Marja McGraw - Bogey Man 04 - Awkward Moments by Marja McGraw Page B

or sell the little town of Serenity. Charlie was just Charlie.”
    “How do you know all of this?” I asked.
    He leaned on the spade and looked off into the distance. “Charlie and I had a history together. Yeah, we had a real interesting history.”
    “Really? Are you going to share or was that just a teaser?” I surprised myself with my bluntness.
    “There was a woman…” He continued to watch something and I had a feeling it was a memory playing itself out in his mind.
    The dogs finally sat down in front of Tony, looking expectant. Was this someone who might offer them a treat? They waited patiently, and so did I.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Eighteen
     
    “Charlie and I went to college together,” Tony explained.
    “He went to college? And he had family money? Why was he working as a busboy at a diner?” I asked.
    “Let me start at the beginning and I guarantee you’ll understand.” He scratched his ear before continuing.
    “Mikey, would you go inside and get me a glass of iced tea?” I didn’t know where this was going, and I wanted him out of the way for a few minutes.
    “Sure, Mom, but hold the story ‘til I come back.” He ran to the house.
    “You don’t need to wait for my son,” I said, encouraging Tony to tell his story.
    He smiled. “There’s nothing in the story he couldn’t hear. Kids today are a lot smarter than they used to be.”
    “Be that as it may…”
    “Okay, Charlie and I met at college we became good friends. After we graduated we moved to California and got good jobs. He was a financial wizard and I was, um, not so much of a wizard. I couldn’t make it in the business and I kind of trailed along on his coattails.
    “Then Charlie’s parent s died within a few months of each other. His mother died of cancer and his father had a killer heart attack. I came back to Serenity with him to take care of business, and while we were here we met Jonni. She was new in town.”
    “Don’t tell me,” I said. “You both fell for her and that was the end of the friendship.”
    “Not exactly. Charlie fell for her and I pegged her as a gold digger. He fell hard and he wouldn’t listen to me. I tried to tell him she was a train wreck waiting to happen. We had an argument and I took off, heading back to California.”
    “So were you right about this woman?”
    “Yes. At first he was very generous with her. She could do no wrong in his eyes, and he couldn’t spend money on her fast enough. He called to tell me how wrong I’d been about her, but I thought I could hear doubts in his voice. So I came back to see what was going on.”
    “And?”
    “Jonni took a liking to me. Since she had Charlie under her thumb, she figured she could get away with a little romance on the side. She flirted her little heart out. I figured – and remember, I was young – that if I took her up on her offers, Charlie would see the truth and get rid of her.”
    “Did he?”
    “Yeah. He got rid of both of us. I tried to tell him why I’d done what I’d done, but he wouldn’t listen. Jonni left town for parts unknown, and I returned to California.
    “I didn’t see Charlie for years, and on a whim I came back here about three years ago. Charlie was working at the diner. I guess he’d fallen pretty hard for Jonni because he said he’d just given up after that. He wanted his freedom more than a corporate job and a woman on his arm.”
    The screen door creaked and slammed, and I looked up to see Mikey carrying two glasses of iced tea.
    “By the way,” I said, “contrary to what you thought, that isn’t a story I’d want my son to hear. He’s only eight, and he’s already seen enough of the wrong side of life.”
    “That’s okay. The rest of the story is tame. Besides, I left out some of the dirty details because of you being a stranger, and because you appear to be a nice woman.”
    Mikey approached us and handed a glass to me and the other to Tony. “I thought you might want a cold