Page 37 of Hold Me Instead (Elmwood Falls #1)

Charlie

Charlie managed to turn off her car, unbuckle her seatbelt, and step halfway out the door all at once.

Initially, her excitement at having Zachary over had bubbled and fizzed into a champagne party for her stomach.

But reality had quickly swept in on the short drive to her place.

Was it clean? How cluttered was it? Was underwear on the floor?

Was she clean?

At least they’d both been working all day, and not in sweltering heat, but a quick touch-up would be ideal.

The garage door closed as she hurried inside, knowing full well Zachary would be at her front door in no time, even with dropping Maple off at Jordan’s so the old girl could sleep.

The living room was decent, aside from mail on the coffee table.

She pretended the knit blankets spilling off the couch were a carefree artistic choice and tossed throw pillows from the floor onto the couch and armchair.

Then she half-kicked, half-carried the laundry basket full of clothes into her bedroom.

A quick scan of the kitchen showed a sink with some of the morning’s dishes and a pile of mail on the counter—not terrible. Oh, and another pile of mail on the small table tucked by the window, along with the open shipping box of treats and food for Toothless .

“Whatever,” she muttered, and moved back to the living room.

She glanced out the window—there he was, parked, inside his car. She squinted through the darkness, and from the faint visor mirror light, saw him shove his fingers through his hair.

“God, he’s cute.” She spun around and nearly stepped on Toothless, who called out a warning meow. “Sorry, little peanut!” Charlie yelled, racing to the bathroom.

With a pump of lavender lotion, she rubbed her hands together and patted behind her ears. She pulled her hair free from the hat and ponytail and fluffed it. “Nope,” she said, loosely plaiting snarly sections as she stepped out of the bathroom, the timing perfect with the knock at her door.

She flipped the hair band around the end of the braid and opened the door.

Zachary walked in with a cooler. “Easier to bring the whole thing in, hope that’s alright. Maybe we could make it a picnic right here?”

“Love that idea.” Charlie scooted the coffee table farther from the couch and flipped a lightweight teal blanket onto the floor. Chill, Charlie . “Um, what can I get you to drink? I have wine and…water. That might be it, actually.”

“Wine or water?” Zachary grinned.

“I’m really good at keeping the essentials around,” Charlie said, smiling back. “I do have oat milk, if you wanna go wild.”

Zachary tossed his jacket on the arm of the couch, effectively closing the distance between them. “Wine sounds great.”

She nodded, her head tilted to look up at him. “Great.”

He brushed a strand of hair from her face. Whenever she was around him, those flyaways didn’t bother her so much .

“You just did this?” He asked the question softly, his fingers toying with her braid.

“Mmm,” she replied. Words escaped her, especially when he tugged lightly, urging her closer.

Her stomach growled, and Zachary chuckled. Her desire to stare at him was strong, but her hunger game was stronger. She gestured toward the blanket.

“Have a seat, please. I’ll be right back.”

“Why, thank you.”

She looked back at his teasing and laughed nervously at her formal tone.

“So awkward, Charlotte,” she hissed as she tore into her wine selection. She grabbed one of her favorite reds from the small collection in her cabinet and a chardonnay from the fridge. With a bottle and glass entwined in each hand, she made the short trek back to the living room, stopping short.

Toothless was curled up on Zachary, eyes closed and head back as he scratched under her chin. She’d secured the best seat in the house. Levi would occasionally hold her in his burly arms, but curled up in Zachary’s lap, she looked precious. And he looked even more delicious.

She emitted a strange sound, a mix between clearing her throat and forcing out a chuckle.“Looks like someone made a new friend,” she said, walking into the room. Great , that ’ s something Mom would say .

“ She’s sweet,” Zachary said.

“Oh yeah.” Charlie settled on the blanket across from them. “She is not shy when it comes to affection. Red or white? I brought both.”

“Red.” Zachary gave Charlie his full attention while he absentmindedly pet Toothless, who purred like the happy cat she was. “Your place is nice. Very you.”

She opened the bottle and poured. “Thanks. Levi owns the building actually and rents out this apartment.”

“Ah. Convenient to live next to the owner.”

“It is. He does a lot of the handiwork or ropes his brother-in-law to help out. Damion’s in construction,” she added, as if he cared to learn extraneous information about her friend. She handed him his glass and raised hers in a toast before taking a sip.

She looked around the small living room, the intricate molding original but painted white for a more modern look, accented by gray walls.

The space was large enough for her couch and coffee table, a small stand for her TV, and a cozy navy armchair.

Narrow built-ins on either side of the picture window held books and picture frames.

She loved the charm of her place, the old bones intact and blending with the cosmetic updates Levi had incorporated.

It was cute, with character that relieved Charlie from the stress of interior decorating.

“Looks well taken care of.”

“God yes. I’m lucky. Plus, his family brings me delicious fudge.” She shook her head in mock dismay and took another sip of wine.

“Like the other day?”

“Yeah. His nieces insisted on making me some. The girls love Toothless and meeting whatever fosters I have. His brother and brother-in-law aren’t looking to adopt a pet right now, so it’s a good arrangement.” She took another sip, while Zachary looked around.

“So fudge and cookies are the way in, huh,” he said softly .

After only a few sips of wine, a slight buzz was kicking in, but his words pulled her upright. Suddenly, talking about her neighbor was the last thing she wanted to discuss.

“Cookies for sure. Snickerdoodles win every time.” She answered just as softly, her voice surprisingly husky. Zachary’s eyes flew to hers, then down to her lips.

Her stomach growled, interrupting the silence, and she slapped her hand to her abdomen.

“Speaking of food?” Zachary said.

“Yes. We should eat.”

They both reached for the cooler and lifted the lid together.

They set out the meal, the burgers still warm since Zachary had cooked and wrapped them at the end of the day.

By the time their plates were set, Toothless was splayed on her back, presenting herself to Zachary like the little hussy she was.

“You’re ridiculous,” Charlie said to her cat, though she understood the feeling. If she hadn’t been so hungry, the thought of laying herself out on the floor for Zachary’s eyes to feast on her would’ve overpowered any other thought.

“I’ll have to bring Maple over to meet her,” Zachary said.

Charlie took a bite of her food, humming in agreement. “She did well today,” she said through her bite.

He laughed. “You’ve got something there,” he said, pointing at her mouth.

She felt lettuce between her teeth and gave him an exaggerated smile to showcase it. “What? I have something stuck?”

He shook his head. “I’m seriously flashing back to when you were in high school and did that to me the first time. ”

“The first time? Right. I guess I’ve done it often enough. Yikes.” She laughed nervously.

Zachary, on the other hand, cracked up. “I get the joke. I’ve always gotten it.”

Charlie felt her cheeks warm. Smooth and sensual, she was not. Laying herself in front of Zachary probably wouldn’t go as planned.

“Your sense of humor has always gotten to me. In the best way,” he hurried to add when she looked up at him. “Don’t know how Anna’s aversion to… everything didn’t stand out more after being friends with you.”

She swallowed a large chunk. The thought of their friendship being that vivid to him was a lot to process. “Love makes you do crazy things,” she said. Her eyes narrowed at her food as she pulled a piece of the bun and ate it slowly. “Been there.”

Memories swarmed of trying to keep her ex happy, sacrificing her needs, instead of the idea that they make each other happy by being themselves.

“I hate that you were hurt,” Zachary said.

Charlie forced a smile, but when she looked at Zachary, she felt the sadness show through, her attempt at hiding behind it much more difficult.

She shrugged. “I learned a lot, you know how it goes. Granted, my therapist would confirm that I’m still working through it. But I’m much better for it now.”

“You’re in therapy because of it?” His voice was laced with concern.

“It’s a combination of things. I didn’t realize how much it messed with me, mentally, you know? Until we started digging into everything.”

“Ah, yeah. I get that. ”

Charlie picked at the thin weave of the blanket and released a quiet breath.

“There was a lot of manipulation. My self-confidence took a major hit.” She tipped her head from side to side.

“I mean, you met his mom. That’s a pretty good glimpse into life with him.

Little self-awareness and a whole lot of selfishness.

I was just going through the motions instead of recognizing what it was. ”

“That sounds like a huge revelation,” Zachary said. He stretched onto his side, leaning on an elbow. One hand traced hers lightly as he listened.