Page 22 of Charlie and Her Sweet Escape
I knew exactly what he meant, but it was easy to sass Bennett, to playfully hit him with a pillow or put him in his place. He took my indignation in stride. In fact, I suspected he enjoyed it. Greg’s tolerance of behaviors was small, at best.
“Besides, who wouldn’t want to talk about these abs?” He started to lift the hem of his shirt.
“Me.” I put a hand on his to stop him. “I would love to never talk about them again.”
He winced playfully. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. Have you considered thatyoumight be the one with a fear of bare skin?”
A burst of laughter shot out of me, loud enough to disturb Hansel, who was curled at my feet. He lifted his head like a drunk little puppy and then whined to be picked up. I tugged him close to my chest and kissed him between the ears. I needed to soak in Hansel snuggles while I had the chance.
Bennett studied me with an unreadable expression. “I’ll take good care of him. I promise.”
“I know you will.”
The moment felt emotionally charged and heavy. I was grateful when Rosie stumbled into the room looking like she’d just woken up from a two-day nap. “Caffeine. Stat,” she mumbled. Then she spotted me, and her eyes cleared. “Oh good. You’re still here.” She yawned wide enough for her jaw to crack and squeezed onto the couch between me and Bennett, half on each of us.
“There are four other places in this room you could sit,” Bennett told her.
“But none where I could hug you at the same time.” She threw her arms around our necks and hugged us tight. “I love you both so much.”
Bennett caught my eye over Rosie’s head, and we shared an amused smile. I missed Rosie in the kind of way that hurt my heart if I thought too much about it.
Bennett stood, and Rosie tilted into where he’d been. He ruffled her hair as he headed toward the kitchen, and she didn’t bat an eye as her hair wildly haloed her head. I’d always lovedtheir relationship. That certain belonging and comfort they had with each other. It was such an elusive feeling for me.
“What time is your thing?” Rosie scratched Hansel’s ears and cooed at him.
“My thing?” Hansel licked my chin, and I sank even deeper into the couch. If I pretended I never had to leave, I wouldn’t have to say goodbye to him.
“The interview.”
My stomach dropped as I sat up so abruptly, Hansel fell down into my lap with a startled yip. “I totally lost track of time!” I grabbed my phone from my purse and saw a missed call and text from Greg. “It’s in thirty minutes.”
Greg: Can’t break away from work today. You’ll have to do the interview without me.
I pressed call, and Greg answered just before it went to voicemail. “I’m heading into a meeting. What’s up?”
What’s up?I clenched my jaw, and Hansel bailed into Rosie’s lap. “Greg, they don’t want to meet with just me. I need you there too. Can you find a quiet room and log in? We don’t have to be in the same room together, but we both have to be on the call.”
“Do it without me. Talk me up.” He chuckled.
“They want to see both of us,” I pressed. “This means a lot to me, Greg. Can you step out of your meeting for fifteen minutes?”
“No.” Someone said something to him, and his muffled voice responded back. “I’ve got to go.”
I kept the phone to my ear, even after the thick silence let me know he’d ended the call.
Rosie released a weighted sigh.
“He’s just so busy with important things …” My words faded away at her somber frown.
“Thisis important toyou, and he’s blowing it off,” she said.
My eyes watered, and I stared down at Hansel as I blinked away the tears. Well,Married in the Wildwas off the table. I’d have to come up with another way to help Mom.
Or maybe I needed to listen to Greg, who insisted this was Mom’s problem and not mine. But weren’t families supposed to be there for each other? To support one another? Rosie and her brothers had each other’s backs, no matter what. I’d always loved that about them. And I’d sometimes been jealous of it too. It could be lonely being in a family of two, especially when my mom had to work as much as she did.
But then I’d met Greg and felt like I had a person who was just for me. The one who would look for me in a crowded room, and bypass everyone else to get to me. The one who would save a seat for me at the table and have my favorite drink ready. The one who would cut a quick look to me when someone said something ridiculous, and we’d have an entire conversation about it without even speaking.
He’d remembered me when no one else did.
