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I raise a brow.
“And we should probably take the hint that Pepper doesn’t want a stranger planning her wedding. She needs people who know them to make it special for them.”
“You’ve known Pepper for a little over six months.”
“Wow.” She raises her arms like I’d just offended her. “You really don’t know how female friendships work.”
Clearly, I don’t know anything about females.
“I remember a time you couldn’t stand my brother. Now you want to help plan his wedding?”
“That’s before he introduced me to the only person in town who still likes me.”
“Charlie…”
“It’s okay.” She smiles and I’m surprised to see how genuine it is. “None of that will matter in a few weeks.”
I tear my eyes from her and take a sip, wishing I held the sugar. Needing the bitterness a little too desperately. I clear my throat. “Where you going?”
“Oh, I have a few ideas.”
“You don’t have a plan?”
Charlie looks off to the side and I know she knows exactly what she wants.
She just… can’t afford it.
“I don’t want to focus on it now. I have new things to focus on.”
“Like the wedding,” I say, almost as confirmation. Or hell, maybe a reminder so she doesn’t focus on anything else. Like whatever the hell that third thing on her bucket list is…
“Exactly. The wedding. Well, I should go. I guess I’ll call you. And please stop with the deliveries.” She looks at the package of coffee and grabs it shamelessly on her way out.
“Charlie,” I call.
She turns.
“No.”
“No, what?”
I start to close the distance. Her eyes wary as I move toward her. “If we’re going to do this, it can’t be awkward. We can’t be hostile.”
“I agree.”
“Then you’ll let me bring these bags back to your car. Because we’re friends and…I know it’s hard.”
Misty green eyes look up at me and a desperate familiar urge to wrap her in my arms washes over me. “It’s not hard. I was prepared.”
My hand itches to swipe the hair from the side of her face. “Yeah, we were prepared for my mother too. It doesn’t make it any less painful.”
She smiles sadly. “She’s with my dad now. She’s happy again.”
It’s a goddamn miracle I haven’t touched her in the last sixty seconds. Haven’t given in to the maddening pull between us and just held her for as long as she needs. “I’m putting these back in your car. Or no deal about all the party planning. Chase and Pepper’s wedding will be a tragic disaster and it will all be because of your stubbornness.”
She works her jaw. “Fine. But this better be the last one.”
I take the coffee package from her and toss it into one of the bags, before lifting it off the floor.
