Moving to Hawaii

Charlotte rolled over and looked at the alarm clock on the side table, 7:00am shown back at her. She thought about going back to sleep but really wanted to take a shower. It didn’t sound like anyone else was up yet so she decided to go out to her car and find the bag with her bathroom items. She quietly opened the door to the guest room of Dog and Beth’s house which was just off the kitchen.

“I don’t know, man. It’s just going down hill. She’s not happy, I’m not happy...”

“Maybe it’s best if you guys do end it then.”

Charlotte paused when she heard the voices speaking quietly to each other. She felt weird just walking through the kitchen while there was what seemed to be a serious discussion happening.

“We’ve talked about it.”

Charlotte determined the voices to belong to Duane Lee and Leland. She decided to give a small cough before stepping into the room, letting them know she was coming. They were both looking at her as she entered.

“Good morning”, she said quietly. “Do you think it would be ok if I took a shower?”

“Of course”, Leland answered. “Beth showed you the bathroom last night, right?”

Charlotte nodded, “I just need to get my things out of the car.” It had been late when they arrived last night and she didn’t feel like digging through her car in the dark.

“Let me turn the alarm off for you”, Duane Lee said, standing.

“Thank you, that would have been embarrassing”, Charlotte replied, following him to the door.

Duane Lee laughed, “need help?”

“No thanks”, Charlotte answered. She shuffled out to her car. After some digging she pulled out two bags, one with all of her toiletries and the other with her clothes.

When she entered the house again Duane Lee and Leland were still talking quietly in the kitchen so she went straight into the bathroom.

Charlotte sighed as the warm water hit her skin. It had been a couple of days since her last shower, she never thought she’d see the day where taking a shower was a luxury. She tried to hurry but also attend to her neglected self-care. She didn’t want to inconvenience anyone. She was finished in about thirty minutes and repacked her things to store in the guest room. Duane Lee and Leland were still in the kitchen when she came out but seemed to be on a lighter topic as they drank coffee.

“Want some coffee?” Duane Lee asked as she emerged from the room.

“I would love some, I can get it myself though”, Charlotte answered. She poured a cup and doctored it up with cream and sugar before sitting at the table with the guys. “That’s really good”, she said after a couple of sips. She looked up to see Leland studying her and smiled at him. He gave a quick smile back before turning away.

“What time does everyone normally get up?” Charlotte asked.

“Around eight or so. Cecily usually gets up first because she has school”, Duane Lee answered. “We have a little while to grill you with questions”, he said with a smirk.

“Didn’t you get enough info out of me yesterday?” Charlotte asked with a groan.

“You didn’t give me much other than you think we’re cute”, Duane Lee teased.

“Oh my gosh”, Charlotte exclaimed quietly. She covered her face with her hands as she felt herself blush.

“Whats the story behind your ink?” Leland asked. Charlotte was grateful he changed the subject.

“Well, almost all of it was stuff my mom designed and my dad tattooed on me. Like this”, she said pointing to a bouquet of flowers on the inside of her left arm, “my mom drew them. They’re mine and my parents birth month flowers. And this one, it’s a painting of my mom’s.” Charlotte paused as her voice cracked.

“That’s really awesome”, Leland said. “It’s like they’re with you always.”

“It’s pretty great, huh?”

“More than that”, Duane Lee agreed. “Can I?” He asked, reaching to pull her arm closer to see the fine detail.

Charlotte nodded and lifted her arm for him to get a better look.

“Damn, check out the detail here”, he said to Leland. Leland scooted closer to take a look.

“That’s some damn good work”, Leland said. He ran a finger tip over a particularly intricate portion on the tattoo. Charlotte shivered slightly at the contact.

“Are you guys hungry?” Charlotte asked, standing quickly from the table. “I can make something.”

Leland and Duane Lee looked a little startled but agreed they were hungry so Charlotte began searching the fridge and pantry for something to make.

“Are pancakes and fruit ok?”

“Pancakes are always ok”, Duane Lee answered. “I can help if you want.”

“Wash and slice fruit for me?” Charlotte asked.

“On it, boss”, Duane Lee answered. He pulled containers of strawberries and blueberries from the refrigerator while Charlotte assembled the ingredients for pancakes.

“There is probably pancake mix in the cabinet”, Duane Lee informed.

“How dare you!”, Charlotte feigned disgust. “This way is SO much better. I promise. And it doesn’t take much longer.”

“What can I do?” Leland asked, placing his coffee cup in the dishwasher.

“Get the griddle going?” Charlotte asked.

Leland nodded and went searching for the griddle.

They joked around while they cooked and Charlotte realized she hadn’t felt this relaxed and at home in a long time. By the time the rest of the house had woken up there were bowls of fresh fruit and a heaping pile of steamy pancakes in the middle of the table. Charlotte sent Leland and Duane Lee to eat while she finished the dishes.

“Wow, she cooks too!” Justin exclaimed as he wandered in. He snagged a plate and piled pancakes on before diving right in.

“Hey man, save some for everyone else”, Beth said walking up behind him and lightly smacking the back of his head. She got Bonnie and Garry set up with a pancake and fruit each before sitting down to a plate herself. “These are really good, Charlotte!”

“Thanks!” Charlotte sat and took two pancakes for herself. She was never really hungry for food after she cooked it.

“We helped”, Duane Lee added, making sure Charlotte didn’t get all of the credit.

“Barely, you cut up fruit and I plugged in the griddle”, Leland said giving him a playful shove.

“Still helped”, Duane Lee laughed before taking a huge bite of pancakes.

By this time Dog had come in and taken a seat and Cecily grabbed a plain pancake to eat as she left. Charlotte sat watching everyone joke and play around.

‘I could get used to this. This is what I have been looking for’, Charlotte thought to herself.