by Haley Cass
But it was the best she could come up with upon the realization that Mayor Dean Walker was Charlotte’s boyfriend – or, even worse, her beard! It all made perfect sense, didn’t it? That was why Charlotte had been so secretive about her life when they’d been texting. Why she didn’t let on that she knew Sutton in any way. Why she’d been so adamant about never having more than a one night stand with a woman.
She was so effortless at lying because she apparently was lying to her boyfriend every day!
Sutton reached up to rub at her temple, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. She’d already been nervous about seeing Charlotte tonight, and this was just making it even worse. And now she felt guilty! Because she knew about Charlotte’s apparent secret, and Sutton had been ogling Dean Walker’s girlfriend right in front of him.
His lesbian girlfriend, who had flirted with Sutton and basically offered to hook up with her, before giving her tips about dating women!
If she thought she could get away with it, she would have buried her face in her hands like she wanted to. Instead, she only reached for her water glass to down the remainder of it, trying to calm herself.
She hoped that the conversation had turned elsewhere, but it was apparently still on her, as Dean asked, “So, what are your plans after graduation?”
Feeling herself flush, she shrugged, and she knew it was shaky. “Oh, well, I’m still figuring things out.”
Her dad placed his hand on her shoulder. “We’ve been trying to convince her to move back home for years,” he joked, but-not-really.
She could see his concerned look out of the corner of her eye, and if her cover wasn’t doing enough to fool her dad, then she was hardly going to fool anyone else. So she took a deep breath to quell the myriad of emotions in her stomach and questions in her head, and fixed on a smile. “But that’s probably not going to happen.”
“Do you work, as well?”
The question snagged all of her attention, because this time it wasn’t Dean, but Charlotte. Charlotte was addressing her, in a gracious but inquisitive tone, with a simple lift of a perfect eyebrow.
It was a tone and a question she’d used to address everyone else; nothing out of the ordinary.
But Sutton had to take a moment for it to register. Because Charlotte knew she worked, or at least that she did something other than school. Because Sutton had alluded to it during their texting in the last month!
And she was just sitting there, waiting for an answer, with a look on her face that made her look like she was the most innocent person who ever lived.
The contradiction of it all – of the stunning woman she’d been texting, who had a devious, flirtatious streak, and an air of knowing everything, and of this woman sitting across from her, who was still ridiculously gorgeous but was civil and soft spoken yet still with a sharp tongue – made Sutton’s head spin.
When Melissa turned to look at her, waiting for an answer as well, Sutton realized that she’d been staring questioningly at Charlotte. Her eyes widened, and she coughed before she answered, “I – kind of, yes. I’m a TA.”
“That sounds like it would be quite entertaining,” Charlotte commented, in that well-mannered tone that gave nothing away.
Melissa scrunched up her nose, “Does it? I feel it would be the opposite.”
Sutton found herself smiling at Mel’s response, “No, it’s actually great a lot of the time.”
“Do you get to teach anything good?” Melissa asked, as she picked up her champagne and finished it.
Sutton knew she would be sticking to water for the remainder of the night. She shook her head, “Um, well I don’t think I’ve had a bad class. This semester, it’s Early American Literature, but next semester I think it’ll be Romanticism through the Ages,” which she was actually very excited for. “And I think Dr. Martin is going to include a tie-in to modern romantic classics.”
“Like, The Notebook? Or Fifty Shades?” Mel asked, and actually sounded fairly interested.
Sutton couldn’t control the way her nose wrinkled, “Um, well not that modern, probably.”
“Gone with the Wind?” Charlotte added in, which stole Sutton’s attention again.
Blue eyes stared at the woman across from her, who stared right back, but was so nonchalant about it all. Except – she knew Sutton loved that. They’d discussed it only last week, her love for older movies and books that highlighted the sweeping romanticism of it all.
Before she could even think of what else to say, there was a woman at the dais at the front of the room, the woman who was in charge of the fundraiser, and everyone’s attention was turning to her. Sutton could think of very few times that she’d ever been more grateful for an interruption.
As she turned to face the front of the room, she caught Charlotte’s eye, and was unable to look away. Especially when Charlotte winked at her.
It was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, and Sutton was left gaping long after everyone else’s attention had diverted to the front of the room.
The subsequent speeches passed by for over an hour, but Sutton didn’t hear a word of them, because the blood was roaring too loudly in her ears, and she felt a bit lightheaded.
She tried to keep her attention on the speakers at the front of the room, at the very least she tried to keep her eyes on them. But she kept finding herself glancing across the table at Charlotte. Who looked cool and composed, and like she was giving her utmost attention to the people talking about the charity and the orphanage.
Sutton hadn’t imagined that, right? Charlotte really did wink at her, when her . . . bearding boyfriend – bearded beard? – was sitting right there next to her?
She gave Charlotte another look, taking advantage of the fact that no one was truly paying attention to her, because she couldn’t not stare, for just a few seconds. Because now, the two Charlotte’s were mingling together as one, and it was like the Charlotte she’d known for the last month – flirty, all-knowing, surprisingly thoughtful Charlotte – was there, hidden under Charlotte-the-politician.
It was honestly damning for her to not have figured that out beforehand; she’d been around politicians all of her life. She knew they wore masks. And now, she was less nervous about Charlotte’s and more intrigued.
She’d barely collected all of her thoughts by the time the speeches ended. She knew that this was the time for mingling, people would get up to chat, drink, and donate. This was truly her father’s least favorite thing to do.
Sutton hadn’t been looking forward to it, either. But now, she kind of wanted a chance to be able to talk to Charlotte face-to-face. An actual conversation, unlike the strange dancing around conversations they’d had in the last day and a half since meeting one another.
“This is my favorite part,” Melissa half-whispered into her ear, making her jump from surprise. “All of the eligible men . . .”
“Mel! You’re here with your dad.”
“Exactly.” Her lips quirked into a mischievous smile. “My dad, not a date. All of the men here are ripe for the picking.”
The imagery made Sutton crinkle her nose. “I meant more along the lines of, how can you pick someone up when you’re here with one of your parents. But okay.”
Melissa laughed and shook her head. “Do you want to come with me?”
Sutton could think of many things she would rather be doing than help her pick up men at this fundraiser, and she quickly shook her head.
“Your loss.” Mel shrugged, then shot her a wink before she stood to go on her hunt.
Sutton watched her go for a moment. Two winks. But only one of them had made her hands shake, and with that, she turned back to where Charlotte was sitting. Or, where Charlotte had been sitting.
It was empty now, along with Dean’s seat.
Sutton had turned away for only a minute and she was gone!
“Sutton, I’m going to speak to the woman – that last speaker,” her dad informed her, and she knew that this was where he would donate, rather than
go through all of the steps of intermingling with the other guests.
“Okay,” she murmured, and she didn’t even think for a moment that she should have gone with him, until he got up and was joined by Mrs. Wilson and Mr. Royce.
Which left her at the table with Kyle, and the nervous anticipation and excitement that had crawled back to life inside of her started to rapidly fade as he leaned forward, a lewd smile on his face, “Just you and I, now. What do you say –”
“No,” she cut off, quickly, before standing up. “Whatever you’re going to say, it’s a no.”
With that, she walked away, with no direction in mind. She still couldn’t decide if she was glad Regan forced her to come or if she should have stayed home. On the one hand, she hated seeing Kyle Summers for any reason, she was more interested in Charlotte than she was before, and she’d had to live through several embarrassing moments.
On the other hand, she’d liked to see her dad and Melissa, Charlotte had winked at her, and she was more interested in Charlotte than she was before.
She only left the main hall with the intention of going out to get some fresh air, because she didn’t intend to ditch her father when he was done talking to the fundraiser organizer. Unlike earlier, when they’d gone into the ballroom and there had been several people milling about the grand hall, there was now no one.
It was rather eerie, and Sutton brought her hands up, rubbing them slight up and down her arms.
And then small but strong hands gripped her arm and pulled her into a small alcove, causing Sutton to stumble over her feet. She was pressed against a wall, and panic came swiftly and easily. Ready to scream, she felt fingertips land over her bottom lip, before a becoming-familiar voice whispered, “Shhh.”
“Charlotte?” Her name came out in an unintentional whisper and as she spoke, Charlotte’s fingertips gently brushed over her moving lips.
The feeling made something inside of her spark, the shock it racing through her causing her to pull her head back. Enough that she hit it against the wall, and she grimaced in pain.
“Were you looking for me?” Charlotte’s voice was quiet, both curious and amused. She lowered her hand slowly, rubbing her fingertips with her thumb.
Baffled and still a little dazed, Sutton shook her head slowly, as her eyes adjusted to the relative darkness of the alcove. She hadn’t been this close to Charlotte before. Close enough to smell her perfume – which was something subtle and floral and kind of enchanting – and see that her skin was literally perfect.
Finally, she breathed out, “No, I – I just wanted to get some fresh air.”
Charlotte quirked an eyebrow. “I see. Then I apologize for dragging you in here and scaring a few days off your life,” she added, in a teasing tone that made Sutton flush, and her stomach jump.
“More like a few months, but, um, you don’t have to apologize,” she told her, and slouched back against the wall, her palms brushing down the sides of the skirt of her dress.
That smirk – the same one from her picture on the app, the one she’d given Sutton on the sly at the café – returned to her face. Sutton wondered if Charlotte knew how much power there was in that smirk. “No?”
Oh. Oh boy, she definitely did know. Her heart skipped a beat, “I – I don’t . . .”
Then Charlotte laughed. It was a quiet chuckle and it sounded genuine, as she took a step back from Sutton. She couldn’t feel her body heat anymore, and a breath of relief left Sutton because she could breathe now.
“I’m glad you’re like that in real life. The blushing, and all. But you don’t have to worry, Sutton. I’m not going to jump you.”
She gave her another wink and there it was, that feeling that Sutton had just narrowly avoided a life-threatening accident, and she felt heat creep up her cheeks. “Um, about that. I wanted you to know, that I’m not going to say anything. To your boyfriend,” she added, rushing the words out and cringing at herself because she hadn’t meant to bring this topic up like that.
Instead of looking relieved, like she thought she would, Charlotte’s eyebrows came together in confusion. “My . . . boyfriend?”
“Or –” She couldn’t bring herself to actually label him as her beard out loud, so she shrugged her shoulders, exasperated, “Dean.”
Whatever she’d thought Charlotte might say or do – and she truly had no idea at this point – she hadn’t expected her to give her look with those big, doe eyes. Before throwing her head back and laughing. Actually laughing, little giggles escaping in a way that Sutton hadn’t imagined, and she didn’t know Charlotte could be cute, but here she was.
Still, she felt herself blush, and words kept falling out of her mouth, “So, you don’t have to worry about – that. I’m not going to say anything. To him. Or my dad. Or anyone. Except for Regan, because, well, she already knows everything, basically.”
Charlotte’s quiet laughter died out, and Sutton was given a look that was borne of pure amusement and . . . well, it reminded her of the way someone might look at a baby kitten, “Sutton, darling, you know that I’m a lesbian, don’t you?”
The term of endearment did not go unnoticed by her, and instead it served to make her blush even more, settling heavily into her stomach. Still, she rolled her eyes and pushed out a heavy breath, “No, what a revelation. But, I meant, if you weren’t out, and he is your – your beard or something. I won’t say anything.”
“That’s very sweet of you, but –”
A door that Sutton hadn’t even known was there opened next to the alcove and Charlotte cut herself off, eyes lighting up.
It was only then that Sutton realized that she hadn’t even asked what the hell Charlotte had even been doing here. “Why were y–”
The rest of her question was killed the second Charlotte reached up and pressed her soft hand gently but firmly against Sutton’s mouth. She stepped even closer to Sutton, the fronts of their bodies this close to touching, and Sutton’s heartbeat was positively thundering in her ears as she stared at Charlotte with wide, questioning eyes. Her hands shook slightly, but, well, forget the fact that she'd obviously never been this close to Charlotte; she'd never been this close to any woman who she'd been consciously attracted to. Aside from that one, tipsy kiss.
Charlotte had a determined glint in her eyes and she held her other hand up, index finger in front of her lips. As if the hand over her mouth didn’t indicate that enough.
It was confusing and exhilarating and Sutton wondered what the hell was happening, but her eyes didn’t leave Charlotte, who was listening intently to the conversation happening merely feet away.
“I thank you for your support, Mr. Verbeck,” a female voice said, a voice that sounded familiar, but Sutton was too focused on the fact that Charlotte was right there and not moving and wondering what in the world was going on to try to connect any dots.
She did, however, easily recognize the voice that answered her, “Of course. This is an opportunity that shouldn’t be passed up, and we both know that she already has some strong supporters in her corner.”
David Verbeck – who she, thankfully, couldn’t see and who, even more thankfully, couldn’t see her.
The woman laughed in a cold, humorless way. “Yes, she does indeed. I must get back, but I trust you’ll work on my behalf in the meantime?”
“I never pegged you as one who cares much about the dirty youth of the city.”
“Perhaps you shouldn’t presume,” the woman told him, her tone giving way to the truth that she didn’t care about the dirty youth of the city, and it was clearly a dismissal.
She heard his footsteps fade, and she tried to wrap her mind around whatever conversation they’d been listening to. Because Charlotte backed away from her, her eyes distant, as she clearly knew what they’d been talking about.
“Shit,” Charlotte murmured under her breath, and Sutton’s eyebrows drew together in confusion.
Tapping her fingers twice against the cool wall behind her, she asked,
“What was that?”
Instead of getting an answer, though, what she got was the sound of the door closing, and she watched as Charlotte froze. Sutton did too, because they weren’t alone anymore.
Instead, the saw Naomi Young-Carmichael poke her head around the corner, eyes narrowed. Shit, if Sutton hadn’t been so distracted – and confused and a bit nervous – she would have placed that voice immediately.
As it was, she felt herself flush at the idea of being found hidden in this dark alcove, with Charlotte, secluded away from the party. Nerves jumped from her stomach, but rather than focus on her, Naomi’s eyes landed on Charlotte. Who wasn’t as shock-still as she’d been before, but was composed, standing with her arms folded against her chest.
And Sutton wondered how she could possibly do that? Because after the last few minutes, Sutton felt like she’d had so much happen, that she was going to pass out.
A slow, calculated smile slid across Naomi’s face, but the hard, mean look in her eyes was just as Sutton remembered it from all of the times it had been directed at her when she’d dated her son, Joshua. Who, Sutton had figured out at the end of their relationship, had learned how to be cruel from his mother. “Well, well. What do we have going on here, Miss Thompson?” her tone was a masterclass in mockery.
But Sutton stared at the side of Charlotte’s face, eyes widening, as she felt the bottom of her stomach drop to the floor. Thompson? Charlotte Thompson? And it only took her a split-second to connect that dot to Elizabeth Thompson, the former President, who had one granddaughter.
She braced her hand against the wall, closing her eyes for a moment, as her thoughts raced, because what the fuck had she gotten herself into?
Chapter 6
Charlotte had always loved puzzles. Not just actual board game type puzzles – though she enjoyed those, too – but real-world puzzles. The puzzle pieces that made people tick. What made someone do what they did? Why did someone act the way they did? What did they want? Were they genuine?
It was a big factor that had driven her into politics. Figuring out the game of it all was a big part of the draw.