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“Is that so?” he questions, and I close my eyes.
“Became a man I didn’t recognize,” I say honestly. “I want to get back to the old Charlie.”
“Not going to lie,” he huffs, “not too fond of that Charlie.”
I chuckle. “Well, hopefully, I can make you like the new and improved.”
“Rough around the edges,” he teases. “I have to go. I’ll let you know what I turn up.”
“Appreciate it,” I say and hang up the phone. I’m about to call Autumn when I hear my name being paged by Emmett.
“Charlie, you are wanted,” he announces and then I hear the crashing of the phone when he hangs it up. I shake my head, getting up and walking over to the barn. Putting my phone in my back pocket, I step out into the sun.
I think about leaving and going to get lunch with Autumn when I step into the barn and my mother shocks the shit out of me when she yells, “Surprise!” Her hands are in the air over her head.
I take a step back and look over to see my father standing there, the box of donuts on the desk and Emmett leaning against the other side of the barn. “Oh my,” I say as my mother comes to me and hugs me around my waist. “What are you guys doing here?” I hug her around her shoulders.
“We came to surprise you.” When my mother looks up at me, her whole face lights up like a Christmas tree. “We’re going to stay with you for a couple of days.” I should be excited my parents are here, but all of a sudden, I want them gone. I don’t want them here when things with Autumn are just starting. The less time she has away from me to think about things, the better it is. “Are you surprised?” she asks.
“You could say that,” I reply and my father comes over to me and slaps me on my shoulder before pulling me to him. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hey yourself,” he mumbles.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I say, looking at the both of them.
“You called your grandfather last night,” my father starts and now it all makes sense.
“So you guys came to spy on me?” I ask both.
“Of course not,” my mother quickly refutes.
At the same time my father says, “Yup.” He nods. “We want to make sure that you’re okay and that everything and everyone is doing well.”
“I think everyone is doing well and it was just talk.”
“Did you hear about this?” My father looks over at Emmett.
“Sure did,” he confirms, and I roll my eyes.
“I’m surprised he can work since he’s always hooting and hollering with all the gossip in town.” I glare at him.
“You look different.” My mother puts her hands on her hips. “Something is different with you.”
“No, it’s not.” I shake my head.
“Yes, there is.” She turns to my father. “Quinn, do you see it?”
“He doesn’t see anything”—I walk over to the box of donuts—“because there is nothing to see.”
“I see it,” Emmett agrees, and I turn my head. “He looks like less of an asshole.”
“That, I can see,” my father says, slapping my back as he grabs a donut from the box. “So what’s this trouble you are in?”
“I’m not in trouble,” I groan.
“What trouble is this?” My mother looks at me and then my father, the worry all over her face. “What happened, Quinn Barnes? Why did you not tell me any of this?”
“You heard the man, there was nothing to tell.” He bites off another piece of donut. “I was just playing with him.” He full-on just lied to my mother and even she knows that because he avoids looking at her.
