Sexy Stranger(40)

That certainly hadn't been Sarah's expression when I'd told her about going back to the distillery.

"Your father? What the hell has he ever done for you? You need to stop worrying about all that and focus on us."

Sarah had believed in her dream, but not mine. And in the end, wasn't that what had made her go? And with Mom, wasn't it her not believing in Dad that had made her leave?

Logically, their choices had nothing to do with me or my dad. But how it felt . . .

How it felt had nothing to do with logic.

I took another pull from my glass and sat it on a stool before closing my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose. Again, with my eyes closed to the world, I saw nothing but Charlotte beaming back at me, holding the drink she'd been the inspiration for, even if she didn't know it.

Could I really throw all that away? Could I let her get into her car tomorrow and drive out of my life forever without even telling her how I felt?

I took another sip and shook my head as I was surrounded by sudden and complete darkness. A flash of light filled the air as lightning cracked again, followed quickly by a slap of thunder.

"Damn power outage," I mumbled, but then I thought of Charlotte alone in her room at the inn, probably sitting in darkness without any candles.

I ought to go check on her.

I wouldn't ask her to stay. How could I? Even though she believed in me and I cared for her, I'd only known her for a week. But I could tell her how much I wished it could be different. And I could tell her how much I'd enjoyed her company. And then maybe she'd decide she wanted to stay. 

What I knew for sure was that I couldn't let things end like this.

Grabbing a few of the emergency candles I kept in my foyer closet, I headed for the truck and made quick work of driving through the onslaught of rain. The inn wasn't far from my place, and before I knew it, I was parked in front of the familiar Victorian house as it was lit up by another flash of lightning.

Quickly, I snatched up the candles and sprinted inside, stopping only to ask Opal, the innkeeper, for Charlotte's new room number before I bounded upstairs. When I hammered on the door, I heard her squeak in surprise.

"Charlotte? It's me. Can I come in?"

"No," she murmured, her voice sounding husky and quiet.

"Come on. It has to be dark in there, and I brought candles. Just let me know you're okay."

The door swung open and Charlotte's face appeared, lit by the soft glow of a candle she held below her face. "Opal gave me one when the power went out. Honestly, how helpless do you think I am?"

I opened my mouth and then closed it.

"Look," Charlotte blurted, "you made yourself perfectly clear. You don't want me to stay and that's okay, but I don't really want to beat this to death, you know? I feel kind of stupid for even mentioning it, and-"

"Don't. Please don't feel stupid. I had an amazing time with you. It's just-"

I craned my neck, acutely aware that Opal hadn't made a peep in all the time we'd been talking, but was clearly able to hear us from down the hall. I'd bet money she was poised at the foot of the stairs, listening.

"Can you let me in so we can talk privately?"

Charlotte blew out a breath and stepped aside to allow me in. By the light of her candle, I could see that her eyes were gleaming with tears, and I felt like a total shit.

I paced the floor, then put the candles on the dresser before turning to face her. "Look, I'm not going to ask you to stay. I made that mistake before and it didn't work out so well for me, but it also could've worked out way worse. Even if it had been okay with you and me at first, eventually you would've wound up resenting me, and we'd have ended up hating each other."

"So now I'm Sarah?" Charlotte's voice raised an octave, and I cringed.

"No, that's not what I'm saying. It's just . . . I've only known you a week, and we both know you don't belong here." I hated even thinking it, but saying it out loud, I knew it was true.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

"It's not an insult." I held up my hands. "You're beautiful and cultured, and yes, you may think you want to stay here with a guy that you've only known for a week. But when time goes on and you realize that you're sick of fried chicken and you can't stand that there's not a decent theater or shopping mall anywhere nearby? Shady Grove isn't going to be enough for you."

"That's not true." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You don't know that. You don't know me if you think that's all I care about."

"Maybe I don't. But don't you think that could be a problem too?"

She sucked in a deep breath and stared at me. Even in the candlelight, I could see the tears slipping from her eyes, finally breaking free. My heart gave a squeeze, and I resisted the urge to yank her close to me and take it all back.