He knew Charlie. She'd never sleep with a guy on the first date but just in case...
He grabbed the phone and dialed. The gulp of beer he took while waiting for Will to pick up went down wrong. The combination of cheesecake and hops not playing well together.
Will sounded harried when he finally answered. “Hey.”
“Did you get a babysitter for tonight?”
“No and I am hearing about it from Sue. She's pissed, man. I was supposed to ask Charlie weeks ago. I just never thought she'd have a date for tonight.”
Chris leaned back in his chair. “Great. You didn't cancel your reservation, did you?”
“No. It's on my list. What? You want it?”
He rubbed his hands together. “Nope. Make Sue happy and tell her I'm heading over. I'll watch the kids tonight.”
“Really? That's awesome. I'll be out of the dog house.”
He could hear Will call out to his wife and her whoop of joy. “I'll be over in a few. I have to go home to change and then I’ll pick up some movies for us to watch.” They were about to hang up when he called out to Will. “Did your sister leave for her date yet?”
“No. She's still getting ready.”
“Okay. I'm closing up here now. I'll be there in thirty minutes or so.”
He threw the phone down and cleared off his desk. There wasn’t much time and he needed to catch Charlie before she left. He ran to his car, the thought of her in that little black dress propelling him on. She looked good enough to eat, and he had no doubt that Rob had been thinking the same thing.
That wasn't the real Charlie. The real Charlie preferred jeans and a t-shirt, hiking boots or sneakers. She didn't wear heels or walk around the office in skimpy dresses. She didn't like being cold unless she was out on the slope skiing. Even then, she'd rather do a run or two and then hunker down by the lodge's fireplace with a book and a warm drink.
Charlie didn’t need a fancy dress or makeup. If she needed them to catch Rob's attention, then clearly he was an idiot and didn’t deserve her.
After running into his apartment to change and stopping by the kiosk for a superhero movie for Billy and a princess movie for Lily, Chris made it to Will's within twenty-five minutes. He parked behind Charlie's little sedan and jogged up the walkway.
Lily opened the door before he had even hit the doorbell. She grabbed the movies out of his hand and held them above her brother's head. “I got them first.”
“Easy. You each get one.”
She screamed when he tickled her ribs and loosened her sticky grip on Billy's movie. Once he sent both kids off to pick out a board game, he walked to the back of the house and Charlie's room. He knocked once but he wasn't prepared for what he found on the other side of the door at all.
****
This wasn't happening.
Chris wasn't supposed to be here, making her question everything she'd been thinking in the last half hour as she convinced herself that she could completely let go of him. He had on the sweatshirt she always told him she hated but she secretly loved because it was his and it reminded her of all those late nights of helping him study through med school.
He didn't say a word as he looked her over from head to toe and back again. “What did you do with the dress?” He looked almost offended that she removed the contentious article of clothing.
“My plans for tonight changed and the dress wasn't exactly the right attire.”
Chris's face brightened as a smile crossed his face. “You canceled your date.”
What was that smile about? “I didn't cancel. We're just doing something different.” Otherwise known as she finally had an actual date for the night and he wanted to do something other than take her out in a fancy dress.
“And you're going out like that?”
She looked down at herself. She always liked the way her favorite jeans showed off her butt and although it wasn't fancy, the tight black t-shirt was comfortable. She put one hand on the door, ready to shut it. She had ten more minutes to finish getting ready and she wasn't going to waste them listening to his fashion tips. “What are you doing here?”
“I'm watching the kids tonight so Will and Sue can go out.”
“You're babysitting? I thought you had plans for tonight.”
“I do. We have two movies on deck. I'll be ordering a pizza, half pepperoni, half cheese, and if they're good, a big bowl of popcorn on the couch after.”
She was not going to melt at the thought of him giving up his New Year's Eve to watch her brother's children. No. She was strong and about to go out with a hot guy. Rob had a great smile and a sexy body. He had even offered to stay in tonight to help her babysit.
She was ending the year on the same note she wanted to spend the whole of the next year. Hopeful, not heartbroken.
She tightened her grip on the door. “That's nice. I have to finish getting ready.”
Chris stopped the door with one hand and took one step into the room and nearer to her. He was close enough for her to feel his body heat and she sucked in a breath. Her entire body went on alert. Every part of her wanted to get closer to him.
“I want to make sure that we're okay.” He smiled and she realized that she always preferred his lopsided grin to any other smile.
She stepped back but he followed her until they were both standing in her little bedroom. As far as she could remember, the last time he'd been in her space was the day he helped move her from the house she shared with her ex.
Her unmade bed was right behind her and the way he stared at it had heat rushing to her face.
“We're good, Chris. I thought we hugged it out earlier.” She didn't mean to hiss when she said hugged but it still irked the hell out of her at how close she'd come to embarrassing both herself and him.
His eyes creased and again he stepped toward her. She didn't move, afraid that one more step would bring her up against her bed.
“You're mad at me.”
“I am not.
“Yes, you are. What's wrong with hugging?”
“Would you have hugged me if I was your male office manager?”
He laughed. “Of course not.”
“Then maybe hugging it out wasn't the course of action I was expecting.”
He finally moved away from her, giving her a little room to breathe.
“Charlie, you're more than my office manager. I hugged you because you're you, not someone I just have a professional relationship with.”
“Well, maybe that's the problem. Maybe we shouldn't have mixed the two.”
He paused in his pacing around the room. “What are you trying to say?”
He looked almost panicked as he walked back to her.
She shook her head and let out a breath. This wasn't the time. “Nothing. Let's leave it until tomorrow, okay? I have a date to get ready for and he should be here any minute.”
He reached out for her but he dropped his hands before they touched her arms. Was he really going to give her another freaking hug?
“Promise me something.” His voice was rough and his eyes looked deeply into hers. “Promise me you won't do something crazy tonight.”
She jerked back. “What are you talking about? Do you really think I'm going to find another job on New Year's?”
“No. I...” A quick knock at the door interrupted whatever he was about to say.
Will stepped into the room. His eyes focused on the little space between them before looking at her. “Your date is here.”
****
Well, that pretty much sucked and this wasn't a whole lot better.
Charlie looked smoking in her tight little jeans and t-shirt. He had walked out of her room with a sick feeling in his gut. No matter how hard he tried to make her understand how he felt about her, he made things worse.
He could see that the harder he tried to hold on, the more she fought against him. And now he was sitting across from her date. The guy that was probably going to kiss her tonight, maybe more, and al
l he could do was sit there and let her go.
“Dr. Ainsworth, I hadn't expected to see you here tonight.” Rob smiled and leaned forward in the chair.
“I'm babysitting.” He didn't expand on it. He didn't care if the guy was curious about his relationship with Charlie. She could field his questions. Let her explain how they'd known each other since he moved to town in high school, how her brother had been his first friend, that both of them had been at his father's funeral and he at their mother's. If her marriage didn't accomplish it, one date was not going to break his relationship with Charlie. Anyway, he seemed to be managing that all on his own.
She came into the family room a moment later. Her eyes were bright and the smile on her face looked genuine enough. He was so focused on Charlie, he forgot the other man was the one waiting on her.
Rob stood and took a few steps towards her as she came to a stop by the couch. “You look beautiful.”
Charlie's smile brightened and she got out a thank you before turning to him. “Have a good night with the kids.”
He nodded to both of them as Rob saluted and they left.
Chris was still staring at the door when Will walked in the room.
“You're just going to let her go?”
He pulled his gaze away to look at his friend. “What?”
“Charlie. You've been crazy about her for years. When you offered to babysit the kids, I was sure you had something planned.” Will threw himself down on the couch, tossed one of the pillows on to the coffee table and plopped his feet up on it.
“Shouldn't you be getting ready for dinner with your wife?”
“I am ready. It will take Sue another twenty minutes. So spill it. What's the deal with my sister?”
“Nothing.”
Will shook his head and crossed his arms. “Nothing is what you've been doing. I'm asking you why you don't tell her that you’re crazy about her and put yourself out of misery.”
“It's not that simple.”
Will raised his eyebrows and rubbed his chin.
“Fine. I haven't told her because I've been waiting for her to be ready and then today was just a mess. From top to bottom, I couldn't say anything right. She got angry about the whole merger thing and then I tried to hug it out, which was apparently the wrong thing to do.”
“What merger and what's wrong with hugging?”
“The merger is not a definite. Just something I've been thinking about. The hug was improvised and a bad idea. Anyhow, it just wasn't the right time.”
“When is it going to be the right time? Are you going to wait until she's married again and your hands are tied?”
His muscles clenched at the reminder of the two years he spent in purgatory watching Charlie slowly become more and more miserable, tied to a jackass that could never deserve her.
“It's just a date. It's not like she's going to get engaged tonight.”
Billy ran by with a doll. Two seconds later Lily followed, screaming like her hair was on fire. Will didn't make a move.
“I'm not on duty yet. You might want to take care of that.” Chris pointed to the hall where they had just disappeared.
“Sue will handle it. You know where dates lead. Heck, I don't even want to think about my sister like that but there's always a chance.”
He stiffened. “It won't.”
“You don't know that. She seems to like the guy and he knew exactly how to win her over. They're going to that Indian restaurant she loves and then to a little book store near his house. The guy must be a genius. Either that or he knows Charlie well. They're going to ring the New Year in on his couch with a movie.”
He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck. He wasn't going to let Will get to him. “It doesn't matter. They can't have anything in common. I mean, look at the guy. He probably spends more time in the gym than he does reading a book.”
“They talked for awhile on the phone before she started getting ready. He babysits his sister's kids every Saturday night. When he's not doing the pharmaceutical rep thing, he's writing the next great novel. Oh and he wears motorcycle boots. She mentioned that a few times. I overheard her talking to Sue.” Will looked down at Chris’s roughed up sneakers and then back up at his face.
“I don't know what you want me to say.”
Will finally stood up. “I'm just trying to help you, man. You'd be good for each other. I don't want you to wait until it's too late. She deserves to be happy.” Will had turned to leave the room but Chris could still hear him say, “You do, too.”
He stopped at the threshold and called over his shoulder, “Oh, I forgot to tell you that I had booked a night at the Excelsior Hotel. When I thought you were going to have that heart to heart with her tonight, I figured you'd appreciate the privacy. You don't mind staying the night, do you? You can make sure Charlie gets in okay.”
Will walked out without waiting for an answer. There really wasn't any necessary. Of course he would stay if it meant seeing Charlie and finding out exactly what kind of date she ended up having.
CHAPTER FIVE
This dating thing wasn't too hard. Rob held the door open for her, held her hand when they walked to the restaurant, and kept the conversation moving throughout dinner. He talked about work and his writing but he also asked her all about her job and hobbies. He was sweet, really sweet, and attractive. He said all the right things and made all the right moves.
She tore her attention bit by bit away from the day, away from the way Chris looked at her when he knocked on the door before her date, away from that hug and the way she wanted to sink into him. She threw her logic into gear and told herself that any attraction was completely one-sided and things between them were never meant to be more than just a really great friendship.
Slowly she sank into the comfortable feeling of having a sexy man attend to her. They had a great meal and then an awesome date perusing the shelves of a little independent bookstore. They sipped coffee and chatted about their favorite books. He loved science fiction and fantasy while she stuck to anything with a happy ending. Somewhere in between their tastes, they found books they both enjoyed and discussed at length.
After they finished their coffee, he took her to his house, a small ranch not far from the shore. She looked at his bookshelves while he poured them two glasses of wine.
She lifted a picture of him on a motorcycle, a little boy seated in front of him.
He came up behind her, his voice only inches from her ear. “It was just for the photo. I swear I didn't actually take my nephew out on my bike.”
She laughed a little but his closeness kept her on edge. “I figured. He's a cute kid.”
He wrapped his hands around her upper arms and pulled her back into him. She stiffened. He was so awesome and hot and, damn, did he look sexy on the motorcycle with his nephew.
But she wasn't ready.
He slid her hair out of the way and kissed the spot below her ear. She bumped his chin and spun out of his arms. “I'm sorry.”
“It's okay.” He rubbed the dimple in his chin. “Too fast?”
“I'm just a little nervous. This is the first date since my divorce.” And she felt like a complete idiot. She walked away. Her ex had nothing to do with it but he was a convenient excuse.
She hadn't realized that Rob had crossed the room until he touched her upper arm. “It gets easier, you know.” He linked his hand with hers and brought her over to the couch.
“You're divorced.”
“Five years. You get to the point where you've been apart longer than you were together and you realize that you might not be the person you were before but you kind of like the person you've become.”
They sat together on the couch for a few minutes in silence and it was totally okay. She settled into the feeling. “Thank you for understanding.”
“No problem. We'll take it slow.” He waited a few seconds before continuing. “How is it working with your ex?”
“He left town before the divorce
was even final. I haven't heard from him in over a year.”
Rob leaned back and quirked his head. “You mean the doc isn't your ex?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Why would you think that?”
“Oh, he just seemed to be giving off this vibe that he didn't approve of me.”
“I don't know why. He's been friends with my brother forever. He helped me get back on my feet, gave me a job when I needed it. He's been in a mood all day. I wouldn't take it personally.”
“Okay. Well, are you still up for a movie?”
At least some of the awkwardness had faded. “Absolutely.”
They spent the next half hour looking through an instant video queue online to pick out a movie they'd both enjoy. In the end, they chose an action adventure film that satisfied both of their interests and he set it up to stream to his huge flat screen.
It wasn't until twenty minutes into the movie that she noticed how stiff and distracted he'd become. He looked unwell. He rubbed his mouth a few times. When the screen lit up with explosions, she noticed little droplets of sweat on his forehead.
“Rob, are you okay?”
He looked away from the movie. “I'm fine. Why do you ask?”
“You look a little...off.”
“I'm good.” He said it with absolute certainty but she didn't believe him. Indian food didn't agree with everyone and they'd eaten there at her suggestion. “Was it dinner?”
“I'm fine, Charlie. Really. I enjoyed our meal. Don't worry.”
She leaned back, his hand settled along her shoulder, and they watched the movie in silence for another twenty minutes before Rob excused himself.
She didn't need to be told that he was well and truly sick. She gave him privacy and picked a book off one of his shelves to thumb through. When he wasn't back in twenty minutes, she started to worry.
She found him on the bed in his bedroom. His arm over his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“No. I'll get up in a minute to get you home.” His voice was raspy and he didn't look like he'd be up to getting off the bed, never mind driving her home.
Charlie's Last Stand Page 4