Her uncle Glen was still up. Of course, he was. No matter how old she got, he would always look out for her. It didn’t matter that she was a grown woman, capable of handling herself. He still worried. And she knew exactly what he would say when she walked inside. Something about how he wasn’t actually waiting up for her, that something on the TV had just happened to catch his eye.
Charley huffed out a small laugh as she shut off the engine. She grabbed her purse and bag, then stepped out of the car and made her way inside.
As soon as she pushed open the front door, there was her Uncle Glen sitting in his recliner with a half-empty glass of iced tea in hand.
Then, as if right on cue, he spoke up.
“Hey, kiddo. I didn’t hear you pull up. I was going to head up to bed, but then got engrossed in this show,” he said, motioning toward the large TV that hung on the wall.
“Right,” she said, shutting the door behind her. “And I suppose the TV also made you check the clock every five minutes until I got home?”
Her uncle scoffed as he waved her off. But Charley didn’t miss the slight smirk he tried to hide.
“I wasn’t waiting for you,” he insisted, taking a slow sip of his tea.
“Sure.” Charley kicked off her shoes and sank onto the couch, stretching out her legs. “You could just admit you were waiting for me. We both know it’s true. At least I’ll be moved into my place this weekend, so you won’t have to stay up worrying anymore.”
He grunted, then set his glass down. “You think I won’t still worry just because you’re moving out?”
When she didn’t answer, he sighed and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.
“It doesn’t matter where you sleep. I’ll always worry about you.”
Charley swallowed hard, emotion tightening her chest. Leave it to Uncle Glen to say something so simple and still hit her right where it hurt. She looked away for a moment, blinking fast, reminded that no matter how old she got or how far she moved, she was still loved and still watched over.
She offered him a small smile. “Thanks, Uncle Glen.”
He smirked, then sat back in his chair.
As they both sat there staring at the TV, neither saying anything, Charley’s thoughts drifted toward the stranger again, and the paper with the names on it. They were both obviously connected, but how? She wondered whether the stranger’s name was among the three listed. The only way she was going to get answers was to somehow talk to the guy.
Charley thought about bringing up the stranger and the paper with the names on it. But then she decided not to. At least not until she could piece it together and make some sense of it. For all she knew, the person could be some wacko who seriously needed some help.
Charley was drawn from her thoughts by her uncle’s voice.
“What’s on your mind, kiddo?”
“Huh?” She asked, looking over at him.
“You look like you’re in deep thought over there.”
Does she tell him? Giving her mind a silent shake, she chose for now to keep those thoughts to herself.
“Just work things,” she replied, keeping to a safe answer. And she wasn’t lying. Whatever the situation with the stranger was, it was sort of related to work.
“How are things coming along?”
“Everything is coming together nicely. It’s just a lot of small tasks that need to be done.”
“Just don’t overdo it. You hit the ground running when you got here and haven’t stopped. Just remember that you can’t help anyone if you don’t take care of yourself first.”
She smiled tiredly. “I know. I’ll be fine.”
“Uh-huh.” His brow lifted, and he looked totally unconvinced. “That’s what you always say.”
Charley playfully rolled her eyes, but a warmth settled in her chest. As exhausting as the day had been, and as much as she hated making him worry, it felt good knowing that he cared.
They talked for a few more minutes before she finally pushed herself off the couch. “Alright, I’m calling it a night. I need a shower and sleep before I have to do all this again tomorrow.”
