Page 132 of The Charm of You

My eye twitches. “Care to tell me why you’re in such a great mood tonight?”

A sly grin commandeers his expression. “If I tell you, this has to stay between us. A secret you will take to your fucking grave. Deal?”

“Okay…” I lean forward and instantly curse myself for acting like Scarlett with how intrigued I am over a piece of gossip.

Except, knowing Owen, it’s very possible he’s this energized because he enjoyed a new flavor of a protein shake. Hardly a secret I need to keep until I see the light, but there’s no telling.

“Last night changed my life,” he says in hushed tones. “The girl of my dreams?—”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

Owen and I both blink at each other, then turn toward a fuming, red-faced Addie. She’s looking at Owen, which isn’t surprising, but then she turns to me like I’m the one she posed her question for.

“Huh?” she presses. “I have been on the phone with Caroline for most of the day. She told me everything you said to her, although I missed bits and pieces because of poor reception as she drove through Virginia, but I got the gist. And none of it was good.”

“Let me explain,” I say.

“You can try, but nothing you say is going to keep me from smacking some sense into you. I know you initially chased after her because she was an easy out,” Addie huffs, and it gives me pause. “From the start, you knew she’d leave, and you wouldn’t have to be the bad guy who runs her off. But you did run her off. She likes you, and you treated her like she means nothing to you. And for what? So you can continue running errands for your mom? So you can bury yourself in motor oil forever? So you?—”

“Okay, okay. Shit,” I hiss.

“I have a much longer list. I can keep going.” She squares her shoulders.

“Please don’t.” I cringe, and the lump I’ve carried in my throat all day like a passenger finally decreases in size as I admit, “I want her back.”

My answer gives even Addie pause.

“I fucked up,” I add, and this earns me a long aww.

“You know what you have to do now, don’t you?” She grips my shirt in her firm fist. “You have to grovel, and I mean, grovel like your life depends on it. Then grovel some more. You really hurt her.”

“I know.” I wiggle out of her grasp, which is surprisingly difficult.

She waves to Cole. “Can I get a beer for me please and another bourbon for the cactus?”

Owen snorts, but it’s cut off with a single twist of Addie’s lips.

She then turns to me with a smile. “I have an idea.”

“I have good ideas too,” Owen pipes up.

“We’ll let you know if you’re needed,” she chirps sarcastically.

“This isn’t a job interview,” he tosses back.

I place both hands on their shoulders. “Before we disappear into whatever angry path you two are headed, I could really use your ideas.”

Addie flips her hair over her shoulder and practically sings, “Let’s get to work.”

chapter

forty-one

CAROLINE

A car horn blasts next to Beverly and me as we march along the crosswalk with the rest of the herd, my purse dangling from my hand. A soft layer of fog hovers across the tops of the skyscrapers surrounding us, and the faint sounds of construction join the inherent music of the city.

I smell the fresh roast of coffee before I enter the café across the street from my building.

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