Page 79 of Charlotte

That didn’t surprise Blake at all since she’d always been partial to chocolate.

When their desserts arrived, Blake was glad he’d made the decision to order the apple crisp. The apple mixture was the perfect blend of sweet and tart, the crisp tasty, and the ice cream served with it was creamy and vanilla-y.

“Oh, the center is perfect,” Charli said as she cut into the small cake on her plate.

In the past, they would have shared bites of their desserts with each other, but that wouldn’t happen that night.

His thoughts went to the last meal they’d shared, just the two of them. Knowing that they were going to be apart for awhile, Blake had arranged a special evening for them.

He’d reserved a suite at a nice hotel in Coeur d’Alene. It hadn’t been his plan for them to sleep together, since he knew about her stance on pre-marital sex and respected her conviction. He had booked the room so that they could share a romantic dinner away from the chance of someone seeing them.

The room had a nice table next to a large window that looked out over the city, and he’d ordered a lavish meal from room service with several courses.

The evening had started out according to plan, and they’d enjoyed their time together, making plans for the future they hoped to have. However, after he’d given her the promise ring he’d bought, things had taken a physical turn.

It had been tempting to just go with the flow, but he didn’t want Charli to regret what might happen. So, though it had been difficult, he had managed to pull back so they could talk.

As they talked about the future they wanted together, along with their upcoming separation, Charli had told him that since things were so serious between them, she wanted that physical closeness, too. He’d been hesitant, but also very tempted.

In the end, together, they’d made the decision to move forward physically.

Blake remembered Charli holding up her hand to show him the ring he’d given her that night. A promise ring. A promise he’d intended to keep… until life had taken an unexpected turn.

And now, there they were, sharing a meal fully supported by her family, but with a huge chasm between them.

Still, it could have been a lot worse. The evening had turned out better than it might have. Charli was just stubborn enough that it had been entirely possible that she’d choose to not speak the whole time they were together.

That she chose, instead, to interact with him in a relatively friendly manner was a better outcome than Blake had even dared to consider. He hoped that it might bode well for building some sort of friendship in the future.

“I guess we’d better head out,” Charli said once they’d finished their desserts.

Though Blake would have liked to linger over a second cup of coffee, Charli was right. They needed to pick up the girls. But first, he had to take Charli to her house to pick up her car.

There was a definite chill in the air as they left the restaurant, and they both hurried to where he’d parked the truck. The cold was taking some getting used to, and it hadn’t even gotten cold enough for it to snow yet.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long before heat was pouring from the vents. “Can’t imagine how much colder it’s still going to get.”

“Won’t be left to your imagination much longer,” Charli assured him. “Plenty more cold and snow on the way.”

The drive to Charli’s seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Far quicker than Blake would have liked. He knew that the likelihood of another evening like this happening was pretty much nil.

As soon as he came to a stop at the curb in front of Charli’s house, she reached for the door handle. Before opening, she turned to him. Her face was cast in shadows as she said, “That went better than I thought. Thanks for making it less awkward than it might have been.”

“Thank you as well. I appreciate you also making it easier than you had to.”

She pulled the door handle, and light flooded the cab of the truck. “I guess I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

“Yep.”

After giving him a quick smile, she slid out of the truck and closed the door. Blake watched until she disappeared into the house, then he put the truck in gear and headed to Jay’s.

Jay and Misha’s home was large, and light glowed warmly from its windows. As he walked up to the front door, Blake wondered if he’d ever be able to afford a home like that.

Twelve years ago, he hadn’t even questioned what type of home he’d be able to provide for Charli and the family they hoped to have. He’d assumed that his dad would continue to give him a monthly allowance since he’d continued to give it to his sisters, even though the oldest one was closer to thirty than twenty. So even if he hadn’t made a lot in his career as a mechanic, he’d thought he’d have enough money to give Charli a nice home.

Jay greeted him with a broad smile when he opened the door. Stepping back, he motioned for him to come into the foyer.

“How did it go?” Jay asked, closing the door and blocking off the flow of cold air.

---