Free Just a Little Surprise by Tracie Puckett

unexpected confidant. Charlie had always been there for me, but never like this.
    “ Now,” Charlie said, arching a brow. “Bruno tells me you were running your mouth about me. Talking smack , I believe he put it.”
    “Yeah?”
    “What’s this I hear about you saying I can’t keep a secret?”
    “Oh,” I said, trying not to laugh. “He told you that?”
    “Mmm-hmm—”
    “I can explain,” I said , holding my hands up defensively. “I just thought you were really bad at planning surprise parties, that’s all—”
    “I don’t know,” he said, shrugging one shoulder. His silly grin made me chuckle. “I thought I did a pretty good job keeping Matt’s secret.”
    “Matt’s secret?” I asked. “What secret was that?”
    “Bringing Derek back,” he said, scrunching his brow. “It was all his idea.”
    “It was Matt?” I asked, suddenly feeling like a complete jerk for how I’d treated him at the flower shop. He’d gone completely out of his way to do something nice for me—even though he hated Derek, and he’d always be Team Luke—and put his own selfish feelings aside to ensure my happiness. “I had no idea.”
    “He didn’t like doing it,” he said. “But he knew it’s what you’d want.”
    I looked down at Charlie’s hand as it cupped my own. “We had a fight,” I said, shamefully twisting my lips. “I need to apologize to him. He needs to know I’m sorry….”
    “He’ll be home from the flower shop later,” he said. “You can talk to him then.”
    I jerked my head up and looked at him with a twisted grin. “You know about his second job?”
    “I’ve known since day one, hon,” he said. “There’s nothing happening in this town that I don’t know about.”
    “And you haven’t said anything to him?” I asked. “You’re not mad at him for lying?”
    “No,” he said, shaking his head. “He means well. He has big plans, you know? And he’s working hard for his future. He needs to prove that he can be the kind of man Kara will need in the long-run. You have to respect that.”
    “You… you know about his plan, then?”
    “To propose?” he asked, shrugging. “There’s nothing happening—”
    “In this town that you don’t know about, I know,” I said, suddenly feeling stupid for thinking that anyone—especially someone in this house—could keep a secret from Charlie.
    “Hey,” I said, playfully shoving him. “You know I love you, right?”
    “You better,” he said, returning my shove. “And you know I love you too?”
    “I’ve never doubted it, Charlie. Never.”
     
    Saturday, March 09
    “ Go to jail,” I said, flipping a small yellow card between my fingers. “Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.”
    “Hmm,” Derek mumbled with an exaggerated eye roll.
    “What?”
    “Nothing,” he said, moving his car token to the jailhouse in the corner of the board. I tucked the Community Chest card at the bottom of the pile. “I just find it funny that I’ve ended up in jail three times, and you’re over there sitting pretty with a hotel chain and a pile of money the size of Everest.”
    I don’t know what time our friendly game of Monopoly started, but it felt as though we’d been at it for hours. Derek had come over sometime after noon, and the hours seemed to fly by faster than we could even tell. Neither of us set out any ground rules for our conversations, but we’d kept the topics lighthearted and playful all day. He’d never mentioned his trip away, and I’d stayed away from any topic that got too close to discussing Luke.
    Somehow, though I wasn’t surprised, we ’d managed to fall right back into the friendly nature we’d had once before.
    “So… what’s the problem? ” I asked, trying not to laugh at his crimson face. “You’re mad that I’m winning, or mad that you’re losing? Because there has to be a loser.”
    He looked up from the board and smiled, but only lightly. The lamplight reflected off of