Page 36 of Love in Tandem
Will tugged the bill of his hat further down, providing Zach a glimpse of a jagged scar running the length of his forearm. Probably a little something he’d received during his prison stint. Zach sighed, a slice of compassion, maybe pity, oozing out of him. As much as Will irked him, he didn’t envy whatever he’d been through these past few years.
“I’m just trying to do better now.”
“Then maybe you should actually, I don’t know, start by seeing your family.”
“I have. Some of them.” Will squeezed the brim of his baseball hat, turning in a half circle. Zach thought for a second he might leave. But he finished the rotation and dug his hands into his pockets, shoulders hunched as if he were cold. “Look, I know I’ve been a lousy brother to Charlotte, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love her. I do. I always have. So please just don’t hurt her, okay? That’s all I’m asking. You may think you know her better than I do, and maybe you’re right, but I know this. She doesn’t deserve to get her heart broken again. So don’t do it.”
Will ambled down the walkway to his car, with a slight limp—something else that was new—then drove around the corner. As soon as he disappeared from view, Zach marched back into the house and slammed the door. Stupid punk. Where did he get off? If anybody was likely to hurt Charlotte again, it was Will. It was Ben. It was not Zach. He would never hurt Charlotte.
Would he? No. He massaged his temples. He wouldn’t.
Would he? He lowered his hands and tapped his head against the door. Shoot. He might. If he spent enough time with her and she started developing similar weird feelings for him.
Shoot. He couldn’t risk it. Not when there wasn’t any hope for a future between them. They shouldn’t do the challenge. That’s all there was to it. He’d find another way for Charlotte to save her music program.
In fact, if Ben had been so willing to fork over ten thousand dollars just to get Zach out to California, Ben ought to be willing to donate the same amount to help Charlotte. It wasn’t two hundred fifty thousand by any means, but it was better than nothing. And it was the least his brother could do for kissing another woman the week he was supposed to be marrying Charlotte.
Zach pulled out his phone, not caring that his brother was on his honeymoon. They had some issues to resolve once and for all. Including that job in California.
As tempted as Zach was to explore these weird feelings for Charlotte, it was time for him to get on with his life. Definitely time to get out of Illinois.
Charlotte stared at her bedroom ceiling as early morning light snuck past the curtains. She didn’t care if the prize was enough to save her entire career, she couldn’t do it. Who needed two hundred fifty thousand dollars? Not her. She’d stick to the usual fundraisers, thank you very much.
So what if it took up her entire summer and she didn’t even scrape together one percent of the amount? Better than riding a tandem bicycle for billions of miles with Zach, wilderness man extraordinaire. He’d probably make them hunt rabbits for dinner every night—if he even showed up. She hadn’t seen him in person since the day of the canoe trip. For all she knew, he’d already fled town and forgotten about her.
Some couple they were.
All the more reason to not even entertain the idea of attempting the challenge. She’d find another way to keep her job. Something that didn’t involve being in a relationship with zero potential.
Unplugging her phone from the charger next to her bed, she sat up prepared to start searching the internet for new fundraiser ideas when the screen lit up with a FaceTime call.
“Hey, Mom,” Charlotte said, after accepting the call. “What are you doing up so early?”
Her mom lifted her wrist and looked at her watch. “Oh, I guess it is still pretty early your time. Sorry. Forgot we’re an hour ahead. Why, we’ve already been out for a walk and finished a crossword puzzle and eaten breakfast at—oh, what was that place called?” She twisted in her seat. “Dan, you remember the name of it?”
“Waffle House,” Dad’s voice answered from off to the side.
“No.”
“Pancake House.”
“No.”
“Grits House.”
“You’re not even trying. Anyway,” she said while Dad continued listing off breakfast items followed by the word house. “We just wanted to check in. See how you and Zach were doing. To be honest, when you said you were seeing an old friend, I never in my life would have guessed it was Zach.”
Dad leaned into the screen. “We would have guessed Frankie Avalon long before we ever guessed Zach.”
“Ha. Frankie Avalon. That’s a good one.” Charlotte released a strangled laugh as she padded down the hallway to the kitchen to brew up some coffee. Now might be a good time to set the record straight with everyone. Starting with her parents. “You know, it’s actually funny you should mention that,” she said, opening a cabinet to grab the coffee filters. “Because I have a funny story about it. It’s really funny. Super funny. We’re all going to laugh. It’s about Zach and me. Yeah. So, here’s the funny thing. We’re not—”
“Berry Nut House,” Dad said, snapping his fingers.
“That’s it!” Mom twisted to give him a high five. “See, I knew you’d remember.” She jumped out of her chair with a whoop and began bumping her hip against his in the weird celebratory dance they used to break into occasionally during the game Password.
Charlotte forgot about the coffee as she stared, uncertain whether to be embarrassed by her parents . . . or envious. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen them so carefree and happy, Mom whooping and hip bumping, and Dad standing with both fists raised like he’d just taken down the Soviets in Rocky IV.
“Sorry,” Dad eventually said, taking a seat and tugging Mom onto his lap, so their faces were both in view of the camera. “The sea air is obviously making your mom wacky. I’m trying to keep her under control, but—”
