Page 87 of From the Ashes
He crossed his arms, shooting me a long hard stare. “This is about Charlie, isn’t it?”
I saw no reason to lie. “And what if it is?”
“I heard what he said to you, Phie. You deserve better than that.”
“You don’t know Charlie like I do.”
“Fine,” he said, taking a seat at my kitchen island and patting the seat next to him. “Explain it to me then.”
“It… It’s private, Tony. I don’t feel right telling Charlie’s story without his permission.”
“Well then you can kiss that award ceremony goodbye,” he replied nonchalantly, taking a sip of his beer. “I’m not about to fly you out to Oregon so you can get hurt again. You have a career and a second book to focus on. You can find someone better than him, anyway.”
“Don’t you fucking talk about him like that!” I snapped, turning on Tony in a split second. “Charlie is the best man I’ve ever met!”
“From what I’ve seen, he’s a spoiled brat that throws a tantrum every time things get mildly difficult.”
“He… He has things he’s working through.” I hated the sound of it the moment the words left my lips. “Life hasn’t been kind to him.”
“Sounds like a red flag to me. You deserve better.”
“I don’t want better!” I shouted, throwing my hands in the air. “I want Charlie!”
“Why?”
Tony stared at me, his gaze unwavering. I’d seen that stubborn look in his eyes before. He’d used it on me sever times when I tried to worm my way out of a book signing or a press conference I didn’t want to go to. I knew that no matter what I said, unless I gave him what he wanted, he wouldn’t give in.
I had no choice.
“Because…” I said, my chest tightening. “Because I love him. I have since I was fourteen years old.”
“So why did he tell you to go away after the accident?” Tony asked. “And why was he freaking out in the first place?”
“It was my fault. I… I talked him into going with us to the ice cream place.”
“He got something against dairy?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “He… He’s terrified of cars.”
“He’s scared of… cars?” Tony lifted an eyebrow, looking unimpressed. “That’s a weird lie, Phie.”
“It’s not a lie,” I growled, my eyes screwed shut in frustration. “Charlie is really scared of riding in cars.”
“Why?”
“That’s how… his mom died.”
I let out a long sigh. “It’s in the book,” I said at last. “All of it.”
“So, she died in a car accident?”
“Yeah. And he was right next to her.” I looked up at Tony, my eyes threatening tears. “I’ve never asked him about the details because I don’t want to make him relive those terrible memories. But the police told us it was a freak accident. Their SUV blew a tire while driving through the mountains. Somehow it turned sideways, flipped a few times, then slid over the edge and went careening down the rock side of the mountain.”
Tony looked shocked. “And he survived?”
I nodded. “I don’t know how. He had a few broken bones, and he was put into a drug-induced coma to get him through the worst of it. He was like that for four months.” I paused, a single tear leaking down my cheek. “I… I never told Charlie this because I don’t want him to ever know… but my mom and I had to verify his mother’s identity at the morgue after the accident and… wecouldn’t.”
His brows drew together in confusion. “You couldn’t?”