Charlie and Tara: A Station 74 Novella, #2

By Amber Stone and Tamika Brown

Charles White messed up. Messed up one of the best things that ever happened to him in his life. Just let her walk right out of his life because he was too afraid to say how he truly felt. Now, the only thing he does and patrol dating apps for the next woman he can use up and then brush to the side. When Tara walks back into his life, he's forced to watch the woman she's become without him. And forced to relive all the mistakes he made with her. Somehow, he needs to show her how much he's changed, that he's worthy of her to love him again. But in order to do that, he must first protect her from the arsonist who's targeted Station 74. He'll do whatever he can, including moving her in with him to do just that.

Tara Greene thought she had found the love of her life. That is until she uttered those three little words to him and he said...nothing. So, she put everything that was Charlie and everything that was the two of them behind her and moved forward, or she thought she did. Tara tries her hand at a dating app and low and behold Charlie is her perfect match and what's more, seeing him at her best friend Rumor's engagement party has forced her to relive those memories of them. And now that she's moved in with him because of her apartment being renovated after a fire, those memories have come back to remind her of how good they were together.

Will the flame between old lovers rekindle or will things go up in smoke?

Who says you can't find love on a dating app?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amber Stone
• Release date: Mar 21, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224636341

Book preview

Prologue

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Two Years Ago

You look beautiful tonight.

I wasn’t lying. I can’t believe how lucky I’d gotten. This internet dating thing had been good as hell to me. This was the third date I’d been on this week. But by far the beauty sitting in front of me took the cake.

She was gorgeous. Her smooth mocha skin shined under the lighting of the restaurant where we decided to meet.

The place was top-notch and my go-to whenever I wanted to impress someone. I pulled out all the stops for this one though. Lobster on the menu, champagne, and fine china.

Thank you, she smiled, bringing me back to the conversation. I was distracted. Damn she was pretty. That smile stretched across her lips and the red on the dark skin of her cheeks was mesmerizing.

So, tell me Charlie. Is Charlie your real name?

Actually, it’s Charles, but Charlie will do, I told her.

I kind of like the way it rolled off her tongue. Damn, she was beautiful. I’d never seen a woman who looked like her.

Charlie it is then. Tell me about yourself. What do you do with your time?

Right now, I’m training to be a firefighter. Started out as a volunteer. I liked it, and the rest is history. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. There’s a long history in my family of wearing that shield. I just want to carry it on.

I was proud of my family legacy. My father, his father before him, and his father before him. She nodded as I talked about what being a firefighter meant to me.

It sounds like you have a plan, she said. But what caused you to look for someone on a dating app?

I picked up my beer and sipped, trying to think of what to say. Even though I’d ordered a bottle of bubbly, I preferred beer in a bottle over champagne any day. Plus, I didn’t think ‘for sex’ was a good answer. The truth, but not a good answer. Especially, if I planned on getting her in my bed tonight, so I went with what I thought she wanted to hear.

Tired of the dating scene. Nothing ever panned out. I just kept getting disappointed and my heart broken.

I was laying it on thick, but I needed to pull her heartstrings so I could be deep in her pussy tonight.

Yeah, I’m an asshole.

I know what you mean, she added. I was tired of the jerks and assholes too.

Really? I can’t believe a guy would string along a woman like you. You have got to be one of the finest women I’ve ever met. I mean, look at you. You’ve got your own column. Sexy as fuck. Men would be stupid to run around on you.

She gave me a shy grin and I knew I had her right where I wanted her.

What I didn’t count on was that for the next year, Tara Greene would become everything to me. Until I fucked it up.

I wasn’t trying to fuck it up. All that shit I spewed to her back then, when we first met, I started to mean that shit. She told me she loved me, and I hesitated. For a split fucking second, I hesitated, shocked and stunned into silence. A moment’s weakness costs me what may have been the best thing that ever happened to me.

And after her, I spiraled. Dating apps had become my way of getting back at her, or really a way to drown in the pain I caused myself when all I needed to do was admit that I loved her too. But that was not what happened, and my house became this revolving door of women. Some had the privilege of me keeping them for more than one night, others, one and done.

But ever since I found out Tara was my true match according to the dating app Rightly Swept, feelings of regret, guilt, and perhaps some disbelief that she was even my match resurfaced. Maybe even a little bit of hope that we’d get back together came rushing in. For sure this time, Tara wasn’t walking away so easily.

Chapter One

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Present Day

Out of every woman in the Charlotte area I could match with, I had to match with her. The dating app Rightly Swept had to be mistaken. Had to be wrong. Or this was just one cruel fucking joke the universe was playing on me. I even called the fucking headquarters to make sure there wasn’t some type of glitch in their system because there was no way in hell, she could be my one hundred percent match.

Tara Greene.

I fucked that up a long time ago and now here we both were celebrating the engagement of our best friends. How much of a karma move was that? I kept up with her over the years. Reading her columns and opinion pieces for the magazine she worked for. I was proud she was doing so well.

I spent weeks messaging her and calling, after she’d walked out, only for her to ignore the hell out of me. Then eventually, I just stopped. More than likely, these days I was probably blocked. It was clear she didn’t want anything to do with me. But she looked happy. She looked good and like she was doing just fine without me.

That shit sucked.

It was hard to be happy for the couple when Tara looked like she’d gotten over me.

Everyone clapping, brought me back to the present. I smiled as Rumor got off her knee and Chad, pulled out a ring for her. They’d both had the idea to propose to one another tonight. I chuckled at the scene as Rumor and Chad embraced and kissed.

Have fun, eat, dance and be merry everyone! Rumor shouted as she and Chad made their rounds, greeting family and friends.

I wanted to be happy for them. Fuck I tried to be happy for them. I wanted to enjoy the night, but Tara was heavy on my mind, and I wanted to go over there, pull her into my arms, and kiss her until she melted. I shook my head because there was no way she would let that happen. She avoided me all night. Never even made eye contact with me. Quite frankly, her actions pissed me off.

Rising from my seat, I made up my mind to confront her, or at least say hi. If I was in her face, she had to acknowledge me. Right?

You look good Tara, I whispered in her ear as she stood at the bar getting a drink.

Rumor had made the sales counter and display case in Rumor Has It, her bakery she’d reopened a little while ago after a fire, a makeshift bar, complete with a bartender for the night. It was hard to believe the place had almost been her fiery tomb.

The fire was set by an arsonist who we’d been dealing with for months and was fixated on Chad. He even came to Rumor Has It and ran when Chad chased him. The man tried to kill Rumor after that, rigging a board against the back door, so Rumor couldn’t escape when he set the building on fire.

Tara’s back stiffened at the sound of my voice, but she didn’t turn around.

You can’t ignore me all night, I said.

I bet I can.

She smiled at the bartender, when he placed her drink in front of her. It was one of the fruity drinks with the little umbrella’s girls liked to drink.

You know how I like a challenge, I said. You sure you want to do this tonight?

I faced the crowd, trying to get everyone’s attention. Then cupped my hands around my mouth. Hey everyone! Heads turned in our direction. Tara is my matc…

She grabbed my elbow, twisting me to face her.

What the hell are you doing? she whispered-screamed at me.

Her light brown eyes narrowed on my face and lines appeared between her eyebrows. She was mad as hell and all I wanted to do was kiss the frown away. We’d always had the best makeup sex.

I told you I like a challenge, Tara. A deafening silence hung between us considering the party happening around us. You look good Tara, I complimented her again.

Her skin was fucking glowing. I perused her body, but not for the first time tonight. Her hips were wider. She had a little more weight on her that caused my dick to twitch. But she didn’t respond to my compliment, and I didn’t know if I really expected her to.

Guess this will be a one-way convo.

But I wasn’t about to let her silent treatment deter me. She knew just like I did we matched. I wanted to know why she wasn’t responding to me.

You know we matched right? On Rightly Swept?

I wasn’t sure why I posed it as a question. Maybe because in my head, when people were asked questions, they tended to answer. Or at least I hoped she did.

She deeply sighed, and I felt some sort of triumph. Like I was finally getting somewhere. That was something. Right? She hadn’t told me to go to hell or gotten up from her stool.

I know, she answered, then sipped her drink.

Encouragement.

So why haven’t you been responding then?

I genuinely wanted to know. I knew it was fucked up, but us being matched was like some sort of sign to me. I would think it was a sign for her too.

She rolled her eyes, finally looking at me. Because I’ve been there done that.

The hope blooming in my chest quickly withered.

I’m sorry, Tara, I shook my head, because I really was. I had years to think about my actions. Or inactions when it came to her.

It’s two years too late for an apology Charles. Now if you’ll excuse me, my best friend just got engaged to the love of her life and I’d like to go hug her.

Dismissed.

Tara got up from the stool with her drink and left my ass standing there watching her for the second time walk out of my life.

Chapter Two

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