Page 44 of Behind the Cascades
"Olivia has received a handful of calls over the last few weeks, from random numbers asking for Charlotte Reynolds. One of them was you, but that's all we know. Every time she's sent me the information, I've tried to trace the calls but they're deadends—burner phones and location scramblers. Olivia did a good job of deflecting but my gut is telling me it isn't a coincidence."
"Fuck. I'll let Detective Paul know. He was the one on the case and might be able to check into more. He’s a good guy and seems to care a lot about Charlie and my mom.”
"That's a good idea. Mind sending me his info? Not that I hold more weight than you, but I can give him all the details I have."
"Yeah, I'll text you his contact information. I've got a friend who is pretty good at digging as well. He, uh, doesn’t exactly go by the book, though.”
He lifts his hand in surrender and smirks. “Best to pretend that I didn’t hear any of that.” His face grows a little more serious when he says, “Do what you need to do to make sure she stays safe.”
After we exchange numbers, the guilt of Charlie being unaware starts to fester. "I think we should tell Charlie. It's going to scare the hell out of her, but if she finds out she’s being kept in the dark, she will go nuclear."
Dan chuckles. "I agree. We were only keeping it quiet because we didn't have much to go on and we were afraid she would leave again. Now that you're here, I feel a hell of a lot better about her safety.”
We both agreed it'd be better to wait until after the festival and let her live in the moment a little longer. This is going tosend her on an emotional rollercoaster, but it's better she knows the truth sooner rather than later.
How Charlie stumbled upon such a good family in Oregon is beyond me, but they really are amazing. We spent the rest of the day with them, enjoying the festival and sharing stories about her. Everything they’ve told me brings a little relief to the guilt I’ve been feeling. She took an incredibly traumatic event and turned it into an opportunity to become a better version of herself. The tenacity of this woman isn’t just admirable; it’s awe-inspiring. She created an entire new life here—new family, new friends, new job—and never gave up on me in the process. I don’t know where I’ll fit in her world anymore or what I'll do for work around here but I’m not about to let that stop me from doing everything I can to be with her.
Being here has only proven what I already knew. I'm madly in love with Charlie, and no matter what, I'll be fighting tooth and nail to give her the life she wants. If that means spending the rest of my life in a small Oregon town, then so be it. For Charlie, I'd live in a tent in the woods.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Charlie
Saturday, February 16.
Ponderosa Pine Bar and Grill is having its official grand reopening. Ethan bought it about a month after he moved home with baby Jake. Apparently he worked there in high school before he left for college and then on to play in the NFL. Once things settled down with being a single dad to an infant, Ethan started renovating the building and got to work.
Ethan was best friends with Olivia all through grade school, so she’s been helping him with the entire renovation and also everything to do with Jake. His parents have also played a pivotal role in helping him with everything, and tonight is the first night we get to celebrate him opening up his new business.
He went all out at this restaurant. It looks like a ski lodge with wood fireplaces, comfortable tables, and cozy lighting. Everything looks like he spent top dollar on it, which, knowing him, I’m sure he did.
We get there a little after the party has started and it’spacked. The whole town showed up to support him and his family. Well, everyone but Maisie. I still haven’t figured out what the issue is. After he got home, Maisie ran out of my party and then stopped coming around as much. Olivia tries to keep the friendship up, but Maisie doesn’t want anything to do with Ethan; therefore, Olivia by proxy, and me by proxy-proxy. It’s not that we were best friends to begin with, but I'm disappointed that I'm guilty by association.
Olivia, Dan, and Levi sit in a corner booth with Luke and Madelyn. Even from a distance, it looks awkward. Levi’s normal, jovial self looks like he’s trying to hide behind Olivia. I found out at my birthday party that Madelyn consistently tries to make Luke jealous, just to “poke the bear.” Luke never reacts and that only makes her try harder. Poor Levi is caught in the crossfire and has no idea how to handle it.
I point toward their table and Hayes' eyes go wide. "Holy shit, she looks just like…"
"Dess?" I finish for him and he grins.
"I know, doppelgängers." They may look exactly alike—blonde, tall, and beautiful—but their personalities are the complete opposite. Madelyn is overly sweet and a little fake, whereas Odessa is headstrong and not afraid to share her opinion.
As we approach the table, Levi sees us first. "Ahh, if it isn't the one that got away! Returning to me, with her one that got away." He trails off in the last part, as if even he is trying to make sense of what he's saying.
Hayes looks between the two of us with a raised eyebrow.
Thank God for Olivia, piping up. "Levi, don't you dare start causing trouble already. She can't be the one who got away if she was never yours to begin with."
He waves his hand, dismissing her logic. "Semantics." Then he narrows his eyes, pretending to assess Hayes.
Hayes glances around the table, trying to figure out what the hell is going on with Levi's cryptic behavior.
Luke chuckles from behind his beer and Dan rolls his eyes. The whole interaction may have lasted five seconds of awkward silence, but finally Levi smirked and nodded his approval.
"You’ll do. I was worried she was pining over some loser."
I scoff at Levi. "Like you have any say, considering your track record with relationships."
Levi just shrugs, unfazed by my comment. "Nah, you can't have a track record if you don't have any relationships.”
