I have my legs back?”
He giggled and sprinted off to play.
“Sorry.” Scarlett winced. “Did he get you dirty?”
“No. He’s fine,” Luanne said, and spread her arms. “We want you to use this building for your new business.”
Unless they were using air as currency, then there was no way she could afford it. “Y’all, I can’t commit to renting this beautiful place.” And wasn’t that a shame. The space was perfect. Right on the square, not too big, with tons of natural lighting.
Scarlett pushed her red curls from her face. “You’d actually be doing us a favor if you used it.”
Charlie’s hand splayed across the spot where her hip bones used to be until Pod moved in. “Really, and how’s that?”
Luanne went to one of the front windows. “We haven’t been able to rent it. It’s too small for a restaurant or most retail spots. We thought we’d make it a tearoom.” She gestured to Scarlett. “But then fertile Myrtle over there went and got herself knocked up.”
Prickly heat crawled up Charlie’s neck. “Must be something in the water.” They’d told Luanne about the pregnancy at lunch and sworn her to secrecy.
Luanne crossed two fingers over each other and held them up. “Then you two keep your water to yourselves.”
“This is so kind, but—”
“It’s just sitting empty. If it stays vacant for much longer, it’ll start to deteriorate.” Luanne glanced up at the painted tin ceilings. “And that’d be a shame.”
“Honestly, Charlie, we’d just let you use it for a while until you can get your feet underneath you, but I know you won’t do that, so we’re prepared to make you an offer you can’t refuse.” She waggled her brows, and they all laughed.
“You guys, I don’t even know how to apply for a loan at the bank. I’ve never done that. I always had people to do things for me.” She nibbled on her thumbnail. “Do you really think I can do this?”
Scarlett wrapped her arm around Charlie’s shoulders. Honeysuckle and citrus swam around her. “I believe you can do this, and you don’t have to do everything by yourself. There are plenty of people who’d be willing to help.” She waved her hand at Luanne. “And we’ll sic Luanne on them to make sure they’re trustworthy. She can smell a liar a mile off.”
“Damn straight,” the little pixie with the big personality said.
“Damn, damn, damn,” the little blond-headed magpie mimicked as he darted past them.
“Lou, I’ve told you that you can’t say those words in front of A-I-D-E-N.”
“Lulu gots a potty mouth,” Aiden sang as he continued to make laps around the room.
The front door opened. “Come here.” Gavin Bain snagged his son and held him above his head. “Who’s got a potty mouth, boy?” He’d come in with another man that Charlie didn’t know.
“You gots a potty mouth too, Daddy.” Aiden giggled.
Gavin settled Aiden on his hip. “That I do, son. Don’t grow up to be like your old man.” Long, graceful, predatory strides took him to Scarlett’s side. His hand went to the back of her head, and he kissed her long and slow. The intimacy of it caused Charlie’s cheeks to burn. When he pulled back and rested his forehead to his wife’s, tears shoved against Charlie’s lids. “Hey, fireball. I missed you.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes. “I’ve only been gone for an hour, rock star. Surely you can occupy yourself for that amount of time.”
“I can, but I’d rather have you there occupying me,” he murmured against her lips.
Charlie didn’t miss Scarlett’s sigh. Truthfully, she might’ve sighed herself. The sex appeal rolling off the rocker was thick as honey, and it was all directed in one direction, straight at the mother of his children.
“Get a room,” the tall, gorgeous man who’d accompanied Gavin said.
“Shut up, Jack,” Scarlett and Gavin both said, and everyone laughed. Must be an inside joke.
Scarlett moved out of her husband’s embrace. “Guys, this is Charlie Klein. Charlie, this bad man is my husband, Gavin Bain, and that ugly guy is Jack Avery, Luanne’s new husband.”
Honestly, the introduction to Gavin was unnecessary. Who didn’t know who the superstar was? “Nice to meet you both.”
“Good to meet you. We actually worked with the same producer once, Charlie,” Gavin said.
“Really?” She’d recorded several albums with songs she’d performed on Charlie Takes the Town. Carousel wasn’t stupid. They’d figured out how to make money off of her two ways, on the show and off album sales—a two for one. Not to mention memorabilia and appearances. She’d been everyone’s cash cow. Relief flowed over her like a cool, unexpected rain on a sweltering summer day. She was free.
“Yeah, Rip Farmer. He said you had the most perfect pitch he’d ever heard and it was a shame your talent was wasted on the bubble gum sh—”
Scarlett cleared her throat.
Gavin grinned at his wife. “Crap Carousel made you sing.”
“Oh, I love Rip. He always treated me like a professional. Not like a kid. The man is good at what he does.” Weird how that life already seemed a million miles away.
“Charlie, it sounds like you could use our help.” Jack handed her a card then threw his arm around Luanne. “Pretty soon, we’ll both be practicing entertainment law, and I’d love nothing more than to nail that slimy manager of yours to the wall for defamation of character.”
That took her back. “Can I do that?”
“Hell, yeah,” Luanne said. “He went on record and called into question your character, your sanity, and cost you millions in lost wages. You could own him.” She elbowed her husband in the ribs. “I didn’t say anything earlier because I wanted to discuss it with Jack first, cause he’s the expert when it comes to this kind of thing.”
Charlie worried her bottom lip. “I could use some help. But he hasn’t actually cost me millio
ns in lost wages. No one’s knocking down my door to hire me.”
Jack shot her a cocky grin. “Exactly.”
She chuckled and shook her finger at him. “I see what you did there.” All she wanted was to be free of Ron, and if it’d just been her she’d have told Jack that she didn’t want anything from her former manager, except money to pay for his services and for Ron to go away. But it wasn’t just her. She thought of Pod and all the things she wouldn’t be able to give him or her. “I don’t want to own him. But I would like some compensation for…um…for my future.”
“Piece of cake.” Jack gave her a grin that made her almost feel sorry for Ron.
She stuck out her hand. “You’re hired.”
He took her outstretched hand. “Call the number on the card, and we’ll make an appointment.”
“Careful, Charlie,” Gavin said. “Once he goes to bat for you, you’ll never be able to get away from him. Believe me, I’ve tried.”
Jack kissed the air in Gavin’s direction. “You know it, sweetheart.”
“Home!” Aiden yelled, and wiggled out of Gavin’s arms.
“Are you guys done here? I can take him if you need more time.” Gavin kissed Scarlett’s temple, and his big hand went to her baby bump. It was so tender and loving that it stole the air from Charlie’s body. This was what she wanted for herself and for Pod.
There was so much love in this small room that it was intoxicating. Between that, her run-in with Hank and Karen, and Scarlett and Luanne’s generous offer, her pregnancy hormones couldn’t take much more. Water covered her retinas. She needed to go home and cry in private like any self-respecting celebrity would do. But she wasn’t a celebrity anymore, and these women were her friends and had just given her an unbelievable gift, so she let the tears fall.
Scarlett wrapped her arms around Charlie’s shoulders. “Aw, honey, why’re you crying?”
“It’s just so… Thank you.”
“So it’s a yes?” Luanne asked.
She nodded. “It’s a yes.”
And just like that, she had a building for her little shop. Now she just had to figure out how she was going to pay for it. Time to talk to the bank.
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