Page 14 of Whatever It Takes

I didn’t knowhow she was still functioning after what that asshole did to her.

I stayed away all those years because I thought it was best. I threw myself into my work thinking it would be enough of a distraction. Yet, here I was, right in the middle of the shitshow that had become her current life. Clearly, I was asking for trouble. Charlotte and I were never friends. We were always lovers, so I wasn’t sure how to talk to her. The only thing that I was certain of was that she needed to give me a chance to explain myself.

It was obvious that she would rather stick her hand in a blender than talk to me, but there was zero chance of me leaving her alone. Maybe once I apologized, we could start down that road of forgiveness. Maybe with a little bit of trust and understanding, we could try to be friends. Maybe then she would let me help her.

I drew in a sharp breath and tightened my hand along the steering wheel. You could cut the tension in the car with a butter knife. I wanted to crack a joke and make her laugh, but she wasn’t in the best mood, and I didn’t want to push my luck. So I stayed silent and gave her some space.

We had been on the road for about five miles before she finally spoke. “Am I just along for a nice, quiet, scenic drive? Because if I am, it might be better during the daylight hours seeing that everything is pitch-black. However, if you want to ride in silence the entire way, I’m good with that too.”

Her attitude should have pissed me off, and I was half-tempted to tell her that I could pick her up in the morning where she could see things more “clearly,” but I didn’t think she would appreciate my sarcasm. It was obvious she was uncomfortable, but I took the fact that she was riding next to me as a small victory.

Shifting my gaze in her direction, I asked, “How drunk are you?”

She knotted her hands in her lap. “Unfortunately, for me, not drunk enough.”

A laugh tumbled out of me. When I walked into Erica’s condo and saw the empty wine bottles strewn around the room, I wasn’t sure how things were going to go down. Charlotte and alcohol weren’t always friends and her behavior was often unpredictable when under the influence. If my instincts were right, she was slightly buzzed, and I really wanted her sober for this conversation.

As we cruised through town, I spotted a diner up ahead. I took a sharp left and pulled into the parking lot.

“What are you doing?”

“We have some serious shit to talk about and I want your head straight when we do.” I unbuckled my seat belt and turned my car off. “Now let’s get some food in your stomach and sober you up a bit.”

“But I already had pizza!”

I rested my hand on the door handle before opening it. “If you want to get this conversation out of the way, you’ll need to convince me that you’re not drunk,” I said, stepping out of the car.

She scoffed. “So, you’re going to force me to eat something? Who died and made you the boss?”

I turned my head sideways as she rounded the car. “We’ve wasted enough time already, and I’m done waiting.”

She huffed while dragging her feet across the parking lot. She was being as dramatic as a middle school teenager, and I felt a smirk spread across my face.

God, I missed that woman.

Luckily, for us, the diner wasn’t too busy. We were able to snag a small booth in the back of the restaurant. The waitress came over, poured water into our glasses and paused to take our order. Once she walked away, I leaned back in my seat.

Green eyes studied me from across the table.

“You look like you want to say something to me,” I said, taking a sip of my water.

She fiddled with the rolled up silverware. “I’m just curious. When did you go into law enforcement?”

I looked away from her for a minute. She knew that being a cop was my backup plan. It wasn’t like my short stint in the security business was a flop. I never considered it a failure. It was also no secret that owning my own company one day was always a dream of mine.

I cleared my throat and gave her a half-truth. “I joined the police force about six years ago. Around the same time my dad got sick. It was enough of a reality check, and forced me to rearrange the priorities in my life.”

I also wanted to mention that I was miserable and missed her like crazy, but I didn’t think she would want to hear that.

“I didn’t know Thomas had been sick.”

“He had prostate cancer. It’s all good now, though.”

Her eyes softened. “I’m glad he’s okay.”

“Thanks. Me too.”

“I’m sure it didn’t help being three thousand miles away from your family when they were going through such a tough time.”

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