Love's Embers (Canon City Series) by Lauren Marie Page B

in the drive. “Gran?”
    She hung up her coat and went into the kitchen. On the table she saw a note in her grandmother’s handwriting. It said that she’d been invited out to dinner with some friends and there were lots of leftovers in the refrigerator.
    Lark put the note down and tried to decide if she was hungry. She went to the door, took her boots off and put on her slippers. She started for the refrigerator when she heard a knock on the back door. She turned back and saw Charlie stood out on the steps. He smiled and waved through the glass.
    “What?” she asked and opened the door part way.
    “Is Gran around? I have a question for her,” he said.
    Lark saw he held a whisk in his hand. “She went out with some friends. What’s your question?”
    “I found this in the house.” He held up the whisk. “What does it do and do I really need it?”
    Lark looked at the device. “It’s for scrambling things like eggs. It looks rusty, so unless you want lock jaw, I wouldn’t use it.” She started to shut the door.
    Charlie put his gloved hand on the door frame to stop it. “Lark, could we talk for a minute?”
    She looked at him and began to feel on edge. “I don’t know that we have all that much to talk about, Charlie.”
    “I think we do. If we’re going to be neighbors, I’d rather not be uncomfortable to just say hi to you.”
    She let him in the door and crossed her arms over her chest as he went past. “I asked you a question the other night and you didn’t have the balls to answer. Now, all of a sudden, you’re ready to talk?” She closed the door and turned into the kitchen. She moved to the counter and looked across the room at him. She didn’t feel relaxed at the moment.
    “God Lark, when did you become such a heartless bitch?” He looked at her and she saw anger in his eyes.
    She stared at him and couldn’t believe the words that just came out of his mouth. “I’m heartless? You were the one who cut me off all those years ago with no explanation. You’re the one who let me devour myself with guilt for years. So if you’re going to point fingers, you’d better go look in the mirror.” She felt anger build in her neck and realized she was furious.
    Charlie took a breath. “You did nothing wrong, Lark. I was young and immature. I never meant to hurt you.”
    She saw he tried not to shout at her and softened his voice, but it just made her more angry and she knew exactly where it came from. “You did hurt me and that was thirteen years ago. I’m glad you finally have the nerve to admit it, but it doesn’t really make any difference.”
    She walked into the hallway and then turned around again. “You need to remember something. You were the one who wrote to me one time only. It was the most hurtful thing anyone has ever said to me and I can quote it verbatim. Dear Lark, I don’t want you to come back here anymore. I hate you and we are not friends. You must remember stabbing me in the heart with that letter. You obviously didn’t give a crap about me. You never explained what I’d done to cause such a response. What was I supposed to think?”
    Charlie moved closer to her and looked down at her. Lark saw his cheeks were red and his teeth clenched. He slammed his hand against the hallway wall next to her.
    Every fear she’d felt over the last couple of months bubbled to the surface and she couldn’t look at him. She closed her eyes. The fear she’d kept tightly sealed away spilled into her gut and she found it hard to breathe. She could hear those men laughing at her.
    “Enough, Lark! I know I fucked up. You’d laugh if you knew how many times I’ve kicked myself over the years,” he said through his clenched teeth. 
    ****
    Charlie’s anger started to build, and it was something he’d fought for many years. It reminded him too much of his father. He suddenly hit a brick wall when he looked at her and realized she was hyperventilating. “God, Lark, what...” He started