“Here,” Charles says as he places a paper towel containing a brownie right in front of me. “Thank you, for everything. Cupcake is basically my kid.”
“I get it,” I say around a bite of brownie.
Charles smiles indulgently down at me. “She likes you.”
“She scared me at first because she’s so big.”
“Yeah, she has that effect on people.”
“Kind of like you.”
Charles lifts one eyebrow. “Like me?”
“Well, you’re so…” I wave my hands around at him and his smile gets even more crooked, which sort of makes my day. “You both get greeted with a lot of perceived biases by people, I’m sure.”
“True.”
I shove the rest of the brownie into my mouth with a grin. “Where’s this week’s puzzle?”
Charles’ grin somehow doubles in size. “At the dining table.”
I turn around and head into the dining room, snorting at the sight of the Saint Bernard–themed puzzle on the table. The scene is a Saint Bernard with one of those medicine things around its neck as it faces a snowy mountain with a lodge in the distance.
“Who picked it out?”
Charles sighs fondly. “My best friend, Courtney.”
Wait a minute. “Courtney McRae?”
Charles blinks. “Yes.”
“Super Bowl legend Courtney McRae does puzzles with you over video call every week?”
“Yes?” Charles says again, but this time a little frightened sounding.
“Absolutely amazing. Can I join sometime?”
“Oh… Yes. Yes, you can. If you want.”
“I want.”
We stare at each other for a few moments, then turn away at the same time with twin blooms of crimson on both of our cheeks. Fuck me. I hustle to grab my guitar and head out of the house before we do something stupid like… I don’t even know at this point. We’re dancing around each other just waiting for the lightning to strike.
I flee without another word, but when I glance toward the house as I back out of the driveway, it’s to find Charles standing at the front door watching me go like he can’t bear to see me leave.
River is blastingrock when he picks me up again. This time instead of going to mini golf, we make the drive to see Ms. Marcia in the care facility. Windows down and grunge blasting, it feels like we’ve time traveled back to high school. River has still been weird the past few weeks, but if he doesn’t want to talk, I won’t make him. That’s pretty much my philosophy with everyone.
“I gotta talk to her about me taking over the festival forgood,” River grumbles as he brakes hard in the back of the parking lot. I grab theoh shitbar just to piss him off because we’re parked now, and he can’t kill me in the car while parked. “Give it a break.”
“Haha.” I reach over and squeeze his cheek. “Ms. Marcia will be happy to have you take it over. I don’t think she wants an assistant. She’s ready to pass it off to you, kid.”
“I’m older than you by two months.”
I send him an exaggerated wink. “So true. I should call you Daddy instead.”
“I will vomit all over you.”
I jump out of the car before he has time to make good on that promise. I learned a long time ago that River is capable of anything. As we make our way toward the front of the lot, I notice a very familiar silver truck. What is Charles doing here?
