“I wanted to help mommy and daddy, and tried to run into the camper, but Grandma grabbed the back of my hoodie and pulled me away. She said that Mommy was brave and could handle the bear. Then Pop Pop said we should look at the stars, and Grandma told him that there were stars because it was cloudy. And Pop Pop said, ‘Then we’ll look at the clouds.’”
Seinna then leaned in closer, lowering her voice dramatically, but still loud enough for the few tables around them to hear every word spoken. “But then, as Grandma and Pop Pop were taking me to look at the clouds, I heard Daddy yell to Mommy that she was squeezing it too hard and then Daddy screamed.”
Charley grinned as she rested her chin on her hand. “Your Daddy screamed? Was it like…ahh! Or more like…AHHHHHH?”
Bailey made a choking noise behind her napkin. “Charley, stop encouraging her.”
Charley widened her eyes in mock defense. “What? I’m not encouraging. I’m clarifying.”
Sienna nodded, as if pleased to have a supportive audience. Then she continued. “I heard Pop Pop say that he sounded like a dying seagull.”
Charley leaned forward, pressing her fingers against her lips to keep from laughing because everyone at that table, except for Sienna, knew exactly what was going on inside that camper. “What do you think Mommy was squeezing?”
Sienna rolled her eyes, as if Charley had asked the dumbest question. “The ketchup bottle. Grandma said that Mommy and the bear became friends, and she was trying to put ketchup on their hot dogs.”
Charley couldn’t take it any longer, and she lost it. A laugh burst out of her before she could stop it. Ray broke next, a bark of laughter escaping him. Pierce was followed, his coughs turning into laughter. Jessica laughed so hard that she snorted. Alex sat there dabbing her eyes like she was at a funeral for Irish’s dignity. Ace was full-on laughing and giving Irish a look that said he couldn’t wait to tell the team about this.
Both Irish and Bailey looked at Charley, giving her a look that said, “Paybacks are a bitch.” But then they too started laughing.
“So, yeah. Camping was fun,” Sienna said, sitting back and popping a fry into her mouth as if she had just delivered a TED Talk.
As Charley laughed, Pierced leaned in and whispered to her, “You’re enjoying this way too much.”
Charley grinned. “I mean, that’s half the fun of family, isn’t it? Loving them and giving them a hard time in equal measure.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Charley pulled her car into the foundation’s parking lot and shifted into park, but she didn’t reach for the door right away. Pierce’s deep voice came through the Bluetooth.
“I’m telling you, Ray absolutely burned the steaks,” Pierce was saying. “He claims it was ‘intentional char.’ I call that creative denial.”
Charley laughed, resting her forehead against the steering wheel for a second. “You guys are so dramatic.”
The last few weeks with Pierce had been wonderful. Between work, they found time to spend together—dinners out, nights when he came over to her apartment for dinner, long conversations over the phone, and quiet evenings that somehow never felt long enough. Still, the walks on the beach had become her favorite. There was something about being beside him with the ocean at their backs and the fading light around them that made everything else fall away. In those moments, and in all the ones in between, Charley had found herself learning Pierce piece by piece, and with every new part of him he let her see, she fell a little harder. Fast enough that it should have unnerved her. Instead, it felt right.
As for the foundation, things have been non-stop since the grand opening, which is a great thing. They’ve already helped so many individuals and families.
“How’s your day?” he asked, and his tone shifted just enough that she could hear the sincerity underneath the humor.
“Busy,” she said, glancing toward the foundation building. “But productive. I secured two very large grants today.”
“That’s awesome.”
“It is.”
“Are we still on for dinner tonight at my place?” he asked.
This will be the first time she’s been to his place. And she was excited.
“Yep. Is six-thirty still good for you?” she asked.
“Yup.”
“Perfect. I’ll see you at your place at six-thirty then.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
“Me too.”
