Charlotte locked up and waved at the young pair she had walking off to the bus stop before she saw Jesse Hunter stepping out of a large black SUV. He’d taken off his jacket and the tie was gone, his shirt open a few buttons. Sun glinted between slivers of clouds off over the Sound as they stood looking at one another for a long minute.
It was the time when if you were going to think of an excuse to run, this was it, she mused even as her feet carried her forward.
“Reconsidering?” He guessed quietly. He wasn’t sure what the sun was sparkling off on her hair and reached up before he could stop himself. He leaned a little closer. She was about a head shorted than him but she didn’t move. “Sugar?”
“Oh…” Charlotte stepped back, one hand up and swiping over her head. “I get energetic in the kitchen when I’m baking.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone sparkle quite like that before,” he held the door for her, a myriad of fragrances drifting to him as a soft breeze came off the ocean toward them.
“I never noticed it,” she admitted, almost beginning to dust herself off then remembering she was in his car and stopped. She put her hands to work fastening the seat belt and watching him stride around the car. “Why do your kids think you’re old?”
“We’re having a disagreement about tech things,” he started the engine.
“Did they actually use those words or…” Charlotte let the sentence trail a little, watching his expression. Humor and honesty flared in his eyes.
“They’re good kids. I think it’s…I know it’s me,” he admitted. “I’m not sure I’m adjusted to them heading to college. And it’s not a feeling I thought I’d have,” he said the words out loud and was surprised he’d let them loose from inside him to a woman he’d just met.
“Hmm…so this is where I look really shocked and tell you that you don’t look old enough to have kids going off to college,” Charlotte turned slightly and tapped on the dash with her fingers. “So what kind of food are you hungry for? I know really good soup places and BBQ places and fish,” she blinked, absently taking in the tanned arms he’d bared when he rolled his sleeves up, the flat buckle of his belt against his stomach and long legs stretched out and balancing the clutch and gas pedal.
“BBQ sounds great. Haven’t had really good ribs in a while,” Jesse waited while she opened her phone and tapped an address into the GPS on the dash before guiding the car into traffic. “So I don’t look so old, huh?”
“I don’t have kids so I don’t know how you feel. I don’t know if my mom and dad were ready for me to go or not,” she leaned back in the corner of the large SUV and watched him drive. “I know I left in my time and wasn’t pushed, so I think that helped. Is that what has you feeling old?”
“I think it mostly centers around tech and how far and what’s good and what’s not good,” he said after a long pause. “I’m amazed at the things programs can do in business these days and wouldn’t go back without kicking and screaming. It’s the whole social thing being faceless that has us a little at odds.”
“Only a little?” Charlotte said casually, wrestling with how much to say and not coming up with good answers. “You were pretty young when they were born,” she commented, working on being casual. She didn’t know the story from the kids. They hadn’t actually talked much about him.
“I was eighteen when I was told about them,” he said after another pause, trying to recall the last time he’d actually talked about anything in his life outside of business. “Her name was Alison and she was a couple years older than me. I was sixteen when I met her one summer. Not bright where girls were concerned and certainly not sexually active at that point.”
“Jesse, you don’t have to…they call it youthful indiscretions for a reason,” she said with a little smile.
“I see the end product and I’m amazed, to be frank. It matures you fast when a social worker knocks on your parents’ house with twin two year olds and says their mother died in an auto accident and your name was on the birth certificate,” Jess pulled the large car into the parking lot and scowled, checked the address and then looked at Charlotte. “This is it?” He was glad the sun was still up. He hadn’t really paid much attention to where they were going, just following the instructions. Then the smells hit him and his stomach challenged him to move.
Martha’s Kitchen always solicited a mixed batch of emotions such as doubtful, skeptical and even a little fearful when it was your first visit. Situated in what used to be an old one level grocery store, the business occupying it was now beyond successful and gradually, Martha was improving the outside. But not too much because she actually liked the large shanty look of her place.
“Set the alarm, Jesse, it’s okay,” Charlotte hooked her pack on her shoulder and slid to the ground, making certain the door was locked before striding to the front. “Martha is a friend of a few of us who helped her out. You will never in your life find better ribs,” she made a little cross over her chest. “Promise.”
“Then I’m in your hands, Charlotte,” he took her palm and a deep breath as they followed a few others to the wide, double doors. “You can almost taste it in the air.”
She puzzled over the large warm hand surrounding hers. It felt nice. It felt good. It felt like high school, she thought and almost giggled until the large black woman with melted chocolate skin caught sight of her at the entrance.
“Martha has people watching the parking lot, Jesse,” she smiled at the woman approaching with hands wiping on a well-used large apron around her middle. Charlotte tried to prepare herself and never quite managed it before she was gripped and hugged.
“Charlotte! It’s been too dang long, lady!” She set her back, making sure she didn’t fall over before thrusting her palm toward Jesse. “Martha…”
“Jesse Hunter, my pleasure,” he said honestly, his gaze on the bright smile and appraising eyes that looked him over. He knew he was being evaluated by the older woman and grinned a little broader, an easy relaxation filling him that he’d been missing lately. “I think I missed lunch today.”
“Stomachs always tell you that once you get inside the place,” Martha said with a happy laugh, clapping him on the shoulder. “Come over this way. You know my girl here long?”
“I met her about two hours ago in the coffee shop,” he admitted looking toward Charlotte and meeting the pale brown eyes. “She smells like sugar and looked hungry so I asked her out.”
“Smart man,” Martha nodded, wiped down the large table and grabbed a couple tall glasses of iced water from a passing tray headed for the dining area. “Real smart man. Charlotte don’t meet too many bright ones, or so she tells me. ‘Bout time someone caught her attention. I’ll send you an order of ribs and some brisket with fries. How’s that sound?”
“Perfect. Iced tea, please,” Jesse leaned back in the chair, his gaze still taking in the absolutely eclectic nature that filled the inside of the large, open room. “How did you find this place?”
“I’m one of the investors,” Charlotte said with a slight shrug. “A friend of mine met Martha about two years back. Circumstances weren’t best for either of them, but Isabel and a couple of us got together and made it happen for Martha,” Charlotte held the frosted plastic glass between both hands.
“And your friend Isabel?” He’d seen concern and more in her eyes.
“Isabel’s married and happy and has a little tiny baby girl. She was running from stuff in the past. Sometimes you don’t run fast enough but sometimes you run in the right direction,” she said cryptically. “She’s a programmer and loves her work, so it all worked out for the best.”
“You must have had to do some serious talking to get financing,” he shook his head, glancing casually around at the varied tables, chairs and pictures.
“We were the financing. We knew a bank wouldn’t look at the important issues, just the wrong ones,” Charlotte shrugged. “We have our own circle of friends for things that matter. Some I even met on-line,” she suggested in a low voice, relieved when he looked a little embarrassed but grinned.
“So you’re telling me I need to move into the next century,” Jesse shook his head. “I know you’re right. And maybe the road block is that it’s my kids.”
“Ahh…it’s okay for others, but not yours.” Charlotte laughed when he offered a slight wince. “Kind of the not in my backyard thing. I’d bet you raised them smart and careful, Jesse. But I know it’s not easy to trust their judgment…or humans, for that matter.”
“My parents told me repeatedly that no matter how old I got, they’d always worry about me,” Jesse recalled with a half-smile. “I guess it just passes along to the next generation.”
“And how you deal with it will be part of your relationship with them going forward,” she offered, her gaze following his.
Charlotte pulled her lower lip between her teeth when she saw the two platters brought from behind Jesse. She lifted a napkin and handed him one, watching the dark eyes widen seconds before his grin broadened. His jaw was slightly squared with a little dent down the center, his face like the rest of him, lean and not carrying extra weight. He didn’t wear any rings or a chain around his neck, his watch the only thing sparkling on him beside his smile, she thought absently, lifting a slice of the thick grilled bread and laying some of the thin sliced seasoned brisket over top before biting down hungrily.
“I’d never have found this place in a dozen years here,” he said when he’d cleaned off one very meaty, red coated pork rib bone.
“Oh, a lot of people at the resort know about it,” Charlotte shrugged. “We have a brochure made for Martha and it’s in the rack of things to explore in the area. You might have eventually,” she considered her next question carefully. “How did your family take it? The twins?”
Jesse pushed a long puff of air between his lips, took a drink of the iced sweet tea and lifted another rib bone.
“Calmly. I think I expected anger but my parents just fell into the role of grandparents like they’d been waiting for it all their life. My father made it very clear I was their father and would begin behaving accordingly immediately. Guess you could say immaturity was shot out from under me because I knew he was right. They were tiny for two year olds, but smart and fun and they wanted to be with me. And I discovered I wanted them to have the happy kind of childhood that I’d had,” he shrugged and finished off the bone and reached for another. ”So I worked, went to college and worked some more. In between there was homework and school plays and soccer matches and lots of learning.”
“I don’t think that part ever stops,” Charlotte said softly, the love in his eyes for the twins making her smile. They were fun, happy kids. She knew that a few minutes after talking with them in the game. They teased each other, but it was never done or said in meanness. And they always came to one another’s defense.
“No…no, I’m figuring that out these days,” he leaned back, biting into a slice of the thick grilled bread. “I wasn’t sure how they’d handle the relocation,” his grin was crooked, relaxed. “Jenna digs into the computer and comes up with two suitable colleges for their jumping off courses. Just like that. No trauma. No drama about leaving friends and familiar. Just excitement about all the new and different there is to explore.”
“That means you did a good job, Jesse. Is that difficult to accept as fact?” Charlotte lifted one of the thickly coated ribs and bit down hungrily. “Best ever BBQ in the world.”
“I have to agree. My stomach thanks you,” he said with a gallant tip of his head.
“You don’t take compliments about being a good dad well,” she said, one pale red brow arched. “It embarrasses you,” she leaned back, fingers of one hand twirling the dangling end of her ponytail over her shoulder. “I bet nothing in your job makes you this uncomfortable.”
“On that, you’d be right,” he admitted, draining the iced tea and excusing himself. “Excuse me.”
Charlotte watched him stride away, one finger swiping over the plate and carrying a dollop of BBQ sauce to her lips.
“When you wait for the right man, you do good work, Charlotte-girl,” Martha chuckled and sunk into the empty chair.
“Martha…he wandered into the coffee shop and asked me out,” Charlotte felt the heat stinging her cheeks when Jesse took the seat next to her. He’d heard Martha’s comment and was grinning. “We were both hungry and he’s new to the area and wanted BBQ. And you have the best,” she complimented.
“Won’t argue there,” Martha chuckled. “Even had to add a couple new people. Place is hopping on the weekends, especially this is our second summer. Sometimes it feels like a dream.”
“You work hard for it, Martha. Nothing wrong with having real fun dreams,” Charlotte stood up. “Be right back.”
“Where do I get the tab from, Martha?” Jesse pulled his wallet from his pocket, puzzled at the woman shaking her head.
“My girls don’t pay. But they’ll slip it into the tip jar when they think I’m not looking,” she told him with a chuckle and a wink. “I used to believe in friends but never as much as since I met Isabel and her girls. You just don’t hurt her, Jesse Hunter,” she stood up and clapped a hand on his shoulder before wandering toward the kitchen, calling out instructions as she went.
Charlotte came to his side as he was dropping cash into the tip jar.
“I should have warned you. Martha is a great lady,” Charlotte said with a smile, his warm palm taking hers and leading her from the bustling restaurant. “It’s so clean and fresh. She runs a very tight ship. One of our friends pulls people from vo-tech schools who want to learn the restaurant business. They share time between here and the resort, because of the differences of style and…I don’t like the word class…”
“Like my reaction when we entered the parking lot,” he said softly, regrettably. “Basing my opinion on appearances.”
“It’s how humans are,” Charlotte shrugged, stretched and freed her palm from his as they wandered through the busy parking lot. “Thank you for inviting me out, Jesse. It was nice just sitting and talking about stuff.”
“Good company and good food, something everyone’s after,” he opened the door for her, stopping from closing it. “That sounded like the end of the date.”
“I open the shop at five-thirty,” Charlotte said with a little wince. “Can’t come between people in need of a morning jolt. They might riot,” she told him in a dramatic whisper that made him laugh and close the door.
“That much I grasp, believe me,” he said, guiding the car easily onto the quiet night roads. It was almost ten and he was an early riser himself. “I try and get in a run or swim before the day begins.”
“My summers are like that…I have more help available then for mornings, with school out. I have several new people beginning Monday,” she breathed a long sigh. “I run in the evenings, closing at six makes it easier. The waterway makes a pleasant visual and captivates all the stress. And I love the smells.”
“I’m working out of treadmills. My daughter is convincing me to try running someplace where I can’t work and run at the same time,” Jesse saw the smile touching her lips beneath the bright lights of the parking area outside her shop.
“What do you do to actually relax, Jesse?” She didn’t make an immediate move to leave the SUV. She didn’t want to. She wanted to spend more time talking to him. Okay, the sexist in her admitted, and looking at him.
“Dinner with an intelligent, witty woman,” he answered with a smile. “I read.”
“More than technical journals for your chosen career?” Charlotte laughed at the look crossing his features. “I’ve got to go,” she leaned over quickly, kissed his cheek and jumped from the SUV. “Good night, Jesse.”
Charlotte didn’t look back as she ran toward the shop and up the wide stairs at the side of the building. She pulled the band from her hair once she was inside the large apartment over her shop, her back against the closed and locked door and her breathing finally breaking free of her chest.
She closed her eyes and worked to steady herself. She flipped a light switch and peeked out the window on her way to the bedroom. She saw the tail lights of his SUV leaving the parking lot and head toward the resort before shutting down the lights and herself for the night.