“I start back at the diner today,” I remind Wildcard. He’s been pushing to keep me home for another week. It’s been weeks without a paycheck, and although I haven’t touched my savings, it’s time I get back to it.
“Not sure that’s a good idea. All day, on your feet. It’s gonna take a toll.” His brow creases, and he drops his fork.
“Millie’s been doing without for a couple of weeks now. That’s not fair to her either. Saint says I’m fine, and I need to work. There are bills to pay. And now that Noah’s taking school seriously and hopefully is going to apply to a college or trade school, I want him to have an education,” I explain, reaching over to cover his big hand with mine. “Please don’t be upset about this.”
“Charli, all I heard just now is your concern for Millie and Noah. What about you? What do you want? What do you need?”
“What do you mean? I have everything I need. I have a nice home, great friends, Noah, and you,” I answer. “What more do I need?”
He’s struggling with saying what he thinks. I can tell his mind is working overtime, but he won’t share his thoughts. Wildcard diverts his attention back to his eggs, yet continues to hold my hand. He doesn’t say another word until we’re done, and when he does, it’s to tell me to get ready while he cleans up. I think it prudent to leave him to his thoughts. If there’s one thing I learned about Wildcard, it’s that he needs his time to process.
By the time I’m ready to go, Wildcard is waiting at the door for me. As he drives me in to work, I don’t like his silence, and a pang of jumbled nerves start to flutter in my belly. When he helps me out of the car, I feel the need to ask, “Are we okay?” I know it comes off needy, but I don’t care. Wildcard’s the best thing to happen to me, and I don’t want to mess us up.
When he sees how upset I’m getting, he frames my face with his hands. “We’re golden, dollface.” He touches his forehead to mine. “I want more for you. I want you to have everything you ever dreamed of. It’s bugging me that you don’t want that for yourself. But I get it. It’s been a struggle, and you’re still in survival mode. One day, you’re going to fly free.” Each word has emotion behind it. I want to weep for joy that someone could care for me so much, and when I think the moment couldn’t be more perfect, he says, “I love you, baby.” Then his lips touch mine, a soft fluttery kiss at first, then deepening into a soulful, out-of-this-world, stars-bursting-into-flames kiss that I never want to end.
“I love you more,” I say breathlessly.
He smiles. “Not sure that’s true, but you have that for now,” he teases. “I’ll be here at the end of your shift to pick you up. Stay inside. I’ll come get you.” He’s being adorably overprotective, and I love it.
* * *
It’s good to see Millie. She fusses over me all day. I swear she’s like the cool aunt I never had. She’s also one of the wisest women I’ve ever met. Millie seems to see what others don’t. She often says, “We have to listen for what isn’t being said to understand the situation.” I didn’t get that at first, but I’m learning.
It’s as if all is back to normal when Vi and Ava drop in for chat. Not long after they leave, Camille drops in to pick up coffee and have a chat before heading back to the clinic. Izzy does the same, but when Abigail visits, she decides to stay for a while.
“I love this diner. It always feels like there’s a friend around the corner,” she says. I know what she means. The cook is a boisterous older man who reminds me of Santa Claus without the red suit. He comes out to laugh and gab with the customers and remembers all the little details about people’s orders. He’ll know that Jimmy is in the diner when the order comes through with a burger with chips on it. Then he’ll take the time to bring it out himself.
“I know what you mean,” I say, feeling the warmth that fills the place.
“Sometimes it’s easy to stay in a place because it feels comfortable. I know that I stayed hidden for so long because it made me feel safe. I missed out on so much because of my choices,” Abigail says, taking a sip of her tea.
I know her story, and the thought of what she went through makes me shudder. Abigail learned the hard way that evil lurks in many corners, even outside the library where she had worked for years. “You made it past the darkness, and here you are, back in the light,” I say brightly. She gives me a grin.
“I did. With the help of some amazing people who helped me through it. I think back on those days, and I really thought I was making the wisest choice. I stayed out of sight and away from people because I was afraid of getting hurt. The only person I was hurting was myself. I missed out on a year with Ghost. The best thing that could have happened to me was taking that leap of faith.” Abigail is sending me a message with this story. “I hope I haven’t overstepped. I think of you as a sister, Charlotte. Believe in yourself, because we all do.”
She doesn’t wait for me to respond and simply gets up, gives me a hug, and quietly leaves. Believe in myself? I do, don’t I? I’m happy. This is the first time in years that, despite the insanity surrounding me, I feel wanted and loved.
The rest of the day flies by. A couple of young girls from the local high school track me down at the diner as I’m ending my shift to ask about making a dress for one of them.
“My sister’s getting married in December, and I’m the maid of honor,” Tara says excitedly. The wedding’s in Florida, where my sister and her fiancé, Josh, live. It’s a beach wedding, and she doesn’t care about the style or color, just that the dress has to be long and flowy. “I went to see Vi, and she said that you’re the best around. When the dress is done, Vi’s going make one-of-a-kind earrings and a bracelet to match.” Tara is over the moon, and I am thrilled for her.
“I’d be honored to make your dress. You need to give me a budget, then we’ll head over to Fairway. They have the biggest outlet for textiles. Once you decide, then we can work on design. We’ve got plenty of time, but it’s always good to get the material early,” I tell her. I’m not sure how she’s doing it, but she smiles even brighter than before, and her friend Vanessa is squealing in delight.
“Maybe we can go next week?” she asks hopefully.
“Sure. Let me check my schedule here at the diner and I can give you dates.” Tara jots down her number before leaving arm in arm with her bestie. Freaking adorable.
As the girls walk out, Wildcard steps through the door. His mouth forms a sexy smile, and I peruse him from head to toe, remembering the way his firm hands held me, the feel of his thick, masculine thighs between mine. Or his chest, cut and lean, all muscle. But mostly, it’s the softness of his touch against my skin that makes my body tingle at the memory. I itch to have my hands in his wavy sandy-blond hair. I know men prefer being called ruggedly handsome, but to me he’s beautiful.
When he reaches the table, he pulls off his shades to uncover sultry blue bedroom eyes. Damn, I think I’m drooling.
“Dollface, you keep staring at me like that and we’re going to have a problem. Millie’s gonna come back out here and find you on your back on one of her tables,” he says with a smirk. That jolts me out of my stupor.
“Behave. I love Millie.” I give his chest a light tap.
“Everybody loves Millie,” he says. It’s true. Millie’s one of those people who just make you feel like you matter. She does this with everyone from truckers to accountants. As good as the food is, that’s not why people come here.
“You ready to head home?” he asks.
“Absolutely.” I call out to Millie to let her know I’m leaving.
“All right, sugar. Have a great night,” Millie says, then gives Wildcard a bag. “Made some fresh pecan butter tarts. Saved you some.” When Wildcard pulls out his wallet, she gives him an expression that would freeze ships in the ocean. “Don’t even think about it.”
“How are you going to stay in business if you keep giving stuff away?” he teases.
“I get you hooked, and you can’t resist coming back.” She laughs. Wildcard kisses her cheek. “Now that was payment enough.”
“Thank you, Millie,” he says. This isn’t a simple thank-you. There’s more meaning in those two words and a secret they both share. I’m curious, but I also don’t want to know because it’s their connection, and it seems so pure that it should remain with them.
Wildcard and I walk hand in hand to his car. Before he starts the vehicle, he grabs one of the butter tarts and inhales it. With his mouth full, he says, “Don’t judge.” Which comes out more like “dun jug.” This big badass biker with a mouthful of butter tart, hugging the bag to his chest like it’s a prized possession, is undoubtably the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.
I’ve never laughed this hard in my life.
* * *
Wildcard
Sofia and her friend Mallory are making a trip out to look at the first draft of designs for a wedding dress. Charlotte and Mallory have video chatted several times. One night after one of their talks, Charli mentally disappeared into her drawings, solely focused on making the perfect dress for her bride.
Being ever the overachiever, Charli made a mockup of the dress she liked best in a rough form to get a sense if it would work. My goal is to feed my woman before they show up. While she’s showering the grime of the day away, I put a couple of potatoes and steaks on the barbecue.
By the time Charli comes out to join me, I’m ready to serve dinner.
“You’re spoiling me. Pop-Tarts last night, steaks tonight. I could get used to this kind of living,” she jokes.
“Get ready, babe. This is our life from now on. Sometimes I do the cooking, other times it’ll be you. I’m hoping that most of the time, we’ll be doing it together.”
“Oh my God,” she moans as she takes a bite of her steak. “You’re the grill master.”
I chuckle as she closes her eyes, savoring her food. I take her hand.
“Glad you like it,” I say, then touch my lips to hers.
We’re clearing off the table when the doorbell rings. Sofia and Mallory are on the stoop. “I got this, Charli.” I take the plate from her and move along behind the counter, leaving space for the women to sit.
“These are incredible. It’s like you’re reading my mind,” Mallory says, staring at the sketches in front of her. Charlotte goes into great detail on how she sees the dress coming together.
“I made a fake dress just to see if you’d like the cut and style. If you want to try it on, we can get a better idea of what you like and don’t like.”
“Absolutely,” Sofia and Mallory say in unison. Charlotte guides Mallory into the spare room. They come out a short time later with Mallory in a dress. I already think it looks great, but what do I know about fashion?
For the next hour, the women make suggestions, and Charli frantically makes notes and marks up the gown. They then move on to Sofia’s dress for the special occasion.
“Can you really have it ready in three weeks?” Mallory asks. “It’s just that Dad refuses to do anything about this cancer until—”
“It’ll be ready. I need you back in two weeks for a final fitting. Can you manage that?”
“I’ll be here,” Mallory promises.
“Yours will be ready too,” Charli says to Sofia.
“Wow! You’re incredible, Charlotte. You need to focus on your passion. Take a leap of faith, sista, ’cause you’re amazing at what you do,” Sofia declares.
Charli’s cheeks turn pink, and she glances at Sofia. “You’re the second person who’s said that today,” she says. “Maybe one day…”
“Why one day?” Sofia jumps in before she can finish.
“It’s unstable income. Bills come every month. Then there’s Noah to consider. If he wants to go to college or even to a trade school, that costs money, and I don’t want him to have to quit because he can’t afford it,” Charli blurts out. “If I could wave a magic wand and make this happen, I would. But life isn’t like that. I have responsibilities.”
Sofia’s about to go on the attack. It must be the attorney in her that sets her off. She needs to make her point. I decide to step in before she does. “Ladies, it was great having you. We look forward to having you back in a couple of weeks.” I direct my attention to Mallory. “Hope you don’t mind, but I’d like some quality time with my girl.” I give her a grin.
“Oh yes, of course.” Mallory rises from her seat, taking Sofia with her, who is still on the verge of doubling back to Charli and her career. That’s when I give her a pointed look, and with a heavy sigh, she relents.
Instead, Sofia pulls her close and gives Charli a big hug, saying, “What you do makes people feel beautiful. Remember that.”
When all is quiet and it’s just Charli and me, I cautiously broach the topic once more. With my arm around her shoulders, I give her a little squeeze. “Babe, are you mine?” I ask.
She turns to peer up at me, puzzled. “Pardon?”
“This morning, I told you I love you, and unless you’ve changed your mind, you love me too,” I tease.
“I do love you.”
“So you’re mine?”
She nods, then follows with a simple “Yes.”
“And I’m yours,” I state, which lights her face aglow with happiness. “What would happen if one day I decide to start my own IT company? It would be huge. I’d have to invest in equipment, marketing, the whole shebang. How would you feel about that?”
“I’d want you to be happy, so I would say go for it and I’d ask what I could do to help.” Just the answer I know she’d give.
“Financially, it could get tight until I get some big-paying contracts.”
“We’d make do. I could take more hours at the diner and see if I could pick up more sewing jobs.”
“Dollface, you’re not getting me,” I tell her, waiting for it to dawn on her. “You’re willing to sacrifice your stability for me. That’s what I want to do for you.” When I see that she’s still not getting it, I spell it out for her. “Let me take the load. Whatever Noah wants to do, he’ll be covered for school. I’m his family too. I make damn good money. The club takes care of all its members. I own this house, and that means there’s no rent, no mortgage, no nothing. Do you get me now?”
“This is your house?” she squeaks.
“Yeah. Bought this house the minute I knew you were going to be mine. Fell in love with you that day in the car when I told you my name,” I murmur, caressing her cheek. “I fought it. Didn’t think I was ready. Certainly didn’t know if you were ready, but in the end, I know you’re perfect for me. This feels right.”
“It does. But you have to see that I need to carry my weight in this relationship. I can’t let you take care of me without giving back.”
“I’m not leaving you. I’m here for good.”
“What if I can’t make this into a viable career? Then I’ve wasted my time and your money.”
“You can do this.”
“I don’t know.” She shakes her head. I put my fingers under her chin and lift her gaze to mine.
“See me. Hear me. You can do this. Leap of faith, dollface. Take it!”
“I can’t leave Millie high and dry.”
“Talk to her tomorrow. Give her proper notice or ask her to cut back your hours to three days, and when she finds a replacement, you make Lace Gowns your full-time gig.”
“Lace Gowns?” She giggles.
“Just a thought. Call it whatever you want.”
“I’m scared,” she confesses.
“You’re not alone,” I tell her with steely determination.
“Leap of faith, huh?” she says, biting her lip.
“You can do this. And Millie will understand. She was there for me when I needed her. I didn’t have any money until I started working. Millie must have caught on that I wasn’t eating. She would bring me bagged lunches, and in front of the guys would holler out, “Here’s your order, hon.” I couldn’t refuse without looking stupid. I paid her back once I had money, but she donated the whole thing to the shelter.”
She finally relents. “I’ll talk to Millie tomorrow.” I see the excitement brimming in her eyes. Charlotte can do anything. I have no doubt.