“As always, it’s been fun T. See you around.” The woman must have walked away, because Trey took a step back and swung the door shut behind her.
The spectators tried to look busy as Trey turned back to the room, his jaw clenched and brows creased with worry.
His dark mahogany eyes landed on her and softened slightly. Charlotte still stood on the bottom step leading from the bedrooms to the main living area. Trey crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her hips. The extra height, along with her heels, put them at almost eye level with each other. The turmoil churning behind his irises had her stomach twisting.
“What was that all about?”
Trey didn’t answer, just laid his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. Not knowing what to say, Charlotte simply traced her hands up his muscled arms, and loved them behind his neck, letting him take whatever comfort he needed at that moment. But her mind still whirled to every possibility of who the woman could be. Both grateful and disappointed she hadn’t been able to see the mysterious woman, Charlotte couldn’t help but wonder if it had been an ex-girlfriend.
“Trey, I’m going to need some answers at some point. You know that, right?”
Trey nodded as he backed away from her. “I promise, they are coming, just not yet.”
Trust between the two of them had come so easily from the start. Charlotte never doubted Trey until now, until the night he walked out on her and stopped answering her texts. Despite wanting to believe he had good reasons for all this, for not telling her what was going on, Charlotte found building that trust back up after it had been damaged to be extremely difficult. Maybe a few months ago, she would have let everything slide. That girl might not have had the courage to ask for the answers she deserved. But Charlotte had changed since meeting Trey, since taking on more at work. Since making friends with Bekah and Mira.
This new Charlotte wouldn’t let Trey make promises and not follow up on them. Just as she opened her mouth to let him know she wouldn’t be waiting around forever, Trey’s father came up behind him, clapping a hand on his shoulder.
“Son, can I talk to you in my office?”
Trey’s entire body deflated. He placed a gentle, chaste kiss on her mouth and turned to go with his father.
As soon as they stepped away, Trey’s mother replaced them asking if Charlotte could help her clean up in the kitchen. Breaking from her stupor, Charlotte looked around to find that people had begun drifting out of the house, the party apparently coming to a close. Her mind going in ever which direction, Charlotte followed Vi into the kitchen, and they worked in companionable silence to put away all the leftovers.
The silence between them made the room feel even smaller. Vi had been so gregarious during the party, but now an unmistakable shroud of sadness had dampened the naturally cheerful woman. Charlotte didn’t like the shift in the woman’s mood. It reminded her too much of her own mother, though on a much smaller scale.
Finally, Vi broke the silence. “I don’t know what you must be thinking about all of this. But I just want you to know, Trey is a good man. A great man. He’s got this great big heart that wants to help everyone, maybe even when they don’t deserve help. I know as the wife of a preacher I shouldn’t say something like that. I should say that every sin is forgivable. That every sinner is redeemable. But, I guess I’m just not that good of a person.”
“Was that woman, was she…” Charlotte blew out the air she’d been holding in her lungs, afraid to voice the question plaquing her.
“She was special to us all. Though probably not in the way you’re thinking. That brain of yours is worrying so hard, I can practically smell the smoke coming from your ears.” She offered Charlotte a sympathetic smile, and turned to the pile of dishes in the sink. “Well, these aren’t going to clean themselves. God knows my husband can’t do them either. I love that guy with every beat of my heart, but dishes are not something he excels at. Banned him from the job when he broke one of my mother’s Waterford crystal glasses. He never did like her. I’m convinced he did it to spite her and to get out of clean up duty for the rest of our marriage.”
Charlotte accepted the change in subject, and took her place next to the suddenly older looking woman, drying each dish as it was handed over.
Right about the time they finished, Trey emerged from his father’s den, his face carefully blank. He made a beeline for Charlotte, gathering her in his arms and placing a delicate kiss on the top of her head.
So many questions popped in her head, but she let them all float away. He said he would tell her soon. This wasn’t like work where she needed to keep poking a prodding until the puzzle pieces clicked into place. A relationship didn’t work like that. Or at least she didn’t think it did. She had no idea really.
“Ma, you mind if I steal my girl from you and head home?” Trey turned Charlotte in his arms, so that her back rested against his chest, and his chin sat on top of her head. He couldn’t seem to get her close enough, his arms banding around her waist. The affection he showed in front of his own mother made her cheeks flame red, especially considering what they had done not even an hour again in his room.
“Of course, sweetheart.” Vi crossed to Trey, and he reluctantly let Charlotte go in favor of picking his mom up in one of his bear hugs. His mother whispered something in his ear, patted him on the back, then pushed at his chest. “Put me down, you big brute. I swear you are my Daddy all over.”
Trey chuckled, some of the life coming back into his rugged face. “I take that as a compliment.”
Once again slinging his arm around Charlotte’s shoulders, they made their way to the door. Indecision plagued her every step of the way. She knew Trey wanted to go home with her. Wanted to reconnect physically. But Charlotte wasn’t sure that was such a good idea. She’d given so much of herself over to this man already. If he took much more, there would be nothing standing if he left again.
