Page 221 of The Charlie Method

“Hi,” he says nervously.

Tears sting my eyes. “You brought my mom flowers?”

He nods. “Is that bad?”

“No. She’ll love it.”

“Do I look okay?” he asks, shifting his feet.

A smile tickles my lips. “You look…like you’re applying for a job.”

“Shit.”

“No, it’s fine. By the way, you showed up on the weirdest day ever. Everyone just unloaded their deepest, darkest secrets over chocolate birthday cake with blue sprinkles.”

“I’m intrigued. Is one of them a serial killer with a torture dungeon?” he cracks, and I love this lighter, sarcastic side of him. It’s like he’s truly lowered his walls since we agreed to that clean slate.

“No. But I did find out my sister’s new girlfriend is a mortician.” I pull him inside. “C’mon. Let me introduce you to my family.”

DAD CHAT

GARRETT GRAHAM:

I want a third dog and Wellsy won’t let me get one.

JOHN LOGAN:

Ohhhhh look at the fancy man with his two dogs. Grace is allergic so we can’t even have one. Go fuck yourself.

JOHN TUCKER:

That escalated quickly.

DEAN DI LAURENTIS:

Just bring home a puppy without asking. It’s not like she’s going to cast it out on the street. She’ll take one look into those big puppy eyes and fall in love.

COLIN FITZGERALD:

That’s what Hollis and his twins tried to do to Rupi and she kicked him out for a month. That was the worst month of my life.

DEAN DI LAURENTIS:

Ours too.

JOHN LOGAN:

Why do you make everything about yourself?

DEAN DI LAURENTIS:

Summer came to stay with us for that month! Hollis’s wife basically started a chain reaction of unwanted houseguests.

HUNTER DAVENPORT:

We don’t use Rupi as a barometer for normal woman behavior, bro.

JOHN TUCKER:

---