“Yes, ma’am.” While Rosie’s coffee couldn’t compare to Alma’s, the pumpkin spice creamer was a nice touch. Knox would have hated it. Thinking of him made Charlie’s eyes well up with tears, but she wiped them away. Today wasn’t for crying; it was for figuring out her next steps.
Drew came into the kitchen, wearing shorts over black running tights, a Northlife Fitness hoodie, and a fleece toque. Even bundled up, there was no denying his innate hotness. He was lean and muscular, with the cutest dimple when he smiled. Though he wasn’t Charlie’s type, he was a great match for Rosie.
“Hey, Charlie. Thanks for helping,” he said. “Now I can go running without any guilt.”
“Are you sure you’re dressed warmly enough? Even with the sun out, it’s chillier than I thought. The wind is vicious.”
“I’ll be fine. I consider it a challenge.”
Rosie rolled her eyes. “I still don’t see the appeal, but have a good run.”
He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. “Thanks. Save a cookie for me.”
After he left, Charlie turned to her friend. “Things are good between you two?”
“They’re great, though I’ll never be into running. Hiking, sure. But running? Not unless someone’s chasing me.” She set a bowl of orange icing next to one of the trays. “You can start with the pumpkin cookies. Once you frost them, you need to decorate them with Halloween sprinkles. While you’re doing that, I want to hear all about last night.”
“I’ll give you the full recap.” Charlie finished her coffee and set down the mug.
She was glad Rosie had asked her to help frost the cookies, since focusing on the task at hand might stave off another round of tears. She spread the orange icing over each pumpkin cookie, describing the gala as she did so. When she got to the painful confrontation with Lila and Evan, her throat clogged with emotion, but she kept going. Right up to the heated argument in Knox’s truck that had put an end to their evening. This time, she let a few tears fall before wiping them away with her sleeve.
When she was done, Rosie spoke up. “That sucks. I’m so sorry it turned out that way.”
“Me, too. The worst part is it didn’t have to end like that. If I hadn’t gone off on Lila, Evan wouldn’t have come to her rescue and kicked us out of the gala. I messed up everything.”
The timer went off, and Rosie took another batch of cookies out of the oven. Since the breakfast bar and kitchen counters were full, she set the baking sheet on the coffee table across from her couch. “Maybe you said too much, but you were standing up for Knox. You really care about him, right?”
“I do. We haven’t been together for very long, but I’ve never felt like this about anyone. Not even Randolph, and I was engaged to him.”
“Then your reaction was justified. If someone hurt Drew that way, I wouldn’t be able to keep quiet.”
“But I still wouldn’t let it go, even after we left the Grand Duke. And…” Charlie’s breath hitched. “Knox got so mad at me.” She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, trying to get a handle on her shaky emotions.
Rosie frowned. “He shouldn’t have treated you like that.”
While Charlie appreciated her friend’s support, she couldn’t let Knox take all the blame. “It was harsh, but nothing he said was a lie.”
Giving her a nod, Rosie wiped her hands on her apron and picked up a bowl of black frosting. “So…do you want sympathy or advice? I’m happy to dole out either.”
Sympathy might improve Charlie’s mood, but it wouldn’t solve anything. “Advice. Don’t be afraid to give me some tough love.”
Rosie dipped a knife into the frosting and began icing the bat-shaped cookies. “How long have you been living at your parents’ place?”
Charlie cringed. “Three years. But before you say anything, you have to remember I was desperate when I moved into that apartment.”
“That was after you broke up with Randolph, right? You didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
Charlie looked down, too ashamed to face her. She swirled her knife in the orange frosting to soften it up a little. “That wasn’t the only reason. I’ve never told anyone this, but I was also dealing with a lot of credit card debt.”
“Really? You always seem so careful with money. Other than your coffee addiction, which I can relate to.”
That made Charlie laugh. She and Rosie had often joked that too much of their salary went toward supporting Alma’s Beanery. But the credit card debt had been no laughing matter.
“When I was dating Randolph, he had high expectations. He pressured me into joining an expensive gymanda yoga studio so I’d stay in shape. He even hung a calendar in our kitchen and asked me to write down my workouts. If I missed a day, he’d give me a hard time about it.”
“What the hell?” Rosie stared at her, gripping her knife tightly. “That’s horribly controlling. Drew literally works as a personal trainer, and he’d never pull shit like that.”
The memories made Charlie sick with anxiety. “It gets worse. For every social event we attended, he wanted me dressed in designer clothes. He didn’t like me to repeat outfits, so I went shopping constantly. When I told my mom about it, she said, ‘Don’t worry. Once you’re married, he can take care of you.’ So I didn’t. Until I was single and realized how much debt I was in.”
