Page 7 of Of Course, Cutie

I grinned back at Charlie. My boss’s cute little sister was a funny one. “Well, thank you. I owe you.”

Charlie shook her head, her hair turning golden under the crisp sunlight. “Nah. I already owed you for feeding me when I was making bad decisions.”

“Okay, so we’re even now.” I smiled again and opened the back door of my Subaru. “Tess, sweetheart, this is Charlie. She’s going to take you back to my apartment for a few hours until I get done at work.”

Tess glanced over at Charlie. “Okay.” My little girl’s voice was so quiet. Shit. I couldn’t leave her. I’d been leaving her her whole damn life. Every time I went back to Alaska, every time I stormed out of the house after a fight with Lexi… I left Tess, and it killed me.

Charlie stepped up and smiled. “Tess, that’s such a pretty name.” She leaned down and held out her hand. “I’m sorry you’re not feeling well today, Tess, but I promise I’ll take good care of you. We can watch your favorite movies, read your favorite books, and I’m great at making chicken noodle soup. Does that sound okay?”

Tess gave Charlie her little crooked smile and nodded slightly. Then she unbuckled her seatbelt and took Charlie’s hand. Charlie grabbed Tess’s booster seat with her free hand and turned to smile at me. “You look worried.”

“I should be with her.”

Charlie nodded. “You will as soon as you can. And for now, I’ll be with her.”

“Right. Thank you.” I took the booster seat and followed Charlie and Tess to her car. After setting it up in the backseat, I gave Tess one more bear hug. Then I handed my apartment key to Charlie and gave her my address and phone number to call if Tess was getting worse.

Charlie laughed and rested a hand on my arm. “Burke, I promise we’ll be okay. Trust me!”

If only she knew how slowly trust came for me these days. I nodded and thanked her again, then headed into the bar to start my shift.

???

When I got home after work that evening, the sight that greeted me set me on fire. It wasn’t an angry fire, like the ones Lexi started inside of me. This fire was warm and consuming, and it felt damn good. My sweet little girl was asleep with her head in Charlie’s lap. Charlie wore a pair of headphones and scrolled through her phone with one hand while gently rubbing Tess’s back with the other.

Charlie glanced up when I entered the room and gave me a bright smile. Damn. She could light up my entire apartment with that smile. She tugged her headphones off and whispered. “Hey, she fell asleep about thirty minutes ago.”

I smiled at my daughter and sank into the armchair across from the couch. “Did her fever break?” I kept my voice low and quiet.

Charlie nodded. “I gave her a little of the children’s Motrin I found in the bathroom. I hope that’s okay. She was miserable and achy.”

“That’s perfect, thank you. I forgot to tell you where that was, so I’m glad you were able to find it.”

Charlie smiled. “I’m resourceful.”

I smiled back at her. “I can see that. Looks like Tess likes you.”

“She’s a sweet kid.” Charlie looked down at my daughter and brushed the hair away from her forehead. It was a small but tender gesture that spoke volumes to Charlie’s nature. She knew how to care for people, and it made me wonder what she’d been through with her father.

I stood and bent to scoop Tess up in my arms. “I’ll get her to bed. I brought home some fried chicken from the bar if you’re hungry.” I wasn’t expecting Charlie to stay and eat dinner with me. A pretty young girl like her had things to do, I was sure, but I figured I’d offer anyway.

She surprised me with her answer. “That sounds great. Thanks!”

I carried Tess down the hall to her bedroom, with my heart rate picking up a little. I would have to be dead or gay not to find Charlie attractive. But my attraction toward my boss’s nineteen-year-old sister was inappropriate. The whole thing made me nervous and uncomfortable. Still, I couldn’t help wanting to spend time with Charlie.

4

Charlie

Burke invited me to stay and have dinner with him. Holy shit. He was just being nice because I watched his darling little girl, but still, my heart was racing out of control. I made my way into his kitchen while he put Tess to bed and saw two foam takeout containers on his table. He brought dinner home, specifically for me.

I leaned against his kitchen counter and tapped my foot while I waited for Burke to come back out. Holy shit, I was nervous. I wandered back to his living room and put on my headphones. Music would help me chill the fuck out. Before long, I closed my eyes and was lost in the wailing guitar notes of Guns N’ Roses.

When I felt Burke’s hand on my shoulder a few minutes later, my nerves shot right back up. “Hey!” I yanked my headphones off and slid away from his touch. I didn’t want to move away from him. It was more like I needed to.

He laughed. “Did I scare you, cutie?”

“No.”