Page 72 of The White Picket Fence

Anna was more than satisfied with that answer. “Beef bourguignon?” She butchered the pronunciation, making Sophie wince.

Charlotte laughed. “Of course. I’ll show you how. I’ve already made your dinner for tonight, but you can help me make tomorrow night’s dinner.”

Tino fought his own wince at that. Making dinner for Sophie and Vito’s brood would mean going to Vito’s house, which meant another verbal assault from his brother. Vito still hadn’t forgiven him for breaking into Hale’s house.

Tino was okay with that, though. If they’d waited on negotiations, Charlotte might have been dead. Which even Vito accepted, but he was still pissed off.

He’d get over it. Eventually.

“Charlie wiggled out of Anna’s question about kids pretty well,” Vito whispered from beside him, making Tino jump. Vito hadn’t been there when they’d arrived, and he hadn’t heard him approach.

“No kids,” Tino whispered back. “We talked about it already.”

Vito’s brows went up. “Already?”

Tino kept his voice so quiet that no one could overhear. “She wanted to make sure I understood her limitations. Even if we weren’t forty-two, her attacker stabbed her in her abdomen. The damage was so severe that she can’t have kids.” He’d seen the scars when they’d made love but hadn’t realized what they meant. “She said she needed me to be certain I was okay with a future different than the one we’d envisioned as teenagers. Or thatI’denvisioned, anyway.”

Vito nodded, understanding because Tino had shared—with Charlotte’s permission—the reasons she’d had for leaving him back then.

“Did she ever remember how Hale knew about the dream house?” Vito asked, still in a whisper.

“She didn’t. Sonya did.” Cliff’s wife had been able to provide a key piece of information that Charlotte hadn’t remembered. “Sonya and Charlie were friends back then. Not best friends like Cliff and me, but they talked. Sonya remembered Charlie telling her about the blue Victorian with the picket fence about a month before graduation. She said, looking back, she could see that Charlie felt trapped, but she didn’t realize it at the time.”

“You were all only eighteen.”

“I know,” Tino said, but he could now see how very little he’d listened to Charlotte back then. How he’d just assumed she’d wanted the same things he did. And, even though Charlotte could have andshouldhave said something, he mourned his own teenage stupidity.

“Anyway,” Tino murmured, “it was over lunch, and Sonya remembers ‘the creepy kid’ hanging around their table. Hale was always following Charlie and sitting close to wherever she was. Sonya thinks that Kevin overheard them talking about it, about the lives they’d live after graduation.”

“So...you interested in buying a blue Victorian? I hear it’s going for cheap.”

Tino threw his brother a dirty look. “Not funny, V.”

“That’s what you get for risking your life by going into Hale’s house, you asshole.” Vito had returned to normal volume, which was a mistake.

“Vito!” Sophie scolded from the bed. “Children.”

Anna’s expression was identical to her mother’s as she turned to face Vito. “Yes, Daddy, children.” Gently she covered the newborn’s ears with her hands. “No swearing in front of the baby.”

“I promise,” Vito said soberly. “I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not,” Tino muttered.

“No, I’m really not.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes at them both as she gave the baby back to Sophie. “We’re going to let you rest. Don’t worry, Tino and I will take Anna home. I’ve got dinner all made, and we’ll make sure everyone eats.”

Sophie smiled up at Charlotte. “Thank you, Charlie.”

Charlotte smiled back. She liked it when they called her Charlie, and Tino made it a point to do so every time he called her name. It was a tie to their past, a small way for them to regain what they’d once had.

But Tino figured what they had now was better.

Vito kissed Charlotte on the cheek. “Thank you for taking care of my bunch. My dad is home with Michael.” Vito’s son had already fallen in love with Charlotte. “They’re both looking forward to your cooking.”

“I like your dad,” Charlotte said. “I always did. We’ll take care of him, too.”

That she was taking care of everyone but herself was evident, but she’d told Tino that this was what she needed right now. To be useful. It helped keep the dark thoughts at bay.

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