Gunner made a couple of selections and headed toward the counter. His heart broke for Charlotte. Her disappointment had been evident in the slump of her shoulders, in the downward tilt to her eyes. He couldn’t even imagine what she was going through. But he wanted to help her through it.
He set the items on the counter.
“This it?” the cashier asked.
“Yep.”
The cashier scanned the items. “Six forty-two.”
Gunner slipped his card into the machine. “Is Craig working tonight by any chance?”
“He only works during garage hours, nine to five.”
“Okay, thanks.” Gunner pulled his card.
“Need a bag?”
“No thanks. Have a good evening.”
“You too.”
Gunner exited the store and headed around the truck.
Behind the passenger window Charlotte swiped at her face.
His gut clenched. She was a wonderful person. Had such a sweet spirit about her. He hated that she was hurting. Hewould help her find her father if it was the last thing he did. She deserved to have people in her life who loved her. And heaven help the man if he did anything to hurt her.
Gunner got inside the vehicle and started it. He handed her the bag of M&M’s. “I know you like them. It’s not a cure-all, but it’s the closest thing they had.”
She breathed out a laugh. “Sharing size. Thanks.”
He pulled from the station and headed back toward Riverbend. “Sorry it didn’t work out the way you wanted it to.”
“I’m being silly. I don’t know why it hit me so hard. This isn’t even a setback really.”
“You’re allowed to be disappointed. This is big stuff, Charlie. Your biological parents are a huge part of who you are—even if you’ve never met one of them.”
“It’s true, but you know what? I don’t have the time or the emotional reserves to deal with all this right now. I think I’ll just put it on hold until after the grand opening. Maybe a little longer. Until the expansion is up and running well. Until I have the headspace to deal with it.”
“Okay... So if I happened to mention your dad’s name to the clerk, would you want to know what he said?”
She whipped her head around. “What did you say? What did he say?”
“I asked if Craig was working. He said he works garage hours, nine to five.”
“He’s a mechanic then?”
“That was my assumption.”
Charlotte stared out the window. “Huh. Kind of funny that I had a vehicle malfunction on the way to meet him the first time—if he even is my father.”
“Also funny that you’re pretty mechanically inclined yourself.”
She tilted a smile his way, staring at him with a faraway look in her eyes. “Yeah. Kinda funny.” She turned back to the landscape rolling past. A few minutes later she spoke again. “I still think I’m gonna put this on hold a bit. But thank you for coming with me tonight. I feel a little better now.”
That one little sentence was all it took to buoy his spirits. “Good enough to share a pizza with me?”
“Do I get to pick the place?”
