The Carol Wyatt Collection

by Carol Wyatt

  Erica replied but didn’t say that she was going out too. She didn’t know how Jenny would react to her meeting Charlie, never mind the fact that Charlie more than likely would have proposed to her girlfriend if Erica hadn’t crashed into her with a tray of drinks.

  Erica didn’t know what Jenny would think of the situation, but she knew one thing: she’d have a hundred questions and Erica had zero answers.

  She didn’t know why she was meeting Charlie tonight. If Charlie wasn’t getting engaged, did that mean that their relationship was over? Or would Charlie just propose on another night?

  If I meet her tonight and things go well… I’ll be breaking up a relationship after only one date… Well, two now. But still… Just a few drinks, an amazing kiss…

  Erica liked to think of herself as a logical person but there was no sign of that side of her tonight. She took one last look in the mirror as she slung her black bag over her shoulder.

  Her coal black hair was straight, and her hazel eyes really stood out. She just hoped that Charlie would notice.

  Chapter 21

  Charlie got a seat at the bar so that Erica would see her when she arrived. She checked her watch. It was almost 10:15 p.m. and she was starting to wonder if Erica was going to stand her up.

  That would be completely understandable considering the way the night had gone. She didn’t know what came over her when she asked Erica to meet her tonight.

  Charlie should be at Lara’s apartment, enjoying the rest of their night but she was here, anxiously waiting for Erica to show up. She couldn’t remember the last time she was this nervous.

  And that’s the difference between Erica and Lara.

  Or was this all about lust?

  Charlie didn’t know. She reached for her tumbler and took a sip of bourbon, hoping that it would calm her nerves.

  Charlie glanced to her right when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

  “Hey,” Erica said with a warm smile. “Sorry I’m late.”

  “That’s okay,” Charlie said, smiling back at her. “What are you drinking?”

  “I think you should pick a whiskey for me… But I’m buying this round.”

  “Alright,” Charlie said as she glanced behind the bar to see what they had. Her eyes scanned the shelves, looking for something that Erica would like but that wouldn’t be too expensive either. She wanted to help her find a whiskey that she could get to like.

  Charlie got the bartender’s attention and ordered them each a drink.

  “So, your blouse didn’t survive?” Erica asked as she sat down on the stool beside her, glancing at her top.

  “I don’t know. I’ll see what my drycleaner can do with it. I wanted to go home and freshen up… I don’t know what was going on with me earlier. I had the shakes. I was sweating… This,” Charlie said as she lifted her tumbler. “This is helping.”

  The bartender brought over two tumblers and Charlie watched Erica take a sip, waiting for her reaction.

  “What do you think?” Charlie asked.

  “Hmmm… Wow. This is definitely not JD.”

  “That could be your new favorite,” Charlie said with a smile.

  “It just might be.”

  Charlie tore her eyes away from Erica’s, thinking about how bizarre this whole situation was. She couldn’t believe how relaxed she’d become in the few minutes she’d been sitting next to Erica at the bar.

  “Do you want to sit in one of the nooks over there?” Erica asked.

  “Sure… Lead the way.”

  Charlie was glad that Erica suggested it. She never liked sitting at the bar.

  “So, what are we doing here tonight?” Erica asked.

  Charlie had to admire her for getting straight down to the point. By the way that Erica was looking at her, she knew that she wasn’t talking about her choice in bars. This was about them.

  “I’m not sure what came over me at The Mezz. Seeing you again…”

  Erica’s eyes never left hers and Charlie wished she would say something, but Erica wasn’t going to help her out.

  “I couldn’t believe how scared I was, how reluctant I was to ask Lara… I don’t know. I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack or something,” Charlie said in a rush.

  “Why don’t you forget about getting married and just relax? Are you happy with your relationship? Why bother getting married if you’re happy?”

  Charlie reached for her drink. They were fair questions for a normal situation, but her situation was far from normal.

  “Okay,” Charlie said after she’d had a drink. “This is probably going to sound crazy…”

  “What is it?”

  “So, my Dad had this stipulation in his will that I couldn’t take over our company unless I was married…”

  Erica started laughing but stopped when Charlie’s expression never changed.

  “You’re not joking?” Erica asked.

  “No…”

  “So, you need to get married?”

  “Yes.”

  Erica still had a smile on her face. “So that’s what all the rush is about. I was thinking that six months was a bit fast…”

  “I’m sorry that I never texted you back… I just knew that-”

  “That you couldn’t see yourself marrying me?” Erica asked with a smirk.

  “It’s not like that… You’re younger than me…”

  “And probably in no rush to get married.”

  “Right… So, despite my obvious attraction to you,” Charlie said with a sigh. “I decided not to see you again.”

  “Wow… I’m not really sure how I’m supposed to react to that. So, what about the woman you were going to propose to tonight? Is she the marrying kind?”

  Charlie could hear the sarcasm in her voice. “I’m not sure… I just know that the last few months have been easy with her. We’re both in real estate and work like crazy…”

  “But do you love her?”

  Charlie brought her tumbler to her lips.

  Erica took her silence for a ‘No.’ “So you don’t really care about whoever it is you end up marrying? It’s just about you and getting control of the company.”

  “My Dad didn’t know what he was doing… He didn’t even know that I was gay,” Charlie said defensively.

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “I just think the whole thing is crazy. I shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to do what I love. I’m his only child and the obvious choice for who should be in charge.”

  “You should just pay someone,” Erica said as she took a drink. “That’s basically the amount of thought you’re putting into this.”

  “I do care about Lara… She might have said ‘No’…”

  “And if she said ‘Yes?’ Can you see yourself with her five or ten years from now? Happy and neither of you cheating on the other?”

  “I don’t know,” Charlie said honestly.

  “Right… I should go,” Erica said as she finished her drink.

  Charlie opened her mouth but shut it again. There was nothing she could say. She was on a self-obsessed mission and Erica probably had zero interest in her now that she’d told her the truth.

  Who would blame her?

  “Thanks for telling me the truth,” Erica said before she turned to leave.

  Charlie watched her go, wishing she could say something but she knew she’d just end up digging herself deeper into the hole she’d created for herself.

  She got the bartender’s attention. “Same again.”

  Chapter 22

  Charlie knocked on Jules’s office door.

  “Come in.”

  “Hey, do you have a minute?” Charlie asked him.

  “Of course, take a seat.”

  Charlie sat down across from him while he took a seat behind his desk.

  “Look Charlie, I know that these last few months have been hard on you. I’ve been struggling to deal with not having your father around…”

  C
harlie didn’t expect him to get emotional on her. She came in here to talk about the company’s future not how much they missed her dad.

  “I know,” Charlie said. “And it probably hasn’t been easy having to be in charge on your own.”

  “Yes, well. Unfortunately, your father made things a little too personal.”

  “Agreed…”

  “I wish there was a way around it, but the will is clear,” Jules said as he leaned back in his chair.

  “I know… That’s why I’m here though. Ever since I read his letter about why he put that stipulation in… I’ve been angry. Angry with him for putting me in this position and angry at myself that I never gave my personal life enough attention. If I had, we might not be in this position.”

  Charlie took a deep breath and tried to figure out the best way to say this.

  “I’ve been treating this whole marriage thing like a race when there’s really no need to. I’ve always trusted you and had faith in you that you were doing an amazing job here. It wasn’t about that. I had just assumed that I would be taking over… And then when I wasn’t. I don’t know. I wanted to marry the first woman I saw,” Charlie said with a sad smile. “I just wanted to win the game.”

  “What can I do to help Charlie?”

  “Keep doing what you’re doing. There’s no rush… When do you think you’d like to retire?”

  “I wouldn’t dream of retiring for another five years and I’d love to keep going past that if I’m healthy enough and I still enjoy it,” Jules said.

  “Great. I will let my life unfold as it should and stop worrying about getting married,” Charlie said. “This company is in great hands. There’s plenty of time for me to have my turn.”

  “Wow, that’s a big change from a couple of weeks ago,” Jules said with a smile. “I thought you were in a serious relationship and it was only a matter of time before you popped the question.”

  “I was… I mean, I am… I just think I might have been in it for the wrong reasons.”

  “I see…”

  “I know you’ve been worrying about the future,” Charlie said. “Please don’t. You can stay on as CEO until you retire. I won’t go to Vegas and come back demanding to take over.”

  “Charlie, your father-”

  “Please,” Charlie said as she stood up. “Enjoy the next few years. Don’t worry about me.”

  “Thanks… If things change, that’s okay. I’m just glad that you’re not putting yourself under so much pressure. Things will work themselves out.”

  Charlie nodded and showed herself out.

  Chapter 23

  Charlie felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She came up with that idea when Erica had left her at the bar two weeks ago.

  After two more bourbons, Charlie realized that she needed to give up the chase. She probably should have talked to Kevin about it, but it just felt right.

  Work made her happy, not dating, and unfortunately, not Lara either if she was honest with herself.

  Charlie met up with Lara the following morning for a coffee and told her that she thought that they should break up.

  Lara was disappointed, but she took it well. They were the same really. Their first love was real estate and their relationship came second.

  Of course, Lara would never know that Charlie had been so close to proposing.

  Now, Charlie felt free again. She was back to devoting all of her time to business and she was happier than she’d been in months.

  She still wondered what might have been if she’d text Erica back that night almost seven months ago. If she hadn’t been so focused on getting married, they might have been seeing each other all this time.

  Charlie tried not to dwell on that thought as she left the office and went out onto the snow-covered streets, ready to spend a relaxing evening at home with a bottle of wine.

  Charlie was never one to spend time in the past. She always looked forward and kept her schedule full and that was the way she planned to continue.

  Chapter 24

  Charlie looked up when she heard a knock on her door. Her secretary, Michelle, was out for a long lunch so Charlie knew that she might get interrupted until she was back to man her desk.

  “Kevin?”

  Charlie could count the number of times that Kevin had been into her office on one hand and she instantly jumped to the conclusion that something must be wrong.

  “Hey,” he said as he shut the door behind him. “Sorry to barge in but you’re not answering your phone.”

  “I’m waiting for an important call,” Charlie said, motioning for him to sit down. “Sorry.”

  “That’s okay… Look, the reason I was calling you is that I was hoping you would come out with me tonight.”

  “Kev… I don’t know.”

  “I’m thinking of meeting up with this guy I met online but I think he might be too good to be true,” Kevin said as he leaned forward and rested his forearms on her desk.

  “What good will I be?”

  “I need someone to go in ahead and check him out. Make sure he’s real and that he at least looks half as handsome as he does in the photos on his profile… Do you want to see the pictures he has up?”

  Charlie didn’t think she had much of a choice. “Sure.” Kevin passed her his phone and she swiped through the pictures. “Wow,” Charlie said as she gave him back his phone.

  “I know. He just signed up yesterday and I feel like everyone’s going to be messaging him.”

  “They probably are.”

  “Right,” Kevin said. “And that’s why I’ve arranged to meet him tonight, but I just feel like he’s too good to be true. Will you come out with me? You don’t have to stay out. Just one drink after work to see if this guy shows up.”

  “Okay,” Charlie said. “Just text me when and where to be.”

  “Thanks,” Kevin said as he got up and walked around her desk to give her a hug. “I’ll see you later,” he said with a grin.

  Charlie watched him go. She hadn’t seen him this excited in a while, but she could see why. That guy was gorgeous, and he had a few things in common with Kevin according to his profile.

  She’d planned on staying late at the office tonight, but she could probably finish this paperwork in the morning.

  She hadn’t been to a gay club in weeks. If she was going out with Lara it was usually to a jazz bar or to dinner. Charlie thought she might as well put in a bit of effort tonight.

  She had two appointments that afternoon and then she’d head home at six to get ready.

  Chapter 25

  Charlie stood outside the bar where she’d met Erica almost seven months ago. This was where Kevin always went out now and as she huddled outside, tucking her scarf in to keep the freezing winter air away from her neck, she felt a weird sense of déjà vu.

  She was in a similar mood now as she was that last night: reluctant to be there but knew that she should be out.

  Tonight, she was here for Kevin, but she’d also dressed up because she knew that she should get back out there.

  She wore a black dress, her blond hair down in loose curls, with a warm black winter jacket and scarf to keep her warm.

  Charlie headed inside and ordered herself a whiskey while she scanned the bar for Kevin’s date. She took her phone out of her bag and took another look at the photo that Kevin had sent her from his profile.

  She took another look around, but she was pretty sure that she’d arrived before him. Kevin said that his date, Lucas, agreed to meet him at the bar at nine o’clock.

  Charlie checked the time on her phone. It was 8:58 p.m. He should be arriving any minute now.

  Charlie took a drink of whiskey and tried to relax. She had a million things on her mind and they were all work related.

  While her eyes traveled around the club looking for Lucas, she did notice that there were two women at the opposite end of the bar and five more with a group on the other side of the room.

  Ma
ybe she would stick around after Lucas showed up.

  She turned to get a better look down the bar and she saw someone that looked a lot like Lucas. She took out her phone and double checked the photo.