“Okay, I will.” But I knew it was fine, and I would sign it. I knew they would protect my interests as much as their own. Why? Because they were offering me the loft to do just that. Protect my peace and my time and my commitment to Craft. But mostly because they were protecting me, their friend.
These kinds of people were rare in this world. Rare and precious...
Mine.
“We want the best for you, Ada. Whether that’s here and in the loft or somewhere else. We love you, Ada. You’re like family.”
“All right,” Will announced, standing, “I have to get back to packing.” He moved toward the door but put his finger in the air like he remembered something important. “By the way, Ada, you don’t have to keep your problems to yourself. If something comes up, we want to hear about it. We want to help you. That’s what friends do.”
“We’re more than friends,” Eliza insisted. “We’re family. We’re... framily.”
That was true. They were my family. I loved my mom and Adleigh more than anything on this planet, but these people were right there too.
“Framily,” Will echoed. “I like it.”
And with that, he left the office and headed to my future home. Miles poked his head in almost immediately after and asked for help with something on the computer. I stood to go, but Eliza jumped in and said she’d take care of it.
Which was nice, because I wanted to talk to Charlie.
He stood against the wall near the door, casual as can be. His hair had been freshly cut with the sides tightly shaved and the top long and styled. He was tall and gorgeous and so full of the devil.
“I can’t believe you did this for me.” The tears were back, but I managed to hold them in. Barely.
Half his mouth lifted in a smug smile. “Like Will said, next time you have problems, come to us.”
“How are you suddenly in the business of solving all my problems anyway? I feel like I’m usually the one getting you out of a jam.”
He shrugged. “Maybe I’ve turned over a new leaf.”
I shook my head. “Maybe you were never actually helpless. Maybe it was all an act.”
“It was,” he quickly agreed. “I like playing the damsel in distress.” He captured my wrist when I tried to walk by him. “I like it when you save me.”
My heart kicked against my breastbone, and a tingly shiver moved over my skin. “Oh really? I’m your version of a white knight?”
He tugged me a little closer to him. His eyes were vibrant green, twinkling with something dark and dangerous. “You’re my version of perfect, Ada.”
Suddenly, it was hard to breathe. Suddenly, it was hard to see past the fluttering of frantic butterflies erupting throughout my body. Suddenly, I wanted to throw my arms around this man and thank him for everything in a way that didn’t use our mouths. Or at least didn’t use our mouths for talking.
What was I supposed to do with this? Besides get naked and force him to get naked too?
But I remembered what it had been like last time. How good it had been until it was so, so bad. I remembered how hurt I’d been. How tossed aside I’d felt.
“Charlie, I—”
He grinned—a roguish, sly, challenging grin. Without saying a word, he lifted my arm and pressed a kiss to the inside of my wrist. Then he walked away. And I stood there trying to figure out how to resist this man who was so much more than I had ever given him credit for.
eleven
The Beanery wasa spacious coffee shop about ten minutes from my apartment. It was in the corner of an odd-shaped building and wrapped around the block with the barista counter in the middle. It had a lot of booths and tables, along with a gift shop with kitschy Durham souvenirs and a whole wall of T-shirts.
They had fantastic Wi-Fi and scones.
I arrived five minutes early and scouted out the two sides of the seating area so I would have a plan where to guide us.
Neurotic? Yes. Still necessary? Also yes.
Before the whole loft proposal, I’d suggested meeting my dad on Sunday so I would have Monday to recover should I need it. Craft was closed Sunday and Monday even though I usually still worked—from home on my computer or at the bar. It was always easier to get work done when it was quiet. And empty. But I could take Monday off if I needed it. I just dreaded the workload come Tuesday.
