No Good Deed - Marie Sexton Page 0,61
home-cooked meals, but Bertie had told him many times that he needed a good wife to take care of him.
Carmen pushed a loose lock of hair off her forehead. “I informed the good officer that if his entire case depended on enchiladas, he might want to stop wasting the taxpayers’ money and start worrying about actual criminals.”
“That’s it?” Charlie asked, almost giddy with excitement. “It’s over?”
“No charges will be filed against you at this juncture.” She lifted her glass with a triumphant smile. “And here’s to the end of the State versus Charles Garcia.”
Charlie laughed with joy and clicked his glass against hers before draining half of it. He would have hugged her if there hadn’t been a picnic table between them. “Thank you. You have no idea what a relief it is to hear that.”
She sobered a bit. “You have some good neighbors, Charlie. Every single one of them was ready to go to bat for you. Murphy even tried leveraging some of the known gang members in the neighborhood, and they didn’t budge.”
Charlie thought his heart might burst from the love he felt. All these years, he’d served his neighbors, never asking for anything in return. Yes, they often insisted on paying him, bringing him food or yard gnomes or pictures drawn by their kids. But knowing they’d all stood firm in his defense was the best payment in the world.
“Listen, Charlie.” She set her beer down, her tone suddenly somber. “We’re not pressing charges now, but that doesn’t mean you’re in the clear.”
Charlie’s joy withered a bit. “What do you mean?”
“There’s no evidence of a crime at the moment, but the history of similar accusations and your ties to Gray don’t look good. And I don’t think Murphy’s ready to drop it completely.” She turned her glass in slow circles on the table. It was something he’d seen Gray do a thousand times over the years as they talked. “I imagine it’s hard knowing where the line is between vigilante healthcare versus simply being a good neighbor. But speaking as a friend, Charlie, I’d suggest you stop trying to walk that line, at least for a while. Because all it’s going to take is one neighbor admitting you gave them some amoxicillin for their strep throat or a bit of insulin for their diabetes, and your ass will be in a sling. It sucks, but that’s the law. And I doubt it’s worth losing your license over.”
Charlie nodded, trying not to let the news get him down. The state wasn’t pressing charges against him. He wouldn’t lose his nursing license. He’d be able to work in healthcare again. This was a victory, even if it came with a cost.
He spent another half hour with her, chatting while they finished their beers. She talked about how good Avery was for Gray. How she’d never seen her son so happy, despite everything that had happened to derail his life. For her, it was only idle chitchat, but for Charlie, it was a good reminder that he wasn’t the only one whose life wasn’t perfect. Yes, things were changing. That didn’t mean it was all for the worst.
He emerged from the Tap House into a bright, sunny day. Only mid-February, but it felt like spring. Across the road, a group of college-aged kids in jeans and short-sleeved shirts tossed a Frisbee . Several people were out walking their dogs. Somebody with a mountain bike stood talking to Eddie, the homeless man who called himself a bicycle maintenance engineer. People on their way into the Tap House waved at him as they passed.
“Gorgeous day, isn’t it?” one of them said.
“Yes, it is.”
The spring weather wouldn’t last. They were guaranteed to get at least one more blast of winter in the next few weeks, but that didn’t dampen anybody’s joy. If anything, it only made them more determined to enjoy it. For this one day, people were focusing on the reprieve from winter, not caring that it may snow on them the very next day.
It reminded Charlie of a saying he’d often quoted to others. “Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow. It only saps today of its joy.”
Charlie took a deep breath and did his damnedest to let all his self-pity go. He had his future. He had his friends. He had Jonas. Only a selfish man would waste time mourning when he had so much to be grateful for.
It didn’t quite exorcize the grief from his heart, but he felt