Chapter Five
“So, Char, how’s your first day going at MBF?” Laura asked, taking a sip of her iced tea. The two women had decided to have lunch at a local Italian restaurant close to their office building.
Charlie sat back and looked at her friend over her glass of diet cola. She owed her so much.
Charlie and Laura had been best friends since middle school. Her friend was of Filipino and Irish descent, petite and compact, and one of the most stunning women Charlie had ever seen. From an early age, the boys followed Laura wherever she led. The woman was never short on dates. Although tiny, Laura made up for her small stature with her loud, outspoken ways. Charlie was the more sedate of the two. Where Laura was high strung, Charlie was laid back. Despite their differences in personality, the two women got along very well, each willing to lay down their life for the other.
Charlie returned her glass to the table after finishing off the glass of cola.
“It’s great. I can’t believe how nice everyone is. Brian is awesome. He’s very helpful and friendly and definitely not the micromanaging type, like my last boss. I can honestly say that I won’t mind working for him. I don’t think I’ve ever worked for a company with such a diverse cast of workers. I feel like I’ve always belonged here. Brian has spent most of the morning showing me the ropes.”
“Yes, he’s a nice guy. He’s not stuck on himself because he’s the CFO. You know how guys in high-ranking positions can be. I knew you would like it here.” Laura smiled affectionately, reaching across the table to squeeze Charlie’s hand. “The moment that position opened up, I knew you would be a perfect fit.”
“Thanks for looking out for me, girl. It’s almost too good to be true. I wonder what happened to my predecessor. When I asked Brian, he kind of rolled his eyes, but he didn’t answer.”
“Well, I’m not really allowed to discuss HR issues because they’re confidential but between you and me, I think she wanted more than Brian was willing to give her,” Laura confided.
“Really? I got the impression that Brian is…” Charlie broke off.
“That Brian’s gay? Bingo. It’s no big secret, but I guess she didn’t know. Brian is such a hottie, but you know what they say?”
“No, what do they say?”
Laura sighed, shaking her head. “You can be so dense sometimes when it comes to men. They say all the really hot ones are either taken or gay.”
“Oh.” Charlie laughed. She didn’t care about her boss’s sexual orientation. That was his business. “Girl, I don’t know how you work in HR. You can’t keep a secret to save your life.”
“I’m very good at what I do.” Laura sniffed indignantly. “I gave you the unofficial reason for your predecessor leaving, not the official one.”
“I see.” Charlie didn’t see the difference between the two but she knew when to keep her mouth shut.
“So how is my little goddaughter?” Laura asked.
“She’s great. Can you believe she’ll be three at the end of the year? Kristy’s growing up so fast. She’s been asking about you, by the way. She wants to know when you’ll come visit her again.”
“I’ll visit soon. I promise. I’ve been seeing this guy and he’s wonderful.” Charlie rolled her eyes. It was always a new guy with Laura. She had packed up and moved to D.C. to be with some dating app guy only to have that fall through the cracks after five months, which was actually a record for Laura. Now Laura was with some new guy apparently as wonderful as she had claimed the other guys to be. Bouncing from relationship to relationship was not Charlie’s thing, but she knew Laura had her own issues to work out. She only hoped her friend would be careful.
After what Charlie had shared with Paul, Charlie was content to be alone. No man had ever made her feel the way Paul had, except maybe for…
Shut up, Charlie!
She swore she would stop thinking about Jake Fox. She had convinced herself their brief encounter had meant nothing. Charlie had never told anyone about him, not even Laura. She just wanted to forget, but it was so hard, especially when she saw his eyes every day in their child.
“Hello?” Laura waved her hand in Charlie’s face to get her attention.
“Oh, I’m sorry. What did you say?” Charlie shook her head a little to dust off the daydream.
“Where were you just now?” Laura asked.
“I guess my mind kind of wandered. I’m sorry Laura. I was just thinking about Kristy.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, but there was no way she was going to tell Laura what she was really thinking about.
Laura was instantly concerned. “What’s wrong? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine but she threw a tantrum this morning and it’s just not like her.”
“Well, I guess that’s to be expected with a toddler right?” Laura shrugged.
“I guess, but it breaks my heart when she’s upset like that. She’s a good kid. Terrible twos or not, she doesn’t generally throw tantrums like she did this morning.” Charlie sighed, thinking about her normally happy-go-lucky daughter.
“She is an angel, I have to agree, but she is still young. Don’t stress yourself out so much. You’re doing a great job with her.”
“I try.” Charlie shrugged.
“Your trying is much better than my mom’s own half-assed attempts at parenting. I know how much you love that little girl. Don’t let it get you down, okay?”
“Thank you, hon. I really needed that pep talk. I’ll make it up to her tonight by making her favorite dish, spaghetti and meatballs. How is it that you always know the right things to say?”
Laura flipped her long, dark hair over her shoulder and winked. “What can I say? I’m just damned good.
“And modest.” Charlie lifted a brow. “Speaking of your mom, have you heard from her lately?”
Laura grimaced. “Why must you bring her up? We were having a nice conversation.”
“Actually, you were the one who brought it up, but from the look you gave me, I take it things aren’t going so well? I thought you’d resolved to let the past stay in the past.”
“You know the hell that man put me through and she did nothing about it. Why should I cut her any slack when I never received any from them? Why did it take so long for her to suddenly remember I’m her daughter, too?”
Charlie sighed knowing her friend’s pain would never heal if she didn’t learn to let go. “I know, sweetie. I think it was rotten how they treated you, but she’s trying to make amends now.”
Laura rolled her eyes. “Sometimes it’s too little, too late for the ‘I’m sorrys’. And you know what? I can give a rat’s ass. She’s made her choices and now I wish she’d respect me in mine. I’ve found a parent who loves me unconditionally. Maryanne is more of a mother to me than she could hope to be.”
“I’m sorry you feel this way.”
“You—Oh dear Lord.” Laura broke off.
“What?” Charlie asked, puzzled at Laura’s expression.
“It’s Steve Suarez. He’s the VP and the head of marketing.”
“I can tell by the tone of your voice you don’t particularly care for him. He’s cute,” Charlie observed, looking over to see a tall Latino male who would make any woman with a pulse give him a second or even a third glance.
“Yes, he seems to think so.” Laura sounded annoyed for some reason. Charlie didn’t pursue the subject, although her curiosity was piqued by Laura’s obvious dislike of the gentleman.
“If you think Steve is hot, you should see the owner of the company, now he’s a knock-out. The man used to be a model for Christ’s sake,” Laura turned her attention back to Charlie.
“Really?”
“Yes. I saw his picture in a magazine once, but he looks much better in person.”
“Hmmm.”
“He’s not just a pretty face, though. He’s really smart. He started this company when he was twenty-two, and he still designs a lot of the software. You’ll flip when you meet him.”
Charlie rolled her eyes. “I’m sure he’s all you say he is, but I’m here to work Laura, not scope out hot men.”
Laura’s grin widened. “Yeah, but there’s a lot of hot guys around here.”
“Well, by your own theory, they should be either taken or gay,” Charlie teased.
“Oh, don’t be such a pain in the ass.” Laura stuck her tongue out playfully. “Anyway, what’s wrong with getting a little action if you can?”
“Girl, you are too much. Besides, you know I’m not interested in any action, let alone with someone from the office.” Charlie shook her head. She didn’t know how Laura’s mind could stay occupied on men ninety-nine percent of the time.
“Good afternoon, ladies.” A suave voice came from the side of their table. Charlie and Laura looked up to see Steve Suarez standing over them.
“Hi, Steve,” Laura said between clenched teeth. Anyone with eyes could tell Laura wasn’t happy to see him.
Steve looked down at Charlie with a predatory gleam in his eyes. “Laura, aren’t you going to introduce us?” He asked Laura, but he was looking at Charlie.
“This is Charlotte Brown. She’s in accounting. Char, this is Steve. He’s head of marketing and the VP,” Laura introduced with obvious reluctance.
“Hello, Charlotte. I saw you this morning and wondered who the lovely new face belonged to.”
Oh brother. This guy was a smooth operator.
“Charlie, please.” She shook his hand, bestowing the kind of smile she would have given anyone, but he seemed encouraged by it.
“Well, Charlie, I hope you enjoy working for MBF. Perhaps I can welcome you properly by taking you out to lunch sometime.” He smiled revealing large white teeth. He reminded her of a shark zeroed in on a rather tasty morsel.
“I do like MBF. Hopefully, I’ll be in the full swing of things in a couple of weeks,” Charlie answered, smoothly ignoring his lunch invitation.
Steve looked as if he wanted to press the issue, but thought better of it. Laura thought Charlie was dense where men were concerned, but Charlie knew a bullshit artist when she saw one.
“Well, ladies, I would love to join you two but I see my lunch date coming through the door.”
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t invite you to sit down with us then,” Laura snapped.
Steve had the good grace to blush. “Laura, it’s always such a pleasure talking to you,” he said caustically, making a lie of his words. He turned back to Charlie. “I hope to see you around very soon, Charlie.” He smiled at her before joining a petulant-looking blonde.
“Laura, that was so rude,” Charlie scolded. As annoying as the guy had been, she still had to work in the same building with him and didn’t want to make any enemies on her first day, or at all for that matter.
“So what? That man is a menace.” Laura gnashed her teeth together.
“What’s going on between you two? You could cut the tension with a knife,” Charlie observed.
“Let’s not go there.”
That was Laura’s answer for anything she didn’t want to talk about and pursuing the issue would only earn Charlie an earful.
“Okay.”
“Stay away from him. He’s trouble,” Laura warned.
“He seems nice enough.”
“Sure he is. He’s a very nice guy if you’re looking for a quick roll in the hay.” The vehemence in Laura’s voice indicated there was much more to the story than she was letting on.
“I guess it’s a good thing that I’m not looking for a roll in the hay then,” Charlie assured.
“That’s good to know.” A brief silence fell across the table before Laura spoke again. “Char, I know you don’t like to talk about it, but you can’t live the life of a nun forever. You’re much too attractive to bury your head in the sand just because you’re scared to love again. There are some very nice men out there and Kristy needs a father.”
Here we go again, Charlie groaned inwardly. “For someone who doesn’t like having her idiosyncrasies delved into, you sure like trying to figure mine out. I won’t get myself involved with someone just for the sake of my daughter, who, by the way, is happy with the way things are.” Charlie couldn’t help being defensive about this subject. It was bad enough she never heard the end of it from her parents, she didn’t need a lecture from Laura either.
“She’s happy now, but when she gets older, she’ll ask questions.”
“Please don’t start. I got an earful from Mom last night. When she wasn’t satisfied with my responses, she put Daddy on the phone to wear me down. Frankly, I find this topic exhausting.”
“I’m just trying to give you something to think about. I know you don’t like talking about it, but is there any chance of you contacting her father?”
“Absolutely not!” Charlie hissed. “I’ve already told you he’s out of the picture.”
Jake hadn’t been able to concentrate all day thinking about Charlie being so close to him. What a wild coincidence that the Charlie from three years ago would end up working at his company. If this wasn’t a sign, then he didn’t know what was.
As soon as Steve left his office that morning, Jake’s phone rang. It was an important client who kept him on the phone for over an hour. By the time he got off, he had to rush into another meeting. When that was concluded, he went straight to the accounting department only to find out Charlie was at lunch. Brian informed him that when Charlie got back she would be in orientation for the remainder of the day. Jake felt a bit dejected.
The minute Steve had revealed that Charlie Brown was an employee at MBF, his heart raced with excitement at the thought of seeing her again, but as the day wore on, anxiety hit him. What if she wasn’t as eager to see him again as he was to see her? He thought he had gotten over the fact that she had left him after their explosive encounter, but with the reappearance of her in his life, he knew that wasn’t true.
Jake had done some asking around about Charlie and found out Laura Tombaga in Human Resources had recommended Charlie for the job. He learned from Brian that she had quite an impressive resume, and she originally hailed from Raleigh, North Carolina.
Instead of getting any work done, Jake sat behind his computer for the rest of the day trying to make sense of a program he was designing. He could barely concentrate because his thoughts kept drifting back to Charlie Brown. By four-thirty he gave up all pretense of working and decided to throw in the towel for the day. There was always tomorrow.
Jake waved to his personal assistant as he headed out the door. Jennifer was still sitting at her desk, pecking away at her keyboard. “You’re leaving early today,” she observed, not bothering to look up from her typing.
“Yes. It’s one of the benefits of being the boss. Besides, I can’t seem to get my head straight today.”
“We all have those days and no one deserves time off more than you do. You haven’t taken any sick or vacation days in a very long time.” Jennifer had been with the company since it was started. She had children Jake’s age and treated him like her son instead of her employer. He didn’t mind, though. Jennifer was one of the sweetest ladies he knew, but he would never cross her if his life depended on it. She could be as fierce as any mama bear protecting her cubs. Sometimes she could be a managing busybody, but she was invaluable to him, and he wouldn’t trade her for the world.
“Please don’t start that again, Jen. You know I don’t have time for a day off. Kiss the grandkids for me,” he said, remembering she babysat her daughter’s children every Monday night. Jake rushed out the office to avoid any more inquiries from Jennifer.
“Jake, you ought to slow down.” Jennifer’s voice trailed behind him.
“Goodnight, Mr. Fox,” the security guard called to Jake as he was leaving the building.
“Have a good one, Gary,” Jake called back as he walked toward the door to leave. Before he could fully turn toward the door, someone catapulted into his back, knocking his briefcase out of his hand and nearly plowing over him in the process.
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry,” a panicked voice said from behind him.
Jake, who was not easily riled, would have laughed this off in any other circumstances, but he was already extremely tense because of his frustrating day. He turned to snap at his assailant.
“Watch where you’re going next—” He broke off abruptly. There before him bending down to pick up his briefcase was the woman who had occupied his thoughts all day, not to mention the past three years of his life.
“I’m really sorry. I was in a hurry because I have to pick up my daughter from daycare and I wasn’t watching where…” When she stood up to face him, she froze. “…Watching where I was going,” she finished automatically.
“You remember me.” Noting the recognition in her eyes, he was pleased by that knowledge. Charlie was obviously shocked to see him.
She was just as beautiful as he remembered. She wore her hair in a short, sophisticated do now, but pretty much looked the same. Her lips were slightly parted and her eyes wide with surprise. It took an enormous amount of self-control not to grab her and kiss her like he had wanted to for so long.
Charlie shook her head, almost as if she were coming out of catatonic shock. “What are you doing here?” Her voice was no more than a whispered squeak.
He smirked at her wickedly.
“I own this company.” His eyes probed hers for a reaction.
“Oh dear God,” she whispered.