Charlotte’s coy smile only grew. “Youcouldhave… However, I may have a surprise stop for us along the way. If you’d like to drive us?”
Still feeling both the effects of Charlotte’s unexpected arrival and of just, well,Charlotte in general, Sutton nodded, taking a few seconds before she confirmed aloud, “Sure. Of course.”
She waited in the chilly evening air as Charlotte leaned into the car to gather her belongings and inform her driver that she didn’t need his services. “For the time being,” she said as she shot Sutton a look over her shoulder that Sutton felt down to her core.
Charlotte had spent the night with her on Thanksgiving. She’d initiated no move of leaving Sutton’s bed, and Sutton had enjoyed it. Sure, she’d liked having a warm, inviting, soft body in her bed, but she’dlovedthat it was Charlotte.
They hadn’t had another opportunity in the last few weeks to recreate that moment.
Except for, apparently, tonight.
She wrestled with the excitement she had and the concern that swirled through her at the implication as they walked to her car.
“Where exactly are we going?” she asked, unlocking the doors.
Charlotte sent her a smile over the roof of her car. “If I told you, Sutton Spencer, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”
Try as Sutton might, she couldn’t muster up anything other than a trill of excitement.
The trill continued to vibrate through her for the next fifteen minutes as Charlotte directed her into a parking lot, as the trill was replaced by confusion.
“Um,” she began as she slowly parked in front of the dark building—Lancaster’s Play Emporium. Lancaster’s was known in the area as a premiere indoor playground, complete with indoor pools and a gigantic toy store. “Though I understand why you thought of Lancaster’s—it’s one of Lucy’s favorite places to come for a treat—it always closes by six on weekdays.”
She turned to give Charlotte a gentle smile; whether or not the play place was open, shedidthink it was a sweet idea. “I appreciate the thought. Even if it was open, I’m sure Lancaster’s has been sold out of the RealJam as soon as the stock comes in.”
She’d called the store section herself a handful of times in the last few months.
Charlotte looked up, from where she’d been typing a message on her phone, to return Sutton’s smile, her eyebrows crinkled in confusion. “You believe I brought you here without realizing it was closed? Sutton, have a little faith.”
It was just a little teasing comment, Sutton knew, and completely unrelated to anything regarding their relationship, but it was a little hard for her to have faith in someone who’d broken her heart the way Charlotte had broken hers.
That was yet another thing that made this whole thing so damn complicated.
She blinked herself out of those thoughts, coming back to the moment as another car pulled into the parking lot a moment later. Sutton frowned as the car slowly drove over to where they were parked; the back door behind the driver opened, and someone climbed out. “Charlotte, what…” She squinted. “Is that Autumn? Your assistant?”
She whipped her head around to stare at Charlotte, who winked at her, before she opened her door and climbed out of the car.
Sutton was still confused—Was she about to be embroiled in some strange, illicit dealing of some sort?! Still, she supposed shedidtrust Charlotte enough that she wouldn’t be involved in something like that, so she turned her own car off and followed suit.
She was more familiar with Autumn than she was with Maya. Although she’d also met Maya more times than she could count at this point, Maya was in constant contact with Charlotte via phone while Autumn was her veritable shadow during working hours.
Autumn was always so put together—as one would have to be in her role—and fastidious, soft-spoken but firm. She was a slip of a woman who could easily fade into Charlotte’s shadow but whose presence she could easily make known with a clearing of her throat. Sutton knew not only from Charlotte’s testimony how much she valued her, but also from their easy interactions.
Autumn was reaching into her pocket as she spoke to Charlotte, withdrawing a small key ring with three keys on it. “The large one will open this main door, and the smaller ones will let you into the toy store and the back room behind the checkout counter, respectively.” Autumn tilted her head down to get a better look at the keys. “I’m not positive which one is which; they didn’t specify.”
Charlotte reached out to accept them. “I’m positive we can figure it out. Thank you for this.”
Sutton watched the short interaction, her brain having to take a few moments to connect the dots before her eyes widened. “Are—did you bring us the keys for Lancaster’s?”
Autumn turned to face her. Her expression was perpetually serious, which Sutton always found interestingly at odds with her almost doll-like face.
“I did. I heard it’s important to your daughter?” She arched her eyebrows in question, and even though Autumn kept that businesslike tone, Sutton could justfeelthat she wanted to know more.
“It is…” She shifted her eyes to Charlotte before shifting slowly back to Autumn. “Thank you so much? I’m not sure how, but…”
She trailed off, still just—just thrown by this entire turn of events.
Charlotte cleared her throat, shifting closer to Sutton so their shoulders brushed, and then held her position there as she nodded and smiled at Autumn. “Have a good weekend. Take the car home; no need for you to be taking public transport.”
