Charlotte (Marked Heart #2) (3 page)

As he resisted the urge to cuss Sheryl out when he walked back in,
Auggie walked straight to William's room.

Closing the door behind himself, Auggie said, "I heard you had a visitor."

William nodded as Auggie walked to his bed
side. He hadn't intended on mentioning her at all, but William's room smelled of the same sweetness as when she ran into him in the stairwell. Thinking to himself 'someone like her shouldn't smell good, it's deceiving, she should smell like vinegar or liver and onions', he sat in the chair next to William's bed.

Catching sight of the 'I forgive you' written on Will's board before he wiped it and wrote, 'Don't be mad,' Auggie changed the subject, saying, "How ya feelin' today?"

Pulling his mask down, William wheezed, "Tired."

Nodding, Auggie cleared his throat before offering, "Let's both get some shut eye then."

William placed the mask back to his mouth before shaking his head as he pulled it away, whispering, "I need...you...to do...something...for me."

3

Dinner

Lola stood next to Charlotte in her bathroom watching her carefully appl
ying a thick coat of lipstick to her lips.

"I think you are prettier without it," Lola assured.

Glancing down at Lola, Charlotte winked, saying, "That's why you're my favorite."

With a slight giggle, Lola asked, "Are you going to still be here when we get back?"

"I'll be here for three whole months," she replied.

Charlotte made her way out of the bathroom with Lola close behind her.

Sitting on her bed, Charlotte reached down and slid her high heels on as Lola sat down next to her.

"Are you getting married?"

Charlotte smiled, answering, "That's the rumor but don't say anything. I don't think I'm supposed to know Trace is gonna ask."

"What's he like?"

Taking a breath, Charlotte turned towards Lola, replying, "He's very handsome."

"What does he do?"

Laughing, Charlotte asked, "Alright, what's with all the questions?"

Shrugging, Lola shared, "Silvia won't talk to me about her boyfriend. She says I'm too little and he's none of my business."

"That's because Silvia's a..." Stopping to filter herself, Charlotte continued, "A little on the uppity side."

Lola giggled, "You were gonna say a cuss word."

With a sigh, Charlotte nodded before imparting, "Don't be like that when you grow up. Just because Emerson and Amila have money, that doesn't make you better than anyone. Okay."

"Does Trace have a lot of money?"

Standing up to check herself in the mirror, Charlotte replied, "Yes but its mostly his father's."

"How did you meet him?"

Turning to Lola, still sitting on the bed, she answered, "At a party."

"Do y'all go on dates?"

Leaning down to hug Lola, Charlotte said, "I tell you what, if you let me go get him, you can ask him all the questions you want," and gave her a squeeze.

~

Trace was waiting outside of the Inn when Charlotte pulled up. She rolled her window down, and smiled as he walked to the driver's side.

"Hop in," she suggested.

Looking down at her, he gave her an absurd expression as he said, "I'll drive."

"I want to drive," Charlotte pouted, batting her eyelashes at him.

Trace gave a disapproving glance as he said, "What will it look like if you are driving me."

"It will look like I'm driving."

Taking a step back he, fussed, "You know I do not like being driven."

Charlotte pursed her lips, saying, "You get driven all the time."

"Not by you."

Mentally counting back from ten, Charlotte opened the door and stepped out of the car. This was the last time she would see him until he returned to collect her. She should behave for him.

Inspecting her from head to toe, Trace smiled. She was perfection. Her hair pulled into a perfect knot at the nape of her neck, the lines of her clingy blouse matched up perfectly to her fitted skirt that ended mid-thigh on her flawless legs that were elongated by the heels she wore.

Leaning close to her, he ran his hand down her side before kissing her right below her ear as he whispered, "No one will compare to you while I am away."

His compli
ment made her feel like he was reminding her, they were not exclusive and he intended on seeing other women while he was away.

"How can you say that, when you have never kissed me?"

Pulling away, Trace questioned, "This is a conversation you would like to have now, before I meet your father?"

It was a conversation, she never thought of before now. Charlotte had not been kissed on her lips since she was fourteen. Seeing William today and remembering how badly he wanted to kiss her properly
, suddenly made it an issue. The scar on her mouth took a very long time to heal and when it did, it bothered her so much just the thought of someone kissing her upset her. But shouldn't Trace want to kiss her?

"Do you kiss other women you are with?" she asked.

Serious in expression, he replied, "I have no desire to deny the fact that I see other women. That was made clear to you from the beginning. If you insist on my disclosing every detail, I do many things with other women that I have yet to experience with you."

"I only asked if you kissed them because I was curious if you wanted to kiss me."

Looking down at her as if she was a child, he replied, "You know how I feel about imperfection."

"I'm full of imperfections."

Trace smiled at her, assuring, "And as far as I am concerned, if I cannot see them, they do not exist."

That was someth
ing she liked about him. Although she never told him exactly how she got her scars, he didn't care about where she came from, what had happened to her or what she was like before. There was no past with him. All he cared about was enjoying the now and preparing for the future.

~

The formal introductions when they arrived went well except for Lola, who took one look at Trace and practically hid behind Emerson the rest of the time. Charlotte's brothers and sister had been fed already because this was more of a grown up dinner than a family one. Charlotte stood in the kitchen with Amila and Ren while Jackson, Emerson and Trace remained in the living room.

"So, what do y'all think?" Charlotte questioned.

Ren quickly replied, "About what?" before Amila gave a soft smile, answering, "Well, he's very handsome."

"Isn't he," Charlotte agreed.

"He seems very formal, is he like that all of the time?" Amila asked.

"Yea but so is Emerson," Charlotte replied.

With a hint of hidden meaning, Amila shared, "Not all the time."

Ren laughed out loud as Charlotte made a face at her.

"Sorry honey," Amila laughed before saying, "But these are things you should think about if you're getting serious. I mean, do you want a husband that politely asks or one that throws you over his shoulder and..."

Charlotte blurted, "Amila!" as Ren continued to laugh knowing Charlotte was horrified at the thought of Emerson and Amila in that type of situation.

When dinner was ready, the men joined them in the kitchen before heading into the dining room.
Everyone settled, in pairs at the dining room table.

Amila started the conversation by asking, "So Trace, you don't have an accent, did you grow up in Spain?"

"I was born in Àlava. I attended American boarding school in Bethesda, Maryland."

With a compassionate expression, Amila said, "That must have been terribly lonely."

Appearing confused he asked, "Why?"

"It just seems like it would be," she replied.

Changing the subject, Emerson shared, "Dinner is delicious."

"Roasted pork loin is Charlotte's favorite," Amila replied before smiling at Charlotte.

Trace quickly chimed in, "It is exceptional. Who is your cook?"

Ren and Charlotte glanced at each other, trying not to laugh, as Amila gave him an offended expression saying, "You're looking at her."

"I did not mean to offend you," he quickly replied.

Jackson brought the next subject change, asking, "So Trace, do you follow basketball? I hear Spain is giving the European league a run for their money this season."

"I am not a fan of sports in general. The idea of running or sweating doesn't appeal to me."

Trace cleared his throat and adjusted in his seat as dining room went silent.

As Jackson tried to shake off the shock of what he just heard, his cellphone started to ring.

Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled it out, saying, "It's Penny."

Everyone at the table focused on Jackson as he answered the call.

"I can hardly understand you...She's right here," he said before handing the phone to Ren saying, "She said she's been calling your phone."

Ren quickly put the phone to her ear, saying, "I'm sorry sweetie. Is everything okay?"

Trace leaned to Charlotte, asking, "Penny?"

Before another word was said, Ren stood up and exited the dining room.

Jackson turned in his chair watching for Ren to return as Charlotte explained, "Ren's daughter is married to Ailin, Penny's brother. Ailin and Penny are Jackson's cousins on his mother's side."

Amila cut in saying, "I hope Sophia is okay." When Charlotte glanced at Amila, she shared, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Sophia's pregnant."

Remembering their names being mentioned at the bar the previous night, Trace started to question, "Are they also..." when Ren stepped back into the room.

With a somber expression on her face and tears
in her eyes, Ren stood there quietly for a moment holding Jackson's phone in her hand.

Jackson stood up as Ren informed, "William."

Charlotte sat there frozen as she stared at Ren.

"I'm sorry we need to go," Ren shared before Emerson and Amila stood offering their condolences.

Moments of time spent with William flashed through Charlotte's mind as s
he watched Ren and Jackson walkout.

Amila and Emerson made their way back to their seats after seeing Ren and Jackson out.

As Charlotte continued to stare at the doorway, Amila asked, "Honey, are you alright?"

She couldn't bring herself to answer.

"Did you know him?" Trace asked, taking note of Charlotte's reaction to the news.

Emerson answered for her, saying, "You know how it is. It's a small town. Everyone knows everyone."

Nodding, Trace replied, "Of course."

Charlotte looked at Emerson
, who gave her a slight smile.

~

Sitting in his truck in the hospital parking lot, Auggie stared out of the windshield at the building in front of him. He knew it was getting close but it was still a shock for William to finally be gone. Since Will was five, he had been in and out of the hospital. There was always a concern and he always feared the worst but William always got better. Not this time though.

Forcing himself out of his truck,
he headed towards the hospital doors. His last conversation with William was about Charlotte. As much as he hated to admit it, if it wasn't for her showing up there, Auggie wouldn't have been able to talk to his brother before he passed. He had fallen asleep about an hour before Auggie normally would have shown up to visit, and now he knew he never woke up. He had no choice now other than to carry out his brother's dying wish. It was a last request and he gave William his word.

When Auggie reached the third floor of the hospital, it was filled with his family. His brother Ailin was holding Sophia close as she cried into his shoulder. It was clear he had been crying too.
His other brother Braden was sitting in a chair against the wall with his arms stretched over his face. His sister Penny was with Ren and Jacks as Ren held her and Jackson patted her back. When he made it into William's hospital room, Jackson's parents, Carenza and JP, were standing with his mom.

JP and Carenza excused themselves from the room as his mom looked at him and said, "He's really gone."

Wrapping his arms around her, he assured, "It's okay, Ma."

She held onto him, mourning the loss of her son.

4

Uncomfortable

Standing in the cemetery, Charlotte stared at William's headstone. Reading the words
Beloved Son and Brother
over and over again. She could tell the funeral was the previous day, all the flowers that surrounded it were fresh. Her family left that morning to go on vacation for two weeks and it seemed like the perfect time to say everything she needed to, to tell William goodbye.

Crouching down by his grave
, Charlotte squeezed the bottle cap he gave her in her hand.

"I know I already said I was sorry and you forgave me but there are some things I should have said when I had the chance. You were the sweetest guy I've ever..." Tears streamed down her face as she continued, "I wish I had loved you and I'm sorry I couldn't."

Opening her hand, Charlotte looked at the bottle cap before placing it on the groun
d next to his headstone.

Wiping her eyes before lowering her sunglasses, she admitted, "I should have let you kiss me."

Placing her fingers against her lips, Charlotte pressed hard against them before
lifting her hand touching it to his name.

~

Walking up to his brother's grave site, Auggie stopped when he saw Charlotte standing at William's headstone. Her blonde hair was swaying against her back with the breeze and she had a light blue sweater on and shorts. Incredibly short, dark blue shorts that showed the entire length of her legs. Looking down at the bottle he brought, he waited a few minutes before continuing on his way.

~

Charlotte turned around just as Auggie walked up. Without the beanie he had on that night at the bar and at the hospital, Auggie's hair and beard had a copper tint to it in the sunlight. He had on the same work boots and Dickie's slacks as that day at the hospital. His shirt was red and blue plaid today and he didn't smell like beer this time either. It was a combination of men's deodorant and soap, but the pleasantness of it caught her off guard as she stared at him.

Pulling his sunglasses down slightly, he griped, "Not a word for five years and now I can't get you to leave him alone."

Giving him a dirty look from behind her sunglasses, she snapped, "Real classy drinking at a cemetery."

"It's for Will," he said twisting off the cap and setting it by the headstone.

Wondering if William truly expected her to keep her promise, she shook her head and stated, "I'm sorry."

"What?"

Holding her head high, and straightening the bottom of her sweater, she repeated, "I said...I'm sorry."

"What the hell are you apologizing to me for?"

"Because, I am a grown up and I felt it was necessary."

Scoffing at her, he replied, "A grown up? What are you like nineteen?"

Making a face at him, she sarcastically replied, "Nice math skills. I'm almost twenty-five, which must seem pretty young to someone as old as you."

Glaring at her, he took a step forward, stating, "I'm thirty-four little girl. That makes me a man, not old."

Auggie caught clear sight of the scar on her mouth as she slowly smiled, saying, "Good thing because it's certainly not your behavior."

"From what I saw the other night in front of my bar, you have no idea how a real man acts."

Charlotte was suddenly speechless recalling the incident in
front of The Dog House.

Auggie had no idea why he brought
that up or why he needed to defend himself to her. It was irritating that she could incite that type of reaction from him. She reminded him a little of Ren but when they argued it was all in good fun. He didn't like her, he was going to do what William asked but he wasn't going to like it, or her.

"When are you leaving?" he griped.

"Right now," she answered as she turned to walk away.

Hoping that was the case, he would be off the hook.

Making sure, he asked, "And you're not coming back."

"What are you talking about?" Charlotte snapped at him.

"You're leaving town right?"

Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she stated, "Eventually."

"When is that?"

S
he would have to figure out a way to keep her promise to William while having as little contact with him as possible.

Charlotte replied, "Since neither of us wants to keep running into each other, why don't you just tell me where I can and can't go for the next three months."

Shaking his head, Auggie mentally told William, 'I can't do three months of her'.

When he didn't answer her, Charlotte walked off in a huff. He was impossible. She needed to go somewhere and do something but there was nowhere to go and nothing to do. Reaching her rental car, she stopped and pulled her phone out of her back pocket. There was a text from Trace.

T: Hello lovely.

Recalling the less than enthu
siastic send-off she gave him, after finding out William had passed, she quickly typed back.

C: Hey there. Miss me?

T: Always my beauty.

C: Me too.

T: Are you lonely?

C: ♥ YES ♥

T: I told you 3months would be a long time.

C: So make a quick trip down here ;)

T: Tempted. Call when I can.

C: K bye ♥

Sliding her phone back into her pocket
, Charlotte looked up to see Auggie standing there staring at her.

He had been watching her for a few minutes, without meaning to.

"So now you're following me?" she snapped.

"My truck is right there," he griped, pointing at his black pickup.

"Well, did you want something or you just wanted to take one last look at me?"

Scowling at her, he blurted, "Yea, you wish honey," before offering, "You wanna follow me to the bar?"

"Not particularly."

That was all Auggie could stand of her for the time being.
Why did she have to be that way? Couldn't she see that he was using everything that he had to keep his composure and not tell her exactly what he thought of her? Shaking his head, he walked to his truck.

~

Sitting at the desk in the back room of The Dog House, Auggie leaned over, sorting through the week's receipts and eyeing the dreaded ledger book. When Will was first admitted to the hospital, he was offended that Jackson asked if he needed him to step in with his brother out. He could manage the bar. However, it was harder than he thought and although no one else knew, every Sunday he brought the ledger and receipts to the hospital with him. Will would walk him through it each time but now, no matter how many times his brother showed him, it never stuck and he was lost doing it by himself.

It had been a little over a week since his brother passed and that meant the
cross he had his cousin Kieran tattoo on his back, the night William died, was starting to get uncomfortable. With every move he made, his shirt rubbed against his back. It was just like Charlotte, rubbing him the wrong way. Auggie'd had it with being irritated and not being able to do anything about it. Unbuttoning his shirt, he pulled it off and tossed it behind him. As Auggie opened the ledger and stared at it, his mind wandered to getting his life back to where it was before Will got sick. Six months was a long time for him. He didn't do dates or relationships, but he enjoyed taking home the random girl from time to time. Quickly realizing his mind had wandered in a less than productive direction, he stood up and left the manager's office.

~

Even though she tried to talk herself out of it, Charlotte's curiosity over why Auggie wanted her to come to the bar overruled her dislike for being around him. When she pulled up at the back of the bar next to his truck and walked in, she had no idea what to expect.

S
tepping into the main area of the bar, Charlotte had to take a breath. Auggie was standing, shirtless, with his back to her, stretching his arms above his head. The muscles in his back flexed as he lowered them, rolled his shoulders and leaned his head from side to side. Fixated on the Celtic cross that covered his back, she had an overwhelming urge to make her way closer. As she tried to imagine him in those horrible plaid shirts he wore, instead of the images of him that were popping up in her mind, he turned around.

Eyeing the Augustus Carrick Caffrey IV tattoo across his chest right below his collar bone and the Celtic knots on his shoulders, Charlotte quickly spit out, "You wanted me?"

"What?"

Fluttering her eyelashes as she rolled her eyes at him, Charlotte reminded, "You asked me to follow you here."

Auggie scowled at her for a long moment before saying, "Will left something in the back for you."

Raising her eyebrows at him as he continued to stand there, she griped, "Well can I have it or are you just going to stand there staring at me?"

Auggie made a growling sound under his breath before he walked passed her, assuring, "You were starin' first sweetheart."

Following him to the back of the bar, she snapped, "My name is Charlotte."

Swiftly turning to face her, he didn't realize how close behind him she was as he shared, "Be happy I'm not callin' you..."

Standing a few inches from his bare chest, she interrupted, "Charlotte is my name, Augustus."

Another low growl
resonated from his throat as he turned and continued to the office in the back.

~

Picking his shirt up off of the floor behind his chair, Auggie pulled it on and quickly buttoned it before sitting down behind the desk. He opened a bottom drawer of the desk and grabbed the box William left for her. Glancing up at Charlotte, who was standing in the doorway, he set the box on the edge of the desk before flipping open the ledger book.

"What is it?"

Shrugging off her question, Auggie grabbed his pencil and started adding numbers from the receipts into the ledger book.

Refusing to look up, he could tell she had made her way closer. The room suddenly smelled better. The subtle sweetness that accompanied her grew stronger causing him to lose focus.

"What are you doing?" Charlotte asked.

Erasing an entire line of numbers from the ledger, Auggie replied, "Trying to get this done."

Just as he started over, she questioned, "Why don't you use a computer?"

"Jackson likes it done this way first," he explained, rewriting the receipt balances.

"You look like you're having a hard time."

Erasing the row for a second time, Auggie griped, "I'm already a week behind."

Before he realized it, she was right beside him, leaning over the desk saying, "I can show you an easier way to do that."

As Charlotte placed her finger on the ledger book and started to explain, Auggie was overwhelmed by the smell of her. Without hearing a word she said, he closed his
eyes and drew in a slow deep breath. He couldn't place the scent. Trying to think of what it could be, he felt her hair brush against his arm as she leaned closer.

Yanking the ledger book away from her, he slapped it closed and fussed, "I don't need help."

Standing up straight, Charlotte griped, "Keep doing it wrong then."

"I know what I'm doing."

Shaking her head at him with a disgusted expression, she stated, "Sure you do. That's why your totals won't balance out."

Auggie glared at her
, knowing she was right but refusing to admit he needed help, especially from her.

~

When Charlotte made it home to an empty house, she went straight to her room. Setting the box William left her on her nightstand, she threw herself onto her bed. She felt she was making an honest effort where Auggie was concerned. If he had let her help him, she could have been one step closer to fulfilling her promise to William. Reaching over, she grabbed her box and set it on the bed next to her. Propping herself up on her elbow, Charlotte opened it. Inside the box was a plastic bag filled with bottle caps.

With a loud exhale
, she rolled onto her back and closed her eyes. No matter how hard she tried, Auggie standing in that stupid bar, shirtless, was the only thing she could think of. He wasn't even handsome. He wore ugly plaid shirts and his beard was scruffy, unkempt and far too long. Charlotte's mind wandered to how she felt standing close to him with his shirt off. She didn't like him, couldn't stand his attitude or the way he looked at her, but there was something about him that made her wonder what it would be like if they had known each other under different circumstances.

Slowly opening her eyes, Charlotte sat up. Closing the box William left her, she placed it back on her nightstand and stood up.
Smiling with pride, she decided on just the right approach to take with Auggie. If she handled him as if he were any other man, she could do what William asked.