Charmed by Charlie

by Amanda Uhl

  “No, of course not.”

  “Then what’s the rush all of a sudden to get engaged?”

  “I’m not in a rush. Who said anything about rushing? I thought…oh, never mind. I can stick it out at Reynolds a while longer.”

  George looked relieved. “That’s my girl,” he said.

  Chapter Nine

  “Why are you hiding out in the mailroom?” It was only Bernie, thank God. Her flowery print dress and red shoes seemed to bring sunshine with them.

  “I’m not hiding,” I said. “I’m avoiding certain people. Plus, I had to send a package.” I pointed at the long skinny box on the table.

  “What is it? Cue sticks?”

  “Not quite. It’s an umbrella. I heard from my father. He’s changed jobs again and moved to Seattle. I thought it would make a nice housewarming gift.”

  Bernie nodded and propped herself against the table as I wrestled with the tape dispenser. “Here, let me.” She placed a pretty, square nail tip on the brown paper while I applied the tape. “So, who are certain people?”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “The asshole and the slut?”

  I nodded.

  “Not Charlie then?”

  I shrugged. “Not really.”

  “Oh, great. ’Cause he’s been asking where you are every hour. Can I tell him?”

  “Uh…”

  “Oh and how’s the shop coming along? George was telling me his mother won’t leave him alone about the cleanliness of the place. Someone needs to give that woman a chill pill.”

  I laughed, and it felt good. “I’m not sure a pill would help. Yasmine is…Yasmine. It would take more than drugs to hold her back. Plus, she owns the building. She paid the loan and George is paying her back. She has the right to be a little bossy.”

  “Yeah, I don’t like that setup. George needs to stand on his own two feet. He’s got a lot of great ideas, but he’s so worried about offending his mother, he suppresses them.”

  I stared at her a moment. This didn’t sound like the Bernie I knew. She was glaring at the floor and not at me. A mass of dark curls blocked her face. “You sound as if you…like George.”

  She glanced my way. Her brown eyes sparked. “I never said I hated him. I don’t like the way he treats you. I think he leans on you too much. Does he even know your hopes and dreams?”

  I frowned.

  She leaned forward and whispered, “Have you even told him about you know who?”

  “Of course not. Why would I talk about Charlie? There’s nothing going on between us. Besides he’s met him already.”

  “Not Charlie, silly. Seth. George does know your history, doesn’t he?”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Bernie took full advantage of the pause. “I knew it! George doesn’t know, does he? He said something about you wanting to leave Reynolds, but he didn’t say anything about your old fiancé coming back. And that’s because you never told him. Val, I don’t mean to pry but that’s not any way to start a marriage.”

  I sucked in air and with the large dose of oxygen found my voice. “I’m not hiding it from him. It’s…never come up. Besides, George doesn’t need to know all the gory details of my past relationships. I don’t know his.”

  Bernie threw up her hands. “Well, how do you know he’s not pining over someone right now?”

  “Please, George?” The tone of my voice sounded as surprised as I felt. “His mother would have told me if I had any competition. And she hasn’t. The only competition she’s worried about is…you.”

  I waited for the rebuttal I was sure would come. Silence. I finished taping the package and looked at her. Bernie was staring at her dress, playing with a wrinkle in the fabric. “If I had someone like George, I would be open and honest,” she said in a small, non-Bernie like voice. “I wouldn’t hide my past or my dreams for the future.”

  “I’m not hiding…” I started to argue, but Bernie got up and made for the door, cutting me off.

  “Hey, gotta run. You don’t have to explain to me. I have to stop back at my desk before our staff meeting. Sorry for shooting off my big mouth. Really.”

  I opened my mouth to respond but Bernie waved a hand good-bye as she headed out the door. “It’s not my place to tell you how to run your relationship. Besides, what do I know, I’m not in one.”

  I stared after her flower print dress long after she departed. Bernie hadn’t sounded like her normal, sparkly self. She’d sounded…she’d sounded almost wistful.

  I took my time mailing the package. I couldn’t hide out in the mailroom forever. Could I? No, of course I couldn’t. I had already spent far too much time in here as it was. I took a last, longing look around and headed for the elevator. I made a pit stop in the cafeteria for a cup of coffee and managed to creep to my desk without any uncomfortable encounters. But the minute I arrived there, my phone rang. Larry. I couldn’t ignore him. I grabbed the receiver on the second ring. “Hi, Larry.”

  “Val, how are you?” Larry didn’t wait for a response. “You have a second? I need you in my office.”

  I frowned. Larry rarely asked me into his office unless there was trouble with the product line. Of course, with the strange sales patterns and weird expenses, I shouldn’t be surprised. “Okay, I’ll be right there.”

  I grabbed a pad of paper, a pen, and my cell phone and headed out.

  Larry’s office was the largest in the building and was on the opposite wall from mine. Although I didn’t go there often, when I did, I always found myself looking at the set of model airplanes he had on display and pictures of Julie and Seth when they were children. It was a helpful reminder even those two started out the same way I did.

  Larry looked up when I entered and nodded. He was dressed casually in a yellow polo shirt and brown slacks with a nice crease down the legs. Although his temples were gray, he still had a full head of brown hair. Charlie sprawled in the chair across from him. “Val, close the door and grab a seat. How are you holding up?”

  “Fine,” I said. I didn’t spare more than a quick glance at Charlie. But in that second I noticed his broad frame made the chair he was sitting in look small. Even at rest, his presence dominated the space. Breathe, my alter ego begged. I sucked in air. Larry came straight to the point.

  “Charlie here has some great suggestions for how we can overcome our sales slump. He tells me one of the chemists in the lab has formulated a promising new product. It has some unique traits…antibacterial properties. It can kill ninety-nine percent of microorganisms. It’s nonallergenic, durable, easy to clean, contains organic compounds, and applies in one coat.”

  “Wow,” I said, impressed. “It’s Gina, isn’t it? I knew she was excited about the initial lab results, but I had no idea she was even close to finishing.” Automatically, I calculated costs for a product launch in my head.

  Larry leaned forward in his chair and lowered his voice as if he suspected his office was bugged. “There are rumors that Abbott has been working on a similar product. Charlie suspects we have a traitor in our midst. Speed and maintaining secrecy is critical.”

  A traitor? Why did I feel like I was on a reality TV show? I thought of the unexplained trips and expenses. Then I thought about Seth’s claims. Did dementia cause paranoia? I made a mental note to do a Google search on the topic when I got back to my desk. Involuntarily, I glanced at Charlie only to catch him watching me, a slight smile on his face. Why was he smiling?

  Larry cleared his throat, but when I looked at him, he was looking at Charlie. “I’m going to have you temporarily reporting to Charlie.”

  “What…why?”

  Charlie stirred next to me. “It’s better than the alternative.” The timbre of his voice caused a shiver to race up my spine.

  “Which is?”

  Larry replied. “I thought about having you report to Seth. But Charlie convinced me that he needed you on his campaign. I suppose you know the prodigal son has returned?”

  I s
tared at Larry, still reeling from the news Charlie would be my boss. “Yeah,” I mumbled. “He…talked to me earlier.”

  “I realize it may be uncomfortable for you to work with Seth. Charlie indicated he can use your help on the launch strategy and marketing campaign. It makes logical sense to pair you two together for this. We’ve a lot riding on it.”

  I stared at Larry. Okay, maybe he was insane. “But…”

  “This is to be our secret weapon.” Larry got up suddenly and faced the window. His office overlooked public square. I could see the pointed top of Terminal Tower outside. “If we mess this up, I’m afraid our company will be in dire straits. I need people I trust working on it. Charlie has convinced me that no one other than the three of us, and Gina, of course, can know what we’re planning.”

  “Larry, I’m not so sure…”

  “C’mon, it won’t be that bad, will it?” Charlie teased. “I promise, I’ll listen to your ideas. Heck, I’ll even let you take a lunch from time to time.”

  “All kidding aside, Val, this company needs you,” Larry said. “We’re in trouble, but you and Charlie can get us out of it. Now, are you on board or not?”

  I looked at Charlie. He raised one eyebrow in a silent challenge. Could I work with him on this special project day after day and not fall victim to his charm? Absolutely not. “Sure,” I heard myself say.

  Chapter Ten

  “Seth talked to you earlier, huh?”

  Charlie and I left Larry’s office together. I tried to ignore his long-legged strides next to mine, but it was difficult.

  “Yeah, Julie trapped me in her office with him.”

  “What did he want?”

  “He wanted to look at the numbers. Said he knew the company was in trouble.”

  “He did, did he? And what did you tell him? Because I’ve been asking you to look at the numbers for days now, and you have yet to tell me anything.” I caught the exasperation in his voice and, from the corner of my eye, his glare. I pretended not to see.

  “There’s not much more to tell. Larry authorized a trip to Monaco.”

  “For himself?”

  “It would appear so. But I have no way of knowing.”

  We had reached his office. Charlie stopped and peered at me, an odd look on his face.

  “Why are looking at me like that?”

  “You’re a terrible liar. C’mon into my office a moment and tell me what you’re hiding.”

  “Uh…I don’t think…”

  “In here. Now. I’m your boss, remember? You can no longer blow me off and hide from me like you’ve been doing all week.” He smirked, which made one part of me want to throw the cup of coffee I was clutching in his face, while my alter ego begged me to reach out a hand and touch the perfection of his classic features and his thick, sexy hair. I hung on to my cup and restrained myself…barely.

  I followed him into the office and took a look around. He no longer had a cube but a corner office with windows facing the inner courtyard, which contained a Greek statue in the middle of a bubbling fountain. As views go, it wasn’t bad. The walls of his office were bare except for the pictures he had taken of the mirrored signage in the hardware store. A large monitor and razor-thin laptop sat on his desk.

  “Not much for knickknacks, are you?”

  He ignored me, gesturing to a chair behind a small table. He took the seat opposite. “Quit distracting me. Spill.”

  “I’m not hiding anything.”

  His eyes pierced me like an X-ray machine. “What else did Seth tell you?”

  I sighed and gave in sourly. “Nothing much… He may have mentioned Larry is starting to lose it. He said dementia runs in the family. But Larry hasn’t seen a doctor. They probably need to take him, don’t you think?”

  “You believe Seth.” He frowned, shaking his head.

  “No… I mean… I don’t know. Seth said that’s why all the strange expenses have been happening. It makes sense.”

  Charlie picked up a pen he had lying on the table and fiddled with it. “The only thing that makes sense is Seth clearly wants to prove his father is incompetent. After all, he and Julie would gain control of their father’s shares, wouldn’t they?”

  “What are you implying? You think Seth has nefarious designs on his stepfather? I think that is taking it a bit far, don’t you?

  Charlie tapped the pen on the table. “Why did he tell you all this?”

  “I don’t know. I guess he wants evidence, and he thinks I can give it to him.”

  “And can you?” Charlie stopped tapping. “Why the hell am I asking you that question. Of course you can give it to him.” He stood up and strode to the window. He placed one hand on the glass and looked out. Tap, tap, tap. There went the fingers. It was becoming annoying. What was he thinking? Just when I thought I couldn’t take another second of rapping, he turned to look at me.

  “I want you to go ahead and give him the evidence he’s looking for.”

  I stood. “Of course, I’m not giving him evidence. I won’t go after Larry that way unless there’s definitive proof.”

  “There won’t be proof. Larry’s not losing it.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Believe me, I know.”

  “Charlie,” I said, frustrated. “Last time I checked, you weren’t a doctor.”

  “No, but I know where all the expenses are coming from.”

  I straightened, but my full height of five foot, five inches did not come close to Charlie’s. “You do? So, they’re not Larry’s?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  I threw up my hands. “Quit talking in riddles. Did he or did he not spend the company’s money on all those unusual things?”

  “He did.”

  I sat back down, shocked, my eyes wide. That was not what I had expected him to say. “Seth was telling the truth,” I said slowly. “His father is crazy.”

  “About as crazy as a man can get when he’s in love.”

  I blinked. “In love? Larry? Are you kidding me? Now who’s the crazy one?”

  He walked toward me, a towering figure. “So you believe Seth when he says his stepfather is senile, but you won’t believe me when I tell you Larry’s in love?”

  I refused to be intimidated and stared up at him, trying not to feel like I was at a disadvantage. Maybe I should stand? “Well, that’s not…” I sputtered. “Who is she?”

  “A member of the royal family of Monaco.”

  I searched his expression for a hint of a joke, but it remained serious. Maybe it was Charlie who had dementia. All that perfection had to have a flaw somewhere, didn’t it? His blue eyes met mine and didn’t budge. He was telling the truth. “Ye gods. Really? So that’s why he made the trip? How did he meet her? And what’s with the start-ups?”

  A slow smile crept onto his face. “You believe me. Thank you for that.” He passed a hand through his hair. “How the hell would I know where he met her? He gets around obviously. The start-ups are her brother’s. He’s an inventor.”

  I stood using the chair arms to steady myself. “How do you know all of this?”

  He shook his head, giving me a mysterious smile. “Ah, I can’t reveal my sources.”

  “Then how do I know they’re legitimate?”

  He shrugged and turned. “You don’t. I guess you’ll just have to trust me. Think about it. What motive would I have for making it up?”

  I looked at my hands and did as he asked. While I debated, I counted ten fingers and calculated the angles between my thumbs. It helped me to think more clearly. Charlie was right. His only motive was to get to the truth so he could build his dream campaign and save the company and then move on to his next challenge. I glanced up to catch him opening his office door. My confession time was over? But we had so much more to talk about.

  “You want me to go?”

  He awarded me with a brief flash of his dimples. “You’re welcome to stay, of course, but I’ve a meeting with Seth in,” he checked his
watch, “five minutes. I didn’t figure you would want to stick around.”

  “Oh…no.” I made my way toward the door. “Of course not.”

  “Remember, give Seth what he wants.”

  I was still in a daze, so didn’t think to argue. It was only later, after I was back at my desk, that I thought about it some more. Did Seth genuinely believe his father was sick? Or was he using this opportunity to build a case against him? And how strange that Seth was meeting Charlie in his office. That wasn’t like him at all. I suppose underneath the veneer of charm, Charlie did have a commanding way about him. So why did I feel like I was missing something—some important detail? What secret was Charlie keeping from me?

  Chapter Eleven

  “Val, there you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.” Julie was annoyed. After I left Charlie’s office, I reached my desk in time to see her storming from her office. Now she stood in my cube, hands on hips, a scowl marring the normally smooth lines of her kitty-kat face.

  “I was in with Larry.” I was careful to keep my voice even. “He had questions about the line.”

  Julie squinted at me, her glare suspicious. At the same time, she reached one white hand up to pat her curls as if she was worried that they had somehow slipped from her head when she wasn’t looking. “C’mon into my office. Bring your notes with you. We need to talk.”

  I glanced at my computer. It was 4:40 p.m. I’d promised George I would meet him at 5:30 to review his opening day budget. He was making stuffed grape leaves for dinner. Dammit. I had planned to splurge and have a stuffed grape leaf or two…or three. My mouth watered. I sighed. “Okay, give me a second. I need to make a quick phone call.”

  “Don’t be long. I don’t have all day.” Julie flounced off, her golden curls bouncing. I stuck my tongue out. Childish I know, but I felt better for it. I dialed Bernie’s extension. Thank God she answered on the first ring.

  “Hey, it’s me,” I said. “I need your help.”