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Blake finished his cookie as he followed Jackson down the steps to the floor. He had a feeling Jackson was just wanting to get him away from Charli.
He followed his cousin willingly enough because he was curious, and hard as it was to accept, Charli probably wanted him away from her, too.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Want a drink, Charli?” Janessa said. “I’m texting Jackson.”
Charli put the lid on the container of cookies. “Sure. Diet Coke, please, and apple juice for Layla.”
Staring out at the court, she watched the people taking advantage of a break in the game to stretch their legs.
There were many familiar faces there that evening, but she made no move to speak to anyone in her vicinity, choosing instead to sit there with a container of cookies on her lap. She didn’t want to have to put on a happy face. Not when she was feeling confused and conflicted.
Her gaze fell on Kayleigh and Hudson as they walked up the stairs to where she sat. Hudson had a hand on Kayleigh’s waist and bent down to say something to her as they neared Charli.
Jealousy surged through Charli once again, but it wasn’t the only emotion she was dealing with. Sadness and longing had come along for the ride. As tears pricked her eyes, all she could think of was what a ride it had been.
Crying couldn’t happen, so she looked away from her sister and Hudson, trying to pull up a different emotion. One that didn’t make her feel so vulnerable.
“You guys are late,” Janessa said as the couple filed into the row in front of them.
“Yeah. Work stuff,” Kayleigh told her. “We were actually here earlier but didn’t feel like traipsing in front of everyone in the middle of the game to get to you guys.”
Janessa reached out and tapped the container. “Charli brought cookies.”
Charli opened the lid and held it out. Kayleigh took one, but Hudson snagged a couple of his favorite before giving her a smile and thanking her.
Though she battled with her jealousy of Kayleigh, Charli couldn’t be mad at Hudson. He was a genuinely nice guy and had always treated all of them with friendliness and respect.
Really, she couldn’t stay mad at her sister either.
Kayleigh wasn’t rubbing the situation into the wound in Charli’s heart. She didn’t know what Charli was struggling with. She and Hudson were just living the life God had led them into.
Charli stayed mired in her thoughts while Janessa grilled Kayleigh over the last-minute things that still needed to be done for their upcoming wedding. It was going to be a smaller event than Janessa and Will’s wedding had been, but Charli wouldn’t be surprised if it was more expensive, given who Hudson’s family was.
Janessa was going to be Kayleigh’s matron of honor. People might assume that Charli would be upset she hadn’t been asked to be in the wedding party, but frankly, she was relieved. Layla was going to be a junior bridesmaid, so it wasn’t as if Charli’s little family wasn’t represented.
Layla was over the moon, and Charli was happy about that. With the number of weddings that had happened lately, she’d been a flower girl a few times already. However, her dress for Kayleigh’s wedding was truly amazing, and Layla loved it.
Charli only half-listened to the discussion between Kayleigh and Janessa. Her attention kept drifting to the large doorway of the gym, which was annoying, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.
“What are Jackson and Blake arguing about?” Kayleigh asked, her topic of conversation finally grabbing Charli’s focus.
Janessa glanced at Charli. “Are they arguing?”
Charli shrugged. “No clue.”
“How did you know they were arguing?” Janessa asked Kayleigh.
“We saw them out near the canteen, and it looked like they were arguing.”
“Well, hopefully they remember to get our drinks,” Janessa said, clearly focusing on what was most important.
Charli looked over at the doorway again, wondering why the cousins might be arguing. Did it have something to do with her and Layla? It shouldn’t. There was no reason for them to be the focus of any argument, especially where Jackson and Blake were concerned.
She frowned when she spotted the cousins coming back into the gym. Jackson led the way, with Blake following behind him, his gaze on his phone while he carried several soda cans in the crook of his arm.
As Jackson climbed the stairs to where they sat, Charli could see that his face was tense, which was in direct contrast to his normal expression. She looked past him to Blake and found that he looked tense as well.
