𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃─𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

one hundred twenty two.

─☼☼☼─

CHARLOTTE THOUGHT ABOUT throwing the cookies out of the window at least five times on the short drive to Rafe's house. John B had gotten into her head like he'd been trying to do, and she feared that maybe she was going to give Rafe the wrong idea by showing up to his house with what John B referred to as "fuck-me cookies" (Charlotte still didn't know what constituted them as such).

But then again, maybe the wrong idea wasn't so wrong anymore. Truthfully, Charlotte thought, no knew, that if everything wasn't so crazy with the Pogues at the moment, she and Rafe would likely have already been back together, or well on their way to it. He'd proven to her, more than once, that he'd changed.

Now wasn't the time, though. There were too many other intricacies that complicated everything, including her love life. But she kew the minute they found that damn crown and saved Poguelandia that she was coming back for Rafe. They weren't the same nineteen year olds they were the first time they broke up, or even the same twenty year olds they were a year ago. This time would be different...it had to be.

A shaky exhale tumbled from Charlotte's lips as she pulled up to Rafe's house. The need to see him becoming overwhelming. Now that she'd gotten a taste of a life with Rafe back in the picture, she could barely go a day without wanting to see him in some capacity. 

Butterflies erupted in her stomach as she mounted the steps. God, it was like they were fourteen again and she was sitting by her front door waiting for Rafe to show up for their first date. 

But that all came crashing down when the front door opened and someone other than Rafe stepped onto the porch. 

Charlotte had been too distracted when she first pulled in to even notice the other car. But now it was right in front of her face that someone was here, and that someone was a woman. 

Nausea washed over Charlotte as she locked eyes on the woman descending the steps toward her. She had no right to be upset, she'd told Rafe it was unfair to make him wait for her...so why was she tempted to rip this woman's hair out at the mere thought of her sleeping with Rafe?

"Ah," The woman's face lit up in a smile at the sight of the dark haired girl. "You must be Charlotte. I've heard so much about you. "

Now that she was close enough, Charlotte could see that she was definitely older than Rafe and Charlotte, considerably. Something familiar ticked in the back of Charlotte's mind, but she couldn't quite place it. 

When Charlotte didn't respond, the woman let out a small laugh, noting the concern on the younger girl's face. "I'm Hollis Robinson," she introduced. "The realtor working on the Goat Island deal with Rafe."

Oh. 

Charlotte tried to pretend that she hadn't just been plotting the woman's demise. "Right," she nodded, forcing a smile onto her lips. "Rafe's told me about you."

Hollis smiled. "We were just finalizing the details of the deal."

"Oh," Charlotte nodded, slight unease overtaking her. "I didn't realize you made house calls."

It was a snide remark, but Charlotte was, for the life of her, trying to figure out why a realtor would be at her ex-boyfriend's house at nine pm on a Wednesday.