Nate (A Texas Jacks Novel) (8 page)

I
NSTEAD OF JUST HOLDING
C
HARLIE’S
hand, I decide to wrap my arm around her as we walk out the front door, letting Dave know she’s taken.

I have no idea what that was all about, but the next time I’m in
Texas Jacks
, you better believe I’m going to find out. Charlie said she didn’t have a boyfriend, but she didn’t mention that Dave was into her. Either she has no clue, or she chooses to ignore it. I really have no idea what she thinks, but I don’t like it.

Turns out the girls are parked only a few cars away from ours, which is good. I’m tired, and not in the mood to backtrack. It’s also a good thing we walked the girls out; the odds are better with three men rather than one if something were to happen to them.

We walk over to my truck and stop as we notice that Halley is laughing herself silly. I raise my eyebrows at Holt and he just points to the sticker on the back of the truck, which Charlie reads out loud.

“That’s not a leak. My Ford’s just marking its territory.”

“You know what ‘Ford’ stands for right?” she asks, and before I can answer, she says, “Fix or Repair Daily.” Halley laughs again.

“Woman, you need some new jokes. I can share plenty of my jokes with you any time you want, all you have to do is share one thing with me.” Holt teases her.

“And what’s that, Curly?” she replies.

“Your phone number.” Holt says matter-of-factly.

“Oh, is that all?” she asks coyly. “I’m not just a ‘call for a good time’ kind of lady, you know, so how do I know you don’t plan on adding it to your little black book for just that?”

“That’s the thing. You won’t know, unless you give me your number so you can find out.”

“Oh geez, already.
I’ll
give you her number if you two stop gagging me with your flirting.” Naomi jumps into the conversation, cracking us all up.

“Well, who knew you had it in you all of this time, you little firecracker!” Tucker flirts with Naomi, giving her one of the cheesy grins he uses to pick up women with.

“Oh, it’s always there, just lying in wait to go boom.” Charlie says through a chuckle.

“That’s right, and don’t you all forget it.” Naomi quips back with a smirk on her face. The exchange reminds me of the cliché line,
it’s always the quiet ones
…But that can’t be true, because Charlie is much quieter than Naomi. However, you can tell there’s a fire burning behind those green eyes of hers, just waiting to blow up into a full-on inferno. I bet she’s one of those people who are slow to anger; however, once she hits her mark, she combusts.
Tuck better watch out with this one
.

Rolling her eyes, Halley looks at Holt. “Fair warning, you’d better not add my number to your black book either, mister! So far, I like you, and I would like to keep it that way.”

He snatches her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans and starts typing in his contact information.

“So, Miss July, can I have your number, too?” Tucker flirts with Naomi, and surprisingly, she blushes over at him. Even more surprisingly, she actually fishes through her small purse, finding her phone, and hands it over. Okay, I sure as heck didn’t see
that
coming when we spent time together back at the dance club.
Interesting
.

Leaning down, I whisper in Charlie’s ear, “Let’s ditch the crazies and head to your truck.” She smiles up at me and we head off towards the girls’ truck without a glance back to the beeping phones behind us.

I lean up against the truck that Charlie stops in front of and pull her over next to me. I want to hug her so bad, but I just let her lean up slightly against me and the tailgate. I’ve already crossed so many physical lines tonight with embracing her on the dance floor, holding her hand practically all night, resting my hand on her thigh, and at the end, wrapping my arm around her. I think I’ve hit the limit on the touchy-feely meter. I really don’t want to scare her away. Though, I must admit, I’m surprised she let me touch her so much for being so shy.

“So, what were you all talking about earlier, when you mentioned tomorrow?” she asks me, though it seems like she’s not sure it’s her place to ask.

“The guys and I like to ride out on the dirt track. We all have dirt bikes. We spend a lot of time out there, or here at
Texas Jacks
on the weekends, if we aren’t doing other things. Although, I’m harder to catch on Sundays, since that’s the one day I make sure to ride.”

“Why Sundays? What’s so special about that day?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. It’s just the one day I live for, and I make sure I’m there religiously. What about you? Is there one thing you do out of habit that you never break?”

“Yes. Twice a month, also on Sundays, I drive up to Sacramento and spend time with my family. We have family dinners, and I never break the tradition, if I can help it.”

Hearing the love in her voice makes me melancholy where my own family is concerned. I can’t recall the last time we’ve had a family meal of any kind together. Maybe I need to be the one to break the barrier, and check in with my sister and dad.

“Nathan, are you okay?” Charlie asks, reaching up to touch my arm. “You looked a little sad.”

“I’m fine, sweetheart. Just thinking about my family, is all. We don’t get together very often, so I was thinking that I should probably check in with them. That’s all. No big deal.” I play it off as best as I can. No need to delve into places I don’t want to, or ruin one of the best nights I’ve had in a really long time, outside of the track.

“By the way, Charlie, you can call me Nate. It’s what my friends call me.”

“I like calling you Nathan, to be honest. But, maybe—” she trails off.

“
Maybe
—as in, the next time you see me, you’ll give Nate a try?” I tease her.

“Maybe.” She says back, resting her head on my arm.

“How about we follow the lead of our friends and exchange numbers?” I hopefully ask her. I hope that didn’t come out too pushy.

“I don’t like to give my number out, especially to someone I just met.”

“You know, I usually don’t ask the women I meet here for their numbers, nor do I give mine out. So, how about the next time I see you here, I ask you again?” I knew I had pushed my luck with the touching, and I was surprised she allowed it with her shyness. However, I can respect the girl for not handing out her number. I’ve already pushed her as far as she could handle, apparently.

“Oh. Okay. Yeah, I think that would be a good idea.” She gives me a shy but hopeful look.

The gang shows up at the truck just then, and I let it go. I’m not going to push for it, but I won’t lie that it sucks I didn’t get her number tonight.

“Nate, didn’t you see my sticker?” Halley asks.

I turn around to see her window sticker, as Tucker reads out loud,

“Q: What is the difference between a Ford and a porcupine? A: Porcupines have pricks on the outside.”

“Oh, you’re a funny one, aren’t you, woman?” Holt says, shaking his head. I know he finds it funny, but he won’t let a Chevy owner get the best of him and his Ford.

“Time to say goodnight to the ladies. We can’t let Charlie ruin a good pair of boots by letting them turn into a pumpkin now, can we? What would that say about us as gentleman?” I say to the guys.

“Ha! No one’s ever accused me of being a gentleman.” Holt winks over at Halley, who just laughs at him and rolls her eyes.

On that note, Halley and Naomi head to the front of the truck, as Halley clicks her remote to unlock it. They climb in as I walk Charlie over to the passenger side, and because I can’t help it, I wrap my arms around her, lifting her off the ground. I reach out to open the door, and then set her in the backseat.

Leaning in, I place a light kiss on her cheek, whispering in her ear, “Goodnight, Charlie. It was a pleasure to meet you. I hope to see you again soon.” Then I close her door and walk away.

On the drive home, I can’t stop thinking of Nathan.
Nate
. The way he kissed my cheek and whispered in my ear before he left. The way he held my hand most of the night, and when we danced.
When was the last time I let my guard down that much when it came to a man?

“Charlie.” Halley calls my name, pulling me out of my happy trance. Looking up, I see that we’re outside of my complex, and both of my friends are staring at me.

“Why didn’t you give Nathan your phone number?” Halley wants to know.

They’re looking at me like I’ve lost my marbles in crazy-town.

“Really? Do you not remember which friend you’re talking to? You know I don’t give out my number, nor do I ask for a guy for his. The real question is, why are you looking at me like I’m nuts?”

“He was really into you, and I know for a fact you were feeling it, too. I can’t recall the last time you let a guy get close to you.” Halley gives me a pointed look. “He seemed like a really sweet guy, and his friends may be goofballs, but they were a fun group to be around. When have you ever let a man dote all over you that way? Why can’t you just try this one time to let Nathan in? I would hate for you to lose out on a great dating opportunity here.”

“Charlie, we understand that you’re shy when it comes to men, but its okay to try once in a while. Even Dave said he was cool. We don’t want to push you— we just thought this could be a guy you could afford to get to know better. Really, we want you to be happy, and to stop being the girl on the sidelines.” Naomi gently tells me. Apparently, she’s taking a different approach than Halley is on this.

Before I can get a word in, Halley has more to say on my inability to let men in. “You have to take chances, Charlotte. How are you supposed to ever settle down when you won’t even give up a thing as small as a phone number?”

“Look,” I say, cutting them both off before they can get any deeper into my issues. “First of all, why are you marrying me off before I even have a date with this guy? Second, I like Nathan, and I would like to see him again. However, I think it’s okay to know him through
Texas Jacks
first, before handing out my number. If you’d both waited to hear me out, I would have told you sooner. He’s asking me again for my number the next time we meet. When the night is over, and we’ve had more time together, I’ll give it to him then.” Blowing air deeply out of my lungs, I continue. “I already decided to take a chance and not let life pass me by anymore. I know I’m young, but I feel like I’m holding back too much, and I want to step outside of my comfort zone. However, I don’t need anyone pushing me. Let’s just take this nice and slow, and let the chips land where they may, shall we?”

Now they’re both staring at me with mixed emotions washing over their faces. Finally, raising her left eyebrow and giving me a big, lopsided grin, Halley asks, “When were you going to let us in on the big secret, you sneaky woman? And—what prompted you to finally cross over to the dark side?” she laughs.

“Honestly? I’m not one hundred-percent positive, but I think it stems from my siblings and parents. Going to family dinners and watching them with their partners, it makes me feel left out. They’re happy and in love, and naturally I want that, too. Then there’s you two, always having fun and meeting new guys. You have a life, and I feel like I’m on a boring car ride, enjoying the pretty scenery from the confines of the inside, but never getting out and truly experiencing it. For once, I wanted to know what it was like to take a leap of faith. Nathan seemed like the right guy to jump with.”

“Well I, for one, am excited to add some men to our circle of friends. I’m seeing exciting times ahead for this group, and I can’t wait for the good times to roll,” Halley happily states. “But more importantly, Charlie, we are happy for you in taking this giant step. Remember, we will always be here to hold your hand. We’re your sisters from other misters, and we don’t let sisters fall,” she reminds me with a wink. We’ve always been there for each other, through life’s many ups and downs.

“By the way, thanks for the surprise intervention,” I shake my head at them. “I know you mean well. However, I’ve got this.” I smile saucily at them, then turn the handle on the door and push out of the truck.