Chapter 28: The Compound
MILO HAD FINISHED the house he was building for Callie and he immediately popped the question. He was pressing for a short engagement, excited to start their life together. A wedding on the horizon had all the women of Wythel excited. All except Sam. Sam hated the girlie-girl stuff, and even though Charlie had mentioned the concept of marriage, she didn’t believe he was serious about it. Saying, “Hey, if it becomes too much of a scandal, we’ll just get married,” wasn’t exactly the same as talking about happily-ever-afters, and while she loved Charlie, she still struggled with the concept of a relationship.
Her mama and daddy hadn’t exactly been role-models in that department. She knew that men, in general, cheated and women let them. What was marriage anymore, anyway? But she wanted to believe it possible, and living in Wythel certainly helped her see that maybe what she’d grown up around wasn’t everyone’s idea of normal.
Charlie, on the other hand, was ready to settle down. Even having Sam living next door wasn’t enough. She often shut the door and closed him out, locking herself in her own apartment, especially when she was feeling overwhelmed.
When word spread throughout the Compound that she and Charlie had started dating, it seriously stressed her out. Suddenly she found herself invited to various ladies’ groups, baking cookies for the elementary kids, sitting in knitting circles—heck, she didn’t even know how to knit! Her only saving grace was the heightened gossip of Jared’s recovery around the same time.
She used that man as her lifesaver on sanity. Anytime someone would bring up her and Charlie directly, she’d change the subject. “Hey, did you hear what Jared did today?” That was usually enough excitement to move the conversation along past her relationship. She almost crumbled under the stress of it all and even tried to break things off with him, but he was too stubborn to allow it. In the end, she couldn’t tell him no because she loved him with all her heart.
Charlie was well aware of how sensitive the subject of relationships was with Sam, and he understood quickly that she didn’t want to hear him talk of marriage even in casual passing. When Milo came and told him he was finally going to ask Callie to marry him, he inwardly groaned. In a small town like Wythel, the excitement would only last a few days, and then the pressure would turn to him. He was fine with marrying Sam. He loved the idea of her walking down the aisle next to him, saying “I do,” holding her all night long without her determined to slip away and do things ‘properly,’ babies, grandbabies, grey hair, the whole thing—he was ready for it, but he didn’t think Sam was.
If he were a betting man, he would have called, almost to the second, when the first inquiry would come his way.
He had stopped by the visitor’s entrance, checking things out. They’d been keeping Jared on the ground and in the town, but he was determined to pull his own weight at the gate, too. Charlie had put it off for as long as possible, but with physical therapy, Jared’s weakened arm had strengthened quickly. He proved he was capable of holding the weight of the gun for an extended period of time, and his balance had improved tremendously. It was time to set him free.
Still, Charlie couldn’t help but check in on him. He knew he would always feel a responsibility towards Jared Hastings. The man represented the last bit of his sister, and he needed to hold on to that; hold on to her, even if it was just in this small way. He knew it wasn’t fair to Jared, but he also came to terms with the fact it would just always be that way.
Mrs. Little was sitting in her office talking to other women from town. When Charlie passed by, she waved him over.
“Ladies,” he said politely.
“Afternoon, Charlie. Jared’s doing well up there. We’ve been keeping an eye on him. He’s come such a long way,” she said, dabbing at her damp eyes. Charlie wasn’t the only one that hung on to that tiny piece of Holly. They all felt her through Jared.
“I’m glad to hear it. Thought I’d bring him up some fresh coffee and see for myself.” Charlie nodded and prepared to take his leave.
“Now Charlie, did you hear the news about Milo and Callie getting engaged?” Mrs. Little asked, not even trying to disguise her curiosity with pleasantries.
“Yes, I did. I’m very happy for them both.”
“Oh certainly. We were just saying what a cute couple they are. Which got us thinking. You and Sam have been dating for a while now. Think you’ll be following Milo’s lead and get married soon yourself?”
Charlie laughed. “You don’t hold back at all, do you?”
“Well now, at my age, I find it’s based to just cut to the short of it,” she said proudly. “So?”
“So what?” he asked.
“Are you going to propose to the girl or not?”
“Mrs. Little, let me give you one little bit of gossip to spread around,” he said, causing all three women to perk up in interest. “I guarantee that Sam will know the answer to that before you.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them. What sounded in his head as a witty comeback to shut her up, only seemed to confirm their suspicions of a second wedding on the horizon. Fearing if he said anything further it would only worsen the situation, he nodded and said goodbye, making a hasty exit.
He climbed up the ladder, two steps at a time to the upper perch where Jared was busy keeping watch.
“All’s quiet, boss,” Jared said when he looked back over his shoulder and saw who it was. Scott, Milo, and Joey had already made their appearance over the last two hours of his shift. He had already suspected it was only a matter of time before Charlie appeared. “I’m fine, I promise.”
“Oh, I’m not really checking up on you,” Charlie lied. “I’m hiding out from Mrs. Little and the gossip train of Wythel.”
“What did you do this time?” Jared asked, amused.
“I think that they think I just told them that I was going to ask Sam to marry me. Ever since Milo proposed to Callie, I’ve been getting the stares. They just got engaged. Even if I was planning to ask her, I sure as hell wouldn’t do it right now and take away from Milo and Callie’s joy.”
“Don’t see how getting engaged would take anything away from them, so why not?”
“Why not what?”
“Why not ask Sam to marry you? I mean she lives next door and drives you insane that she actually insists on sleeping there.”
“That doesn’t bother me,” Charlie insisted.
“Yes, it does. You whine about it all the time,” Jared pointed out.
“I do not whine,”
“I’m not going to argue that with you. I’m just saying, you and Sam seem really close and naturally that’s the next big step everyone’s looking for you to take.”
“Why are we even talking about this? Since when did you become the expert on relationships?”
Charlie knew that any other day that would cause his friend to back-off, but for some reason, Jared was in an exceptionally good mood.
“Hey, I’m the married one, so that kind of does make me the expert here,” Jared said with a grin.
Charlie punched him in his good arm. “It doesn’t count when you can’t remember it.”
A gasp drew their attention. Sam was climbing up the ladder and shooting daggers at Charlie.
“What? He started it.”
“That is not something to joke about, Charlie Jenkins,” she scolded. “Jared, are you okay?” she asked, worried.
“Sam, he’s fine,” Charlie insisted. “We were just joking around.”
“Well it wasn’t funny.”
Jared started laughing. “It’s kind of funny.”
“Stop treating him like he’s an invalid. He’s not. He’s lost some memories, and that sucks, but his mind is otherwise fully intact.”
“Hello, I’m right here,” Jared said. “And honestly Sam, I don’t want you guys treating me differently or walking around on eggshells around me. Charlie treats me like a normal person, like a whole person, and I appreciate that. I’m just tired of constantly being under the microscope. I’m pulling my own weight around this place now. I need to find my new normal, and you guys have to let me do that.”
Sam stared at him like he had two heads. “Okay,” she finally said. “You’re right. I know it’s not just me, but the whole squad is a little overprotective when it comes to you. We’ll try to do better.”
“Sam, I really do love that you all care so much. It’s still a little weird for me, but I’m learning to accept it. I need to be able to laugh and joke about things sometimes. Like being the expert on relationships since I’m apparently the only married one. It’s ridiculous to me, and it’s okay to laugh about.”
“That’s what you were joking about? Relationships?” she asked, staring at Charlie.
He shrugged.
“Charlie’s taking a lot of heat now that Milo has proposed to Callie,” Jared told her as Charlie shot daggers his way.
Sam rolled her eyes and sat down on the top of the ladder, letting her feet dangle over the edge. “You too? I left work early today because I couldn’t stand it. ‘Did you hear Callie’s getting married? Guess you’re next. How is Charlie?’ It’s been non-stop for days.”
“So, the way I see it, you guys have two choices to get away from it all,” Jared said. “One, fake a break up and avoid each other in public until it all passes, or two, just get engaged already.”
Sam’s eyes went wide. “Jared Hastings, that is not something to joke around about. We aren’t getting married just to stop local gossip. They will always gossip about something or another.”
Charlie saw how quick she was to reject the idea of marrying him. It was similar every time he approached the subject. He was again second guessing his mother’s ring, which he’d been carrying around for the last two weeks, even before Milo decided to finally ask Callie. He had been waiting for just the perfect moment, but it just never seemed to come.
He reached into his pocket and squeezed it, confirming it was still there. He seemed to do that a thousand times a day, especially whenever Sam was near. It wasn’t that he had any doubts for himself, but he was terrified the woman he loved would say no.
Sam was stubborn and still struggled some with the concept of the two of them. Some part of her felt she just wasn’t good enough for Charlie. He thought it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. He understood her background hadn’t been a good one. He knew she battled issues of her past. It had taken some time but she’d finally opened up to him about every seedy detail.
He knew that her inability to conceive children of her own weighed heavily on her heart and on their future together. No matter how many times he insisted he would be fine without kids, or even his suggestion of adoption when they were ready, hadn’t helped to resolve anything. It was likely a skeleton that would always hang in her closet, but Charlie felt certain they could get past it and everything would work out okay. He had to believe it was true.
“I have to go. I have a meeting in an hour that I need to prepare for,” he said, feeling slightly disillusioned with the turn of the conversation.
“You okay?” Jared asked, sensing the shift.
“Yeah man, I’m fine,” Charlie insisted. He headed down the ladder, turning when he was level with Sam still sitting there. He kissed her, relaxing some when she kissed him back.
“I took the rest of the day off,” she said. “Maybe we can do something after your meeting.”
Charlie couldn’t help the happiness that filled his heart with her words. “I’d love that. I shouldn’t be long.”
“Great,” Sam said.
Charlie often felt like he was riding a rollercoaster, or standing on quicksand, and never certain when it would give and suck him under, where Sam was concerned. He knew she loved him, she just worried too much about stuff.
Once Charlie Jenkins set his mind to something, there was little on earth that could deter him. He had already set his heart of Sam; he just needed to make it official and forever before that damn ring burned a hole in him.
The meeting with the Mayor was tedious, and Charlie hated that he wasn’t given the man one hundred percent. He was looking forward to having an entire afternoon with Sam too much to stay focused. Because of that, the meeting ended quickly.
Charlie all but ran back to the apartment. He knocked on Sam’s door, but she wasn’t there. He checked his own, and found no sign of her. He grabbed his radio and spoke with Jared, confirming first that he was holding up okay, and second that Sam had left shortly after he had, but Jared didn’t know where she was headed.
He plopped down onto his couch, one he had slept on regularly in the early days of their relationship before Sam moved in next door. He wasn’t sure where to even start looking for her. Jared’s old trailer? The restaurant? His mom’s?
Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait too long before he heard someone out in the hallway. He jumped up quickly, and Sam squealed in fright when he appeared.
“I thought you’d be longer,” she admitted. “You scared the life out me.”
“Sorry. My meeting was quick. I’ve cleared the rest of my schedule for the day.”
“You did?” she asked in wonder. “You didn’t have to do that!”
“It’s not every day I get my girl all to myself, so yes, I did,” he insisted, leaning down to kiss her. She had no idea the hold she had over him.
“Okay,” she sighed against him. “I was just gonna make ya dinner. Did you have something else in mind?”
“Dinner sounds ground. Can we cook it together?” he asked. Sam wasn’t the greatest cook but more than that the few meals they’d made together had been some of the greatest memories he had of them. There was just something about making a meal together, talking and laughing, just a special intimacy he loved and wanted every day, not just occasionally.
“That would be great,” she said. “But, that’s still several hours away.”
“So, come on, let’s get out of here,” he said, reaching for her hand. He knew exactly where he wanted to take her. It had always been a place he went alone, usually to think or stew over a new issue. He’d never mentioned it to anyone and had certainly never taken anyone there. Just a little place he’d found wondering through the woods one day.
“Should I change first?” she asked.
He looked her over, causing her to blush. Her jeans and tee-shirt were perfect in his opinion. “Nope, you’re beautiful,” he said, kissing her again.
“What’s that got to do with anything?” she asked, and he was happy that she no longer doubted him or rolled her eyes when he gave her a compliment.
“It means, you could be wearing a paper sack and still look perfect. Clothes don’t change that. Come on,” he said.
They walked leisurely, hand-in-hand through town. Several people stopped and talked to them along the way. The sun was bright,. It was warm for early Spring; a perfect day.
When they reached the edge of town, Charlie turned right and followed the treeline that started the property the bunker owned. They walked about a mile, and Sam assumed they were heading to Jared’s. Instead, he turned and headed into the woods, not quite up the mountain, more around the side of the mountain.
“Where are we going?” she finally asked.
“You’ll see,” he said with a smile.
He led them through the thick brush and densely wooded area with precision and familiarity. Sam saw quickly that despite appearances, he had a well worn path through the terrain. It soon opened up just a little and in the middle, surrounded by thick trees and feeling completely isolated from the rest of the world was a beautiful little brook, and crossing over it was a small bridge.
Charlie guided her onto the bridge and sat down on it, removing his shoes and letting his feet dangle in the icy water below. Sam followed his lead, but her toes barely skimmed the top of the water.
“It’s so beautiful here. Did you build this?” she asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.
“Nope. Believe it or not, I just happened to stumble across it while out hunting one day. I’ve never told anyone about it. It’s just sort of my thinking place.”
“And what do you come here to think about?”
He shrugged. “Everything. Life; the town; the Compounders; Holly; you,” he confessed, turning to look at her.
“Me, huh?”
“Yeah, I think about you a lot out here,” he admitted. “So, how come you shot down the idea of marrying me so quickly when Jared mentioned it earlier? Actually, anytime the subject comes up, you shoot it down or change to a new topic quickly” he said, putting her on the spot.
Sam rolled her eyes. “I’m not discussing this with you.”
“Why not? I don’t understand. I thought we were good. Things seem to be falling in place. Why is that such a difficult next step for you to consider?”
She stared at him for a minute contemplating her words seriously. Then she smiled. “Charlie Jenkins, if you think I haven’t considered marrying you, you’re insane. You want to ask, feel free, but unless you’re down on one knee, holding a ring, serious, I’m not discussing it, or giving you an answer one way or the other.”
He grinned. “Yes ma’am.”
They moved on to lighter subjects, spending much of the afternoon laughing and talking on the little bridge over the water. When the sun was starting to drop in the sky, they both knew they needed to head back and get started on the dinner they planned to cook together.
“It’s so beautiful here; it’s hard to muster up the strength to leave,” Sam said.
“I know, I always feel that way here, too,” he said, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her closer to his side. They sat like that for a while, lost in their own thoughts. Then he kissed her forehead and moved to get up.
She stood quickly and looked so beautiful staring out across the bumbling brook with the sun shining down on her face, that he was momentarily stunned. She truly took his breath away, and he knew with absolutely certainty, that no matter what life threw his way, he wanted Sam by his side to face it.
He repositioned himself, not fully rising, and reached for his pocket, grabbing her hand at the last second as she turned to leave.
“Sam? I have to know your answer once and for all. Are we in this life together or not?” he asked, waiting with baited breath.
Her free hand blew to her waist as she cocked her hip and dropped her head. “Charlie, I done told ya, ya want the answer to that, ya gonna have to ask.” Her breath hitched as she turned to face him. He was down on one knee, holding out a ring.
“I heard what you said, loud and clear, and I know you’re stubborn, and opinionated. You’re quick witted with a sharp tongue and always set me straight and keep me grounded. You’re beautiful, and the most amazing woman I know. You’re the only person I want by my side regardless of the situation. I love you more than I could possible say, but I’ll spend every day of the rest of our lives trying to show you, if you’ll just say yes.”
Sam stood there, her hands raised to her mouth, her eyes wide and glassy. For the first time since they’d met, she didn’t have some snappy come back, or any words at all for that matter.
Charlie’s heart started to tighten and his hand shook as he waited with bated breath for her response.
“So?” he finally said, unable to wait any longer. “Will you marry me, Sam?”
She nodded. “Yes, yes, of course I will.” She threw her arms around him and kissed him as relief flooded through him. He didn’t want to admit it, but a small part of him still feared she’d say no. Too late. She was all his, forever.
“Wait,” she said pulling back. “Why now? This isn’t because of that nonsense Jared was spouting about stopping gossip is it?”
Charlie laughed. “No, not at all. This ring has been burning a whole in my pocket for weeks, as I’ve been carrying it around just waiting for the perfect moment. It’s been taunting me for the last month since I spoke with Mom and removed it from the vault in the bunker. You can ask her if you’d like,” he offered.
“Not necessary. I was just checking,” she said, grinning, as she held out her hand and waited for him to put it on. It was a perfect fit, much to her delight and Charlie’s relief.
He rose to stand before her, humbled she said yes, and excited for their future together.
“I’m real glad you chose this place, just the two of us,” she said, hugging him tight. “It’s perfect.”
“You’re perfect,” he said, cutting her off when she started to protest. “Perfect for me.”
* * * * *