Anna Stewart - A Dad For Charlie

“Moooooom, you’re not listening to me. I said I think Deputy Fletch likes you.”

“I heard you. There’s just nothing to talk about.” Paige set her phone on the table and tweaked Charlie’s nose. “Deputy Fletch and I are friends. Nothing more.” And maybe not even that.

“But I thought you liked him.”

“I like him fine. There’s nothing wrong with just being friends, Charlie.” Paige tugged on her sneakers before heading into the bathroom to tie up her hair. When Charlie didn’t respond, Paige looked over her shoulder. The frown on her daughter’s face was part frustration, part confusion. “What’s all this about?”

Charlie shrugged. “I’ve just been thinking about stuff. You know, how Simon has a dad now and he’s really happy. They’re like a real family.”

“Hey.” Paige tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she returned to the table to stoop down and take hold of Charlie’s hands. On days that started like this, Paige had to wonder just how badly her mistakes had screwed up her kid. “We’re a real family. We always have been, right? We do okay together, don’t we?”

“I guess.” Another shrug. “Sometimes I just wish I had a dad.”

“I know you do, baby.” Paige stroked a hand down Charlie’s face. That Charlie had never known her real father was still a knife to the heart. Despite Doug’s flaws, he would have made a great dad, but a freak accident at his construction job when Paige was six months pregnant destroyed Paige’s hopes she’d finally found the family—and home—she’d always longed for. “But it’s not as easy as wishing. We have to work for what we want, you know? Just like I have to work to make sure we can stay here. If I just stood back and waited for something to happen, nothing would. Life doesn’t work that way.” She leaned forward and kissed Charlie’s forehead. “Now, how about you go get dressed. I bet Calliope will show you the butterflies if we’re early enough. Five by five?”

The word butterfly worked its magic and erased the sadness from her little girl’s eyes. “Five by five.” Charlie confirmed everything was all right by using their secret code. “But I still think Deputy Fletch likes you.”

“You can think that all you like, little Miss.” Paige tapped her on the bottom to get her on her way. “But Fletch and I are friends. That’s all. Now, scoot.”

* * *

“MORNING, CHARLIE!”

Charlie pushed open the glass door to the Butterfly Diner and waved at Holly. She took a deep breath and smelled fresh-baked pies, buttery pancakes and crispy bacon along with coffee, which made Charlie’s nose wrinkle in distaste. Yuck. How did adults drink that stuff? “Good morning.” Charlie shifted her new school backpack—an honest-to-goodness butterfly bag with wings and everything—higher onto her shoulder. She had a big day planned between going to the library and taking a computer class at the youth center, and maybe, just maybe, she could do some exploring and find those caves. She’d printed a map off the internet after doing a search for the treasure box, but none of that was going to matter if Simon came through for her.

She walked up and gripped the edge of the counter. “I’m meeting Simon before he goes to school.”

“He’s in your usual spot.”

Charlie looked over to the two seats at the counter in the corner and found a sluggish-looking Simon slumping half-asleep, chin barely propped up on an unsteady hand, his other hand dangerously close to dropping into his bowl of uneaten oatmeal.

“I think the wedding wore him out.” Holly chuckled. “Luke will be by to take him to school in a bit.”

“M’kay,” Charlie said and moved out of the way as the door opened and a bunch of customers walked inside. The noise in the diner picked up, much to Charlie’s relief given what she needed to talk to Simon about. “Hey, Simon.” She set her bag on the floor and hauled herself up on the bright orange high-backed stool as Holly set a mug of hot chocolate brimming over with whipped cream in front of her. “Thank you.” Holly fixed the best hot chocolate ever.

“Simon, up and at ’em.” Holly knocked her knuckles on the counter. “You’ve got company.”

“Hmm?” Simon blinked sleepy eyes behind his thick-rimmed glasses. “Oh, hey.” He smiled at Charlie. “Sorry.”

“You want a waffle for breakfast, kiddo?” Holly asked her.

Charlie nodded. “Yes, please.” She’d liked Holly from the instant she’d met her. Not only because she’d given them a place to live and her mom a job, even though that had been supercool of her. Knowing Holly was around reminded Charlie of New York, back when they had a bunch of neighbors around, people for her to talk to, stay with, play with. After New York and before Butterfly Harbor, Charlie had been afraid she’d never have friends again. And now she had a best, best friend. And his mom was superawesome.

“Simon?” Holly asked. “You want eggs?”

“Whatever.” Simon shifted in his chair, his already askew tie going even more crooked.

Charlie frowned. She didn’t like Simon’s uniform or the changes that came with it. The light brown pants, white shirt, blue tie and matching button-down sweater reminded her of her teacher a few years ago, except Simon was way smarter than Mr. Abernathe had ever been. Simon was smarter than most people Charlie knew.

If anyone could figure out how to get her mom and Deputy Fletch to like each other, it was Simon Campbell. Charlie bit the inside of her cheek as Holly headed off to take care of her customers. “The flowers didn’t work,” Charlie leaned over and whispered in Simon’s ear, her declaration knocking the exhaustion from his face.

“You mean I got up extra early to drop those off for nothing?” Simon covered a yawn and rolled his eyes in that dramatic, why-am-I-doing-this way he had. “And I almost got caught by Mrs. Ellison. I thought grown girls liked flowers.”

“I didn’t say she didn’t like them, I said they didn’t work.” Charlie crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. She’d given up on finding the Butterfly Harbor treasure because Simon had ideas. But that was before he’d gotten so busy. “She still says they’re just friends.”

“Oh. Well, what do you think we can do about it?”

Charlie felt an odd tightening in her belly. This didn’t sound like the Simon she knew, the Simon who had gone out of his way to make his now-stepfather’s life miserable when Sheriff Saxon had first arrived in Butterfly Harbor. The Simon who was always plotting something.

“You told me you’d help,” Charlie reminded him. “Just like I helped you try to get rid of the sheriff even though I didn’t want to, remember?”

“I know.” Simon’s sigh made Charlie’s nose twitch. “And I said I would, but I don’t know—”

“That’s because you haven’t tried. You don’t care anymore.” Charlie did her best to stop the tears from filling her eyes. Her mom didn’t cry when things got tough. She just pushed forward. “You got everything you want. A new school, a new dad, and now that you do you don’t care what I want. If you did you’d be coming up with ideas in that stupid notebook of yours instead of falling asleep in your oatmeal. Don’t you want me to stay?”

Simon frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Charlie pressed her lips together. She wasn’t supposed to talk about it. Not to anyone other than her mom. “I think we’re going to move again.”

“What?” Simon shot up in his seat. “No, you can’t. You’re my best friend! Where will you go? I’ve never had a best friend before. You can’t leave!”

Tears blurred her vision. She dropped her chin and shook her head. “I don’t want to. But the way my mom is acting, it’s like it always is before we leave. If we can find a way to make her and Deputy Fletch fall in love, maybe she’ll change her mind. Unless you have another idea.”