remember. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or upset or both. At least he didn’t just consider it so unimportant that he’d ignored it.
“You spoke to me, but you didn’t stop to talk. I sorta told you off,” she said sheepishly.
Justice laughed. “Good for you.” Then he winked at her.
“You don’t remember any of it?” She stepped closer, gazing deep into his eyes.
“No. Why?” A flash of curiosity shone in his eyes. “Did I do something else?” Time to back up. They were headed in a direction she wasn’t ready to go in.
Regret washed over Charlee. “It doesn’t matter now. That was a long time ago.”
Justice placed his hands on her shoulders, looking into the beautiful face of a person he used to know as well as he knew himself. “It matters. You matter to me. Very much. I know we weren’t as close when all of this happened as we used to be, but I intend to change that.”
A familiar hope began to rise in her heart, a hope that had never borne fruit, a hope which brought only disappointment and dissatisfaction. Despite the impromptu kiss, Justice undoubtedly wasn’t talking about love. Charlee couldn’t let herself hope anymore, it was just too painful. Putting forth her hand, she defined the parameters. “I want that. I want us to be close, to be friends again.” Her voice shook a bit, but she drew upon all of the grit in her arsenal and laid it out.
Justice looked down at her hand. Friendship alone wasn’t what he wanted. But maybe it was a good place to start. “Deal.” There were a lot of things he wanted to do and say but at this moment, they’d taken it one step at a time. This was too important not to do right. “Come on. Let’s sit down.” He took her by the arm and pulled her to the bed. “I want you to tell me why you left and where you’ve been.” Picking up her left hand, he touched her ring finger. “You’re not married, yet I saw you leave with a man that day.”
Did she hear a touch of jealousy in his voice? She couldn’t help but give a short snort of laughter. “No, I never married.” Reversing the question, she flipped their hands over so she could see his own ring finger. “Men don’t always wear wedding rings. Why didn’t you and Zelda ever tie the knot?” Justice had the audacity to look affronted.
“No. I’ve managed to avoid the ‘bonds’ of holy matrimony.” Justice emphasized the word ‘bonds.’ “Zelda wanted more than what I could give her. She wasn’t willing to live in a small town.”
Charlee tried to read between the lines. Did that mean he had proposed to her? Did that mean he still wanted her? She was afraid to ask. “I’m sorry.”
Justice laughed. “Don’t be, some things just aren’t meant to be. I went to see your father the day I heard you were coming back to town. He didn’t make much sense.” Earlier you said you’d had a run-in with him the day you saw me in the diner and that influenced your decision to leave. Did he hurt you again?”
Their hands were still clasped, and he was caressing her palm with his thumb. She hesitated, knowing she had to be selective in what she revealed. “We fought over something,” she waved her other hand in the air, “I don’t remember what.” He widened his eyes in a silent question. “He did hit me, and I just decided I wasn’t going to take it anymore.”
Okay, he could understand that. “Why didn’t you come to me?”
Nope, nope, not going there. “You had your hands full with Abby’s accident.” Which was true. “I was desperate, so I turned his office upside down until I found some information on my adoption.”
Of course, he’d always known she was adopted. “You tracked down your parents.”
She nodded. “My parents were listed, as was the lawyer’s number. I called the law firm and hit the jackpot.”
“You found them.”
“Yes.” She smiled sadly. “The man you saw that day was Hampton Forbes. His law firm had bought out the original
“You spoke to me, but you didn’t stop to talk. I sorta told you off,” she said sheepishly.
Justice laughed. “Good for you.” Then he winked at her.
“You don’t remember any of it?” She stepped closer, gazing deep into his eyes.
“No. Why?” A flash of curiosity shone in his eyes. “Did I do something else?” Time to back up. They were headed in a direction she wasn’t ready to go in.
Regret washed over Charlee. “It doesn’t matter now. That was a long time ago.”
Justice placed his hands on her shoulders, looking into the beautiful face of a person he used to know as well as he knew himself. “It matters. You matter to me. Very much. I know we weren’t as close when all of this happened as we used to be, but I intend to change that.”
A familiar hope began to rise in her heart, a hope that had never borne fruit, a hope which brought only disappointment and dissatisfaction. Despite the impromptu kiss, Justice undoubtedly wasn’t talking about love. Charlee couldn’t let herself hope anymore, it was just too painful. Putting forth her hand, she defined the parameters. “I want that. I want us to be close, to be friends again.” Her voice shook a bit, but she drew upon all of the grit in her arsenal and laid it out.
Justice looked down at her hand. Friendship alone wasn’t what he wanted. But maybe it was a good place to start. “Deal.” There were a lot of things he wanted to do and say but at this moment, they’d taken it one step at a time. This was too important not to do right. “Come on. Let’s sit down.” He took her by the arm and pulled her to the bed. “I want you to tell me why you left and where you’ve been.” Picking up her left hand, he touched her ring finger. “You’re not married, yet I saw you leave with a man that day.”
Did she hear a touch of jealousy in his voice? She couldn’t help but give a short snort of laughter. “No, I never married.” Reversing the question, she flipped their hands over so she could see his own ring finger. “Men don’t always wear wedding rings. Why didn’t you and Zelda ever tie the knot?” Justice had the audacity to look affronted.
“No. I’ve managed to avoid the ‘bonds’ of holy matrimony.” Justice emphasized the word ‘bonds.’ “Zelda wanted more than what I could give her. She wasn’t willing to live in a small town.”
Charlee tried to read between the lines. Did that mean he had proposed to her? Did that mean he still wanted her? She was afraid to ask. “I’m sorry.”
Justice laughed. “Don’t be, some things just aren’t meant to be. I went to see your father the day I heard you were coming back to town. He didn’t make much sense.” Earlier you said you’d had a run-in with him the day you saw me in the diner and that influenced your decision to leave. Did he hurt you again?”
Their hands were still clasped, and he was caressing her palm with his thumb. She hesitated, knowing she had to be selective in what she revealed. “We fought over something,” she waved her other hand in the air, “I don’t remember what.” He widened his eyes in a silent question. “He did hit me, and I just decided I wasn’t going to take it anymore.”
Okay, he could understand that. “Why didn’t you come to me?”
Nope, nope, not going there. “You had your hands full with Abby’s accident.” Which was true. “I was desperate, so I turned his office upside down until I found some information on my adoption.”
Of course, he’d always known she was adopted. “You tracked down your parents.”
She nodded. “My parents were listed, as was the lawyer’s number. I called the law firm and hit the jackpot.”
“You found them.”
“Yes.” She smiled sadly. “The man you saw that day was Hampton Forbes. His law firm had bought out the original
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