“I figured,” Chappy sighed.
“Yeah, we were able to open the back hatch to get into the cargo area, but it looks like she went straight where the road has that almost-ninety-degree bend. The bumper’s covered, and the snow’s up over the tires,” Cal added. “From what we could see, there’s a pretty good dent in the front where she hit the tree. Won’t know exactly what the damage is until the snow melts a bit.”
“We can dig it out, but it’ll take some work,” JJ agreed. “The weather’s supposed to warm up this coming week. I’m thinking if we give it a bit of time, let the sun do its thing, it’ll be easier to get free and see what we’re working with.”
Chappy looked at Carlise. His first reaction was to protest them digging out her car at all. But it wasn’t as if she could stay here forever . . . could she?
They stared at each other for a long moment before she turned her attention to Bob. “Thank you for grabbing my suitcase. I appreciate it. And I’m okay with waiting for a little longer,” she said slowly. “I just don’t want to outstay my welcome.”
“You can stay as long as you want,” Chappy blurted.
She gave him another small smile. It felt as if they were the only two people in the room.
“You need to get ahold of someone? Let them know where you are? A boss? Family? Boyfriend? Husband?” Bob asked.
Anger rose instantly at his friend’s insinuation. Chappy glared at him.
“I should probably call my friend soon, and my mom. But there’s no one else. I have my own business that I can do remotely, so I don’t need to worry about that,” Carlise said calmly.
“Really? Can I ask what you do? Or is that being too nosy?” April asked.
“It’s not. I’m a translator. I take French books and turn them into English ones, basically, so authors and publishers can sell them here.”
“That’s so cool!”
Bob wandered toward him, but Chappy kept his gaze on Carlise. She seemed comfortable enough, and he was glad April had accompanied his friends. He had a feeling her presence was making this meeting easier. JJ and Cal seemed relaxed, but he knew without a doubt they were listening to—and analyzing—every word Carlise said.
In any other circumstance, he’d be pleased they had his back. But at the moment, especially after Bob’s question, he was a little annoyed that they didn’t fully trust his judgment.
“I had to ask,” Bob muttered when he approached Chappy.
“That wasn’t cool,” he told him. “Do you seriously think I wouldn’t already know whether she was single or not?”
But Bob didn’t look the least bit chagrined. “Sorry,” he said, not really sounding all that contrite. “You obviously like her.”
“I do,” Chappy agreed without hesitation.
“Is it because she took care of you? Because she’s trapped here? Do you feel an obligation to her until she can deal with her car? Because we have enough room in the truck to take her to Newton, leave you to the peace and quiet we all know you need now and then.”
“No!” he exclaimed.
At his outburst, Carlise turned to look at him with a concerned expression. He gave her a tight smile and a chin lift to let her know all was well. She nodded slightly, then turned her attention back to the woman sitting next to her.
“That, however, was cool,” Bob observed, mimicking Chappy’s earlier words.
“What?”
“You had a whole conversation without saying a word.”
They had. Chappy shrugged. “I’ll be honest, I may not understand the connection we have, but it’s real. It’s not because she’s trapped here or anything. It’s because of who she is. She was thrown into an uncomfortable situation. She was responsible for taking care of a stranger right after she herself had just been through something harrowing. And she didn’t even hesitate. She did what she needed to do, without complaint. She didn’t rifle through my things, didn’t look for valuables to stuff into her bag. When she wasn’t caring for me or eating PB&J, she read. Or napped. Or simply sat on the couch and stared at the fire. Pretty much everything I do when I’m here by myself.”
“You tell her about the cameras?” Bob asked quietly.
Chappy winced. “No.”
“You had sex yet?”
Chappy did his best not to get pissed at his friend all over again.
Bob held up his hands. “I’m just asking because if you haven’t told her about the cameras and you two were intimate, she’s not going to be happy to learn that it’s been caught on video. That definitely wouldn’t be cool, man. Not at all.”