Sweet Redemption

by CJ Warrant

  “I’m allergic,” I said, with truth to my conviction. I had two left feet.

  “You’re crazy,” Mike muttered as he took the boxes out.

  I heaved out a relieved breath when Mike waltzed out of the nearly empty library. He was insistent that I go to that bloody dance. Being alone was better than hanging around with a group of seventy-year old plus men and women. Mind you, there was nothing wrong with hanging with old folks. It was just that I didn’t want to talk to anyone. Mike included.

  I took a good look around the library. I walked back toward the very last row, where the top shelves were still filled with books that were for me. Though, everything else was packed and cleared out. There was only a handful of furniture left, a desk, a couple chairs and a shelving unit, which a few of the town folks had purchased and would pick up tomorrow. I glanced up at the beautiful but decaying ceiling and was glad I had taken a few pictures. It was a shame the preservation society couldn’t save it—or the building for that matter.

  In three days’ time this building and the history of this town would be no more, which absolutely saddened me. This was my place of refuge, a place of discovery and a place where I felt most at peace with myself.

  I had told Markus the truth about the call… it was just that I lied when I got the call. It was a few weeks prior to meeting him. But I guess this was my way out before I fell deeper in love with a man I barely knew.

  Mike asked when I fell in love with Markus, but I didn’t know when it happened. Was it during the drive when I realized I had strong feelings for the man or the few nights we made crazy love? Maybe all of it drew me in to him. Even when he avoided me at the wake and funeral, my love never wavered. Yet, I deserved to be treated better. That was why I walked away from Markus.

  Though, I would never forget him. Heck, my thoughts still wandered and remembered the short time I was with Markus.

  “Hey Charlie.” Mike’s bellow drew me out of my thoughts.

  “What do you need, Mike? I’m back here, by the last row,” I called out as I set the ladder against the shelf, grabbed a small box and began to climb.

  “I’m going to put the last three boxes in your car and then I have to head back to the station. Do you need anything before I leave?”

  That man was so sweet. Mike was the one who picked me up at the airport. It was his shoulder I cried on for the first two weeks when I came back, but without a clue as to the reason why. I wouldn’t divulge that detail. I knew Mike well enough that if he’d ever found out I was crying over Markus, he would track him down and grind his bones to dust.

  “Nothing right now. Thanks for your help.”

  “Okay…And Charlie?”

  “Yeah?” I started loading up the box that was wedged under my arm and the shelf.

  “You have company.”

  Company? What was Mike talking about? “Mike?”

  I heard nothing. What the heck did he mean I had company? I shoved the box onto one of empty shelves and took a step down. I lost my footing and twisted the same ankle I had injured a month prior and landed on my rear.

  “God Bless America!” I shouted as pain reverberated up my leg when I tried to shift it around.

  “This feels like déjà vu.” A familiar voice caressed my ears.

  Markus? No. That couldn’t be. He wouldn’t be here. Why would he come here?

  Then I saw him, a frown on his face, as he concentrated on my ankle. “Christ, woman, you’re a danger to yourself.” Without hesitation, he scooped me up, carried me to the desk by the front door and placed me gently on it so he could examine my injury.

  I was too stunned to feel the pain. The shock of seeing him right there in real life took all of my senses and threw them out the window. The intoxicating scent of Markus enveloped me and the way his warm hands were touching my bare skin had my mind scrambling for some brain cells.

  “Stay still. I want to make sure you didn’t break it.” Markus scolded me. Then he took a quick look at it and said, “Not broken but this time, it might really be sprained.”

  “Okay.” Okay? Really Charlie? He’s here. Say something.

  “So you weren’t lying about the library,” Markus said as he looked around.

  “Why are you here, Markus?” I asked firmly, trying to stay strong because I didn’t want to get my heart sliced to pieces again. He stopped touching my ankle and angled closer to my face. Eye to eye.

  “I’m here for you,” he said with such conviction that I believed him.

  His simple but powerful words had my heart amp up. But I wasn’t sure I wanted to believe them. “Try again.”

  “I’m here for you,” he repeated. Darn it, I felt flushed by his fingers caressing my skin. Focus, Charlie.

  “A month. It’s been a month since I last saw you. Why haven’t I heard from you sooner?” I could feel my anger bubble up. And the heartache. I couldn’t look at him anymore.

  He cupped my face and drew my eyes up to his. “Because I wasn’t worthy of you a month ago.”

  Sweet words, but I wasn’t going to allow myself to fall for it. I pulled away from his touch. “I don’t believe you.”

  “You’d better.”

  I tilted my face up to him and saw a glint of mischievousness in his beautiful green eyes. “What does that mean?”

  “That means I had to pull some strings and so did my father and you have a interview for a job at the Chicago Public Library in one week’s time.”

  My mouth dropped open at the shock Markus just handed me. “Me? A interview at the Chicago Public Library?” Markus repeated the last part with me. “How? Why?”

  “Well, I just told you how but why is that I want you with me, Charlie. This past month you have been on my mind twenty-four seven. I can’t let you go. You’re in here.” He touched his heart.

  I shook my head with the disbelief of what he said and raised my hand to stop him for carrying on. “Wait. I thought you lived in LA?”

  He grabbed the chair and placed it in front of me and took my hand. “The day you left me, I had a long talk with my father and Bryce. They wanted me back and I said yes. But I knew I had to make some serious changes with myself before I asked you to move to Chicago with me. I cleared my work back in LA. Called a therapist for my depression and as of right now, I have it handled. Now, here I am.”

  Depression. “What about your dad?”

  “We worked it out. My father agreed to work part time only and with the help of Bryce, we will be officially taking over the firm in two months, with our father as a liaison from time to time.”

  Inside, my heart was bursting with such wonderful news for Markus. He deserved all that was good in life. Yet, I still didn’t know this man well enough to move to a different state and start over. The way he had treated me in Chicago, I wasn’t sure if I could handle another break down or a break up from him. Especially in a city that I have no other friends to rely on.

  “Charlie,” Markus stood, leaned in, kissed my lips and then looked me in the eyes. “I am so sorry for being such a bastard to you. I had no right treating you that way. But my head was filled with so much anger and fear that I was afraid you would see me as I saw myself, worthless. Then throw in the guilt with my mother’s passing, I figured you were better off leaving me.

  “In our short time together, I’d come to care a lot for you, Charlie. You became my redemption from my past and hope for my future. My sweet, sweet beautiful love. Please, I want us. So please consider coming to Chicago—we don’t have to live together but I guarantee we can save on the rent.” He waggled his brows, which I couldn’t help laughing. “Seriously though, Charlie. I love you.”

  What could I say? He loved me and had apologized. He had recognized what was wrong and was getting help and he wanted me.

  With tear filled eyes, I nodded.

  “I hope those tears are tears of joy, baby,” Markus said as he wiped the wetness from my face.

  So much elation knotted up in my throat that I coul
dn’t speak. I grabbed hold of Markus and pulled him in for a hug. “Yes,” I muffled out between breaths.

  “Oh sweetheart.” He lifted my chin and kissed me soundly. It was redeeming.

  EPILOGUE

  Six Months Later

  Charlie

  The wind was picking up as I rushed from work to my car. The summer was slipping away as fall was stepping in, filling the air with a chill and a warning of the coming cold. But I loved it, every single second of it. Ever since I moved from Valentine to Chicago, it had been nothing but excitement around every corner of my life. What was even a slice better was that Markus and I were moving in together this week.

  I had decided after Markus surprised me six months ago and literally swept me off my feet that I needed time to adjust and live by myself in the big city. Once I sold Nana’s house, I packed up my stuff and left for Chicago. I had never been away from home, and alone. This was the test to myself to prove that I could do it.

  I took the job with the Chicago public library and had made some great friends in the process.

  I moved into a small apartment with a six-month lease, a trial run per se. Living in the city and further seeing where Markus and my relationship could go was the best decision I had ever made.

  At first Markus wanted none of it but he finally understood my need for independence. But there wasn’t a day that went by that he wasn’t at my studio apartment or I at his condo.

  Not a day went by that my life was ever boring.

  Now those six months were over, I was thrilled to be moving in with Markus in his fourteenth floor high rise. What could a girl from a small town in Oklahoma ever want when a man like Markus entered her life and offered up a dream she never thought would ever come true? Grab hold of the dream with both hands and never let go. And that was exactly what I did.

  ***

  Markus

  Today was the day that Charlie was moving in with me. Six long months of back and forth, but it was all worth the wait—she was worth the wait. Every day from the second she stepped her sassy self onto Chicago soil, I knew I made the right decision to go after her.

  Though I hadn’t liked the idea of her living separately, I had to relent and understood she needed time to adjust to her surroundings.

  I had my own life to amend also. Once I gave my notice to the law firm in Los Angeles, I came home and settled myself in one of the corner offices at now the Landry Brothers & Associates. That’s right. It was official, Bryce and I held majority. And, in the six months’ time, the firm was doing even better than before.

  Bryce and I couldn’t be any closer than twins could be, and I had to thank Charlie for that. Along with my relationship with my father, who was finally retired and was enjoying life on the golf course.

  Bryce and Beth were married last month, which I was the best man and surprisingly Charlie was one of the bridesmaids. It was a momentous event but now it was my turn.

  Now that my life was falling into place, I needed my own love life to fall in line.

  And what better way to start was on Charlie’s moving day.

  Since Charlie couldn’t take off work, I knew this was the perfect opportunity to set the scene. After the movers moved Charlie’s things in, I set up the condo with candles and flowers—Gerber daisies of all colors, which were one of her favorites, and roses all around the living room.

  Thanks through the connections I had, dinner was ordered and delivered from Stetson’s Chop House, which arrived thirty minutes before Charlie would walk through the door.

  I wanted everything to be perfect. Just like Charlie deserved. Just like Charlie. Perfect in every way.

  Champagne chilled, dinner plated and warmed, candles lit with soft music in the background playing. The only thing that wasn’t, was me.

  I showered and dressed in my best suit and waited until I heard the click of the lock.

  The second Charlie opened the door I dropped onto one knee, popped open the ring box and waited for her to walk in.

  The moment our eyes locked onto each other, tears began to stream down her face.

  “Come here, sweetheart. I want to properly welcome you to our home,” I said as I wiped a runaway tear from my own eye.

  “W-what are you d-doing?” Charlie stammered out as she took a tentative step my way, eyes unblinking on me and then down to the small black velvet box in my hand.

  “Come closer.”

  She did, while dashing her eyes from left to right, taking in all what I had done to the place, for her.

  Charlie took the last step, which placed her right in front of me. She was shaking with emotion. I felt her trembling as I gently took her hand into mine.

  “It was almost eight months ago that you walked into my life and changed it for the better. And these past six months you just made my life even more fulfilling in ways I had never known it could be. You, Charlie White, are the love of my life and I can’t imagine going another day without you in it. I love you with all my heart and I’m asking you if you would give me the greatest honor and marry me.”

  More tears poured out from her eyes without a hint of a word. It felt like an eternity for her answer, which made me slightly nervous. But I didn’t have to wait too much longer.

  She finally sucked back the tears and nodded. “Yes, Markus Landry. I love you too, so very much. Yes.”

  The End

  About CJ Warrant

  Award Winning Author CJ Warrant can’t exist without coffee, chocolate and a damn story brewing in her head. She was born an overseas Army brat, in a Korean Italian household but settled in the states at the ripe old age of five. With a long career in the beauty industry, a wonderful marriage to a great man and three kids nearly all grown, her view of life is as such. Life is a journey; both good and bad, light and dark, but she takes it all in and learns from every experience life has to offer. She takes those crazy moments, stirs in the dark and brings her passion for words to life.

  Social Media Links

  Website: www.cjwarrant.com

  Twitter: www.twitter.com/cjwarrant

  Instagram: www.instagram.com/cjwarrant

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/cjwarrantauthor

  Acknowledgements

  I want to thank Solstice Publishing for the opportunity to showcase my books.

  And to my friends and family, who supports me in my passion, I love you all.

  If you enjoyed this story, check out these other Solstice Publishing books by CJ Warrant:

  Forgetting Jane ~ Paranormal Thriller

  WHRWA Emily Award Winning in the Romantic Suspense Category

  Customer Review

  ***** 5 Stars Gripping Thriller

  I love romantic suspense/thrillers. It had been a while since I read one that was this intense. I can’t recall ever reading one where the main focus was a male. I loved that change. Perhaps because Elias was such a wonderful character. He is small town cop with a haunted past, a guarded but good heart. The supporting cast was fantastic! Magda was my favorite aside from Elias.

  The plot was fast and gripping. I was totally wrong about who did it, as well as other aspects that caught me by surprise. The details were just enough to give a good feel of the setting and people without getting in the way of what needed to be a crisp narrative.

  I listened to this on audiobook, so I also wanted to mention that the narrator did a lovely job. He read with an intensity that fit the story perfectly.

  The romantic thread wasn’t overpowering so this should be a good fit for fans of thrillers as well as romance.

  Editorial Review

  ***** 5 Stars

  From the opening pages of "Forgetting Jane" I knew it would be different from the books I've been reading lately and I was right! Right out of the gate CJ Warrant sets up the scene and characters in a way that not only draws us right in, but creates great visualizations (like we are watching a show on tv or a movie) and elicits genuine emotional reactions. I truly cared about the characters' fates, and
was completely shocked... and mesmerized... and horrified... at some turns of events. But beneath the surface is a deeper story, that is far more complex and profound than the summary would suggest, including a beautiful love story and of friendship. Smooth pacing a great writing - Warrant's bio indicates that she's an award-winning author and it's easy to see why. I like that she did such a great job of 'showing' us this story though action and authentic-sounding dialogue. That, along with an interesting and diverse set of characters and several intriguing plotlines interwoven against a thrilling mystery makes this a memorable read for me. Highly recommend. (5stars) Carla Biggins--Goodreads; Barnes & Noble; Indie Book Reviewers

  Mirror Image ~ Dark Erotic Thriller

  Editorial Review

  ***** 5 Stars

  Whoa......what an awesome book! Holy smokes!! Okay, I don't even know where to begin because so much happens and I don't want to give anything away... "Mirror Image" by author C.J. Warrant is one of the most original, fun, and just flat-out interesting thriller/ suspense novels I've read in so long. I liked it for so many different reasons, first the writing was stellar (perfect editing too!).The strong word choice and fluid, fast-paced narrative and authentic dialogue makes it a very easy book to get into. There are enough descriptions where you can picture everything perfectly, but not so much that it bogs down the pacing. The chapters are short and brisk, so you keep wanting to read 'just one more'...and another and another. The characters were great, from Lola (PSYCHO) to Jazz/Jessica, Mike and all the others who come one the scene... It definitely shocked me several times and isn't predictable - I liked the twist with Lola at the end and even though obviously she's nuts, you definitely feel sorry for her. Lots of issues, abuse and childhood trauma. Warrant wasn't afraid to think outside the box here and it has a dark edginess that I really liked, yet was really sexy and erotic too. Recommend for mature readers thriller/suspense as there are scenes of violence and a lot of language. Ready to read more from her! (5 stars). Jenna Brewster--Goodreads; Barnes & Noble' Indie Book Reviewers