Page 90 of Must Love Bees
“Charlie.” Halley leaned forward. “Nova and I want you to know that we like Astrid.”
“I know you do.” He grinned. “You’ve told me. Many times.”
“Now you have to like Astrid.” Nova climbed onto the chair beside him. “Please, Charlie.”
“I do.” He frowned, glancing back and forth between them.
“Like her, like her.” Nova’s not-so-whispery whisper seemed especially loud.
“What Nova means is we think it would be cool if you two, you know—”
“Were boyfriend and girlfriend,” Nova finished.
This was the last thing Charlie had expected them to say. It took a minute for him to process this announcement. “We’ll be going home soon, girls.”
Nova’s smile vanished, almost surprised.
Halley didn’t say anything, but she didn’t look happy, either.
“That was always the plan.” He frowned, astonished by their reaction. “Don’t you miss your friends? What about swim team and dance and school?”
“If they were really my friends, they’d try to text me or call me or something. But they haven’t.” She shrugged. “I’ve made some new friends here. Kerrielynn wants me to meet Grace and Crissy—they’re both around my age.”
Charlie felt a twinge of guilt then. If he hadn’t changed the settings on her phone, would she have heard from her friends? The girls Halley had gravitated toward had been toxic and competitive. Would text exchanges and DMs have been a good thing? There was no way of knowing. While he’d meant to protect Halley, he was beginning to realize that a lot of his protecting was really controlling. That, after growing up in the household he had, made his blood run cold. He ran his hands through his hair, truly hating himself.
“Everyone’s been nice. Like, everyone.” Halley’s smile was sweet. “Kerrielynn has been so nice.”
These were the girls Halley wanted to have over—four teens under his roof. For Halley. “I can order pizza for tonight?” he offered. “If you still want them to come over?”
Halley stared at him in shock. “Seriously?”
He nodded, swallowing hard.
“Charlie.” Halley jumped up out of her chair and hugged him. “That would be so,sogreat. Thank you. I’ll go call her now.” She ran from the room.
“Wow.” Nova shook her head. “Halley was excited.”
He nodded again, trying to determine what was the best course of action: telling Halley what he’d done or fixing her phone? He’d messed up. He’d messed up and he didn’t know what to do. Either way, it wasn’t going to go well.
The excited murmur of voices told him that Halley was probably filling Astrid in on this new development. He wondered if Astrid had meant it when she’d offered to be his backup.No. The more time he spent with Astrid, the more muddled he got. He was thirty-four years old. He was too old to become someone else—someone worthy of Astrid. That was why leaving was the best option for them all. He’d rather wake up without her than spend every day knowing she deserved better.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
WHENASTRIDCAMEback downstairs, Charlie was on a business call and Nova was coloring in her dinosaur book. She lingered, hoping he’d ask her to come that evening to help out. Instead, he’d nodded at her and closed himself in the dining room.
She tried to convince herself he was in work mode—that it had nothing to do with her blurted declaration of love. But, the whole walk home, she worried it had been too much for him. Then, waking up in the comfort of his arms. His heartbeat. His hand against her side. His thigh between hers. When he’d looked at her, there was hunger burning in his eyes.
But wanting wasn’t loving.
As soon as Astrid walked through the door, Aunt Camellia asked if Charlie and the girls would be coming by for a visit.
Over coffee on that day, Aunt Mags had asked if they should expect the Drivers for dinner.
On Wednesday, Tansy pointed out that it was awfully quiet without the girls around—and then Camellia asked if they were coming over.
Each time, Astrid had told them the truth. She didn’t know.
On Thursday, no one asked.
