She exhales loudly and asks, “What now?”
I nod my head toward Jules and Rider as they walk the rocky beach, stopping to pick up shells. “We’re headed into the city for a couple hours. Jules had no idea we’d be going whale watching or hiking or camping.” I laugh. “I didn’t either, until I saw your brochures.”
“Lucky me.”
“What was that?” I ask.
“Nothing.”
She has a less than impressed look on her face, so I continue with. “Jules really likes you. She obviously has good taste.”
“Stop complimenting and tell me what you want.”
Okay, I like a girl who gets straight to the point. “She was wondering if you’d like to join us. We’re headed to The Trail Shop in the city and she figured since you do the tours, you’d know what gear she’d need to pick up.”
Charlie glances over at Jules, who waves to her. Charlie smiles, and I sense a deep loneliness about her, a sadness that I instantly want to soothe. Have all her friends left for bigger and better too?
“You don’t have to if you don’t want,” I explain. “It won’t hurt her feelings. She’ll understand if you’re busy.”
She takes a lick of her dripping ice cream cone, and glances out at the ocean. I’m not sure what’s going through her head, but she stares at the waves for a long time. I lick my ice cream and for a second think she might have forgotten I was standing there.
She spins, and nods. “Okay, l can go. There’s a few things I need to pick up anyway.” She glances at her clothes. “What time are you leaving? I’d like to get showered and changed first.”
“You don’t need to change.” My gaze drops to take in her frayed jean shorts and raggedy, threadbare, Rolling Stones T-shirt. I stifle a moan of pleasure that’s trying to rise in my throat. My smile however, I can’t seem to wipe that from my face. “You look great. I’m in shorts, too.”
“You’re in nice khaki shorts, andyou’rethe one who looks great. Not me.” She tugs on the frayed end of her shorts. “I’m not going shopping with Jules dressed like this.”
I jerk my thumb over my shoulder. “I can give you a ride to your place.”
“It’s not far. I can walk.”
“Or I can drive you.”
One hand goes to her hip. “Pushy. Not a great trait, Wes.”
I grin. “Stubborn. Not a great trait, Charlie.”
“I guess it’s a good thing we’re not trying to impress each other, then.”
I laugh, because dammit, this woman is seriously impressive. “Yeah, because it would be awful if we had to kiss again.”
She makes a sound, like she’d eaten something distasteful. “I can’t think of anything worse.”
I laugh again. I like her. “Are we going to stand here and insult each other for the rest of the day or are you going to let me drive you to your place to get changed?”
“Wait, did you just call me stub—”
“Are you accepting my offer to drive you?” I grin as her eyes narrow in on me, knowing the point goes to me if she refuses.
“Yes, but only because I don’t want to keep your friends waiting, and to prove I’m not stubborn.”
I hold my hand out and point to my car, not believing for one second that this woman isn’t stubborn. But that’s not a bad thing. She’s an independent girl who knows what she wants, and I like that about her.
I wave Jules and Rider over and they hop into the back seat. Charlie hesitates. “I can sit in the back.”
“And you can sit in the front,” I say to her over the roof.
She opens her mouth and when I grin at her, she grumbles something and slides into the passenger seat.