Chapter Twenty
Tobin
Six weeks.
Six weeks of dating and spending time together and working to regain Charlie’s trust.
We had our weekly business meetings and talked about our relationship. We cooked dinner together and went on walks. We went to yoga twice a week—without the goats—with Mellie and Dixon to support Kenny now that she held regular classes of both varieties. We watched movies and snuggled on the couch. We made love.
I didn’t miss the discipline part of our relationship as much as I expected I would.
There were a few times when Charlie made derogatory comments about herself that made my palm twitchy. And once or twice where she bought something totally unnecessary and had to take money out of savings to cover her bills, calling it a treat, that would have earned her a trip over my knee. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted that back eventually, but I learned it was possible to have a happy relationship without it.
I also learned that as much as I thought I was the one in control, she held all the power. My father always told me that was the case, but I’d never understood what he meant. I assumed that if a woman didn’t agree to my requirements, I’d find someone who would. Love never entered the equation.
Now, thinking about not having Charlie in my life made me ill. I’d do anything to keep her there. I hoped we’d get back to where we were before I lost my temper and screwed everything up, but I was ready to accept that it might not happen.
I pulled into her driveway and parked, then grabbed the sandwiches I’d picked up from the diner and walked up to her door. When I knocked and heard her yell “come in” from inside, I ground my molars together and took a deep breath before entering her apartment.
“Hey,” she said as she approached from her bedroom. “Sorry about that. I’m still packing.”
I gave her a quick kiss and took off my shoes while I thought about what I wanted to say.
“Don’t you think it would be safer to keep the door locked, Charlie?” I suggested, trying not to make it a command.
She laughed as she took the bag of food from my hand and shook her head. “It’s Walker’s Grove, Tobin. I’m not worried about it.”
“What if your father shows up again?” I crossed my arms over my chest but then released them back to my sides when she narrowed her eyes at my stance.
“I don’t think he will. You really put him in his place last time.” She arched an eyebrow at me, and I regretted bringing it up.
But…
“I just think it would be safer if you locked your door,” I said evenly.
A moment of silence stretched between us as we each eyeballed the other, until finally she said, “I’ll take it under advisement,” before turning and going into the kitchen.
I let out a breath and shook my head at her sassiness. I loved it, but at times like this, I wished she’d take things more seriously. Was her father likely to come back here and hurt her? Probably not. Was I being overprotective? Maybe. But it wasn’t like I was demanding she install a high-tech security system or something. Just lock the damn door!
“Are you coming to eat?” Her question broke through my internal monologue, and I looked up to find her at the table with our food set out on plates, along with silverware, napkins, and two bottles of water.
“Yeah.” I shoved all my thoughts into a box and sealed it shut so I didn’t accidentally say something that would ruin the evening. “How much packing do you need to do?”
She finished chewing the bite of turkey club in her mouth and took a drink before answering. “I don’t know. I need to make sure I have clothes to wear to dinner both nights and casual clothes for during the day. And a swimsuit. And pajamas since I’m sharing a room with Grace, and I can’t sleep in what I normally wear.”
I grinned. “You don’t think Grace wants to see you in nothing but your underwear?”
“Honestly? She probably wouldn’t care. Grace is pretty wild.”
“Well, let’s eat and get you packed so we have time for a proper goodbye before she gets here to pick you up.”
It was the weekend of the long-awaited spa trip. Charlie and Grace were tagging along with Raquel and Layla to a conference the latter two were attending about cross-border estate planning and taxation. Layla booked a room for Grace and Charlie at the group rate and they planned to spend their days in the spa while Raquel and Layla hopefully picked up some skills to offer to the many Canadians who owned property in our area.
Charlie had been saving for months for this trip and we’d gone over her budget and expenses last week. She’d pre-booked her spa treatments and set aside enough money for tips and food. There wasn’t a lot of wiggle room without her dipping into savings, but she assured me she’d planned for everything.
An hour later, after she finished packing and I kissed her senseless, I put her bag in Grace’s trunk, thankful Charlie wasn’t driving her rust bucket of a car.
“Have fun,” I said, pulling her into my chest. “And be careful.”
“Tobin, I’ll be fine. The resort is less than three hours away, I’m with three of my closest friends, and all I’m going to do is relax and eat.” She gave me a squeeze and a much-too-short kiss on the lips before she pulled away. “I’ll call you when I get there.”
“Okay. I love you.” I didn’t know why I was dragging this out. She’d only be gone for a few days.
“I love you, too. Now go home and sweep the barn or something. I’ll be back on Monday.” She got into the passenger side of the car and Grace pulled away, tooting her horn as Charlie waved out the window.
When they turned the corner and I couldn’t see them anymore, I trudged to my truck and climbed in. Luckily, there was always plenty of work to do on the farm because I’d need the distraction. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Charlie or want her to have fun. Our relationship was still on shaky ground, and it felt like the time was ripe for someone better to come along and steal her away from me. Someone not so demanding. Someone who controlled their cocky attitude. Someone who didn’t smell like manure half the time.
I just had to trust her when she said she loved me and hope no fancy lawyers or accountants at this conference swept her off her feet.
It was going to be a long couple of days.