Page 20 of Dirty Mind
“So you’re protecting her?” Knox asked, sounding skeptical. “That’s why she’s staying at your house?”
It probably didn’t make sense to him that I cared so much, but I was the reason Charli was in this mess. I couldn’t leave her alone to deal with the fallout. “Well, yeah. That and I really do need an assistant, as you know. She needs a job, a place to stay. It makes sense, don’t you think?” I wasn’t asking for and didn’t need his approval, but it would help if I had someone other than Aidy on my side.
“I don’t know.”
“What?” I could tell he was holding back and that wasn’t like Knox. “Just say it already. What’re you thinking?”
“The last time you had a woman living with you it ended with a ring and—”
“She’s not living with me! She’s working for me. And staying in the guest house. That’s it.”
“So there’s nothing between y’all?”
I hadn’t even kissed her since she slipped out of bed and left me wondering if I’d ever see her again. “I like her, she’s great. But we’re determined to keep this strictly professional.” And that would test my willpower like nothing else ever had.
“Because…?”
I couldn’t even believe he was asking me to explain why Charli was off limits. I knew he loved that girl like a sister. Did he really want me to burn through her life and leave ashes in my wake? Didn’t he know that was my M.O., whether I wanted it to be or not?
“Because Charli’s too young and innocent to be another chapter in the messed up story of my love life.”
“And you’re sure that’s all she’d be, another sad chapter in your story?”
I didn’t know why I was so frustrated. Maybe because my friend was making me want something I could never have. “You know me. You know her. It sounds like her history with men is almost as bad as mine with women. Put us together and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.”
“Or perfection?”
“Excuse me?” My heart started racing as I sat up, trying to process his implication. Charli and I… perfect for each other. No way.
“You’re right, I know you and I know her. I wouldn’t be sayin’ this unless I believed you two could have a shot at something real.”
“What are you talking about?” I pulled a hand through my hair, tugging on the messy strands. “Are you crazy? Are you trying to start another world war with your new family, ‘cause that’s what you’re gonna get if your bride, or God forbid, her old man, hears you talkin’ like that.”
“Maybe.” But he didn’t seem worried. “But my wife knows I don’t blow smoke and my father-in-law knows I don’t back down. So, if you wanna give this thing with Charli a shot, just know I’m on your side, Dade.”
I swallowed, unsure how to respond. “Thanks, but even if I did wanna give this thing with Charli a shot, which I don’t, think about all the ways it would mess with her life. You know what it’s like in Nashville, man. We’re like rock stars living in L.A. We can’t go anywhere without having a camera or voice recorder stuck in our face. And since my last break-up, I’ve been stalked by those assholes, lookin’ for the scoop on my next fatality.”
“I hear what you’re saying. I do. I know it wouldn’t be easy, but you can’t tell me you’re not gonna date anymore or—”
“Marriage isn’t my thing. I think that’s pretty obvious by now. So why would you want your sister-in-law to get involved with a guy who can only give her temporary? Don’t you think she deserves more than that?”
“I think she deserves whatever she wants, and I’m not the guy to decide that for her. Neither are you. If she wants to pursue this thing with you, knowing the potential fallout, would you have the kahunas to go for it?”
I swore softly when I heard my doorbell, followed by a man’s voice. The gatehouse didn’t ring up, which meant Charli must have called down to give them a head’s up someone was coming. WTF? She’d invited a man to my house? If it was that puke she’d been with last night…
“Uh Knox, someone’s at my door. Gotta go see who it is, okay? Don’t worry about us. We’re good. You just focus on showing your beautiful bride the time of her life in Maui and give her a kiss for me, okay?”
“Will do, but if you need to talk, call me?”
The fact that he would offer that, when he was supposed to be lost in his own world, meant everything. “Thanks, I’ll catch up with you when you get home.”
I disconnected the call and grabbed sweats from my drawer before dashing into the bathroom to take a leak and finger comb my hair. I didn’t know who the hell Charli’s visitor was, but something told me I didn’t have time to waste.
As I made my way down the stairs, I recognized that voice. And dread twisted my gut. Her father. Of course he’d come to tear me down, face-to-face. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d shit-talk me behind my back when he could ream me out in person.
I paused on the bottom step, taking in the scene. Charli was frying eggs and bacon at the stove and her old man was sitting at the island, his back to me. I cleared my throat to let them know I was there, and Charli whirled around so fast she almost dropped the spatula.
“Hey!” she said, shooting a frantic look at her father. “I didn’t know you were up.”
