“So, why were you late?” I asked, weirdly pleased when that made her look back at me. “Did you have some kind of—I’m sorry. I don’t even know what you do for a living. Work emergency?”
“In a manner of speaking.” Her shoulders hunched, her jaw tightening a little, that same spark of a challenge in her eyes. “I don’t expect you to understand this, but one of the girls in my program had a rough week. She called and asked me to come over. It took longer than I expected.”
I cocked my head. “Your program? Rehab?”
“Big Sister,” she said, glaring at me. “I mentor some girls around the city. Help them with school stuff. Life stuff. Whatever they need. Field trips, fundraisers. You know, normal volunteer work. Not drug rehab, you jerk.”
I shrugged, trying to gauge why she was reacting so defensively. She was nervous about this, careful, but there was pride tucked between her words. “That’s really cool. Admirable, even.”
Her gaze met mine and I couldn’t read it at first, but it seemed guarded and even a little skeptical. “Are you serious right now or are you making fun of me?”
“Why would I be making fun of you?”
“Because I spend my days helping little girls with math and makeup while you guys try to take over the world.”
I flat out laughed. “Darlin’, I raise cattle and count calves. I’m not sure that counts as trying to take over the world.”
“Funny. I’ve heard you’re doing a lot more than that.”
I shrugged. “I’m sure you do a lot more than teach little girls about makeup and math, but I don’t think we need to list our accomplishments. Unless this is secretly a job interview and you’d like my resume?”
Color spread across her cheeks. Her dark blue eyes were suddenly sparkling like they had stars embedded in them. “No, Idon’t suppose we do. So youareactually serious about thinking that it’s cool, what I do?”
“Yeah, of course.” My brow furrowed. “Why wouldn’t I?”
The corner of her mouth lifted in a smile that seemed strangely relieved. “I was worried you might think that it’s silly. Most people seem to.”
I let out a low chuckle. “Maybe I did think that at first, but I’ve learned that I was wrong.”
“You’re willing to admit that?”
I shrugged. “Why not? If it’s true, it’s true. Sadie, my sister, and Jameson’s wife, which I guess makes her, like, your cousin-in-law now. God, that’s weird to think about, but anyway, Sadie has completely devoted her life to her foundation. It benefits animals and not kids, but yeah, I still admire the hell out of her for it.”
“I’ve heard about that,” Charlotte said softly, her eyes practically glued to mine like she was still trying to figure out if I was about to start laughing. “Do you really support her, then?”
I nodded. “Now? Absolutely.”
“Only now?”
“Yep.” I sighed, absently scratching the side of my neck as some of that old shame rolled back in. “I wish I could say I always have, but at first, I really thought it was foolish. Just some hobby gone wrong that also happened to be a black hole for money, but after she and Jameson got together, we talked about it a lot. Eventually, I realizedIwas the fool.”
“So you get it?” she asked almost hopefully.
“Yeah, I think I do.”
I looked back at her, wondering why this seemed so difficult for her to understand. It made me wonder what she put up with from her family. Maybe even her friends. I knew what Sadie had gone through and I wasn’t proud to have been part of it, but if there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that asking her aboutthe organizations she worked with would draw her out of her shell.
“So, tell me about this program of yours. It sounds really cool, getting to be there for kids. What are they like? What kinds of things do you help them with?”
“They’re awesome and I help them with everything they need me for,” she said, then started talking about what she did and about the girls in the program, and it was like watching her come alive.
I practically felt the ice between us melt and I realized, for the first time, she wasn’t just a Westwood heir or a rich Chicago princess. Somewhere between the piano recitals, the braces, and now, the boobs, she’d become an honest-to-God woman.
A beautiful, strong, witty woman with a heart of gold and, from what I’d seen with her and Alex the other night, a backbone of steel. She was also so passionate that evenIwas halfway convinced to sign up to become a mentor by the time our first cup of coffee was done.
We paused for a few minutes while I got up to order another round. When I got back, she was giggling at something on her phone. She turned the screen to show me. “That’s Emily. She’s only ten, but she wants to be a comedian when she grows up. Check her out. She’s actually pretty good.”
She hit play, and a few seconds later, I was laughing too, surprised that someone so young could have such a huge personality. After we’d watched the video together, Charlotte replied with a string of cheering emojis. Then she turned back to me with a huge grin on her face.
