Page 88 of Falling Slowly
“Sounds good.” He smiled.
I bit my lip. “Sorry, I’m in mom mode. It’s mostly scheduling, with some health and safety thrown in.”
His smile widened. “I can see the spreadsheets reflected in your eyes.”
I made my eyes comically large, staring at him. “It’s my default setting. Sexy stuff, eh?”
“The sexiest,” he said, licking his lips.
There was no joke that could ruin the mood for this guy, and I kind of liked it. The way he looked at me left no doubts. I no longer wondered what Charlie thought of me, or bothered to hide the way my body responded to him. It felt good to be open about it, even if I now worried how I was ever going to reel it in and act professionally around him.
The stairs creaked as Mom returned from the loft, grabbing Celia off the bed where she was doing somersaults. Charlie waved his hand, retreating to the door. “I’ll be off then. See you in the morning!”
“Text me when you get there?” I asked him. “I’ll charge my phone. It’s still somewhere in my bag.” I gestured at my backpack lying on the couch.
Charlie’s expression shifted, and he leapt to the couch to grab my bag. “I totally forgot!”
“Oh, right. Your wallet!”
I walked over to the kitchenette to give Celia a drink of water as Charlie retrieved his valuables from the bottom of my bag.
Suddenly, I heard his alarmed voice. “Your phone’s not here!”
“What?”
“It’s not here! It must have dropped somewhere. The bag was open on the side. Did you ever tip it over?”
“No. I don’t think so.” I rushed to examine the bag.
I turned it inside out, sticking my hand into every pocket. The phone was gone. This couldn’t be happening! “Where the heck is it?”
He gave me a pained look. “I don’t know. Sorry.”
“Did you lose anything? Your wallet?”
“No, all good.” He lifted the wallet to show me it was safe before slipping it into his back pocket.
Deep breaths, I told myself. The phone was worth nothing. I only had to replace it somehow.
“Kathy?” Charlie called from the door. “Can I have your phone number? Just in case, since we’ve lost Bess’s phone.”
Mom appeared by my side, Celia in tow. “You lost your phone? How?”
“I don’t know,” I said, my chin wobbly. “Maybe in the forest? Maybe when I fell?” I turned to Charlie. “Was it in my bag when you put your things in there?”
He looked away, thinking back. “I’m not sure. I guess I didn’t really check. I just dropped my things in there.”
“Then I must have lost it when I fell,” I decided, not that it made any difference. I’d never see that phone again.
“Anna from that ranch emailed back. They found my backpack in the forest. I’ll send someone to get it. I’ll let you know if your phone’s in there. If it’s not, I’ll get you a new one,” Charlie said decisively, opening the front door. “Let me know if you have any preferences.”
“What? No!”
“No preference? I’ll choose, then. Judging by your wardrobe, I’m going to go with something black.” He glanced at my black jeans and dark sweater. “With amazing battery life.”
“Get purple, Mommy!” Celia yelled, hanging on my arm.
“No… I’m not arguing over the color! You’re not buying me a phone. I lost it. It’s my problem.”
