“Hey? Charlie?” I call her, attempting to draw in her attention and focus on me. She glances at me over her shoulder. “It’s okay. He’s not going to leave. He’ll wait for us.” I touch her arm softly and lift my chin. “Get your jacket and then we can go out and meet him.”
With that, she hops to snatch it off the hook, then swings open the back door. I follow her out and lock the door before hurrying down the steps. Beck steps out of his truck and rounds the front of it to meet us at the bottom of the steps.
His brown hair is wavier than usual and isn’t hidden underneath a ballcap. Dressed in a pair of tan Carhartt pants and a black Carhartt T-shirt, he might as well be ready for a ranching or hiking photoshoot. We lock eyes and the air in my lungs stick. But what freezes us both is when Charlie flings herself at him and wraps her arms around his waist.
“Uh…hey, Charlie.”
“Hi, Daddy. I thought you weren’t coming,” she rushes out, pressing her face into his side.
He flashes me an accusatory look before crouching. “Of course I was coming. I told your mom I would be here, didn’t she tell you?”
I’m still standing here, paralyzed by Charlie not only hugging Beck, but calling himdaddy.
“Yes, but it took you forever.”
He checks his watch and chuckles. “I guess I am a few minutes late. Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. What do you think of my dress?” She spins in front of him and my heart pushes against my chest. But it’s like whiplash when another feeling hits me. My core tightens as he takes her by the hand and spins her around again.
He smiles wide, his brown eyes glittering as he beams at her. My knees wobble at the sight of this moment of vulnerability. “Your dress is beautiful.”
“Mama picked it out,” she admits, once she’s finally done spinning.
“Well, your mama has good taste.” He glances at me, and my cheeks burn. “All right, little girl, ready to go?”
“Yes!” She jumps up and down.
Beck opens the back door of his truck, and she climbs inside. I give him her booster and before he takes it, he leans in. A blast of smoky cologne hits me when he whispers, “Or I should say, shehadgood taste. But now she thinks rich guys in business suits are more attractive than blue collar guys.”
My mouth pops open and we hold a look before he takes the car seat and turns around, leaving me stunned and dare I say a little turned on.
Golden Pies is just as I remember it. Same wood wall paneling, large black-and-white-checkered tile flooring, and red Formica tables. The lighting has a golden glow to it, but I appreciate the haze. It means when I look at Beck, hisfeatures are fuzzy and softened. Because the very last thing I should be doing is checking him out.
We peruse the menus while seated across from one another on a wraparound bench. Charlie is in between us and sits up on her knees to reach for the children’s menu printed on a coloring page. She sets her stuffed mermaid on the bench next to her and chooses a blue crayon.
The bench vibrates beneath me, and I don’t need to look to know Beck is jiggling his knee. I study him over the top of my menu. He glances from his own menu and back at Charlie.
“You okay?” I ask him.
“Huh? What?” He fiddles with his menu.
Charlie’s crayon stops and she looks at him too.
“Your knee is shaking the whole booth.”
“Oh, sorry.” He stops jiggling and glances at Charlie again.
She smiles at him. “I shake my knee too.”
His lips tip up and he folds his arms, resting his elbows on the edge of the table. “Really? Well, look at that. Just another thing we have in common.”
She giggles and returns to her coloring.
“Tell me something else about you?” he asks, leaning closer to her. “You’re artistic. This is the second time I’ve seen you coloring. You’re good at it.”
She hunches a shoulder, twisting her lips to the side. “I guess, thank you.”
“Oh c’mon, Charlie, you’re better than good.” I encourage her to keep talking.
