by Amanda Uhl
“Oh yeah, your friend, what’s-her-face.”
I eyed Elias curiously. I knew a lot of what’s-her-faces, but only one who knew Elias. “You mean Bernie?” Next to me, George coughed on his kibbeh.
“Yeah, that’s the one. George’s friend…eh.” He elbowed George in the ribs.
“Cut it out, Elias.”
“Did she talk to you?” I asked.
“Of course. Couldn’t shut her up once she started. Told me to tell you that she’s meeting some of your coworkers for drinks tonight if you and George want to join her at the Q Hall.”
The Q Hall was a local bar we sometimes frequented. It had a good atmosphere, plus a dance floor. George wasn’t one for dancing, but he sometimes humored me. I caught his eye over his kibbeh, and he shrugged, letting me know that he’d go with the flow. Normally, George avoided Bernie, so I knew there was more at play here than wanting me to have a good time. This was his way of apologizing for making such a big financial decision without me.
“That sounds fun. Maybe George and I will stop later.”
“I’m not sure what you see in that Bernie,” Yasmine said. “She’s a wild one.”
“She’s a loyal friend. And she’s just being nice,” I shot back. I never handled it well when they criticized Bernie.
“It looked like she was a bit more than nice with the guy we saw her with,” Elias said.
“Huh? What guy?”
“Tall man. Blond hair. Looks like a movie star,” Yasmine said.
“Charlie?”
George set his spoon down. “Who’s Charlie?”
“A coworker,” I said. “Started a few weeks ago. Took Calvin’s spot. You know the guy who had a fling with my boss?”
“You young things and your flings.” Yasmine snorted and laughed at her unintentional rhyme. “I can never understand it. Our George isn’t like that. He’s quite a catch.”
I agreed with Yasmine. I was lucky to have a man who didn’t flirt behind my back. “What was Bernie doing with Charlie?” I asked, reaching for my water glass. Not that I cared, I told myself. But I was having a hard time picturing Charlie and Bernie together as a couple.
“How would I know?” Elias asked around a mouthful of kibbeh. “He didn’t look like he wanted to be there, that’s for sure. She was dragging the dude through the mall and talking his ear off. She didn’t let the guy get a word in edgewise. Just said she was planning to be at the Q Hall, and she was trying to talk him into it, too. I thought for sure he’d say no. I would’ve if I were him. But he told Ma you talked a lot about George, and he’d like to meet him.”
I set my water glass down and stole a glance at George, who gave me an odd look. I admit, I wasn’t much of a gabber. Probably why Bernie and I got along so well. I gave a slight shrug, letting George know I was clueless. He took a bite of his kibbeh.
“Well, that’s settled then,” Yasmine said, effectively ending the conversation. “You two should get out and have a little fun. Celebrate the purchase of your building. Elias, you go with them.”
“Aw, Ma. I was meeting the guys tonight.”
“The guys. You spend far too much time with the guys. Go spend some quality time with your brother and Val. I’m sure they’d wouldn’t mind you tagging along. Right, George?”
“Of course, kiddo. Come along,” George said half-heartedly.
“Aw, Ma,” Elias groaned.
Chapter Four
I walked into the Q Hall not expecting to see such a big group on a Friday night. It seemed like everyone I knew from Reynolds was strewn around the bar, some at tables and some on the dance floor. I said hi to Carl, who ran the shop, Jim, from Sales, and Gina, a chemist who worked in the lab, before my eyes zeroed in on Charlie. He was neither sitting nor dancing, but leaning against the wall opposite, sipping a beer. Lauging, he managed to look casually elegant with his turquoise blue shirt sleeves rolled up. My breath caught, and try as I might I couldn’t look away. Surrounding him were a bevy of females—Bernie of course, and the twins, Chloe and Zoey, who worked in Human Resources.
He looked up, spotted me, and raised a hand in greeting. Bernie noticed and waved us over, but I motioned to the bar. “C’mon, guys, let’s get a drink.”
George and Elias didn’t argue, but followed me. I ordered a gin and tonic, and the men requested the beer on tap. “That guy with Bernie, is that this Charlie?” George turned to me, but Elias answered before I could respond.
“Yeah, that’s the guy. Val, who are the blond girls with him?”
“Those are the Williams twins.”
“Twins? That’s cool.”
I drained the last of my drink and ordered another. I wasn’t driving and needed the fortification. “Yeah, they’re nice enough. C’mon, I’ll introduce you.”
I turned to leave and ran into a solid wall of muscle. Charlie. I would know that scent anywhere. He had brought his harem with him. “Hi,” I said blankly. “Umm…” My gin-and-tonic-fogged brain couldn’t think fast enough to perform introductions, so Bernie did the honors.
“George, this is Charlie. Charlie, this is George and his brother, Elias.”
The men shook hands. Charlie and George eyed each other, while Elias introduced himself to the twins who had trailed behind.
“Val tells me you’re starting your own business?” Charlie flashed George one of his friendly grins, inviting him to respond. For some reason, I didn’t trust the look. I was learning to beware of Charlie when he was at his most charming. I wanted to shout at George: No! Don’t answer! Instead, I stayed mute, watching helplessly while Charlie ferreted out the information he was after.
“Yeah. Purchased the building today. It needs some work, but I plan to open within a year.”
“You purchased the building?” Bernie frowned. “Val, I can’t believe you never said anything! What will you call it?”
“Haddad Family Spices,” George said, defensively like he was worried Bernie might object.
I looked at George curiously. We had not discussed names, but apparently, he had given it some thought. “George only told me about the purchase today,” I said. “It was a steal, so he couldn’t pass it up. It’s right across the street from Francine’s Fashion House. So a great location.” I found myself reiterating the same explanation George had supplied me with earlier.
“This is a family business?” Charlie asked.
“Of course,” George said, as if he couldn’t imagine any other kind. “My parents bought the building and offered to help out. Elias is still in college but will graduate by the time we open. He’s going to be the manager.”
He was? George hadn’t told me that. Not that I minded Elias taking part. He was responsible enough, I guess. I looked Elias’s way. He was still talking to Chloe and Zoey. He had one shirt sleeve rolled up and was flexing his muscle, showing off his tattoo. It was a picture of a mermaid he had gotten on spring break. I had heard all about it from George, and how upset his parents had been when Elias showed up with it last Easter. Chloe had reached out a hand and was outlining it with the tip of one finger.
“Will you expect Val to work in the business?” Bernie was never afraid to challenge George openly. I sighed. George never failed to rise to the challenge either.
“Not if she doesn’t want to. But you do want to, don’t you, honey?” He turned to me, his big, brown eyes pleading. I pictured a warm, wriggling puppy dog. How could I say no? Across from me, Charlie and I exchanged a look, and I caught his silent laughter. Somehow, he knew exactly what I was thinking.
“Yes, of course. Although I’m not planning to quit my real job any time soon.”
“Of course, you won’t quit your real job,” Bernie said. “You guys are going to need that income until the business takes off.”
“Oh, the business will take off,” George said.
“You don’t know that.” Bernie was quick to pounce. “There are other spice stores in the area. Spice It Up! is only a block or two away.”
“Bah!” George shot back. “That’s a chain. Those stores can’t possibly compete with the authentic homemade spices Haddad’s will offer.”
“Don’t underestimate the power of marketing. They have those clever commercials with that blond actress posing as a chef saying, ‘You haven’t tasted hot until you’ve spiced it up.’”
“Our customers are too smart to fall for that ploy,” George said. His eyes no longer had the imploring puppy dog look. Instead, they shot daggers at Bernie, who couldn’t seem to stop herself from fanning the flames.
“You have to think bigger than grandmas in the kitchen, George. The store should be a contemporary shop, appealing to the modern woman or man. It should be the store all the best chefs recommend. Just calling it Haddad’s is not going to cut it. You need some clever marketing.”
Charlie raised his eyebrows at me, asking without words if their bickering was normal. I nodded with a grimace and turned to the bar. My gin and tonic was gone, and I needed further reinforcement. Behind me, I could hear George and Bernie arguing. She had a point, but George had dug in his heels and wasn’t buying it. Charlie plopped some money on the counter next to me. “This is for whatever she’s having,” he told the bartender. “Do you really plan to quit your job and work with George in the business?”
I sighed and answered honestly. “To tell you the truth, I hadn’t given it much thought until tonight. Opening the business has always seemed a long way off. Now, suddenly it’s within reach.”
Charlie leaned on the counter and eyed me seriously, no trace of amusement in his blue eyes. “Is it what you want?”
Yes, I wanted to say. What George wants, I want. But Charlie’s eyes caught and held mine, demanding truth. “This is George’s dream, not mine. I’ve never wanted to open a store. But, as his wife, I’ll support him one hundred percent. That’s what married couples do.”
“Offering support is one thing. Giving up your dreams for someone else’s is not a prerequisite for marriage.”
“Yeah, I know that. I don’t have any big dreams really.”
“What about your job? I thought you wanted the senior product manager position?”
“I do. But I never meant to stay at Reynolds forever. This was only a temporary move. It’s a great company, though.”
“So how did you end up at Reynolds?”
“Ah…well…it’s kind of a long, boring story.”
“I’m all ears. Besides, if these two are any indication, it looks like we have plenty of time.” Charlie pointed to George and Bernie, who had sat down at a table nearby and had moved on to aggressive arguing, their faces animated. Every now and then, Bernie’s hands would fly into the popcorn bowl to snag some popcorn. George kept gesturing with his. Whatever they were talking about clearly had him in a tizzy. I didn’t relish interrupting their conversation and playing peacekeeper.
I sighed again and took a drink of my gin and tonic, while Charlie waited patiently beside me. “I’m not originally from Ohio, you know.”
“I know. Bernie said you moved here from San Francisco a few years back.”
I looked at him, surprised. “What else did Bernie tell you?”
“That you followed a man here.”
“Oh, great. Sounds like you already know the whole sad story.”
“No, that’s all she told me.” He hesitated. “Does this have anything to do with Seth?”
Hearing his name coming from Charlie’s lips seemed wrong. “How did you know?”
“Please. You could barely say his name at breakfast. I would have had to have been dead not to notice. Clearly, you had a thing for him. What I didn’t pick up on until now is that he was the reason you came to Cleveland. Didn’t your mother ever warn you never to follow a boyfriend?”
His words stung, echoing the chastisement I’d been mentally giving myself over the past two years. “My mother has followed men her entire life. Besides, he wasn’t my boyfriend.” The words came out sharper than intended.
“You were married?”
“Engaged.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, and he did sound contrite. “That must have been rough.”
I toyed with the ice in my glass, trying to figure out how much to tell him. “When I met Seth, I was working at a small hardware company in San Francisco. I was an assistant to an assistant, so the position didn’t pay well. Reynolds purchased the company, and Seth came out to settle the deal. We hit it off. One thing led to another, and he asked me to marry him.”
I sucked in air. The bar seemed stuffy and claustrophobic. I couldn’t do this. Tell Charlie the whole painful history. I had to get out of there. I slid off the stool and stumbled over to George, who had his hands raised in the air in the shape of a house.
“George, I’m going outside for a sec to get some air. I’ll be right back.”
“Are you okay?” George asked at the same time as Bernie, his forehead wrinkled in concern. “Want me to come with you?”
Bernie and George half got up from their chairs as if to accompany me, but I motioned them backwards. “I’m fine. Just hot. Don’t let me interrupt. I’ll be right back.”
I must have been convincing because they sat back down. I didn’t wait to see if they resumed their argument, but hurried outside, sucking in large mouthfuls of clean air as soon as I hit the pavement. I leaned against the side of the brick building to steady myself. A large round moon hung in the sky, emanating calmness. Cars drove by, music pumping loudly, a steady drumbeat thrumming through my system. The Q Hall door swung open behind me.
I turned, expecting to see George, but it was Charlie. He didn’t say anything but came and stood next to me, leaning against the wall. My heart beat out a fast rhythm in my chest. Did it beat like that for George?
“I’m sorry, Val. I didn’t mean to dredge up the past. You have a stable man in George. I can see that. Besides, you aren’t the first person to be taken in by a smooth talker. It happens to the best of us.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” he said, and for the first time, I saw behind the charm and cleverness to the person underneath. Damn him for having depth.
“Who was she?”
“Laura Rodriquez, the head of marketing at Panache Jewelers.”
I drew in a breath. George and I had looked at rings in their Rocky River store once a year ago before the company folded.
“We met at a company event and hit it off, or so I believed at the time. They hired me to help them with their newest ad campaign. Laura and I worked day and night to launch a line of bracelets. I expected the campaign to bring in millions of dollars of new revenue. The company would be saved. What I didn’t know was that Laura never planned to save the company. Panache was a cover for a large fraud ring run by the mafia. Laura was the mastermind. Our campaign was only a clever distraction. When the FBI got too close for comfort and tried to shut her down, Laura fled with the companies’ assets and Joseph Hernandez, our chief financial officer, to sunny Mexico. The FBI tracked them as far as the gulf, where the trail ran dry. I’m sure she’s sitting on the beach somewhere right now with her lover, admiring the diamond ring I gave her.”
“Charlie. God, I’m so sorry.”
“I’m not.” He gave me a lopsided smile. “My ego was bruised more than my heart was broken.”
“What made you get engaged?”
He shrugged. “Same as you and George, I suppose. We seemed compatible. She was a bit mysterious and kept me guessing. I liked that. My parents hoped I’d settle down. Seemed like a good idea at the time.”
I had turned more fully to face him, so I caught the self-deprecating glance he sent my way. The experience he had recounted was far more painful than Charlie was willing to acknowledge.
I took a deep breath. “Seth was a playboy,” I said slowly. “That’s what made it so amazing when he singled me out for attention. He never told me his stepfather owned the company. Larry’s not his biological dad, and they’re not close. I thought Seth worked for Rey
nolds like everyone else. I was so naïve. He ran in a different crowd than I did. I fell head over heels. When he asked me to marry him and come to Cleveland, I didn’t even hesitate. Within a month I’d packed my bags, moved out of my apartment, and was on an airplane. My roommate, Deidre, agreed to come with me. She was looking for a new opportunity, and Seth said he could get us both jobs at the company. It was perfect.”
I took a moment to calm my queasy stomach. I had never relayed the whole sordid story to another human being, although Bernie, I suspected, guessed some of the truth. But in Charlie, I found a kindred spirit. It felt like the sharing of a burden I didn’t even realize until now I had been carrying around.
I sucked in another shaky breath and tucked one long strand of hair behind my ears. “I found I had a knack for product management. Larry Reynolds told me he was impressed with some of my suggestions and assigned me to the premier line. I felt…accepted, admired even. Word got around I had a thing for numbers, and I was quickly promoted to assistant product manager. Deidre, meanwhile, was working closely with Seth to bring in new business. She had a couple of contacts in the area and had introduced them to Seth. I’d been working long hours but decided to come home early to do some Christmas shopping. What I didn’t expect was to catch the two of them together…” I gulped. “Naked, in Deirdre’s bed.”
I could still remember the way their tan bodies meshed with one another and the look of surprise and horror on Seth’s face. “He told me…” I gasped on a warm rush of tears. “He told me he never meant to hurt me. That it had been happening for some time. I had been too busy to notice.”
A line of fresh tears leaked from the corners of my eyes and slipped soundlessly down my face. Some made it into my mouth, because I could taste the salty flavor on my tongue. Strong arms enfolded me, pulling me into a hard chest. Without thinking, I buried my head into his shirt.
I stayed that way, taking comfort, for what felt like hours but was probably only a few minutes. I could smell the rich aftershave Charlie wore mixed with the scent of beer and sweat. His heart beat out a steady rhythm. Although I figured Charlie was only being kind, I had the urge to burrow my way inside his chest and stay that way forever, like a bear hibernating in the winter.