Chapter 21
A little more than a month after she moved to Miami, Charli didn’t feel half as accomplished as she’d thought she would. She’d been living her dream, her new boss loved her work, her colleagues looked up to her, she’d organized important events, and she’d even been recognized as the smartest planner the company had ever seen.
It was all she’d ever wanted—and yet, it just didn’t feel right. It felt as if something was missing. But what was it, exactly? She had it all here: the job, the city, the success. But it didn’t feel as good as she’d expected. When she walked into her modern apartment in a nice neighborhood, courtesy of the company, the quiet that welcomed her was nearly claustrophobic. There were no dogs or four-year-olds waiting for her, nor a handsome contractor. She shook the thought away. This was her life now, and it didn’t include dogs, kids, or men.
She realized she had zoned out from the conversation at the table when Bradley, her colleague she was having a work dinner with, touched her hand. Those silly thoughts would have to wait until she was alone. She focused back on the conversation and the important event they were working on.
An hour later, they left the posh restaurant and walked to Bradley’s car. Although she told him she would call a taxi, he insisted on driving her home. When they reached Charli’s apartment, he took her hand. She stiffened.
“Why don’t I come up for a drink?”
His direct question made her skin crawl. She wanted a pleasant work environment, and if she’d understood this dinner would mean more to him than just a simple business meeting, she would’ve declined his invitation. Now she could only hope he wasn’t one who held a grudge, or she would blow her chances of having a happy and cooperative team.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” She pulled her hand out of his grasp and opened the door. “I never mix business and private life; I’m sorry if I made you think otherwise.”
Bradley leaned forward, and before she could understand what his intentions were, he took her face in his hands and kissed her. The feel of those foreign lips pressing on hers, trying to get access, made her stomach lurch. She pushed against his chest, and he finally moved away.
“Sorry, I can’t do this,” she said, resisting the urge to scrub her fingers on her lips. She had to tread carefully, if she didn’t want to have problems at work. “I’m still, uh… I’m not over my ex yet.”
It was supposed to be an excuse, just to get rid of him politely, and she was supposed to be referring to Donnie, but her mind drifted to Kean instead. She cringed. He hadn’t been her boyfriend, so he couldn’t be her ex. And she wasn’t hung up on him.
“No problem.” He shrugged and put his hands back on the steering wheel. “I was hurt before, so I know how you feel. Just think of me when you’re ready to get back on the dating scene.”
Ah, I don’t think so. If she wasn’t interested before, his cheesy line only reinforced her opinion.
“Thanks for dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, getting out of the car and fishing her keys out of her purse, suddenly very eager to be alone in her apartment. She hadn’t thought of Kean in weeks—okay, maybe in a couple of days—but feeling someone else’s lips on hers had shaken her to her very soul. It had brought back memories she didn’t want to remember, not when she was living the dream she’d pursued for so long.
It was only meant to be a work dinner; it wasn’t supposed to make her feel anything. It wasn’t supposed to make her think of Kean, to make her long for his lips, his hands, his laughter…
Her body heated at the memory, and she shook her head. He was in her past now. Just a fling, a mistake she’d repeatedly made because she was lonely, unemployed, and maybe even a little bored.
“Yes, that was it,” she said out loud, nodding as she tried to convince her body to get the memo this time.
Inside, she checked the time. It was barely seven in Oregon. Perfect time to talk to Ellie and check how she was doing. During their call three weeks ago, Ellie had shared the news that she was expecting twins. Whether it was the gene running in both hers and Adam’s family, or just pure luck, Ellie had been ecstatic as she recounted the moment they’d discovered there were two babies growing inside her. And since it was early, Sophie would still be up. Charli had grown attached to Ellie’s stepdaughter and she always looked forward to their video chats. She was sure the little girl would cheer her up tonight.
* * *
“Hi, Auntie Charli!” Sophie’s dimpled smile filled the screen, and Charli’s heart felt just a little lighter. A moment later, Ellie pulled the phone out of her daughter’s hand and moved it to the right distance to allow both of them to fit on the screen.
“I eated all the broccoli tonight. They tasted funny and I didn’t like them very much, but Daddy said I will grow tall if I eat them. So when I’m tall like you I can wear your nice shoes.” She clapped her hands and smiled wider. “I can’t wait to wear your shoes, Auntie Charli. They’re so beautiful.”
Charli chuckled. Gosh, she missed the little girl’s liveliness. But the fact that her speech had improved so much in just a month made her sad. Sophie was growing at the speed of light, and Charli was missing out on all the small milestones—all those special moments an aunt should be a part of. But then again, she wasn’t her aunt.
She pushed the sadness away and smiled at Sophie. “Well then, you’ll have to keep eating vegetables and you’ll be able to wear my shoes in no time.”
Sophie nodded, holding her stuffed bunny to her chest and tweaking its ear the way she always did. “You know, when Uncle Kean gets married, I can be the flower girl again!”
The phone slipped from Charli’s hand and fell onto the floor, but the crash that followed wasn’t the screen shattering—it was her heart.
“What… when…” She cleared her throat, swallowed, then took a deep breath and picked up the phone. When she looked at the screen, Sophie was waving and saying she had to get Anna and Elsa ready for bed. Charli didn’t even manage to say a word before the little girl dashed away. Ellie’s worried frown was all the confirmation Charli needed to know that her reaction hadn’t gone unnoticed.
“So, um… Kean’s getting married. Well, um… wow. That was fast.” She let out a shrill, totally fake giggle she knew Ellie wouldn’t buy. “I mean, I knew he was a family guy but—”
“He’s not getting married.” The boulder on her chest shifted just a little. “Sophie got a little overexcited when she saw him holding hands with a woman. You know she’s a Disney fan—she sees weddings and happy endings everywhere.”
The boulder was back and had brought a friend. “He’s… you mean… he’s seeing someone?” Please say no, please say no.
“He’s been quiet about it all, but you know it’s hard to keep secrets in Spring.”
A whole party of boulders was now crushing her chest, making it hard for her to breathe. He’d moved on—and fast.
“We saw him having lunch at the bakery, and Adam told me she used to be his girlfriend when they were in high school. Then she went to work for some kind of organization similar to Doctors Without Borders, and they broke up. She was his first serious girlfriend, and now that she’s back in town they sort of picked up where they left off.”
Why was she so surprised? After all, he’d never kept it a secret that he wanted to put down roots and start a family of his own—if he found the right woman. Charli had known from the start she wasn’t that woman. She’d made it perfectly clear to him when they first started hanging out. He was all about the white picket fence, a modest life, three point five kids, and surely a dog or two—although he hadn’t mentioned that as a requirement for his perfect match.
Charli, the career-oriented city girl who feared dogs and kids, couldn’t possibly be his perfect match.
But those two and a half months she spent in Spring Harbor playing hairdresser with Sophie, with Meatball nuzzling her calves hoping for cuddles and treats, had somehow exorcised her fears. For only a moment, she’d caught herself fantasizing about sharing all that with Kean—at least until she got the job offer and left him.
And now he was going to get his perfect small-town life with the girl of his dreams—his high-school sweetheart nonetheless. And all because she’d been too scared to try. All because she’d been too set on proving herself to her grandmother—the same woman who’d tried to break up Charli’s parents ever since they got together.
She’d let go of the most wonderful man she’d ever met, the only one who’d ever made her heart race with just one stare, the first one who’d given her butterflies since the day she went to her first Bon Jovi show as a teenager. And what for? A lonely life in a city where nobody cared about her. She wasn’t even sure this was what she wanted anymore. She’d yearned for an important position and a thriving career, and now that she had it all, she longed for a less hectic life away from traffic and skyscrapers, and all the amenities that only a few weeks before had been so important—actually, essential—for a happy life. Now it didn’t matter anymore. Nothing really mattered if she couldn’t be with Kean.
She cut the conversation short, after making sure Ellie was okay and her pregnancy was going well, and fell face down onto the mattress. And then, for the first time in forever, strong, tough, no-nonsense Charlotte Wingate cried for her broken heart.