Page 28 of Of Course, Cutie
Tess rolled her eyes. “Fine, daddy. What does your family do for Christmas, Charlie?”
“Well, we do a huge Christmas Eve dinner, and Santa gives everyone new jammies. But my favorite thing was the car tree I did with my dad. We used to buy matchbox cars every year and glue ribbons on them and turn them into Christmas ornaments.” Charlie smiled at the memory, but there was pain in her pretty blue eyes. I couldn’t stop myself from resting my hand on her knee under the table.
“So you had a tree with only cars? That’s so cool! Can we make a tree like that, daddy?” Tess took a bite of her cookie, getting frosting all over her cheeks.
“Sure, sweetheart. It sounds like a cool idea.” I glanced over at Charlie. She had tears in her eyes, but she kept a smile pasted on her face.
Charlie continued to engage with Tess and keep the conversation light and fun, but she grew quieter as the night wore on. The weight of missing her father looked heavy. I wanted to carry it for her.
After I got Tess to bed, Charlie was by my front door, putting on her coat.
“You heading out already?” That was for the best. I didn’t think I could keep my hands to myself.
Charlie nodded. “Hey, Burke?”
“Yeah, cutie?”
She slid her arms around my neck and stood on her tiptoes. Then she whispered in my ear. “I know what I want for my birthday next week.”
I wrapped my arms around her waist, heart pounding. I pressed my lips against the top of her head and inhaled the sweet coconut scent of her shampoo. “What’s that?”
Her lips brushed my jaw and then my ear. “A kiss.”
I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead against hers. “Don’t do this to me. You know I can’t give you that.”
“If it’s because you don’t want to kiss me, then I’ll leave you alone, but if it’s because you’re worried about the age difference, then stop.”
“Charlie—"
She pressed a finger to my lips. “You don’t have to decide right this second. Just think about it, Burke.” Then she pulled my door open and slipped out, leaving me alone with thoughts of my tongue in her mouth.
Fuck.
13
Burke
It wasn’t my weekend with Tess, and I wasn’t scheduled at ’69, so I sat on my couch, wasting my life away in front of the TV. I mean, it beat the oil rigs, but there had to be something more to life.
There was more to life, and I felt it every time I was near Charlie. She engaged all of my senses the second she walked into a room like I’d never experienced before. I didn’t feel it with Lexi. I hadn’t felt it with my high school girlfriend or any of the women that walked into the bar and left me with their phone numbers.
I picked up my phone and opened my messaging app. It was cutie’s birthday. I’d already texted to wish her a happy birthday and tell her I had a gift for her, but she didn’t answer. It wasn’t the gift she’d requested. I could never give her that, no matter how badly I wanted to.
I let out a deep breath, slid my phone back into my pocket, and tried to pay attention to the episode of The Good Place on my screen. It was a funny show, like Charlie said, but I couldn’t get into it. I kept thinking about Charlie’s request for a kiss the last time I saw her. I switched off the TV just as my phone buzzed in my pocket.
It was Charlie. Hey, Burke. You home?
Sure am, cutie. Where the hell else would I be? You know I don’t like people and have no friends.
And that’s why I like you.
As I typed my response, there was a soft knock on my door. I stood to answer it. She looked adorable, all wrapped up in her winter gear, eyes sparkling. “Charlie, what are you doing here?” My heart pounded. “You should be out with your friends.”
“I already saw the only friend I wanted to see.” Her gaze was so intense.
I swallowed. “What about your family? Shouldn’t you be with them?”
She shrugged. “We had a family dinner.” Charlie shoved her hands in her pockets and let out a soft puff of breath. “Can I come in for my present, or would you like me to leave?”
