“Since when?” Charlotte laughed. “Back in high school, you used to turn your nose up at him.”
“A lot of things have changed since high school.”
“Not you, though.” Charlotte couldn’t stop that biting remark, nor the next one. “Still the same old Lexie, huh? Getting into everyone’s business, judging everyone…”
Outrage lit Lexie’s blue eyes. “I never judged you. If anything, you—”
“How about we don’t talk about it,” she cut in, beginning to grow annoyed. “We weren’t friends back then, and we aren’t friends now.” From the corner of her eye, she spotted Jessie approaching the table with Charlotte’s breakfast on a tray. “So now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to eat my meal in peace.”
Lexie had the grace not to say anything catty as Jessie set Charlotte’s plate on the table, but once the waitress was gone, it was fair game. “Stay away from Nate,” Lexie said in a frosty voice. “We both know you won’t be in town long, and you can try to deny it, but we both also know you’re playing some sort of game with him. So I’m asking you nicely—leave him alone. You broke his heart once. Don’t do it again, or I swear I will make you regret it.”
With that, Lexie slid out of the booth and left the diner with her shoulders high and chin up as Charlotte stared after her in complete bewilderment. Forget that Lexie Price had somehow become Nate’s protector. What the hell did she mean, Charlotte had broken his heart?
She’d packed up her bags the morning after Nate’s betrayal, hopped a bus and never looked back. She’d assumed the news of her and Nate’s breakup had found its way into the gossip mill within seconds, and she’d always imagined everyone their age laughing about it. High-fiving Nate for dumping her.
But Lexie made it sound like Charlotte had done the dumping.
Nate wouldn’t have laid the blame on her, would he?
The breakfast in front of her suddenly didn’t seem so appetizing as she angrily pondered the issue. Had Nate made himself out to be the victim? Was that why Lexie seemed to despise her even more than she had before?
Charlotte didn’t have the answer for that, but she decided her new mission was to get one. The guilt she might have felt this morning over her less-than-pleasant plan for Nate dissipated like the puff of steam rising from her coffee cup. Nate had dumped her, destroyed her, and then pretended that she’d broken his heart?
Her fingers trembled as she reached into her oversized canvas bag and fished out her cell phone. Nate had programmed his number into it before he left this morning and she swiftly scrolled to his name and pressed send.
When his husky voice greeted her ears, she ignored the little shiver it evoked and said, “Hey, it’s me. How about some dinner tonight?”
Chapter Five
Charlotte’s phone call came just as he was getting out of his pickup and stepping onto his mom’s driveway, and after he hung up, Nate’s chest felt unbelievably light. She wanted to have dinner with him tonight, but the sexy pitch to her voice told him that dinner wasn’t going to be the only thing on the menu. The mere thought of getting naked with Charlotte again sent a jolt of desire straight to his cock. Last night had been out of this fucking world, and this new, uninhibited Charlotte drove him wild.
He couldn’t wait to see her again.
Unfortunately, not everyone was as excited as he was. When he’d left Charlotte’s room this morning, he’d received a call from Lexie, who ranted at him for five minutes, lecturing him about how sleeping with Charlotte had been a mistake.
But Nate didn’t think it was a mistake at all. Sure, he’d experienced some initial unease when Charlotte refused to talk about their past, but he kind of understood it now. Even back then, Charlotte hadn’t liked to dwell on her misfortunes. She’d avoided dealing with all the crap that came with being Tiff Hill’s daughter, and now she was avoiding what had happened between the two of them.
Shitty as it was, he was kind of grateful for that. Eventually he’d have to tell her the truth, reveal why he’d said all those awful things to her, but for now, he just wanted to enjoy being with Charlotte again. He hadn’t realized until last night just how badly he’d missed her.
Tucking his cell in his back pocket, he entered his mom’s house without knocking and called, “Mom?”
“In here,” came the chirpy response.