Justus took a sip from his cup and moaned. “This is perfect. Thanks, sis.”
She raised a brow. “Am I allowed to sit next to a famous author?”
“No,” I joked. I still wasn’t used to the accolades and the acknowledgements that had come since my book had been published. It was almost jarring because I hated the spotlight. “I’m saving this spot for a more important person.”
Her mouth fell open as she laughed. “Not even if I brought you coffee?” She gave me the third cup. “For you. Just how you like it. Black.”
“You remembered?” I smirked. “I guess you can sit down.”
She sat next to me. “I’ve known you my whole life. I know the drill.”
“Thanks. Hi, Charlye.”
“Hi, Dex.” She eyed me skeptically. “Are you sure you really need that? You don’t look hungover.”
“Cause I’m not.” I sipped my coffee. Truth be told, I didn’t drink much, not since that summer after our senior year of high school. There was something about waking up in the middle of the party with Cootie Trudy wrapped around me that cemented the fact that I didn’t handle large amounts of alcohol well. Occasionally, I’d have a beer or a shot, but I preferred being sober to drunk.
“Good job.” She touched her cup to mine. “Glad to hear you’re still my Dex.”
And again, my heart squeezed in my chest. Because I washerDex. While it had been over a decade since she’d moved to Georgia, her presence had always shifted something inside me. No, I hadn’t been pining away for her all these years. I wasn’tthatguy. My career and my family kept me busy. Other women had come and gone. Some serious, some… Ebony. Yet, distance and time hadn’t dulled the effect she’d always had on me. “YourDex?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yep. I’d hate it if you’d turned into… Duke.”
I barked out a laugh. “You’re silly for that.”
She waved me off. “I love Duke, but he’s a bit much.” She leaned into my side. “I missed you. How long has it been?”
The physical miles between us had prevented us from seeing much of each other, but we’d kept in touch. A few texts here and there, comments on each other’s social media posts, family events, the occasional wedding or funeral. What she hadn’t told me herself, Justus had filled in the gaps. Even though she’d dropped out of college, she eventually went back to school to get her degree—after she’d become a master electrician.
“A year?” I asked. “Maybe a year and a half?”
“I’m thinking it’s closer to two years.”
“You’re probably right,” I agreed. “You look good.”
Charlye dipped her head and took a sip from her cup. “Stop.” She brushed a hand over the back of her neck. It was a nervous quirk. I’d seen her do it often, mostly when she received a compliment.
I let my gaze travel over her facial features, the blue rim around her pupils, her button nose, the mole on her upper lip… her mouth. “I just call it like I see it.”
Justus cleared his throat. “Wait a damn minute. Man, are you flirting with my sister?”
Charlye blinked. “No.”
I finally forced myself to stare at anything else, so I focused on the Bible sitting in the pocket of the pew in front of me. I shook my head and stretched my legs. “Not at all.” As close as I was to Justus, we’d never discussed my feelings for his sister. “I think Isis is looking for you.”
Justus jumped up. “Really?”
I barked out a laugh. “Nah, not really. But don’t you think we should be rehearsing?”
“Right. We should probably get to it.”
Once he veered off in search of some direction, I glanced at Charlye. The slight frown on her face had deepened as she typed something on her phone. “Are you okay?” I asked.
Charlye looked up from her phone. “It’s Kelvin. He just told me he couldn’t make it.”
I was certain nobody would miss her boyfriend’s presence tonight. But I said, “Is he sick?” She didn’t answer right away. “Charlye?” I called.
“I don’t know,” she murmured. “I better go call him.”
