Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 93806 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93806 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
“Sure.” He stands and moves behind me. “Lift your hair. I don’t want it to get snagged.”
As the zipper rides up my back, I can feel his breath and knuckles sliding with it, lingering a bit as he goes. He releases the pull, and the palm of his hand slides to my shoulder, giving me a gentle squeeze. “You’re all zipped up.”
“Thank you.” I turn for him. “How do I look?”
With a playful smirk, he replies, “It’ll do.”
I snort, then laugh because I snorted, covering my nose and mouth with my hand. Yeah, I deserved that response.
I grab my clutch and toss in my lipstick, ID, keys, and my phone. “You ready to hit this party?”
“As much as I can be.”
We don’t talk on the way down to the street. I can tell he’s thinking of the what-might-happens, the what-ifs, and every other possible scenario to prepare himself. I take his hand and try to reassure him, hoping it helps. “It’ll be all right, and if it’s not, we’ll leave. You and I are a team here.”
I see a black Town Car parked out front, and he says, “I ordered a car.”
The chauffeur holds the door open for me as we approach. “At least we can get sloshed like we discussed earlier since we don’t have to drive.”
That brings a smile to his face.
I start to duck down to scoot into the car, but he stops me. “Charlie, wait.”
Standing back up, he takes both of my hands in his. “You look really beautiful.”
Putting a hand on my hip, I tilt my head to the side. “There you go being all charming again.” His heart is pounding under my hand that now rests on his chest. Dropping my head in surprise, I watch how my hand lies over his heart and like how it looks there even more.
My eyes lift to meet his again, and for one brief second, I think he’s going to kiss me.
If we were a normal couple, I know he would. But we aren’t. He comes from Jim’s world, and as much as I want to trust their differences, I can’t help but remember the similarity of their backgrounds. The Town Car is just another reminder of that. I’m probably reading too much into this moment. It’s just us all dressed up and the anticipation and tension of the unknown. The situation makes us feel this close and makes us rely on each other like we do, like we have from the beginning. My mind races with thoughts of him and me, us, once lovers, now friends. It’s all so confusing.
I definitely know that if he did kiss me, I would welcome it and kiss him back with passion. This would be me, being a romantic, and him, getting caught up in a moment.
That’s all.
We’re just friends on the verge of something more. Two people who bonded from a bizarre situation. Although, I often wonder if we’d met under different circumstances, like on the street or in a bookstore, or if we’d hooked up that first night at the club, if we’d be where we are now. I already know the answer to that. We wouldn’t. We’d be more already. We’d be a couple who are about to kiss.
Chapter 26
Charlie A
Rubbing my thumb back and forth over my bottom lip, I continue to stare out the car window. I’ve been doing this for the last twenty minutes, and Charlie lets me be. She’s sitting next to me looking out her window, giving me the time, the quiet she must know I need.
Tension is building, so I break the silence. “This doesn’t have to be overly dramatic. It’s my family, right? I mean, I love them. They love me. We’re family.”
Looking at me, the truth reflects back, but she remains silent, patient.
“My family.” I don’t know why I repeat this, but I do.
Her hand covers mine, and she agrees. “Family.”
The next twenty minutes go by faster than I’d like. I felt like I had covered every angle of this dinner and played each scenario out in my head, but now I’m not so sure. I feel my nerves just under my skin itching to get out. I don’t want to worry Charlie, though. It’s my family. This shouldn’t be a big deal. I take a deep breath, closing my eyes, and lean back against the seat.
Warmth covers my left side as she scoots next to me, resting her head on my shoulder, and says, “We’re a team, okay?”
“Yeah, we’re a team.”
It’s evening on a Saturday, so the drive to Bedford doesn’t take long. We pass through the small hamlet and by the historic oak and the shops I grew up visiting almost every weekend when I was too young to stay in the city on my own.
Charlie sits up and moves toward the window again. I can see her taking it all in—the postcard beauty of the landscape, the quaint and historic downtown area, the look of money in the cars along the street and the people walking around. Her eyes are wide, the streetlamps reflecting in them as we drive underneath.