“Oh, I’m fine. Just going to check on the unicorns and clean the house,” Gracie said in an exasperated sigh.
“That sounds like a lot of work,” Charlotte said, waving her Barbie toward Gracie’s. Why the hell was she doing a lower man voice? She shook her head and tried for adult woman. Which you’d think she could figure out, but somehow the Barbie had an accent of her own.
“What are you working on today?” Gracie said with her Barbie, lifting a hand.
Charlotte looked around the room and saw unicorns plastered everywhere. From posters to the bedspread, it was all unicorns.
“Oh, I am going to the office,” Charlotte said.
Gracie frowned. “What do you do at the office?”
“Build websites,” Charlotte said. Probably not the most exciting thing Gracie had ever heard of, and she hoped she wasn’t the lamest Barbie player ever, but Charlotte liked the idea of sharing this part of herself with a little girl.
Gracie blinked at her, her doll forgotten. “How do you build them?”
“Well, I get on my computer and use tools on there to design things.”
“Can I see?” Gracie asked.
“Um…” Charlotte glanced at her purse with an idea. “Sure, here.” She pulled out her phone, got on the internet, and pulled up one of the websites she’d designed earlier in the year for a lipstick line. “Here, this is a website,” she said and slid her finger over the screen to scroll up and down.
Gracie looked wide-eyed. “You made that? That’s so cool!”
Charlotte smiled. She felt cool. For the first time in a long time.
“Well, I think you’re pretty cool, too.”
Gracie was so kind, trusting. And Charlotte wanted to be a woman in her life. Whatever that meant.
“Do you have that lipstick?” she asked, looking at the phone.
“Actually, I do.” The client had sent her several samples as a thank-you. Charlotte riffled through her purse and pulled out the fire-engine-red lipstick and handed it to Gracie.
“Ooooh,” she said, opening it and rolling it all the way out and staring at the vibrant color. She handed it back to Charlotte. “Will you put it on me?”
“Of cours
e,” Charlotte said, honest to God enjoying girl time. She didn’t have anyone she could do girlie stuff like this with. Was there even anyone back home she wanted to call since she’d arrived? No. She just worked and lived alone. Pathetic, now that she thought about it. Still, hanging out with Gracie was nice. Having the opportunity to be a good thing in the girl’s world was also nice.
“Okay, go like this…” Charlotte made an O with her lips, and Gracie mimicked her. “Good.” She applied the lipstick. “Now do this…” She rubbed her lips together, and Gracie did the same. “Oh yeah, that looks great.”
Gracie smiled and clapped. “Now you! You need some.”
Charlotte pulled out a compact from her purse and used the mirror to apply the same red to her lips. When she rubbed her lips together, she caught the reflection of the door behind her, and the towering Tripp Montgomery standing in it, watching her.
…
Tripp went to Gracie’s room to usher Charlotte out, come up with a lie why she didn’t have to stay if she looked the least bit uncomfortable or invent some sort of scheme to keep expectations at bay.
Instead, he found Charlotte on the floor, playing with his daughter. She was beautiful in his shirt, her feet bare and her hair loose. Like she’d made herself comfortable in his home. It was a good look on her, and Tripp found himself staring extra hard.
He’d never seen Gracie so happy. Granted, Tripp didn’t allow many women around her, but he’d never seen his daughter take to a woman so naturally before. Not her teachers or even her troop leader. She was connecting with Charlotte.
He should be worried.
Was.
He was worried.