Page 9 of Cookie

Charlie

W ork was busy when I returned from lunch, but not busy enough to stop me from constantly watching for the door to the bookstore and waiting for it to open.

A few people had come and gone, but Mack was there for nearly two hours.

On one level, I was a little jealous that he could spend so much time with Ryan, but I wondered if Ryan would have any patience left once Mack had talked himself out.

I’d just finished an oil change when I glanced over to see Mack leaving. He spotted me and waved before hurrying off in the other direction.

“What are you looking at?” my older brother Clarence asked as he looked over my shoulder.

“Nothing,” I said, and hoped he would let it go. Clarence was like a dog on a bone, and he loved nothing more than giving one of us a hard time.

“What’s going on with the bookstore? I saw Mom come back with a few books and I’ve noticed you’re there a lot lately.

I’m pretty sure you’re not visiting Millie,” he said as he wiped his hands with a rag he kept handy.

Of all my brothers, Clarence was the one who looked most like me, but we were polar opposites in the personality department.

“Ryan is buying it,” I said unable to hold back my smile.

“Ryan? That guy that you’ve been fawning over the past month?” he said, and I braced for the teasing that was sure to come.

“Yeah, I really like him,” I admitted. I hadn’t meant to, but I was happy he was staying, and I wasn’t going to hide that.

To my surprise, he clapped me on the back and leaned in close. “I’m happy for you, Charlie. You deserve some happiness too.”

Clarence had recently reconnected with a girl he’d dated in high school and apparently, things were going well. To say I was shocked was putting it mildly. “Thanks.” I continued to brace for some sort of teasing that never came.

“Come on, let’s get back to work then you can go see your guy,” Clarence said, and we stayed busy enough the rest of the day that neither of us had time to do much more than check the schedule to see what job was next.

As soon as I finished my last job, I washed up and hurried over to the bookstore, hoping to catch Ryan just before he closed. “Hey, I didn’t expect you back so soon,” he said when I walked inside.

“I’m so excited for you I couldn’t stay away,” I said and waited while he finished with two ladies that were stocking up on the latest romance novels. They both glanced at me with smiles that made me suspect they were onto us, but I didn’t have it in me to care. “Have you told Millie?”

“Not yet. I wanted to meet with her and talk to her in person. She went back to Sacramento yesterday, but she’ll be back in a week,” Ryan said as he closed out his drawer and got ready to lock up for the night.

“Are you sure you can wait that long?” I asked. His excitement was contagious, and I felt as invested as he was in finding out if he was really going to stay.

“No, but there’s not much I can do about it. I could talk to her on the phone, but I really feel like it’s something I should do in person.”

“Could Avery open the store tomorrow?” I asked and was met with a blank look.

“I’m not sure. It depends on what classes she has,” Ryan said. “Why?”

“How do you feel about taking a drive to Sacramento? I haven’t been there for years, and you need to speak to her. It’s easy to see how much this means to you, and once it’s settled, you’ll be able to start making all those changes you have planned. I want to do all I can to make that happen.”

At first, he didn’t speak. He stared at me wide-eyed and silent before pulling me in for a tight hug. “You’d do that?”

“Yes, of course I’d do that. We can make a day of it.

I mean, it’s not like it’s that far and if there’s anything you need to bring back with you, we can do that too.

” I brushed his cheek with my thumb. Those eyes said more than he could ever say with words, and I wanted him to look at me that way forever.

Fuck, even if it was true, I needed to take a step back and let things happen when they were meant to happen.

“Let me call Avery and see what plans she has for tomorrow. Are you sure you can take a day off?” he asked as he picked up his phone from the counter.

“Yes, I mean I haven’t asked yet, but they’re all sick of me, so it’s probably a good thing for everyone.” I grinned when I thought of Clarence’s words, and I hoped he meant them because he’d probably be covering my shift.

“Hey, Avery, sorry to bother you. Would it be possible for you to work tomorrow? You’d need to work the entire shift from open to close, but if you need to, I’d be fine with you either opening later or closing earlier.

We’ll just put up a sign,” he said and froze as he listened to her.

“Really?” His eyes met mine and his excitement was obvious.

He reached out his hand to me and I took it.

He squeezed tight while he continued to talk, and I knew he was now committed to going and I hoped Avery could help.

Finally, he hung up and smiled down at the phone.

“What did she say?” I asked, my patience long gone.

“Go ask if you can have tomorrow off, and we’ll go tonight. I mean, if you want to. We can stay at my apartment. I kept it since I wasn’t sure I’d be staying.”

I gripped his arms then and pulled him in for a kiss.

“I really love kissing you,” I said, stealing his line.

“Let me go ask, but I know for a fact they won’t mind.

Wait right here, I’ll be right back.” I hurried out to the door to his laughter.

I never did shit like this, and was known as Mr. Dependable, and probably, if I was being honest, a little Mr. Boring.

But that was all changing. Ryan made me want to push past my boundaries and do new things, and going to Sacramento on a spur of the moment would be the beginning. “Mom, I want tomorrow off.”

She looked up from the computer and met my eyes. “Is that right?” she asked, probably trying to control her shock because in all the years I’d worked here, I couldn’t remember taking a day off like this at the last minute.

She leaned back in her chair and stared me down. “Do you have plans?” she asked and narrowed her eyes.

“Ryan needs to go to Sacramento, and I offered to take him.”

“And Ryan can’t drive himself?” she asked and barely controlled her smile.

“Probably, but I want to,” I said with a shrug.

“Be back here Friday morning ready to work,” she said.

“Thank you!” I pulled her in for a hug, making her laugh and swat at me. I hurried to clean up my workstation and when that was done, I sent Ryan a message.

Charlie: I just need to shower and change, then I’m ready to leave.

Ryan: Let’s do this!

He sent back, making me even more excited to begin what I hoped was our first big adventure.