Page 13 of Charlie Takes a Chance

“This cow picture is huge,” I say as I gesture to the picture behind him.

Max quirks an eyebrow. “And your point is?”

I shrug. I don’t have a point. It was the only thing I could think of to say. “I like it. He looks like a friendly cow.”

Max’s mouth turns up in amusement. “I’m going to take a shower,” he finally says.

I really need to stop staring. “I’m not planning on jumping in with you.”

He blushes at that. “That’s not— I didn’t,” he sputters. “There’s only one bathroom.”

It’s kind of nice to see him flustered. Now it’s my turn to grin at him—until his words finally sink in. “One bathroom?Does this mean we’re going to need a bathroom schedule to get along?”

“How about you just stay out of the bathroom when I need it?” he says with a chuckle as he brushes past me. His elbow brushes against my arm, and I suck in a quick breath as he pushes the door open to the bathroom. “I wouldn’t wait around. I like to use the whole hot water tank.”

The door slams shut, and I contemplate pounding on it. But I’m not twelve.

“Two can play this game!” I call after him in a singsong voice.

The bathroom door jerks open, and he pokes his head out to glare at me. “Don’t get any ideas.”

Max disappears back into the bathroom, and I’m left staring at the wood door.

With a sigh, I pick up the duffel bag and trudge upstairs. There’s a large loft area with a full-sized bed under a window. I set my bag on the leather couch along the wall. There’s a clicking sound, and I turn around to find Jim and Larry standing at the top of the stairs. Jim wastes no time in coming to say hi, and Larry even takes a few steps in my direction.

And then I’m hit with a wave of nauseating, overwhelming, nose-burning skunk.

“What did you roll in?” I jump back as Jim advances with his usual friendly manner. Both dogs smell horrible. And even Larry thinks he’s going to come get some loving from me tonight. I squeak past them and run down the stairs.

There’s an ominous clicking of dog claws on wooden stairs as they barrel after me.

I grab the banister and slide around the corner on my stocking feet. I smack face-first into a bare chest.

Shrieking, I reach for something to hang onto so I don’t crash to the floor. Max catches me by the waist as I throw my arms around him. “Help. Skunk.”

The dogs yip as they reach the bottom of the stairs. “Oh dang,” Max mutters as he sniffs the air. “Dogs. Mud room.”

Their happy running stops abruptly, and I crank my head around to see them do the slow trudge toward the mud room.

I breathe a sigh of relief—and fresh air—as the two culprits disappear around the corner.

Leaning forward, I rest my head…on Max’s bare chest.

He clears his throat, and I realize his arms are no longer around me. I’m the one hanging onto him.

I leap backward. “Why are you naked?”

He glances down at the black sweatpants he’s wearing. “Last I checked, I’m still wearing my pants, even though you tried your best to pull them off.”

“I—” I freeze. That’s what I’d been trying to grab to keep myself upright—fistfuls of Max’s pants.Right. “They’re very nice pants. Wonderful. You look great in them.”

Max stares at me with amusement on his face.

“I’m sorry. I panicked. They followed me upstairs, and the smell was so bad.” That smell is going to be stuck up my nose for weeks.

Max nods and sighs. “You’d think they’d learn. They just always have to tangle with that skunk before bedtime.”

“No wonder they looked so happy running for that treeline.”

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