Charlie: Barcross Romance, #1

By Eden Elsworth

Paul grew up living next door to his best friend. As they get older, he starts to fall in love with her. Just as she was starting to see him as something more than just a friend, she had to leave. 
Can he ever get over her, or will he spend the rest of his life pining for his first love?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Eden Elsworth
• Release date: Nov 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9781519963321

Book preview

Acknowledgements

As always, I have to thank my amazing partner, Jack Silince, for continuing to put up with me!

I also need to thank Ava for all her help and encouragement; Melissa for getting me started in the first place; and Sue for finding all my mistakes!

ONE

The youngest children in the gang had hammering hearts full of pure adrenaline as they followed their leaders to the large oak tree. Ranging in age from six to ten, they all lived on the small council estate on the edge of the village of Barcross, and played together whenever school and parental authority permitted.

At the head of the pack, as always, were Charlie and Paul. Although a year divided them in age, they were identical in height, and inseparable. Both seen by the rest as being as brave as lions in the world of field and forest, both looked over the youngest of the gang with a savage protectiveness, and both were like gods to those youngsters.

Even though Paul was the older of the two, he was second-in-command to Charlie.

Charlie could run the fastest, climb the highest in the oak tree that stood at the end of the lane they all lived along. Charlie could always find the most exciting ways to fill their days. Charlie never got into trouble with any of the neighbours, because she never got caught.

Charlie was the principle deity in this tiny world.

She was also the only girl.

She led her adoring subjects far and wide in search of thrills that pulled them all early from their beds at the weekends. Whether it was sneaking out first thing to rearrange all the milk bottles on doorsteps, letting down the tyres of the neighbours cars, or swinging out over the river on a rope tied to a tree. Charlie did it all the best and the other children idolized her for it.

But no one idolized her as much as Paul.

He looked across at her and grinned as they held back to let one of the youngest in the group get to the tree first. It was one of Charlie’s unspoken rules they all learned instinctively. The little boy that shot past them was out in this world for the first time, so he had to win the race.

As he reached the huge tree trunk, he whooped his victory, not knowing the race was his the second he left the sanctuary of his home.

Paul leaned forward as he made the running jump needed to reach the lowest branch of the oak, and pulled himself up to straddle it. The he reached down to grasp the first pair of hands striving up towards him. Charlie lifted the victor as high as she could, then Paul dragged him up to get his first taste of life in their fortress.

One by one, all those not yet able to make the leap to the branch were handed up so they could settle on the thick branch that held their weight easily.

Then it was Charlie’s turn. She went a few steps back, took a sprint forward, and then flew upwards to fold her body over the oak limb. Hitching one leg over, she straightened.

The low branch was safest for the little ones, but Charlie had to go up. She swung from branch to branch like an acrobat, years of experience telling her how to do it. Hard on her heels, as always, was Paul, forever chasing his goddess of the forest.

Charlie always had to get higher than anyone else and scrambled onto the last branch robust enough to hold her. It wasn’t possible to see out at this time of year, not when the tree’s canopy was thick with leaves, but she didn’t want to anyway, not when her brood was inside with her.

Paul stopped on the branch below her and stood to put them on eye level. He poked his finger through the hole in the thigh of her jeans and frowned deeply.

She’ll shout again, he remarked quietly.

Charlie shrugged. Don’t care.

She did care though. Her mother always shouted at her for ruining her clothes, for hanging around with boys, sometimes just for breathing, or so it seemed. She didn’t always shout though. Sometimes she just struck out, as if the only way she could cope with her anger was to inflict pain.

If we go early, Mum can fix them for you. Paul’s mother often had to hide the damage Charlie inflicted on her clothes. Sometimes it saved Charlie from one of the vicious or violent tirades that filled her home on a regular basis. A lot of the time, all the neighbours could hear them. Although they all suspected Charlie was being physically abused, no one ever saw any proof of it. Without proof, they felt helpless to act.

Charlie smiled at him for the suggestion and picked a bit of lichen from his brown hair. Before she had met Paul, her life had been a constant round of fear of her mother, broken up with brief, ecstatic moments with her father when she spent the weekend with him. Steve Teasley had hoped to have a son. Instead he’d got Charlie, and found that was even better. She loved all the outdoor, mucky, thrilling activities he arranged for them to do on his weekends.

Paul’s parents were also divorced, but they got along better that way. Paul’s father called in to see them every day, without fail. Often staying to have dinner with his ex-wife and son.

The giggling of the youngsters lower in the tree reached them and Charlie smiled softly. The affection they all gave her so freely made her life bearable. That, and Paul’s company. She repaid them for that affection by giving them moments that made each breath a thrilling adventure. None of the children thrilled in those breaths as much as Paul.

Are you going to your dad’s this week? he asked carefully, half hoping she would so she could get away from her mum, half hoping she wasn’t because he hated missing any