Immediately, I was filled with a sense of dread.
“Please, Charlie, I’m begging you - don’t tell Cole.”
-§-
Charlie and I were not separated the rest of the day. The next time I had to use the restroom, he insisted upon checking the room before I entered, and he waited right outside the door. When we stopped at one of the scenic overlooks to stretch our legs, I got a little too close to the railing for his taste and he actually held my hand. It wouldn’t have seemed like a big deal, had the woman next to us not told me that my husband was sweet the way he watched over me. At that comment, I turned to Charlie and pretended I was gagging, while he tried to explain to the woman that he was my brother. I’m fairly certain that she thought we had some sort of illegal marriage by the time he was finished, because she still seemed to think we were husband and wife, even though he also had her convinced that we were actually siblings.
After that, Charlie was exceptionally hard on me, running that road trip like a prison warden taking an inmate to the penitentiary.
When I suggested that we stop at a historical carriage company in Virginia, he just snorted and kept driving as though I was an annoying child. There were a couple more sites from bygone eras that I mentioned as we drove past, and he pretended that he didn’t hear me. As we closed in on Baltimore, I stated that we should schedule a trip to Fort McHenry, and then proceeded to inform him of its importance during the War of 1812, and the fact that our national anthem was birthed there. Not surprisingly, he wasn’t interested in that at all, but when he saw a sign for a Babe Ruth museum he went nearly batty. He even told me we should go see Camden Yards, which I presumed meant that he wanted to watch an Orioles game. Naturally I should have wanted to see the stadium, since I shared its name, according to Charlie. The only response that mustered from me was one of consternation at his single-minded fascination with all things baseball-related.
“Well, it’s too late to do anything today anyway,” was all Charlie told me as we continued to our destination.
By the time we reached Philadelphia, it was dark and we were both exhausted. Cole called right as we were pulling into town, just to make sure everything was going okay. I insisted that we were both fine, and we’d had an uneventful trip. Charlie gasped so loud next to me that he sounded like a cartoon character, but I chose to ignore him. After informing Cole that we would stay at the same hotel we stayed at the week before, I told him he shouldn’t worry. Content that I was in good hands, he told me goodnight.
If he had hoped to make himself feel better, he had also succeeded in making me feel worse. I had managed to momentarily forget how much I missed Cole, but as soon as I heard his voice, it came rushing back. Letting out a sigh, I rested my head heavily against the window.
“Cheer up,” Charlie insisted. “We’re here, finally.”
“I’m not sure that makes me feel better,” I told him. “I’m hungry, and tired, and slightly depressed.”
“The hungry and tired we can fix,” he laughed, “but you’ll have to shake yourself out of the depression.”
“I know,” I answered with a weary smile. “I’m mostly being facetious.”
Okay, not really, but I don’t want to admit to my brother that I’m so weak. It is a weakness, isn’t it, being so completely hung up on another person?
“Why don’t we just have a pizza delivered to the hotel?” he wondered. “I’m ready to just chill out for a few minutes.”
Nodding my approval, I gathered the journals at my feet and opened the car door, reluctantly standing on stiff legs. Charlie waited while I fumbled with my suitcase. I told him to go ahead and go to the lobby, but he insisted that he wasn’t leaving me alone for a split second. When I managed to pull myself together sufficiently to follow him inside, we were ultimately able to be handed our key cards after Charlie spent a few minutes making sure we had two beds in the room. The clerk looked at us curiously, but I was relieved that Charlie didn’t feel like he had to go into another “this is my sister” explanation.
Once we were safely tucked into our room and Charlie had securely fastened the locks on the door, he called to have a pizza delivered and then announced that he was taking a shower. Sliding my shoes off, I pulled my legs up in front of me on the bed and punched the buttons on the TV remote, absently watching the channels flash in front of my eyes, not stopping on anything in particular. It was only after I realized that I’d passed the same channels three times that I finally settled on the weather, but rather than looking to see what the temperature was going to be the next day in Philadelphia, I found myself watching for Tennessee.
A knock on the door startled me, and I glanced over to the bathroom where Charlie was still in the shower. Thinking that had to be the fastest pizza delivery ever, I hesitated, because something told me Charlie wouldn’t want me answering the door; however, I couldn’t very well go into the bathroom and tell Charlie that the pizza was there. Ew.
Instead, I walked to the door and glanced out the peephole. The incredibly handsome guy lurking behind that barrier was definitely not a pizza delivery man. My fingers couldn’t work fast enough as I pulled at the locks, finally jerking the door open and throwing myself into those arms. They closed around me, and I buried my face in his neck.
“I couldn’t do it,” Cole whispered into my hair. “I tried, but I just kept thinking about how far away from me you were, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe unless I was physically watching over you. And then I found that note you left on the bed…” Clinging to him, I inhaled his scent as I felt relief wash over me. “I can only imagine what Charlie’s going to say. I’m truly pathetic, aren’t I?”
“Yes,” I agreed with a teasing grin, pulling away just enough to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me off the ground, and I clasped my arms tightly around his neck. Laughing, he tipped his head back without letting me go.
“What have you done to me?” he wondered. “I even want to make fun of me a little bit.” His eyes swept over me, and a puzzled expression crossed his brow. “Why are you wearing different clothes?”
“Oh, it’s a long story,” I offered simply, hoping he wouldn’t push the subject just yet. I was so overjoyed to see him, I simply wanted to kiss him again.
“Cammie!” Charlie stated forcefully from behind me, causing Cole to drop me and look at my brother with wide eyes. “Cole? You scared me to death. I thought you were one of those guys from the drug deal.”
“Charlie, you promised!” I pleaded, but I knew it was too late. Cole stared at me without showing any emotion, and I knew he’d be asking for an explanation later.
So much for proving I’m not insane.
“I have never been so happy to see someone in my life,” Charlie breathed, letting out a sigh as he sat on his bed. “I am completely exhausted from keeping an eye on your wife.”
“My wife?!” Cole laughed in surprise. “I distinctly remember someone telling me this morning that I was worrying too much.”
“Yeah, well, she’s been in rare form today,” Charlie explained. “First the bathroom, and then the cops…”
“What?” Cole expelled his breath, but I wasn’t ready to talk about those things just yet.
“Just forget about that for a minute,” I stalled. “Let’s talk about how you couldn’t function without me.” Charlie snickered, and for only the second time ever, I watched as a red tint fanned into Cole’s cheeks. I proceeded to sit on the bed closest to the door, and he lowered himself beside me, giving me a sheepish grin when I took his hand.
“Were you in such a hurry that you didn’t even bring a suitcase?” Charlie wanted to know.
“No, I brought my suitcase,” he replied. “It’s in my room.”
“You have your own room?” I asked excitedly. “What the heck are we still doing in here?” Cole laughed at my eagerness and flashed a smile, giving me a wink for good measure.
“I’m not sure which of you is worse,” Charlie stated sarcastically, shaking
his head. “If you leave the room, you’re not getting any pizza.”
“You’ve got pizza coming?” Cole wondered, leaning back on his elbows. Rolling my eyes, I fell back against the bed with a sigh.
“All you boys care about are your stomachs,” I groaned, pretending to be annoyed.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Cole rebutted, leaning over to tickle me a bit. “I care about plenty of other stuff.” Shoving his hands away, I struggled to sit upright on the bed.
“What kind of stuff?” I asked mischievously.
“Please knock it off,” Charlie insisted, “or I’m going to your room. I can’t take this mushy crap.”
“You heard your brother,” Cole whispered, grasping both my hands as though he was attempting to fight me off.
“Was he talking?” I wondered, lifting my eyes to the ceiling. “He’s droned on so much today, I’m absolutely bored with him.”
“Says the woman who tried to talk me into stopping at a horse and buggy museum,” Charlie shot back, rolling his eyes.
“Says the man who tried to take me to an Orioles game,” I replied, sticking my tongue out at my brother. “On second thought, you two stay here together, you fickle baseball fanatics. Mr. Parker, your key card, please.” Holding my hand out, I waited for Cole to respond by placing that plastic rectangle in my fingers. Rather than do so, he trained those chocolate-brown eyes on me and stared straight into the very depths of my being. (Dramatic, I know, but that’s how I felt.) I knew instinctively he was trying to make me blush, so I held his gaze brazenly, refusing to let him win. An easy smile spread across his face, and I shook my head slowly.
“Give up,” I whispered.
“Can’t do that,” he answered, running the back of his fingers along my cheek. Even had I not been able to sense the difference in my face, I would have known by the look in his eyes.
“Cheater.” Without saying a word, he pulled the key card from his pocket and slid it into my fingers, pointing at the room number on the envelope. Grabbing my suitcase from the floor and sliding my shoes back on, I told Charlie goodnight and marched myself down the hallway until I came to Cole’s room, sliding the card in the door and letting myself in. Making myself at home, I changed into the safe “sleeping in a room with my brother” pajamas that I brought and brushed my teeth. It was only a couple of moments before there was a knock on the door, and I deduced that Cole hadn’t stayed for the pizza after all. Remembering our last jaunt to this hotel, I smiled to myself before I turned to face him.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I stated as I opened the door. “Did you smell something burning?”
“Huh?” The puzzled expression on his face was priceless, with that one eyebrow lifted.
“I was just getting ready to call about the fire, but you beat me to it.” He immediately started laughing, which wasn’t quite the reaction I was expecting.
“You’re colossally bad at this,” he told me, wrinkling up his nose.
“Yeah, I know,” I admitted, rolling my eyes and backing into the room. He stepped in after me and closed the door, locking it behind him.
“If you had any skill in this area at all, you would have recognized that I’m a police officer, not a fireman.”
“Charlie betrayed my confidence, didn’t he?” I asked sarcastically, placing my hands on my hips.
“Naturally, but I don’t think you follow,” he asserted, stepping towards me while I crept backwards, avoiding his grasp. “I’m a police officer, and I’ve been dispatched here to arrest you.”
“Arrest me?” I smiled at him flirtatiously. “What’s the crime, officer?”
“Theft.”
“Theft?” I repeated skeptically. “What did I steal?”
“Your brother says you’ve stolen my man card.” At that, I couldn’t help but laugh, causing him to smirk while he waited for me to stop chuckling. “And you think that’s funny, so now you’re attempting to remove my dignity as well.”
“Two counts of theft, then,” I giggled. “Is there anything else?”
“Yeah, honey, you’ve got a rap sheet a mile long,” he stated, backing me against the wall. With his muscular arms pinning me to that spot, I felt my heart beat faster.
“So you’re taking me in?” I wondered, watching as a smile lit up his face as he pretended to think it over.
“I should probably search you first,” he stated, “for my own protection, of course.”
“Of course,” I said, letting myself relax beneath his arms as I tilted my head up in preparation for the kiss that would surely follow. “And what is the punishment for resisting arrest?” He laughed as he trailed his fingers down my cheek and around the back of my neck, bringing himself within inches of my face.
“Honestly, I don’t think you have it in you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Morning came too quickly, with Charlie text-stalking Cole practically every thirty seconds. The texts were all the same:
Are you up?
Are you up?
Are you up?
When Cole set his phone on silent to ignore him, he started rapid-fire calling my cell and hanging up. With a sigh, I rolled out of bed and smiled at my husband, and he groaned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.
“You can’t blame him for being anxious,” I stated as I grabbed my toiletries and headed to the bathroom.
“Yeah, I know,” he muttered. Smiling around my toothbrush, I thought about how differently the morning could have begun, fighting over the bathroom with Charlie and picking up his dirty clothes from the floor. Charlie had always been a slob, which was at odds with his personality, and yet it was a trait he never seemed to shake. It had probably been made worse by my grandma always picking up after him, followed by Trina cleaning up his messes. Whether they complained about it, I wasn’t sure, but cleaning up after my big brother was not something I relished in the least.
“Thank you for not being a slob,” I smiled at Cole when I walked back into the room. He swung his feet over the side of the bed and rubbed the stubble on his chin, giving me a puzzled expression.
“Is that some sort of veiled insult?” he wondered, proceeding to run his right hand back through his hair. “I thought you liked the disheveled and scruffy look.”
“Don’t get all self-conscious,” I stated with a laugh. “You’re unsettlingly attractive, just like always. I was talking about your housekeeping tendencies. Just comparing them to Charlie’s, actually.”
“You find me unsettlingly attractive?” he wondered with a smile, walking to the bathroom himself.
“Oh, shut up,” I laughed. “I think that’s pretty well established, what with me not being able to resist you and all.”
“You can’t resist me, can you?” he asked, popping his head around the corner with his toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. “You’re like putty in my hands.”
“This coming from the man who hopped a plane because he couldn’t spend one night without me,” I teased. With a sheepish grimace, he returned to the bathroom.
Charlie began texting me at that point, trying to find out what room we were in, but I simply told him to go downstairs and eat breakfast, and we would be around shortly. When we finally showed up at the breakfast bar ourselves about an hour later, my elder sibling gave me an expression that clearly showed his disapproval. If Cole noticed, he didn’t let it phase him - he simply sat next to Charlie and clamped his hand on his shoulder, calling him brother and muttering some inside joke that went over my head.
While Cole helped himself to bacon and eggs, Charlie peppered me with questions about our grandfather. Most of those inquiries were met by a response that he should wait and see for himself, which he didn’t seem to appreciate. He had told Cole about the police, though, after he specifically told me he wouldn’t, so some sort of retribution was definitely coming to him. If that payback was only manifested in the extremely unimaginative and childish way that I was withholding answers from him, then so be it.
&n
bsp; Eventually Charlie got tired of me blowing him off and started talking exclusively to my husband. They got into such an in-depth conversation about sports that I could have probably taken a nap against the back of my chair and they wouldn’t have noticed. When enough time had passed that they started breaking down the breakfast bar and putting things away, I stood and pretended to stretch.
“Charlie, if all you wanted to do was talk sports with Cole, you could have done that from St. Louis,” I teased.
“I didn’t want to talk about sports, I wanted to talk about Grandpa, you brat. You seem to be playing some game this morning of not talking to me, though.”
Mission accomplished.
“I’m going to use the restroom,” I informed him. “Would you like to come take a peek in there for me, or can I go alone this time?”
“Nice try, clumsy,” he said with a smirk. “You’re Cole’s problem now, not mine.”
“Hey!” Cole exclaimed, but when I met his eyes, he just shrugged and pretended to agree. With an exaggerated eye roll, I marched myself into the nearest restroom.
I didn’t realize how nervous Charlie was about meeting our grandfather until he asked Cole to drive. My brother and I had spent hours and hours in the car together over the years, and he had never asked me to drive.
Wait, it could just be that he didn’t trust me…
No, he was definitely tense, I could see it written on his face. Even from the back seat of the car, where I resided because Charlie called “shotgun” like an immature preteen, I could see that his knee was bouncing up and down. On anyone else I might not have noticed the little signs, but I knew my brother well enough to realize that he rarely ever exhibited nervous tendencies. (There was the time he froze in the delivery room with Trina, but that was an extenuating circumstance if one ever existed.) When Charlie was nervous, his face grew strained and he became fidgety, much the way that Cole would suddenly be unable to keep his hands out of his hair.
Gosh, Cole’s hair looks pretty perfect today. Just the right amount of unruly, sort of sticking up in the front...
A Reason to Forget (The Camdyn Series Book 3) Page 18
