Chapter 11
Two days have passed and there’s no way to find or talk to Charleigh. I’ve spoken to Matt a lot about the situation, and he suggested I let things die down first. But I can’t. I need to speak to her, explain things, and hope to God she comes back to me. I’ve also had a few meetings with Charles Thompson, the best divorce lawyer in the country. I only know of him in passing, but his reputation precedes him. Most of what he’s told me I already knew. Be careful. Tread lightly. Trying to catch Gianna at her own game will settle things quickly and assure she can’t do anything as far as custody. Catching her could be tricky. After all, I was so blind when we were married, I had no idea of her promiscuity. So, Matt and I have devised a plan.
Another few days have passed by and my heart is heavy. I miss Charleigh. She has no family and she never mentioned any friends. Then the proverbial light bulb went off. The bar. The other waitresses she worked with. So, that’s where I went. It’s Friday night so it’s packed. I sit at the table I’d sat at so many times.
“What can I get ya?”
I look up and see a waitress, but she doesn’t look familiar. I give her a smile. “This is going to sound strange but do you know Charleigh Dawson? She used to work here.”
She pushes the end of a pen against her chin. “No.” She shakes her head. “But I just started a couple of months ago.”
I open my mouth to speak when I look behind her and see a woman, walking away quickly, that looks familiar. Standing quickly, I reach into my pants pocket and pull out a wad of cash. Grabbing a twenty, I set it on her tray. “Thank you for your time.” I start walking toward the other waitress.
“Wait! You didn’t order anything!”
My heart picks up pace with my feet as I weave in and out of the crowd. “Miss?” I call out as I apologize and excuse myself to people I bump into. Finally, she stops at a table smiling and talking to the people surrounding it as she sets drinks down. “Miss,” I say, slightly out of breath while gently grasping her arm. Still bent over, her head turns my way, a look of alarm covers her face. She pulls her arm away, and I release it immediately. Standing with her empty tray by her side, she begins to walk around me. “Wait! Please! I just want to talk to you,” I say following her.
“I have nothing to say to you.” She retorts, walking faster toward the bar counter.
I despise grabbing someone, especially someone I don’t know, but I have to speak with her so I grasp her upper arm and turn her around to face me. “Please. I’m desperate. You’re friends with Charleigh, right?”
“Mitzi. This asshole bothering you?”
My eyes snap to a large man standing off to her left, his bulky arms crossed over his beefy chest. I could take him. I think. She opens her mouth to speak, and my eyes widen, pleadingly. “It’s okay, Mack. I know him.” She lies. He nods, reluctantly, then walks away, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. She cocks her hip, resting the large tray against it, her facial features are not welcoming. “You have a lot of nerve coming in here and talking to me.”
“Look. I know you’re friends with Charleigh. I don’t know how much you know….” I say in a tender voice, knowing she’s in the middle of this.
“I know enough to want to scratch your eyes out and knee you in your junk.”
I blink rapidly as if she did just that. “But I….” I don’t know quite what to say. What does she know? “I’m blindsided. I went to her place, thought she was ill, and she wouldn’t let me in. We were to spend the weekend together. I didn’t know what happened to cause this, but after speaking with my ex, I think she is a part of it.” I’m at a loss. I’ll fight for Charleigh but I’m not sure I can get information from her friend.
Suddenly, she lowers the tray from her hip and stands up straight. Her eyes change from anger to – pity? “You really don’t know?” I shake my head, sadly. “Come here.” She begins walking to the small hallway leading to the restrooms. “Joe! I’m on break!” she yells before entering the small passageway. I follow her to the back door and outside. Thoughts of another night out here flash in my mind. She immediately turns around, leaning against the building. “I’m not sure Charleigh would be happy with me telling you this, but….”
“Please.” I beg. “I’ll do anything.” Her eyes search mine, for what I’m not sure. Honesty? So, I decide to plead my case to get the information I so desperately need. “When I met Charleigh, my life was a total disaster. I no longer thought I would ever be able to trust a woman again. I feared for a life of solitude and had no desire to go out. I had no hope. I believed I would die a lonely man. Sounds dramatic, I know, but it’s how I felt.” Her eyes soften. “Charleigh is like a breath of fresh air to a man dying inside. She’s not only beautiful outside but inside. I love watching her as she speaks about her new school, the children she will help teach once she gets her degree. She’s the hardest worker and knows what she wants out of life. She is life. My life.” I swallow hard, choking on my emotions. “I love her.”
It wasn’t as much of a surprise when I said it as I thought. Only, I wanted it to be Charleigh I said it to, not her friend who now has tears running down her face.
Pushing away from the building, she wipes away her tears as she takes the few steps toward me. “I’m sorry,” she says, sniffling. “Apparently, your ex is pretty vicious.” She’s not exaggerating. “I guess she was picking up your daughter at the school, went into the office and pretty much threatened Charleigh.” What the fuck? “Told her that if she didn’t stop seeing you she’d take you to court and get full custody of your daughter.” Son of a bitch! I’d found out what a cheating wife she was, but I had no idea what a conniving woman she could be. Poor Charleigh! “Scared Charleigh.” She places her hand on my shoulder. “I told her to talk to you. Guess she didn’t. You know, she’d do anything in the world for you.” I’m unsure if my heart is swelling from what she said or what I’m about to hear. “She’s the sweetest person I’ve ever known, the most caring, and selfless.” This I know. “She doesn’t want to cause you any trouble, take the chance of you losing custody of your daughter, so she’s leaving town for a while. Her plane leaves in about….” Pulling her hand from me, she looks at the watch around her wrist. “Two hours.” What? Fuck!
I startle her by grabbing both her upper arms. “Do you know the flight information? I need to get to her before she boards that plane!” Now my heart is racing for another reason. I need to get to the airport – fast. Taking out her order pad from the pocket in her apron, she writes down the information I need. “Thank you! Thank you – uh….”
She smiles.” Mitzi.”
Grabbing her face with both hands, I kiss her cheek. “Thank you, Mitzi!”
Bolting through the back door, I dodge people right and left, apologizing profusely as I run as fast as I can through crowds of people talking, drinking, and having a good time. I make it to my car, push the keys in the ignition, and look over my shoulder as I pull out of the parking space. “Calm down, Greer,” I say out loud to myself. “You don’t need to get pulled over or you’ll never make it in time.” The airport is a forty-five-minute drive, depending on traffic. Since it’s Friday night, it feels as if everyone is out and about at this very moment, causing me to slow down more than I’d like. Going over the interstate bridge as I get closer to the airport, traffic stops. I’m stuck in a spot where I can see ahead as the bridge winds to the left. Flashing lights. Two ambulances and a ton of police cars. Looks like a multiple car wreck. Great. I feel sorry for them, of course, and hope no one is injured, but this will hold me up. I hit the steering wheel with my hand in frustration.
An hour goes by, my nerves shot as I inch along the highway, getting closer to the wreck. The police are directing the long traffic jam. Closed down the four lanes to two. By the time I get passed the wreckage area, I slam my foot on the gas pedal, fearing her flight would be boarding by now. I’m careful as I drive like a bat outta hell, slamming the brakes when I pull up alongside the curb by the entrance to the airport. Grabbing my keys, I bolt from my car.
“Hey! You can’t leave your car there unattended!”
Ignoring the angry screams, I run inside, looking up to see which way to her gate. I don’t think I’ve had this much exercise in a long time, running around and through people. A sign that shows Gate 5D appears before me. I begin jogging, clearly out of breath, down a roped off area and start to go through a doorway.
“Sir! You can’t go in there!” A hand presses firmly against my chest as a man in uniform steps in front of me.
“But…. I have….” I take several long breaths. “I have to get to her. Explain.”
The man shakes his head. “I’m sorry, sir, but that flight just took off.”
No! No. No. No!
“Can’t you stop it? It’s an – emergency!”
Folding his arms over his chest, he asks, “Just what kind of emergency?”
“Um….” Think, Greer. Think! “Her mother was just rushed to the hospital.” One of his eyebrows raises high into his forehead. “Okay. That’s not true.” My shoulders slump in defeat. I just can’t lie. “I just…. there was a multiple car wreck, and I was stuck on the highway too long and missed her flight.” I take a deep breath. Sadness and despair envelope me. “I needed to talk to her before she left. Explain.”
A look of sympathy washes over his face as he rests his hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry. The flight has already taken off. There’s no way to stop it now. Maybe you can call her when she lands.” I nod, turning around, facing a loss once again.
I walk around the ropes and see a row of chairs and sit down, not eager to leave. I blew it. I should have demanded to see her when I was at her apartment. Waited outside her door until she had no choice but to come out. I let the best thing to ever come into my life fly away. Taking out my phone, I send her a text with the hope she’ll read it when she lands.
“Charleigh. Don’t listen to the attempts of my vile ex and leave me. She can’t do anything to you or to me or Embry. I have a lawyer on it. Please, don’t leave me. I tried to catch you at the airport but you’d already left. You are the best thing to ever happen to me. You’re beautiful inside and out. I love to listen to you laugh. I love watching you try new things and I love surprising you with things you’ve not done. You’ve not only brightened my despaired life but I cannot imagine not having you in it. Charleigh. I love you. So much it hurts when I’m not with you. Too much too soon? I think not. When you find the one you want to spend the rest of your life with why wait? Why does time matter? Is there a time limit on saying the most precious of words to the one that is perfect for you in every way? No. Please, come back to me. Let’s talk this through. We can do anything as long as we are together. I love you, Charlotte Dawson.”
My arm falls to my leg, holding my phone as I cover my face with my free hand. Where could she have gone? I don’t know what to do.
“I love you too, Greer Markson.”
My heart stops as I uncover my face and look up at the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, her phone in her hand, my text showing on the screen. Slowly I stand, taking her in, thinking I’m dreaming.
“You’re here,” I whisper. She smiles, and my heart begins to beat again.
“I got off the plane,” she whispers back.
“Why?” I ask, unsure why I’m asking.
She takes the two steps to me – so close I can feel the warmth of her breath. “I couldn’t leave you. I won’t let some woman dictate who I can see. I want to figure this out with you and I’ll do whatever is needed, but I just couldn’t leave you. Or Embry.” She steps even closer, lifting her arms and putting them around me. Just her touch gives me life again. “I will fight for you, Greer. As long as there is no chance you will lose Embry.”
Throwing my arms around her, I kiss her hard, holding the back of her head in my hand. She kisses me in a frenzy, matching mine. Releasing her lips, I begin kissing all over her face then rub my cheek against hers. “Thank fuck! I don’t know what I would do without you.”
Suddenly, she pulls back, looking into my eyes. “Let’s go to your place. I think you owe me a weekend alone with you.”
No words are spoken as I keep my arm tightly around her, pick up her suitcase, and walk her to my car.