Page 125 of Whirlwind

Time for You

Interlude

Charlie

“So, Charlie... When’s Carla stopping by?” Nina’s voice sounded innocent, but Charlie had been asked this question too often to fall for it.

“No idea,” she said gruffly. It was true. She had no idea when or if he was ever going to show up, though he’d started stopping by two or three days a week, usually before the bar opened. Since he worked at a high school, he was usually done by about 3:30 and he tended to wander in while she was setting up or just as they opened.

Not that she was paying attention or anything.

Nina met Charlie’s eyes. When they’d first met, Nina had been nervous and shy, hardly able to make eye contact. Now she didn’t put up with shit from anyone.

Charlie had a lot of respect for her. And she already knew she wasn’t going to like what she had to say.

“Charlie, you know that I love you and I want you to be happy…”

Yeah, she really wasn’t going to like this.

“But Carla’s head over heels for you and you don’t give him the time of day. You need to either make a move or stop stringing him along.”

Charlie’s mouth dropped open. “I don’t… I’m not…” She had no idea what she was even talking about. Carla was head over heels for her? It wasn’t possible. And she wasn’t stringing him along. She knew he couldn’t really be flirting with her; it was just his sunshine and rainbows personality. It was best to shut down any innuendo before Charlie started imagining things that could never happen.

Making a move? Absolutely out of the question.

“Charlie, he could be good for you.” Her voice was low and sympathetic. “I think you could be good for each other.”

Charlie made a noncommittal grunt. Carla was full of life and energy and passion. He had so much to give the right partner—and to hear the gossip around Whirlwind, he did so on a regular basis at the kink club around the corner.

He was apparently a Dom, and a popular one at that.

Reason #1,394 why things could never work between them.

Not that she understood everything that it entailed, but between her gossipy customers and even more gossipy employees, she’d figured out enough. There were some parts of it that sounded… really interesting. But it wasn’t for her.

“Did the others put you up to this?” she growled at Nina.

Nina shrugged. “They did… but really. I want you to be happy. You give everything to the community, and you deserve some happiness, too.”

Charlie grunted again. “I’m fine.”

“Charlie just… give him a little bit of your time. Get to know him.”

“I give him plenty of time. He’s here practically every day.”

Nina gave Charlie’s hand a gentle squeeze. It wasn’t something she probably would have done before Angel came into the picture, but with her new girlfriend she was a new kind of confident. Warmer and more open.

Charlie wanted something like that.

But not with Carla.

That was impossible.