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front of her brother.
“Why were you talking about that?” Jesse asked. “Matt, I thought you said you didn’t grill her with questions earlier.”
“She was fine,” Charlotte said. “We were talking about something entirely different.”
Jesse’s brow shot up. “Really? Such as?”
“Nothing,” Mattie said. She took out her phone and focused her attention on it.
“Put it away, Matt,” Jessie said. “You know the rule about phones at the dinner table.”
“Well, you know the rule about calling me Matt, and you’re not observing that. So don’t get on my case. Plus, I want to show Charlie something.”
The girl got up and showed her cell phone to Charlotte. Suddenly, Charlotte realized she was looking at Tom’s Facebook page, at a profile picture of him and his…wife.
“Oh my God, look at her. Charlie, you are so much prettier than she is. Tom is cray-cray if he dumped you for her. He must’ve fallen off a bull and landed on his head.”
Jesse muttered something under his breath. “Mattalyn, that’s enough. Put the damn phone away and clear the dishes. Don’t make me tell you again.”
Only, Charlotte didn’t give the phone back to Mattie. It was the first time she’d seen Tom’s wife’s picture. Charlotte had avoided social media yesterday because she had been too busy watching the movies Jane had brought her, and she hadn’t wanted to take a chance on seeing something like this.
The new Mrs. Tom Tucker—Rebecca, Tom had called her—was a redhead with a wide, toothy smile. If Charlotte were completely honest, she couldn’t say the woman was ugly. She really didn’t want to think that much about her. Still, putting a face with a name made it all so real.
She’d taken his last name. Rebecca Tucker. Tom and Rebecca Tucker.
Hmmm.
Well, good for them. If Tom loved her—if this was the real deal, true love thing—she wished them nothing but the best.
Handing the phone back to Mattie, Charlotte couldn’t deny it stung a little.
But only a little bit. Like a surface wound. Certainly not as much as it should have.
Hmmm.
That realization in itself was liberating.
“You know what?” Mattie asked.
“What?” Charlotte asked.
“You and Jesse should go out. You’d make a really good couple.”
Before either of them could react, Mattie’s phone rang.
“It’s Gina,” she said. “I’m gonna take it in the other room. I have to talk to her now because she’s going out to dinner with her dad and she won’t be able to talk later. I promise I’ll clear the table as soon as we’re off the phone. She said she has something important to tell me.”
Mattie shot Charlotte an excited look. It must’ve had something to do with Cody. Of course it did.
Mattie was already out of the room before Jesse could answer.
The silence washed over them for a moment before he spoke. “I’m sorry about that. I really am. Now do you see what I mean when I say she’s a handful?”
“It’s fine. Really. She didn’t mean any harm.”
“Maybe not, but she needs to learn what’s appropriate and what’s not. Will she learn that in this pageant?”
“She’s a teenager, Jesse.” Charlotte stood and started gathering the dishes. “The actions and the attitude, they all come with the territory. But she really is a good kid. I know it must not be easy, but you’re doing a great job with her.”
Charlotte reached out to grab the spoon from Jesse’s place setting. He put his hand on top of hers. “That’s Mattie’s job. How is she ever going to learn unless we let her do it?”
Charlotte stood there for a minute without moving her hand. Jesse didn’t move his, either, except to rub the base of his thumb along the side of her index finger. Even the innocent feel of his hand on her hand—of his skin on her skin—made her insides go soft and gooey.
“I need to go,” Charlotte finally said.
Jesse rose from his chair. “I’ll walk you out.”
When they got to her car, she
“Why were you talking about that?” Jesse asked. “Matt, I thought you said you didn’t grill her with questions earlier.”
“She was fine,” Charlotte said. “We were talking about something entirely different.”
Jesse’s brow shot up. “Really? Such as?”
“Nothing,” Mattie said. She took out her phone and focused her attention on it.
“Put it away, Matt,” Jessie said. “You know the rule about phones at the dinner table.”
“Well, you know the rule about calling me Matt, and you’re not observing that. So don’t get on my case. Plus, I want to show Charlie something.”
The girl got up and showed her cell phone to Charlotte. Suddenly, Charlotte realized she was looking at Tom’s Facebook page, at a profile picture of him and his…wife.
“Oh my God, look at her. Charlie, you are so much prettier than she is. Tom is cray-cray if he dumped you for her. He must’ve fallen off a bull and landed on his head.”
Jesse muttered something under his breath. “Mattalyn, that’s enough. Put the damn phone away and clear the dishes. Don’t make me tell you again.”
Only, Charlotte didn’t give the phone back to Mattie. It was the first time she’d seen Tom’s wife’s picture. Charlotte had avoided social media yesterday because she had been too busy watching the movies Jane had brought her, and she hadn’t wanted to take a chance on seeing something like this.
The new Mrs. Tom Tucker—Rebecca, Tom had called her—was a redhead with a wide, toothy smile. If Charlotte were completely honest, she couldn’t say the woman was ugly. She really didn’t want to think that much about her. Still, putting a face with a name made it all so real.
She’d taken his last name. Rebecca Tucker. Tom and Rebecca Tucker.
Hmmm.
Well, good for them. If Tom loved her—if this was the real deal, true love thing—she wished them nothing but the best.
Handing the phone back to Mattie, Charlotte couldn’t deny it stung a little.
But only a little bit. Like a surface wound. Certainly not as much as it should have.
Hmmm.
That realization in itself was liberating.
“You know what?” Mattie asked.
“What?” Charlotte asked.
“You and Jesse should go out. You’d make a really good couple.”
Before either of them could react, Mattie’s phone rang.
“It’s Gina,” she said. “I’m gonna take it in the other room. I have to talk to her now because she’s going out to dinner with her dad and she won’t be able to talk later. I promise I’ll clear the table as soon as we’re off the phone. She said she has something important to tell me.”
Mattie shot Charlotte an excited look. It must’ve had something to do with Cody. Of course it did.
Mattie was already out of the room before Jesse could answer.
The silence washed over them for a moment before he spoke. “I’m sorry about that. I really am. Now do you see what I mean when I say she’s a handful?”
“It’s fine. Really. She didn’t mean any harm.”
“Maybe not, but she needs to learn what’s appropriate and what’s not. Will she learn that in this pageant?”
“She’s a teenager, Jesse.” Charlotte stood and started gathering the dishes. “The actions and the attitude, they all come with the territory. But she really is a good kid. I know it must not be easy, but you’re doing a great job with her.”
Charlotte reached out to grab the spoon from Jesse’s place setting. He put his hand on top of hers. “That’s Mattie’s job. How is she ever going to learn unless we let her do it?”
Charlotte stood there for a minute without moving her hand. Jesse didn’t move his, either, except to rub the base of his thumb along the side of her index finger. Even the innocent feel of his hand on her hand—of his skin on her skin—made her insides go soft and gooey.
“I need to go,” Charlotte finally said.
Jesse rose from his chair. “I’ll walk you out.”
When they got to her car, she
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