Charlotte (Marked Heart #2) (19 page)

Charlotte turned to look at Shawn as he gave Auggie a dirty look but did exactly as he was told.

After waiting a moment for Shawn to be far enough away, Charlotte said, "Awfully territorial these days, aren't you Augustus."

"You were starin'?"

"I was."

Holding back a smile, he complimented, "You look pretty."

Itching to touch him, Charlotte placed her free hand behind her back, saying, "You look sweaty."

Auggie's expression changed from pleased to a scowl as he shared, "I'll only have enough time to run home and take a quick shower before I go to the bar."

With a mischievous expression, Charlotte asked, "Are you implying if you had time for a long shower, I would be invited?"

His scowl intensified as he griped, "Knock it off."

"Why? Are you picturing me in the shower?" she questioned, thinking it was only fair for him to suffer a little after what seeing him hauling branches with his shirt off did to her.

"Go inside," he fussed.

"And take a shower?" Charlotte taunted.

Raising his voice at her, Auggie snapped, "Damn it, you're..." before Ren's voice came out of nowhere asking, "Is there a problem?"

Charlotte cringed as Auggie looked past her at Ren stating, "Nope," and walked off.

Knowing it more than likely looked like they were fighting, Charlotte turned and led Honey back inside without saying a word.
Ren was close behind her with a frustrated look on her face.

"What is wrong with the two of you? It's like y'all seek each other out just to be mad! And you're just as stubborn as he is," Ren complained as Charlotte unhooked Honey's leash from her collar.

Nodding as she hung the leash up and walked to the table,
Charlotte said, "Sorry."

Ren turned and gave her an 'I'm not really mad' expression before saying, "Just stay inside. I'll be right back."

Watching Ren walk
out of the kitchen, Charlotte felt her cellphone vibrate in her back pocket.

Pulling her cell
out, there was a text from Auggie.

A: You're making me crazy woman!

Charlotte thought for a moment before replying.

C: Me? Whatever, Mr. Sweaty Muscles.

A: Yes! Miss Sexy Legs.

Trying not to smile wide at Auggie's reply
, she texted back.

C: That was hard for me ;)

A: You wanna talk hard? I'm dyin' over here.

C: Bahahahahah!

A: My pain is funny to you?

C: That's what you get for telling me to go inside :p

A: Did you just stick your tongue out at me?

C: Yep

A: You make me smile! See you later?

Charlotte much preferred his words to a smiley
face.

C: Sure thing ♥

Sticking her phone in her back pocket, Charlotte wondered if attaching the heart was too much.
In her next thought, she shrugged off her concern. A smile formed as she realized she could now stay for dinner and have some delicious strawberry cake. Seeing Auggie today was sort of delicious also. Laughing to herself, Charlotte thought, 'I get to have my cake and eat it too'.

23

Worth

When Auggie made it to The Dog House, he was surprised to find Jackson was already there. Sitting behind the desk in the office, he stood up when Auggie walked in.

"Still need some advice?" Jackson asked.

Nodding, Auggie leaned against the wall, saying, "I can't get a handle on her, man."

"Hold on. You have to do me a favor first," Jackson shared.

Laughing, Auggie asked, "Your advice comes with a price?"

Shaking his head with a smile, Jackson answered, "No but I promised Ren I'd talk to you about Charlotte."

"What about her?" Auggie asked, trying to appear serious when it was such a coincidence, he wanted to smile.

"Just lay off of her okay."

Covering his mouth with his hand before running it down the front of his beard to compose himself, Auggie was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"You don't have to be on her ass every time you see her," Jackson said, clearly getting frustrated with him.

Unable to hold it in any longer
, Auggie let out a laugh.

"If you knew what she had been through, you might take this more seriously," Jackson snapped.

Suddenly Auggie was serious as he asked, "Do you know?"

"Some of it."

"What happened to her?"

Sitting back down behind the desk, Jackson assured, "That's none of your business. But both of you will be at Sophia's baby shower so be civil with her. And if you can't be polite to her, keep your distance."

Wanting to argue,
Auggie was irritated, it was his business and he wanted to know what happened and who it was that hurt her. Not only that, he knew how to treat her and no way he would be keeping his distance.

After stewing for a moment,
Auggie knew he needed to keep his cool around Jackson where Charlotte was concerned. He was smart and if he figured it out, Ren would find out and she'd have a damn conniption fit.

Walking to a chair facing the desk, Auggie sat down, saying, "I'll be nice."

A wide smile appeared on Jackson's face as he said, "Thank you. Now tell me about this girl of yours."

Shaking his head, Auggie shared, "She's incredible."

"So what's the problem?"

"I don't know what the hell I'm doin'," Auggie admitted.

Jackson laughed, saying, "That's not unusual. The good ones always keep you confused."

Leaning back in his chair, Auggie rubbed his palms across his forehead
.

"Is it serious?" Jackson asked.

Auggie shrugged, "Sorta, I like her."

Resting an elbow on the desk, Jackson scratched the side of his head, saying, "So you're in a sorta serious relationship with an incredible woman you like. I'd say whether you know what you're doing or not, you're doing pretty good."

Scowling, Auggie complained, "I was really hoping for more."

"From her?"

"From you man. Damn Jacks, I'm losing my mind over here and you're telling me that's a good thing."

Placing his other elbow on the desk, Jackson leaned forward, imparting, "When I first met Ren, your dad told me, I needed to ask myself what she was worth to me."

"Like on a scale from one to ten?"

With a heavy sigh, Jackson replied, "No, like your time, patience, forgiveness, loyalty, friendship, love, understanding, compassion, trust. If she's not and you still care about her then, she's worth more than you have to offer and you should let her go."

"How did you figure it out?"

"I got to know her. Slowly but surely over time the questions answered themselves. She was worth everything I had to give."

Auggie looked down at the floor, asking, "What if I already know it's a temporary thing."

"Well then, enjoy what you have while you have it."

Nodding, Auggie stood up and started to walk out.

"You alright, Auggie?"

Stretching his elbows out to the side, Auggie lied, poking fun at himself saying, "Yea, sore from today. Those branches were bigger than a bottle opener."

Jackson laughed before sharing, "See you next Sunday and don't forget to wear a suit."

"I won't. Thanks Jacks. Later."

Feeling heavy, Auggie walked out of the office into the main area of the bar.

~

When the night
that seemed to drag on forever finally ended, Auggie closed up the bar and headed home. He was still frustrated but confused as hell now too. Did that mean she was a good one? Jackson's advice was probably good but it made him feel bad and he had no idea why. Remembering all the sayings and advice his dad used to give, he started to miss him even more. Gus passed away almost six years ago of a heart attack before Ailin and Sophia's wedding. Maybe that's what was making him feel bad. Hearing his dads words come from Jackson. He tried to imagine hearing his dad's voice saying what Jacks had but it didn't help.

Seeing Charlotte at his door
, when he arrived home, instantly put him in a better mood. She was like a beautiful breath of sweet smelling fresh air, refreshing him from the inside out as he reached his doorstep. The value Jackson advised he put on her was insignificant. She was his until she left and that was enough.

"Have you been here long?" he asked, allowing her to walk in first.

"Yes but I couldn't stand being at the house anymore."

Auggie kicked the door closed before
pulling her to him. Making up for not being able to touch her at Jackson's, he made sure to kiss her long and slow.

Pulling back, he asked, "Wait, what did you mean?"

Charlotte stared at him with a dazed expression before answering, "Too much crying for me."

"Crying?"

"Silvia's boyfriend broke up with her and apparently now her life is over."

"That bad, huh," he said with a laugh.

"She was practically howling. It was ridiculous."

"Were they together for a long time?" he asked slowly letting go of her.

Making a disgusted face Charlotte walked to the couch and replied, "All I know is, it was an undercover thing. She even had a pretend boyfriend for show. She was putting out and evidently, that's all he wanted from her. I mean, he didn't have enough respect for her to come meet Emerson and Amila. Really, he did her a favor she is just too stupid to realize it."

The heavy feeling returned as Auggie asked, "You think so?"

Charlotte sat down on the couch, sharing, "Oh, I know so. Obviously he was playing with her because otherwise he would have been man enough to be upfront with everyone about what they had going on instead of doing her whenever she could sneak away."

Auggie scowled at her before turning towards the kitchen to grab a beer.

Charlotte didn't seem to be talking about him but he felt convicted all the same. Wondering if that was how she felt about him and what they were doing, he made his way back to the couch carrying a six pack of Guinness. He noticed Charlotte's remorseful expression as he set the bottles down on the coffee table in front of her.

Looking up at him with a light smile, she shared, "I don't think there's a similarity there. Silvia's a kid. We are consenting adults who made an agreement."

"I didn't take what you were saying personal," he lied.

"Then what's wrong?" she questioned, staring right into his eyes.

Stretching, so he could look away without it appearing intentional, Auggie lied again, "Just sore from today."

With a suspicious expression, Charlotte questioned, "So lying is what we're doing now?"

"No," he snapped giving her an offended look.

"Augustus, I'm a fairly upfront person. If whatever's bothering you is none of my business then say so and I'll respect that but don't lie."

Nodding, he flexed his arms, saying, "I am kinda sore."

The side of Charlotte's mouth curled into a smile as she offered, "Come, sit down."

Auggie walked around the coffee table and sat down next to her.

Shifting to face him, Charlotte gave a light smile. Reaching over she unbuttoned his shirt. Auggie leaned in to kiss her and was confused seeing her shake her head at him.

"Where are you sore?"

Auggie narrowed his eyes at her before replying, "Everywhere."

With a little laugh, she said, "Nice try," as she slid his shirt off of his shoulders. "Turn around and I'll rub your back."

"You will?" he asked wanting her to but caught off guard by her offer.

"Well, I did just call you a liar so consider it my way of apologizing."

Swallowing hard, he admitted, "I was lying but I'd rather listen to you talk."

With a knowing smile, Charlotte repeated, "Turn around." As Auggie moved to comply, she asked, "What would you like me to talk about?"

"Yourself," he breathed as Charlotte placed her hands on his shoulder blades.

Auggie instantly relaxed. Just her touch seemed to sooth him.

"What do you want to know?" she questioned pressing her palms into his back as she slid them to the tops of his shoulders.

"What happened to you?"

~

Charlotte continued to massage his back, allowing the question he asked to sink in. She knew what he was asking. It didn't bother her. As she debated on how to answer, her concern grew wondering if it would bother him.

"That is an incredibly broad question," she replied in a light tone.

"It's not."

Pressing into his spine as she slid her hands down the center of his back, Charlotte assured, "It is, and we can play this game all night if you like or you can be more specific."

She could feel the muscles in his back tense as he replied, "No need to play games. If you don't want to tell me, I understand."

"I'm not sure that you do," she shared before explaining, "I think it's natural for you to be curious. I'm sure it comes off as mysterious and interesting. The truth is, it's not much of a story."

"Everyone should tell their story at least once," Auggie urged.

"It's not my story, just something that happened."

"Then tell me," he pressed

"If you want to feel sorry for me then there's no need for me to share. You can use your imagination for your own pity purposes. I am who I am. I carry nothing with me from the past with the exception of scars. And they only affect my choice in apparel, nothing else."

There was a long pause before Auggie replied, "They affect me."

"How's that?"

"You've had the honor of seeing me with my shirt off. In all fairness, if you can't return the favor, you could at least explain to me the reasons for such an injustice."

Charlotte couldn't help but smile.

As she decided where to start and what information to share, Charlotte knew Auggie was a rare breed of man and felt comfortable telling him. Gazing at the cross on his back, she smoothed her hands over it before sharing the event for only the second time in her life.

"I didn't have a whole lot of parenting before the Roberts'. I can't remember ever having a curfew or rules. The only time I got in trouble was when my mom felt like I was disobeying her. There was never a rhyme or reason to her. She did a lot of drugs. Things would seem fine and then in the next second, they weren't. She had quite a few boyfriends. One in particular was a regular, Jack. He would bring presents when he showed up and he was always nice to me." Feeling Auggie's back straighten, she started to massage him again, assuring, "Not pervy nice, he really was a sweet guy." As he started to relax again, she continued, "I actually think he was her dealer. Anyway, Jack came over one evening and saw what she did to my mouth. He blew up at her and told her he was cutting her off and left."

Charlotte paused, recalling the pain of the moment before saying, "I was changing my clothes to go out when she came in my room. She hit me on the back of the head, not sure with what, but I fel
l down. I was dizzy but I remember thinking that I really needed to get dressed. When I got up, I reached for a shirt and I think she thought I was going to hit her. She grabbed my metal flowers. They were daisies, thirteen of them with the stems welded together, so they stood up by themselves without a vase. Jack gave them to me when I turned thirteen. I stumbled toward her to grab my shirt off of my bed and she started swinging them at me. I don't remember seeing the flowers hit me but I could feel them. I covered my stomach with my hands and laid face down on the floor trying to inch under my bed to get away from her. She just kept swinging. She was screaming and telling me how ugly I was. I can remember wanting to move, but she was hitting me in the back with them so hard I couldn't."

"Did that guy come back?" he asked.

Thinking that was a strange question, she answered, "No. I stayed there for a while staring at my flowers lying on the floor next to me. They were twisted and broken with petals missing. I know it sounds gruesome but with silver shining though the red they were coated in, they were kinda pretty that way."