Today was a good day.

It was one of those obscenely rare days when Paloma found it difficult to wipe the grin off her face. The woman's excitement hadn't stemmed from the settling, evening breeze that whistled through the cool air nor the habitual feeling of her girlfriend's fingers intertwined with her own as they fell into their after-work routine by taking the short journey back to their home. Though both were things, Paloma conjectured, that could manage to coax a smile out of Satan himself.

Despite Ava's curiosity gnawing at her like insatiable termites on a plank of wood, Paloma failed to let her in on the root of her excitement—for now at least.

Quinn shifted on the kitchen barstool, turning to look at the women as they stepped through the front door. Though both writers voiced their greetings, it didn't go unnoticed by Paloma that the girl did the bare minimum by simply acknowledging her presence before focusing her attention entirely on Ava who wore a teasing simper.

"We didn't run Charlie off, did we? I know we came home a little sooner than usual."

Quinn's eye-roll was lacked candor. "He wasn't here."

Ava dragged out the unconvinced statement, "Sure."

Paloma's broad smile faltered ever so slightly at Quinn and Ava's immediate interaction that occurred the moment they entered the home. It had been so natural between them and all the easygoing atmosphere did was remind Paloma that things between her and her sister were quite the opposite.

The brunette preoccupied herself by petting Siberia—the only creature she knew that never held a grudge—while Ava snatched a Granny Smith apple from the fruit basket, ran some warm water over it, then ripped through its green flesh with her teeth. After, she motioned towards the younger redhead and spoke, not bothering to swallow her food first, "You gonna help me with dinner?"

Quinn granted her a brazen smile as she jumped down from the barstool. "I'll leave the cooking to the experts."

Ava's light-green eyes rolled, a ghost of a smile accompanying the action upon hearing the patronizing compliment Quinn laced in her excuse.

It was hardly news that both redheads got along because, really, they more than got along. Upon their initial introduction, their personalities clicked and as time went by, their bond easily wove into deep familial roots. And while Paloma was relieved that Ava's daily presence in both their lives hadn't disrupted their tolerance for one another, lately, Ava and Quinn's faint giggles and good-natured, quick-witted banter somehow managed to aggravate Paloma.

A large portion of her felt incredibly needy, and not to mention childish, for being upset and somewhat jealous of their interactions. Even so, she buried the thoughts and allowed herself to squirm in her animus feelings because she knew it wasn't all in her head.

It was no secret that, to put it lightly, her sister was still keen on giving her the cold shoulder. Admittedly, the teenager had been cordial with her—despite Paloma being less than deserving of that—but she doubted they would be singing kumbaya any time soon.

Paloma tore herself out of her unpleasant thoughts once their laughter died down. Ava scouted out the fridge in hopes to conjure up something to make for dinner while Quinn slipped into the laundry room, cramming her earbuds in as she lugged a basket of dirty clothes in her arms.

Paloma glanced at Ava who withdrew some fresh vegetables from the fridge before gingerly lathering them under a steady stream of water—something that had quickly become an evening tradition in the household.

Once Ava moved in, it didn't take long for either Sullivan to pick up on the fact that she prided herself in preparing healthy meals as often as possible and now was no exception. It was something that definitely took some getting used to for the sisters but a large part of them appreciated the care Ava crafted into every meal and that was reason enough not to complain.

The brunette snaked her arms around Ava's waist. Ava relaxed in Paloma's embrace when she rested her chin on her shoulder and buried her nose in her soft, red mane.

"You get started with dinner, I'll be in to help in a sec."

Paloma matched her girlfriend's expression when she caught a glimpse of the grin that stretched across her features.

"You better," Ava taunted.

Paloma reluctantly released the woman but not before tenderly pressing her lips to Ava's fair-skinned cheek.

She then took in a small breath, deciding to swallow her pride and approach the girl—something she promised herself she wouldn't do just a few days ago. But, she was quickly learning that space wasn't going to remedy their problem, therefore, another course of action had to be taken and, considering Quinn seemed to have no problem at all maintaining the uncomfortable limbo their relationship was in, she had to be the one to take matters into her own hands.

She crept into the laundry room and knocked on the doorframe, at this, Quinn reluctantly removed one of her earbuds and glanced in her sister's general direction.

"Need some help?"

Quinn didn't even have to respond for her sister to know the answer to the question, her dry chuckle said it all. "Nope. This is one of the few things I can still do competently, so..."

The woman rubbed the back of her neck, wishing for the millionth time in a three-day period that she could take back what she said. For a moment, she toyed with her fingers, Quinn's unwelcoming demeanor nearly making her shy away, and, unfortunately, her expectation of it didn't help to soften the blow. Paloma fought the urge to retreat and, eventually, gathered the courage to hop up onto the drier.

She settled her soft eyes on Quinn who tossed her clothing into the neighboring washing machine. She convinced herself that she couldn't make the situation any worse than it already was then broke through the quiet.

"Anything exciting happen with you this week?" the brunette tried again. "I feel like I haven't seen or talked to you in forever."

Quinn unscrewed the cap on the laundry detergent. "Unfortunately, this is pretty much the most exciting thing I've done all week."

Paloma nodded but maintained her silence. At this, Quinn momentarily stopped what she was doing, cocking an eyebrow but making a point not to meet the eyes of the woman who obviously had an eagerness about her.

"Lemme guess," the girl deadpanned. "Something exciting happened to you?"

Paloma bit her lip but failed to tone down her ever-rising smile. "It did." When Quinn didn't show any further interest, Paloma cut to the chase, "Today, I...got a promotion."

Quinn's eyes briefly widened in surprise as she finally looked up at her sister. Paloma lit up when Quinn smiled—a modest smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"That's great, Plum, really."

Upon hearing the nickname, Paloma grinned so hard her cheeks began to hurt. She lazily swung her legs, the balls of her feet gently tapping against the side of the drier.

"Yeah, it was outta nowhere. Well, actually, not exactly outta nowhere," the brunette corrected as she toyed with her hair. "I've been working there for three years and not to toot my own horn or whatever but my work's gained a fair amount of attention popularity-wise at the magazine so it's long overdue really," she chuckled. "So, the position is pretty much just a formality but the promotion came with a pretty decent salary increase which is...phenomenal to put it lightly."

While Paloma loved knowing that her hard work proved to be fruitful, she'd be lying if she said that a large portion of her excitement hadn't stemmed from the financial increase. Knowing that she no longer had to rely on the efforts of others to make ends meet granted her a feeling of adequacy that, as much as she hated to admit it, she lost months ago.

"What's your new title?" Quinn asked, her interest officially peaked.

"To put it simply, I'm the co-manager of the sex department. I still get to produce my own articles of course because, you know, that's pretty much my favorite thing about the business and it's what got me where I am, but now, I get to help run it too."

Quinn smirked. "Don't they know better than to give you another reason to be bossy?"

"Apparently not." Paloma's sheepish smile faded into a smug one as she continued, "Claudette, the other manager, wasn't too happy about having to share her position but, honestly, she's a straight-up bitch so seeing the look on her face when she found out she no longer had the upper hand was unbelievably sweet!" Paloma exclaimed. She softly chewed on her bottom lip as she reminisced about the day. "Yeah, so this was a major win for me. Plus, now, between the car insurance money and my raise, I'm thinking I can start the process of gettin' a new set of wheels."

"I'm sure Ava's pretty excited too, right? Since now you're both at the head of your departments."

"Well, yeah, but I actually haven't told her yet."

Quinn's brow creased in confusion, nevertheless, she let out a small laugh, "She still pissed at you about what happened on her birthday?"

"No," Paloma drawled out. "Somehow I managed to get her to forgive me. Now if I could just get someone else to..."

Quinn's lighthearted manner dispersed upon hearing the seriousness hidden within her sister's playful response. As a result, Paloma redirected her focus elsewhere.

"No one else knows. About the promotion I mean," she elaborated. "As a matter of fact, right after I found out, the only thing I could think about, other than telling Claudette to suck it," the amused grin that eased its way into her lips left just as soon as it came, "was telling my favorite person in the whole world about this amazing thing that just happened to me. You're my best friend, kiddo."

Quinn busied herself by shutting the washing machine door. Several moments of silence followed the action. Paloma was just about to hop down from the drier and leave Quinn to the task once she sensed that her sister had enough but, to her surprise, the redhead offered her a simple, timid response.

"...You're mine too."

Paloma's content smile slowly faded away upon hearing Quinn's next assertion that was just as sincere as the previous one.

"I'm still mad at you, though."

The brunette winced even though a large part of her saw it coming. "Yeah...I know and I get it. I understand. You have every right to be. But, I mean it when I say I'm sorry. I don't know how else to explain what I said other than I've just been really uneasy lately about making ends meet, and I know I said I'd tell you if things went south or further south than they already were but, you were right. As always, I let my pride get in the way because I like being the one that can take care of things without any help."

"You're a lot like dad in that sense," Quinn cut in.

Paloma's laugh was short-lived, "I guess you're right. But, as much as I wanted to be the one that could do it all...I couldn't. And I absolutely hated it so I tried to bury the problem but that obviously didn't work. I just screwed things up. The stuff I said, I've just been worried about what's goin' on with you and the bills and, between the stress and the drinking, the alcohol morphed that combination into something really shitty and for that, I'm so incredibly sorry."

Quinn crossed her arms over her chest and scoffed, her sister's admission serving as further confirmation that the woman still wasn't hearing her.

"You don't have to be. Worried. About me. I don't need you to be, okay? That's my point."

"You're my baby sister, I'm never gonna stop worrying about you. This is hardly news." Paloma's sickeningly sweet smile elicited an eye-roll from Quinn.

"I'm not a baby. I'm gonna be an adult soon. You can't hold onto me for the rest of your life, Paloma, and I can't spend the rest of mine under your thumb. I won't. I have to learn how to take care of myself and stand on my own two feet. Mom and dad let you, but you refuse to grant me the same courtesy? How do you expect me to get there—do things on my own, fend for myself—if you won't let me?"

"I will," Paloma blurted, her frustration obviously getting the better of her.

"When?" Quinn immediately tested.

"Not right now." The woman's curt response reiterated her vexation. "You don't have to have that stuff figured out, not for a while and I'm gonna take care of you 'till you can take care of yourself. But that's not gonna be anytime soon, you're sixteen. There's no rush."

"I hate when you do this when you become this. Kill yourself over me and act like that's what I need. Don't get me wrong, I get what you mean—your intentions, I do. I have a younger brother now so I can understand that feeling but, still—"

"That's not at all the same." Paloma quickly shook her head, snickering briefly in the process. "I know you think it is because it seems like it is, but it's not."

"It's the exact same. That's just the excuse you use so you can justify your overbearing, overprotective behavior."

"No offense, Quinn, but you pretty much just met the kid. You didn't take care of him when he was sick, change his diapers, hold his hand when he took his first steps, teach him to read, watch him grow..." Paloma allowed her voice to trail, then slightly raised her hands in surrender. "You don't even spend all that much time with him. He's your half-brother that you met less than a year ago, it's not exactly—"

"And you're my half-sister that chose not to see, speak to me, or acknowledge that I existed for three years." Although it shouldn't have, because a part of Paloma knew she deserved the reality check, Quinn's words felt like a knife to the chest. "He's just as much my sibling as you are. So, please, explain to me...what don't I get?"

Paloma ran her hands down her face before abruptly offering a response, "Look, you don't remember that night, okay? The accident—your accident, you don't remember. And that's good, I'm glad because it was hands down the shittiest thing ever and it'd be terrible if you could remember but—"

"You didn't see it from my perspective, you weren't in my shoes," Paloma reiterated. "You didn't feel what I felt when the doctor said he didn't know if you'd make it or having to see you the way you were right after it happened. Having to entertain the thought that you might leave me just like mom and dad did, right after you and I finally made it back to each other—got a life. And I know things have been extremely hard for you, I don't doubt that. You've had to deal with stuff that I'll never even be able to begin to fathom but still, you don't remember and you don't have to revisit that unbearable situation, the uncertainty of it all, every time you close your eyes at night."

"I know I'm far from perfect and I know you think I'm overprotective and, you know what? Fine, yeah, I admit that. I am. But, if my life has taught me nothing else, it's that I lose absolutely everything I don't fight like hell for." Paloma took a brief pause, allotting time for her words to sink in before flickering her gaze to her sister's brown eyes that had softened considerably. "So...sorry. I'm not gonna stop, 'cuz, I give a shit about you. As a matter of fact, I more than give a shit...I love you. Like a lot, pretty much more than anything. I mean...you know?"

"Yeah," was Quinn's hushed response.

Despite the simple response, the genuineness laced in the assurance made the rising tension fall from the brunette almost entirely. Quinn sucked in a small breath then unexpectedly broke through the silence for the second time that evening.

"Despite what you may think, I'm not trying to punish you by not talking to you or whatever. I just honestly don't believe that what you said was a lie. I don't think you meant to voice it, as a matter of fact, I don't think you even knew you felt that way, and I know you don't thrive on hurting me or anything but I just need time to get over it."

It went without saying that the admission hit Paloma like a train because Quinn's words didn't lack an ounce of sincerity. Unlike the past, the teenager wasn't being spiteful, sarcastic, or dismissive. She was telling the complete and whole truth and that's what made the blow infinitely more painful. Not only that, but it also confirmed what Paloma already knew—her own words dug so deep that there was no chance of pretending like the other night never happened.

Paloma swallowed thickly. "I know."

Though she was afraid of knowing the answer, because she was pretty sure she already had it, against her better judgment, she troubled the girl with yet another emotionally draining question.

"Are you still mad at me...for before? For leaving you behind?"

Quinn's eyes instinctively darted to Paloma's but only for a moment.

"I only said that the other day because I was pissed, okay?"

"And just a moment ago?" Paloma's tender tone lingered in the air, but not for long.

"Don't worry about it."

Paloma scoffed—an action that made Quinn cram her hands into her pockets and briefly shrug her shoulders.

"I just thought, at the time, those years ago," Quinn elaborated, "that we had somewhat of a decent relationship, you know? I didn't think you'd ever disappear on me like that so it was just..."

Upon seeing her sister's knitted together eyebrows and attentive expression, Quinn waved off her previous contention, "Look, it was a long time ago and, I mean, I get why you did it. You were mad at mom and dad, for good reason, and you couldn't handle it...even after they were gone. It sucked but I understand. You leaving me wasn't the plan, it's just what happened."

Paloma's voice was soft, "You still didn't answer the question."

Quinn's sigh was filled with exhaustion, "I'm not sure what you want me to say, Paloma."

The woman's dark hair swayed side to side as she shook her head. "I don't know. I guess I want you to yell at me and tell me how shitty I am for what I did or...didn't do. I want you to tell me the truth."

"I don't exactly know what more "truth" I can give you. The house was terrible, uncle Perry tried but still, he ended up being pretty terrible, every day was lonely..." Quinn rambled. "I mean, this isn't news. Forget I brought it up."

"No, I'm glad you said what you said because, me being the oblivious idiot that I am, it hadn't even occurred to me that you were still angry about that. I mean, I've screwed up more times in twenty-eight years than you probably ever will in eighty but every single time I think about the things I regret the most, it's always shit I've done to you. But, me leaving you alone in that toxic situation after what happened to mom and dad, especially with you just being a little kid..."

Her voice faded away before she found it again, "And me being too much of a coward to stay or to even, at the very least come back and make sure you were okay...it's by far the worst thing I've ever done. I know no amount of apologies can fix that and I don't expect you to forgive me for that because I know I'll never even be able to forgive myself but...I'm sorry for that too."

"I don't want you to keep apologizing," came Quinn's swift contention. "And I don't expect you to because you're doing something better—trying to fix the mistakes. And I know you're sorry, I just can't...forget or pretend like those things never happened. Not that I haven't tried," she added.

Paloma understood better than anyone that trying to drown out or bury things that proved to be too hard to face always ended up being futile.

Having nothing else to say about the matter, Quinn started for the exit. She only stopped in her tracks when Paloma began speaking again, "Ava and I decided what we're gonna do this weekend," she said suddenly. "We're going away, just the two of us...which means I'm trusting you to hold down the fort while we're gone."

Quinn's grin was wide. "Really?"

"Think you can handle it?"

"Yeah, yes, definitely!" The girl forced herself to dial it back upon seeing Paloma's raised eyebrow, "I mean, yes, I can handle it. You can trust me."

"There's gonna be some boundaries for sure but...I think you can handle it too. Besides, something tells me spending a couple days away from me might do you some good."

A large part of Quinn couldn't help but feel that Paloma's sudden catharsis stemmed from nothing more than her guilt, nevertheless, she couldn't agree with her sister any more than she did at that moment so she accepted the responsibility and without hesitation.

"Agreed," Quinn said with the nod of her head.

She laughed briefly when the woman jumped down from the drier and shoved her left shoulder.

"Alright, well, I guess I'll tell Ava about the whole promotion thing."

"In that case, I'm gonna head out. Don't wanna be around when you two decide to..." Quinn tilted her head in hopes to bring the proper term to fruition as they exited the laundry room, "celebrate."

This coaxed a genuine laugh out of Paloma, "Smart move. Where you headed off to?"

"Oh, uh, Wilfred's. Gonna hang with Charlie."

"Okay, well, don't stay out too late and especially don't fill up on burgers and milkshakes or any other of that junk. You know how bent outta shape Ava gets when we don't eat what she makes, she'll have your ass."

Quinn turned away from the woman and spoke over her shoulder, being sure to grab her jacket on her way out. "Duly noted."

The stain was stubborn and unwavering. It was just as stubborn and unwavering as it had been for the last two weeks that Quinn tried to scrub it out of existence from one of the many two-person tables. Nevertheless, her boss—a brute of a woman who obviously had a very limited amount of social time and too many reasons to be everything but a pushover—insisted that she work her hands raw until the stain gave way.

But, now, Quinn was certain that Christ's second coming would surely take place before the unpleasant spot stopped mocking her with its presence. There was a time when Quinn thought she'd never grow tired of the smell of coffee, but now that the coffee house's scent embedded itself into her nostrils and clung to her clothes, she learned that anyone could grow tired of anything if they stuck around long enough.

"This seat taken?"

Quinn scrubbed harder in one last-ditch effort to remove the stain, not bothering to look up at the voice. "No, I was just finishing up here." She tsked at her failed endeavor and latched on to the gray bin of dirty dishes that occupied the table. The redhead only ceased her effort after she finally looked up. "What are you doing here? I thought you had to work."

Charlie's inquisitive look made a frown stretch across Quinn's features as she prepared herself for the inevitable pushback that she had been dreading for weeks.

"I was able to get away and I could ask you the same thing," the boy muttered, his eyes flickered throughout the small shop as he surveyed their surroundings. After a moment, his gaze met his girlfriend's. "I thought you had to go to the recovery program."

"I lied," was Quinn's terse response. She tossed the dingy rag over her shoulder and inhaled sharply. "How'd you figure it out?"

For a moment, Charlie said nothing. It didn't take long for his dimpled grin to become infectious, effectively breaking Quinn from her earnest demeanor. Charlie reached over and ridded her of the burgundy hat that held the shop's logo, immediately displacing her red hair. He studied it carefully as he spoke, amusement still present in his eyes.

"Well, between your somewhat standoffish behavior and, not to mention, sudden unavailability these last couple weeks where you'd disappear at very specific times on very specific days, all while using some lame excuse...it wasn't exactly the most complex thing to figure out."

Quinn sighed in defeat but her smile was far from gone.

"You really underestimate me sometimes," Charlie playfully ridiculed with the shake of his head. "I mean, you may be able to fool Ava and Paloma but I know you better than anyone so it's gonna take a little more than some weak lies to throw me off your trail. Besides, you always smell like," he squinted his eyes as he tried to conjure up the right words, "salted caramel coffee, which is weird considering you absolutely hate that flavor."

"It's too salty! It shouldn't even be considered a beverage but, for whatever reason, the customers love it, which means I have to drown in it too."

"Plus, it helped that I kinda sorta followed you here."

Quinn scoffed dramatically, "That's a bit stalkerish, don't ya think?"

Charlie waved her off with a modest laugh, "I think at this point in our relationship, it's hardly stalkerish. You're the busboy?"

"Busgirl," the redhead corrected. "But yeah. It's pretty much the only gig I could find that doesn't require much thought so I figured, why the hell not?"

Charlie tucked his hands into his back pockets and nodded his head. "So...why didn't you tell me?"

Quinn restlessly shifted on her feet then shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't tell anyone. Paloma doesn't want me to work because she thinks it's too much, but I can't just sit around all day and do nothing. Having the recovery program become my life it's just—" She tensed her jaw and reminded herself of her surrounds, being sure not to let her temper get the better of her. "And of course, Ava agrees with her 'cuz—"

It was on the tip of her tongue—voicing the fact that, though it had been a recent development, she could now add panic attacks to her list of ailments. While Ava was the only person who was aware of the development, the older redhead didn't know that the attacks hadn't exactly ceased, despite Quinn insisting that they had. Admittedly, the girl had learned to control them a bit more, not allowing them to dominate her existence entirely, nevertheless, they maintained their presence in her life but that didn't mean anyone else had to know.

Quinn opted for a simple, "'Cuz she's her girlfriend, she loves to take my sister's side."

"And me?" Charlie coaxed.

"I figured you'd think the same thing. Do you? Think the same thing?"

"No, actually, I don't. I think, all things considering, you're doing really well and, like everyone else, you can make some decisions on your own. I think if you think you can handle it then...there's nothing else to discuss."

Quinn couldn't shut down her ever-growing grin if she tried. "Charles, you always know just what to say to get a girl goin'. If I wasn't in uniform, I'd kiss you. How did you become such a charmer?"

The teenager in question matched her expression all while laughing heartily. "Took some night classes." His smile eventually withdrew, his dark eyebrows furrowing. "So, how exactly do you manage to keep this from them though? This place is only, what, a twenty-minute walk from your house? Besides, both Paloma and Ava pump their veins full of coffee on a daily basis. They never come here?"

Quinn chuckled, "Paloma can't stand the whole 'salted caramel' thing either so she pretty much hates this place. I have to shower the second I get home or she'll pick up on the scent. Anyway, since Paloma hates this place, so does Ava. They're like lost puppies when it comes to each other. I got nothing to worry about."

At this, Charlie snickered, meanwhile, Quinn mindlessly ran her digits on the outskirts of the bin of soiled dishes. "So...you're not pissed at me for not saying anything?"

"Well, I wish you did but I get it. But mostly, I just wish you'd come back to the diner. I hate not working with you. Hate that you have to work in a place that sells, "he lowered his voice, ensuring that only she and himself could hear, "salted caramel iced coffee."

"I know, it sucks. But—"

"But what?" Charlie implored. "Why can't you come back? It's so boring there without you."

"Why can't I come back?" Quinn paused to let out a brief laugh. "Because your grandfather fired me, remember? I can't exactly go back somewhere I'm not welcome."

"That was before, he'll rehire you."

"Before what? Before he pitied me? I don't need anyone's pity, alright? And especially not his. Your grandfather doesn't like me all that much, Charlie. Actually, I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me at all. He's made that abundantly clear on multiple occasions. I'm not gonna go crawling back to him like a wounded animal when I barely did anything that was a fireable offense in the first place. No. This job, I got on my own. Here, I can do my work, collect my check, and go home—all without having to endure people's sorrowful looks. I can just be a regular person who has a job because she earned the job, not because she's a charity case. Wilfred taking me back...that'd be charity for sure. I mean, when I did my job well he didn't like me, what the hell's he gonna think when I start hindering his business?"

"It's not at all like that."

"With Wilfred...it's exactly like that. Charlie, I know you mean well, you always do, and, as much as I miss working with you every day...there's no chance I'm returning to that diner as anything more than a customer."

Charlie clenched his teeth, the earnestness present in his girlfriend's gaze serving as a silent reminder that she wasn't going to budge on the subject.

"I know you aren't exactly happy about that and I'm sorry but...I do have some pretty good news that'll make things a little bit better." Charlie stepped closer, showing his peaked interest, as a result, Quinn smirked. "I'll have the whole house to myself this weekend which means we won't have to settle for the short-lived, constantly interrupted time we usually endure literally everywhere else."

Charlie's dimples returned and for the first time, Quinn saw a hint of mischief in the boy's eyes. "Seriously?"

The redhead looked at him in awe. "Would I joke about something so sacred?"

Quinn tore her eyes from Charlie upon hearing the not so subtle sound of a woman clearing her throat. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was, considering it was her boss' favorite way to instruct her employees to get back to work.

"Unfortunately, I gotta finish up here but my shift'll be over in a few more hours."

The boy nodded. "I'll pick you up after for shakes at the diner? We can talk more about this Home Alone situation you speak so highly of." He smirked. "Granted that you haven't already filled up on all that complimentary salted caramel iced coffee, of course."

Quinn scooped the tub of dishes up into her arms then humored Charlie with an eye-roll once he delicately returned her hat to her head. "Do you even have to ask?"