Leah mirrored the other woman's smile, and it only grew upon hearing the shared story of Charlie's school days. A troubled child; that was what she didn't want Marigold to grow into. Already, Marigold was showing signs of her mother's short temper, but that could be overcome. Or at least managed. Nor did it alter her opinion of Charlie. True, the woman seemed a little rough around the edges, but there was a genuine kindness at its core. Much like her brother.
"Sounds like you were a real handful," she said, grinning. "You seem to have turned out okay, though. FBI agent, former Marine. Not too shabby for a former delinquent."
A trill of laughter followed Charlie's self-complimentary remark. She nodded her full understanding. "Believe me, I know what that's like. My brother's kind of a womanizer. Me? I'm awesome." She bobbed her head from side to side, debating whether to add the next part. Inevitably, she did. "When I'm not being mugged. Self-defense classes are pretty useless when you've got your hands full."
"I'm sure he'd be pleased to meet you, too. Just stay on your toes if you talk to him. He's a great guy and I love him, but like I said, womanizer. Giving you fair warning there," she smirked. Brandon probably wouldn't be pleased that she'd 'warned' Charlie about him, but girls had to stick together. For that matter, the warning was probably unnecessary. Unlike a lot of the women her brother brought home, Agent West was capable of taking care of herself.
Leah was a little surprised when the other woman offered her cell number. The first thought that passed through her mind was that the woman was hitting on her, which wouldn't have been a first. However, the women who did flirt with Leah were more obvious than Charlie was being. Which was why Leah didn't dismiss the offer. If this was a potential offer of friendship, she wasn't about to say no. Between raising her siblings and now her daughter, Leah had too few friends to speak of. In fact, she could count on one hand the number of actual friends she had.
"Oh, sure. No, it's not weird. Really, it's appreciated," she said, breathing a sigh of relief when she found that her cell was exactly where she'd left it, in her back pocket. At least there was one possession the thief hadn't stolen. "I'll give you mine, too, if you want it. Maybe we can hang out sometime, without all the drama of New Year's Eve." She grinned.