“What is this?” Charlie’s brows ascend toward space. His gaze flicks to mine. His lip twitches.
“Just give it to me.”
Charlie holds it out, and I lunge so quickly I almost fall into the water. He steadies me by the arm, smiling.
“Not a word.”
He lifts his hands. “I didn’t say a thing.”
Charlie steps onto the dock just as I hear Nan’s voice. “Alice, are you going to introduce me to your friend?”
I stare at the deck, where she stands with her walker.
“He’s not my friend,” I call back.
“Rude,” Charlie says.
“Bring him up for tea.”
Charlie turns to me, grinning. “Bring me up for tea, Alice.”
11
“Are you collecting handsome men today?” Nan asks when Charlie and I arrive at the top of the stairs.
“Just the one,” I tell her. “Nan, this is Charlie Florek. He’s looking after the property for John.”
“Our spirited letter writer and handyman?”
“The very same.”
Her smile blooms as she pieces it together. “And the gentleman from the grocery store this morning?”
“Yup.”
Charlie folds his arms across his chest, smug. “She told you about me, huh?”
Nan’s smile is wider than I’ve seen it since we arrived, encompassing every inch of her face—her lips, the skin around her mouth, the creases around her eyes.
“Nanette Everly.” She sticks out her hand, and Charlie envelops it with his palm. “But everyone calls me Nan. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done around the cottage. I’m sure Alice has told you how grateful we are.”
His eyes skate to me. “Actually, she left that part out.”
“You’re so dashing she must have forgotten herself.”
“Now that you mention it, she did seem a bit flustered.”
I meet his shimmering gaze with daggers.
“Make yourself comfortable, Charlie,” she says. “And I’ll fix us tea.”
“I can do it, Nan.”
“Nonsense.”
“Please.” I feel Charlie watching us. I don’t want to fight in front of him, but Nan can’t go back and forth between the kitchen and the deck easily. Nor do I want her to attempt it with cups of tea balanced on her walker. “Just let me.”
“I’m more than capable,dear.” She’s being polite in front of company, but I know what it means when she saysdearlike that.
