Charlotte was here.
Chapter Sixteen
Charlotte tried to act as if she weren’t coming apart at the seams as Marin invited her into the house. But she was, and being in the same room with Marin only made it worse because now Charlotte’s hormones had entered the equation. Her body kept reminding her how it felt to kiss Marin, while her head was reminding her that she didn’t need a relationship right now.
“How does it feel to be a homeowner?” she asked, trying to sound casual.
“It’s great. A little daunting because I’m realizing how many things I still need to buy and how much there is to do now that the house is mine, but still ... great.”
Charlotte crouched to greet the puppy bouncing excitedly against her legs. “And how do you like the new house, Ember?”
“Safe to say she’s a fan,” Marin answered.
“Has she checked out the fenced-in yard yet?”
“No, but now’s as good a time as any. We’ve been here longer than I realized, and she probably needs to go out. Want to go outside,Ember?” Marin led the way to a sliding door that opened into the backyard.
Ember cocked her head, staring at the door in confusion.
Marin opened it, gesturing toward the snow-covered yard beyond, and the puppy just stared harder. “You’re allowed to go out by yourself now. Did you know that?” When the puppy made no move, Marin sighed and went to get her shoes, then led the way out the back door with Ember at her heels.
Charlotte waited inside, using the opportunity to observe Marin as she interacted with her puppy in the backyard. Somehow Marin got more beautiful every time Charlotte saw her. She was thriving in her new job and with her puppy and the house and her tentative steps into the dating scene. Maybe her newfound confidence caused the radiance that seemed to surround her like an aura every time Charlotte looked at her.
Or maybe the difference was Charlotte. Maybe she’d started out thinking of Marin as a friend and as Charlotte’s feelings became more complicated, moreromantic, she’d started to see Marin in a new light. Now, Charlotte was looking at the woman she wanted to touch and kiss, and yes, Charlotte found her captivatingly beautiful.
Currently, Charlotte was fixated on the raspberry-hued lipstick on Marin’s lips and the way snowflakes glittered in her dark hair as she tromped through the yard with Ember. Marin laughed as the puppy dove into a snowdrift, and the sound was so beautiful. It made Charlotte ache with yearning. How was she supposed to get them back in the friend zone when she wanted Marin this badly?
When had she gone from being a straight woman with a female friend to ...this? Charlotte rubbed a hand over her eyes, trying to get control of herself. Marin had asked her to stop by so they could talk, and suddenly, she had no idea what to say.
Whatcouldshe say?
“She likes the yard.”
Charlotte blinked. While she’d been spiraling, Marin and Ember had come back into the house. “I thought she would.”
“We’re making a mess.” Marin looked down at her shoes, which were making puddles of melted snow on the hardwood floor. “But I didn’t bring any towels with me, and well ... I have cleaners coming tomorrow, so I guess it doesn’t matter. Charlotte ...”
Her tone changed on that last word. Marin was staring at her in a way that said she was ready for that talk. Charlotte swallowed thickly.
“I wish I could at least get us some water,” Marin said. “I didn’t plan this very well.”
“You’re on a well here, so your tap water is probably the best water you’ve ever tasted. If there’s a cup or anything already in the kitchen ...”
“Let’s see.” Marin took off her shoes and padded to the kitchen in her socks. She poked through cabinets, eventually saying “Aha! I found a package of plastic cups. Okay, let’s test out my well water.” She filled two red Solo cups and handed one to Charlotte, then sipped from her own. Her eyes widened. “Thatisgood water. Now I understand why the refrigerator here doesn’t produce filtered water.”
“No need. Mother Nature’s already given you the best, right from your backyard.” Charlotte stared into her cup. “Marin, I’m sorry.”
“For?”
“For kissing you.” Charlotte looked up, gripping her cup so tightly it crinkled beneath her fingers. “You were drunk, and I took advantage. I have no idea what I was thinking.”
“I’d love to know what you were thinking,” Marin said softly, “and why you’d say you were taking advantage. To me, it felt like two people enjoying a kiss.” Her gaze dropped to the counter, something vulnerable flitting across her face.
“That’s how it felt to me too,” Charlotte rushed on, still trying not to crumple her cup as her nerves sought an escape. “But I ... I was drunk.”
“You kissed me because you were drunk?” Marin looked at her, and there was no mistaking the hurt in her eyes, or in her voice.
Charlotte was messing this up, but she couldn’t admit this confusing attraction ... could she? Certainly she couldn’t admit it to Marin before she was ready to fully acknowledge it to herself. “I don’t know.”
