Hector purposely made his last comment a statement not a question. He didn’t want to give Walter any room to say no because regardless of what Walter said now, Hector was not about to chance Charlee leaving.

Walter nodded. “We’re cool. Just don’t ever tell her I was pining for her all this time. That’s embarrassing.”

Not sure how he’d explain to Charlee why he fought this thing all this time without mentioning that, Hector agreed. At this point, he’d agree to anything.

“Well, I got a date to the aquarium I need to go get ready for.” Walter said, grabbing his gym bag.

And Hector had a phone call to make. As much as he knew Charlee wanted this—she’d told him she did and so had Drew—Hector wanted this too. So why the hell was he suddenly scared out of his mind?

Chapter 22

Flipping back to what she was supposed to have been doing, Charlee chewed the inside of her cheek and pretended to be looking up show times on her laptop. Drew had suggested they go catch a movie tonight. She was leaving to meet with her dad and his new girlfriend in Seattle the next morning and needed to get her mind off it. Drew had actually wanted Charlee to come with her, but Charlee had a presentation she had to make that Monday in school. Even though Charlee hadn’t brought it up in a while, she was still considering going back home. She had to keep up with the big stuff in her classes like this presentation to make up for whatever she might miss while she was gone.

Drew would be gone overnight and wouldn’t be back until Monday afternoon. As much as Charlee wasn’t looking forward to being alone, she just couldn’t miss class Monday. All this time while Drew had been on the phone finalizing her arrangements for her trip then jumped in the shower, Charlee should’ve been deciding what movie they would see, but as usual she’d veered off to read a website she’d recently come across.

Of course it had everything to do with 5th Street, but it wasn’t just the stuff about Hector that had drawn her back to the site time and time again. The wife of Hector’s partner Noah had put a blog together chronicling the history of the gym. Charlee was sure Drew would find it hard to believe, but she really was visiting the website for the articles and story about the gym. The photos of Hector that went back to when he was much younger until now were just an added bonus. Charlee really found the story behind the making of 5th Street by one man alone to what it had now become, extraordinary.

Drew walked in with a towel on her head. By now, Charlee should’ve had the show times memorized for her, but she hadn’t even looked them up yet.

“Anything good playing?”

“Umm,” Charlee said, typing quickly. “There’s that baseball one with DiCaprio.”

It was the first thing that popped up. She started reading off the others as soon as the list came up.

Drew made a face, plopping down on Charlee’s bed. “Don’t they make any good movies anymore?”

Actually, a few of the ones Charlee read off did sound good. She had a feeling this might be Drew’s way of starting up on her talk of going to a club again tonight—something Charlee refused to do. After last week, she’d just as soon lay low for the next forever weekends.

Charlee’s phone buzzed next to her laptop. She picked up the phone, frowning when she didn’t recognize the number. With one tap she sent it to voicemail. She was in no mood for student surveys or telemarketers.

“Who was that?” Drew asked.

“I dunno,” Charlee said, staring at her laptop screen. “Maybe we can just go grab some grilled-cheese sandwiches instead.”

“Again?” Drew asked.

“But it’s so good!” Charlee turned to her with a pleading smile.

Her phone buzzed again. Glancing at it, she saw the same number she hadn’t recognized the first time. Because of the area code, she knew it was a local number. So she knew it wasn’t anybody from back home. It had to be one of those never ending surveys she’d been suckered into before. She hit the ignore button once again and looked up at Drew who was staring at her wide-eyed. “What?”

“Nothing,” Drew cleared her throat. “I was just wondering why you’re not answering your phone.”

“Because it’s no one I know.” Charlee shrugged, bringing her attention back to her laptop screen. “Or we can go to Hollywood.” Charlee glanced up at Drew whose expression was a strange one. “But not to any clubs. I mean we can go sightsee. We can check the Mann’s Chinese Theater, or I know . . .”

She started typing when her phone buzzed again. This time it was a text from that same number that had called twice. Curiously, she clicked on the envelope.

Are you busy?

Certain whoever it was had the wrong person, she almost put the phone down, ready to just ignore it, but then it buzzed again.

This is Hector by the way.

Feeling her eyes widen as her heart started thumping, she read it again then looked up at Drew who was chewing on her pinky fingernail and staring at her. Her stomach immediately did that funny thing it did every time she was around him, and for whatever reason, Charlee felt the need to whisper. “It’s Hector, and it’s the same number that called twice.”

“Really?” Drew smiled. “What does he want?”

“He’s asking if I’m busy.”

Her initial reaction was to respond to ask him how he’d gotten her number. Her pessimistic side wanted to be sure it was actually him. But he wouldn’t have called her first if it were anyone else. She’d know immediately by his voice that it wasn’t him. Plus he might think it rude or that maybe she was mad that he had her number.