“Give me your phone,” Noah said as they walked through the party, to which Charlie did without thought. Somehow it was less cloying away from the table, where they wanted to talk about Sam and Luke and her. He quickly pulled her contacts, dismissed an incoming call, and tapped his number into the phone before handing it back. “Just in case you want to talk to me again when you sober up.”

“I’m not that drunk,” Charlie said, looking up at him with a grin.

“I think most would beg to differ.” 

Thankfully the bonfire wasn’t very huge. Many of the people with children had left when the sun went down, but that didn’t mean there weren’t at least 50 people meandering around. When Luke came into her view, a bright smile lit her face. “We’ve been looking for you!”

“You’ve been looking for him,” Noah muttered under his breath, apply just a bit of pressure to keep her upright as her pace quickened. “She’s plastered. You better watch her.”

“We’re cops, Noah, nothing is going to happen to her.”

Noah leaned towards her, offering a few words before he let her go. “Call me if you need anything. And I mean anything.”

She didn’t need to be careful with Luke. “Hi!” Charlie moved towards the other man quickly, wrapping her arms over his shoulders in a hug. She was a little too gone to recognize the emotions that Luke couldn’t conceal. She swatted his proffered hand away and plopped onto the bench, looking around until a cold can landed in her hand somehow. Her eyes lingered on the way his rough fingers gripped her knee, with a pressure that seemed to beg her to stay seated. 

“I’m sorry,” she said as she turned to Anna and Mack. “I think I had a liiiittle too much to drink.”

“I’d say you’ve earned it,” Mack said with a laugh, taking another drink. That didn’t mean his eyes left Luke, almost as if he was expecting something to happen. 

“I’d say I have, too,” she replied, blissfully more chipper around the people she felt more comfortable around. She took a drink and grimaced, her nose scrunching. “But I don’t want this.” Charlie attempted to give it back to Luke, her arm resting against his chest until he did. “Wouldn’t hate another beer.”

“Don’t think you need another drink, darlin’,” Anna said, looking between Luke and Charlie with concern. Why did everyone look at them like that?

Her eyes moved up again to meet Luke’s. Was she hungry? Not necessarily but it felt like she was almost craving something. “Sausage and biscuits.” It was almost impossible to get a good biscuit in Montana, but maybe homemade would be better, even if they weren’t her mom’s. “I’m tired.”