Lover's Rock Leap

chapter 8

"Why is this even a discussion?" Warren asked, folding his arms over his chest.

Cell phone pressed to his palm; Charlie leaned against the side of a beaten-up red SUV. "What are we gonna do? Do I take her down to Lover's Rock like we're fucking teenager? Who's gonna watch the kids?"

"C, I got it. Salem and I will both be home; you can go out and do something. You and Lena have gone above and beyond, helping me and Salem and the kids during the whole separation-guardianship-shitty trial situation. Would you just go out with a girl that's too good for you and stay the night at her apartment? I can't believe I have to order you to fuck your girlfriend." Warren muttered.

Charlie flipped his phone open and closed. "Fuck it, I'll call her." He pushed off the car, flipping his phone open to dial her number. "I can't believe I'm nervous my girlfriend is gonna reject me."

He stepped out of the garage, listening to the phone ring as he paced. "Hello?" Lena answered.

"Hey, love." Charlie cleared his throat.

"Hi, baby. How's work going?" She replied.

"It's good, kinda slow," he said, "I was thinking we could go out. Tonight."

She was silent for a moment. "Go-out?" She asked.

"Yeah, I mean you've been working so hard at the clinic and the lounge, we finally got the kids back home and almost normal. I was thinking we could get dinner tonight after work. Just you and me." He murmured.

"Dinner? Like a date?" She asked.

"Yeah, like a date." He nodded to himself. "What's wrong with that?"

She laughed. "Nothing, we just don't...go out to dinner. Unless it's like a family dinner or something when we had visitation rights as the go-betweens." she joked.

Charlie thought about it. "Well, yeah. But we should be doing dates. You deserve it after all the crap you've put up with over the past couple months with court, the kids, Warren, Salem. You deserve a night out after keeping all of us in line and afloat. Dress up in anything but scrubs, eat food someone else made that we didn't steal, and have me dote on you."

"You want me to dress up in something nice so you can drool over me?" She chuckled.

"I'd drool over you in scrubs, my love." he said, a smile tugging on the corner of his mouth. "I was thinking we could stay over at your apartment tonight. Maybe spend some time, just us."

"Charlie, I'd love to. That sounds really nice, that's exciting. I wanna come home and shower—at yours. I think most of my clothes are at the house anyway." she replied.

"Of course. I'll need to come home and clean up. I don't wanna smell like motor oil for you." He joked.

"I might compromise and wear like sweatpants...and lingerie?" She suggested.

"You'll always be too good for me." He remarked.

When they set a time and place, they ended the call and Warren was just beside him, clapping him on the shoulder. "So?" He asked.

"We're going out, I guess." Charlie murmured.

"What do you mean I guess?" Warren asked.

"I don't know. I feel like we've never been on a date—date. We kinda just...hangout. I feel like we haven't done the formal..." Charlie trailed, looking past Warren to a car that had just pulled into the lot. It was a blue 1960s impala, Charlie swatting Warren's shoulder. "Yo." He muttered.