Nev meets Charlie

The only functional shower in the house was on the first floor. Koty kept swearing that he'd fix the one on the second floor when he had time, but it had already been three weeks.

Nevada was walking back to her room on the second floor, wrapped in a towel. She was walking past the front door, about to go up the stairs, when she heard the knob turning.

'Dammit Dakota!' She swore in her head.

Her airheaded idiot brother must have forgotten to lock the door again when he left for work.

Of all the times to have an intruder, it just had to be now.

With no time to think, she grabbed the bat that they kept by the door for such situations and stepped to the side.

Her heartbeat sped up and time seemed to slow down as the door was pushed open.

When an unfamiliar woman stepped into the house, Nevada swung the bat towards her.

The hit didn't land. Instead, Nevada found herself being pulled towards the woman and wrapped in a bear hug.

She was firmly pressed up against the intruder's soft chest and the more she struggled, the tighter she was held.

"You must be Nevada." So the woman was here for her. But why?

Nevada glared and screamed at the woman only to be met by absolute calm and a gentle voice.

Once she had been set free, she made sure she was out of reach and remained alert.

Now that she was facing the strange woman, she could see that she was a beauty. But being beautiful didn't make it okay for her to just let herself in.

"Who the hell are you?" She figured that was a good start. Adding in a little bit of strong language couldn't hurt.

"I 'the hell' am Charlotte. You can call me Charlie." The woman was unaffected by her hostility and just kept smiling softly at her.

Nevada couldn't help but gape at the person in front of her. Her mind filled up with a thousand questions.

How was this an old lady? Was Koty going blind? This ridiculously strong woman was Charlie? The Charlie that she was being sent to live with?

"Honey, you'll swallow a fly that way." The way she said it wasn't mocking at all. More like she was genuinely concerned.

Nevada felt her anger dissipate a little. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Since this lady was thought highly of by Chance, Nevada figured she'd at least hear her out. But first, there was a more pressing issue.

"Have a seat in the kitchen, I'll be back in ten." She turned and darted up the stairs to put some clothes on.

She rushed around her room, throwing on a random t-shirt and some shorts. Then she ran a comb through her wet hair and tied it up in a bun.

Only seven minutes had passed before she was once again staring at Charlie.

"So, why are you here? The auction isn't until this evening."

"I needed something appropriate to wear so I have to go shopping. I figured we could get you something suitable as well." Charlie frowned slightly and couldn't help but ask, "Why was your door unlocked? Were you expecting company?"

"No, that's the fault of my space cadet brother." She shook her head.

Charlie giggled at that phrase. It was exactly the same way that Chance had introduced Koty a few days ago.

"You were fortunate, I suppose, that it was just me."

"What compelled you to just walk in, anyway?" Although Nevada understood her point, what weirdo just wanders into someone else's house uninvited?

"Not sure. Impatience maybe or just curiosity. I guess more so worry when I didn't have to pick the lock." Charlie answered honestly.

'In other words you would've come in even if it had been locked.' Nevada thought as she massaged her forehead.

"So, are you ready?"

"Ready for what?"

"To go shopping!"

"Who said I was going shopping?"

"Me, just now. Come on, we're burning daylight."

At times, Charlie was the very definition of shameless.

She would set her mind to do something and persistently charge forward. All consequences be damned! Or so she thought, anyway.

Nevada could see that she really wasn't going to get out of this. She grabbed her backpack and followed the strange woman outside to the waiting Goldwing.

Charlie was about to hand Nevada a helmet when she tilted her head to the side and clicked her tongue.

'This simply will not do.' Nevada's hair was still fairly wet and tied up in a bun.

"Hmmm, sweetie, go ahead and climb up on Shelia for me."

Nevada looked a Charlie, then at the huge touring bike, and then back at Charlie. She pointed at the bike and asked, "Sheila?"

"Of course!" Charlie smiled like a proud parent when she looked at her Goldwing.

Nevada raised her eyebrows but went ahead and sat up on the rear pillion seat.

Charlie walked over next to Nevada and pull the elastics out of her copper colored hair, releasing it from the bun. Before Nevada could open her mouth to protest, Charlie had swiftly woven it into a neat braid.

"Safety first." Charlie passed Nevada a helmet before putting on her own.

She then got on the bike herself, started it up, and smoothly guided it back onto the road.