Charlie Swan looked at me, a sheepish smile playing at the corners of his mouth, and apologized. "I'm real sorry, Lee," he nervously muttered. "I guess I should have been paying better attention." His smile quickly faded when he saw the stunned look that had taken over my face. This couldn't possibly be happening. No, no, no. Not him. Anyone but him.
I stood there in silence, unable to speak, let alone move. My hatred for the man who had almost been my step-father had melted away the moment I looked into his eyes, but it was almost immediately replaced with the dark current of hopelessness that was still running through my veins. What was I going to do? Only I would have the shit luck to imprint on the one man who would never touch me with a 10-foot pole. Not that guys were ever lining up for me, but this was different. Charlie had held me on the day I was born and had watched me grow up. I'm a year older than his daughter. The upstanding Chief of Police would never get involved with someone who he still saw as a kid. I watched the world that, for an instant, had made me whole, slipping away just as quickly as it had come.
My imprint shifted his weight nervously, snapping me out of my reverie. I realized that I had obviously missed what he had just said by the expectant look on his face. "Huh?" I answered, stupidly. He gave me a small smile that made my heart melt before answering: "I asked if you were alright. I ran into you pretty hard." I nodded, trying to control the longing I was feeling enough to not let it show in the look I was giving him. "Yeah, no, I'm fine, Charlie. I, um, I should go." And with that, I bolted past him and hurried out of the store, desperate for some time alone to work things out in my head.