COMPLETE ✓| Charlotte Hastings found herself between a rock and a hard place when she aged out of the foster system. With only a car to her name, she set out on the open road, hoping to find long lost relatives. Winter hits her hard. When she meets...
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN | THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
Charlotte Hastings
My heart sunk at the news that the part was in for my car. It felt too early. I thought I had more time to spend here with Eli. Once it was fixed I'd have no excuse to stay, I'd have to continue my journey to find my birth mother and say goodbye to these lovely people. I didn't let my disappointment show on my face, instead, I nodded and forced myself to smile.
"That's great," I lied through gritted teeth. My hand grazed over his arm as I turned away and headed toward the door, finally letting my smile fall. Eli trailed close behind, so close I could feel his warmth.
A sigh escaped his lips and his hand wrapped around my arm, turning me back to face him. His eyes searched mine, like he was hoping to understand. He took a deep breath and slid his hand down until it was holding mine. "Hey, my mom wants to know if we'll go over there for dinner tonight. I should probably answer her before we leave." His fingers squeezed my hand ever so gently before he finished. "So, do you want to go?"
He patiently waited for my reply, although it didn't take me long to make my decision. I had to go on like everything was okay. Maybe if I tried hard enough then it would be. "Yeah, sure. Let's go over for dinner. I don't mind."
His smile widened and he stepped towards me before abruptly pulling back and rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll... I'll go tell my mom then, okay? You want to wait here or out in the truck?"
"I'll wait here," I said and let go of his hand, giving him a gentle push toward his mother who was finishing up counting the cash in the register.
He huffed and scuffed his foot against the tile floor before walking over to his mother. I watched a bright smile come to her face as Eli told her the news and she kissed his cheek. His words echoed in my head, no family is ever too complete to fit in someone new. I bit down on my lip to stop the tears from streaming down my face. Deep down I wished that this was my family.
Eli backed away from his mom and gave her a small wave. She in turn looked past Eli and waved excitedly at me. I smiled, feeling my heart ache in my chest. "Good to go?" I asked Eli as he stopped in front of me.
"Yeah, all good." He smiled and pushed the door open, letting a burst of cold air into the cafe. "I think she's probably going to make us eat our weight in food tonight, though. She's really excited about you coming for dinner."
I nudged his shoulder and chuckled. "I'm excited to eat my weight in food."
He laughed and pulled his jacket tighter around his neck. "You might not be once you actually try it. Mom's food is delicious, but there's way too much of it. Last time you got off easier, because she wasn't as prepared."
