Chapter Twenty-one
After the hilarious pizza fest with Kayla and Angie, thanks to Blake’s constant teasing and jokes, Charli let him help clean the kitchen so he’d stick around. Uneasy, she had to share her feelings and intended to discuss her apprehension with him.
Before she could open the conversation, Kayla returned, Angie trailing behind her. “Charli, do you have an extra bathing suit Angie could borrow. Mine won’t fit her.”
Cutting off Charli’s response, Angie’s agitation clear, she said, “No biggie, Kayla. I told you, I can wear my shorts and t-shirt.” She pulled on Kayla’s arm, but did so gently.
Ignoring the other girl’s discomfort, Charli answered the question, “Sure, kiddo. I washed all three of mine and left them hanging in my bathroom.” She smiled at Angie, watching the sullen expression transform into pleased shock. “Angie, take whichever one you want.”
“Thanks, Charli, you’re aces.” Kayla beamed with gratitude and Angie just looked like a victim who’d taken a two-by-four to the head. It made Charli wonder how often the girl made requests and had them granted.
After they headed to the pool, Charli shared her fears with Blake.
“Can I talk to you about this new girl, Angie?”
“Sure.” He leaned against the counter, crossed his arms and waited.
She folded the towel and hopped onto the counter opposite him. Watching him, watching her, as she took her comb out of her hair, used it to gather the curls by her ears that had escaped and replace it, she ignored the flash of interest he didn’t attempt to hide and began.
“When the girls first arrived home, things were definitely awkward. Angie was offhand to the point of being unapproachable. No matter what I said, the girl couldn’t seem to relax. I thought if I asked questions, it might be easier for her, but her answers were noncommittal to the point of rudeness.”
“You probably interrogated the poor baby.”
“That poorbaby, as you call her, sports 38 D’s and has eyes that said goodbye to innocence a long time ago.”
Being used to such insolent attitudes in her undercover work with young gang members, Charli had sensed an underlying reason for Angie’s reticence. Just the girl’s appearance screamed abhorrence with rules of normal behavior. Then she remembered what Kayla had told her about the girl, about her dysfunctional family.
“Kayla told me earlier she had an asshole for a stepdad, her siblings escaped last year, leaving her there alone, and her mom being ill doesn’t help the situation.”
“There’s no law against having a broken family, Charli, my love. Sadly, it’s now the norm in many areas. She seemed nice enough with Kayla, almost worshipping in a way.”
Charli sneered at his cheeky “my love” endearment, which just made him grin, but his comment made her rethink the situation. “You’re right. As snarly as she was with me, she behaved completely the opposite with Kayla.”
“See, that’s what I noticed. Two friendly, even affectionate, girls behaving the way young teenagers do who’ve lacked their family’s attention.”
Charli gaped at the man beside her. “And you know that how?”
“I spend a lot of my spare time at the gym and work out with the kids. Most seasons, I teach defensive training classes for a mixed group of middle-aged gems. I get to see a lot of interaction, and I’d say a lot of Angie’s reserve is because she’s been trained to be seen and not heard.”
“So, she makes sure that what you see is outrageous and shocking, her way of saying screw you.” That made a lot of sense. Charli looked toward the patio, through the sliding glass doors and saw the girls standing together, holding hands, ready to dive in. Straggly pink spikes contrasted to Kayla’s black hair… one bright sunrise, the other dark night.
Angie, cute and short, beside Kayla’s longer, slender body caught the eye. And the differences in their dress code had stuck out too.
On purpose, Charli had allowed Kayla full choice when they’d shopped, and the girl had a natural chic that had her picking classier outfits rather than garishly modern. Not so for Angie. Her jeans had so many rips across the front that most of her tanned legs were on display all the way up to her crotch.
Oh stop fretting like an old mother hen.Opposites attract – it’s a slogan because it’s true.
Changing the subject, Charli turned to Blake who’d moved to stand nearby. “Truthfully, most nights I dread you showing up, uninvited I may add, but tonight your shenanigans – teasing the girls and telling those crazy stories – helped everyone relax. Thank you for that.”
“Aww Charli, you know I have to come to get a change of clothes and check in. Besides, I’d miss your sweetness if I skipped a night. I even had you laughing earlier. Admit it, you like having me here.”
“I liked seeing Angie let loose, even though she is flirtatious to a fault. Man, she’s only fourteen. I bet I never acted like that.”
“Whoa-ho. I’d put my money on it.” His teasing grin made her laugh. She jumped down and pushed him in a friendly way, but with a warning he couldn’t ignore. He’d let his body brush up against hers too often to be coincidental. The room was just not that small. “Stop it.”
“Stop what?”
“You know.”