Page 98 of You, Me, and Forever

“Oh, I thought you were being suggestive.” She smirked. Violet loved to mess with people, but Charlie was not the kind of man you messed with.

“No idea what the fuck that means,” he grumped. “But there’s one more thing to show you, and I feel like it’s going to upset you now that I’m seeing the way you reacted to the banister.”

“Did the billionaire send a clay molding of his magic dick?” Violet said as if she were discussing the weather.

Charlie shook his head with irritation. “No. There are no clay dicks.”

“Good to know, Charles.”

He ignored the comment, since she’d refused to call him “Charlie” after he’d asked her to stop calling him “Charles” multiple times over the last two weeks. Which only made her do it more.

“Come on. Let’s get this over with.” He directed his guys to go help the painters upstairs, and he led us to the kitchen. They were putting in the new cabinets, and the countertops were going in tomorrow. We’d removed a wall between the kitchen and the dining room, as we wanted to expand the kitchen, and they’d framed the new wall several feet away from where it originally stood. It was on the side of the kitchen, so I was anxious to see how it would all look with the change.

“It’s so much larger,” Violet said as we both turned at the same time. “What the motherfucking mind blow is going on?”

Charlie actually laughed at her response before straightening his face and looking at me. “What do you think?”

The lump in my throat was no longer stable.

My bottom lip started shaking, and it didn’t matter how many times I blinked, the tears were too thick.

The dam broke, and I couldn’t fight it.

Tears blurred my vision as I stared at the wall that I’d painted years ago for Howard and Lydia. Turquoise and pink butterflies and flowers swirled in the design.

I turned to look at Charlie, who startled when he saw the tears coming down my face.

“For fuck’s sake, Charles!” Violet said. “You could have given her a heads-up.”

“What? I didn’t know she’d be upset by it.”

“Oh really, genius. She painted that goddamn wall.” She fumed, and I wanted to make her stop, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the wall.

“I’m very aware. I’m the dude who had to take a wall down without damaging it and move it a mile away, keeping it intact, and then build it into the remodel. I’m more than fucking aware that she painted the wall, Violet. I thought she’d be happy that we salvaged it.”

I didn’t even care that they were arguing.

“Of course you did. You have a penis!” she shouted. “You don’t have a clue how our minds work. Good luck to you when Harper’s a teenager. She’s going to hate you.”

I turned because she shouldn’t have brought Harper into it.

“Stop,” I said, my voice shaky, as I swiped at my cheeks and my nose, trying to pull myself together. “I do like it. It was just unexpected.”

“Well then, let’s not bring my kid hating me into the conversation if she’s okay with the wall.” He glared at the woman beside me.

“Of course she’s okay with the wall,” she groaned. “She thought it was demolished. Which means that she’s already grieved the wall, and then you go and surprise her with it. Next time ... just do better, Charles.”

“I’ll keep that in mind when I’m using every bit of manpower I have to get this gigantic fucking wall over here in one piece.” He didn’t hide his sarcasm.

“Thank you. I appreciate that effort.” Violet plastered a very fake smile on her face.

“Thank you, Charlie,” I said, my voice quiet and shaky.

He sighed. “It wasn’t my idea. But he really wanted it salvaged for you. He was very impressed with it.”

“Oh, he who shall not be named.” Violet glared at Charlie once again. I didn’t know why she was blaming him when he was just doing his job.

He ran a hand over his face. “Trust me, I don’t want to be the middleman.”

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