by Bella Grant
“Mother is quite upset at her,” Quin said, pulling Braydon from his thoughts.
“Well, Charlie did punch her in the face,” Braydon laughed.
“Charlie? You call her Charlie?”
“Not for any special reason, don’t worry.”
“Why shouldn’t I? I’ve heard how much time you two are spending together. Are you dating her?”
“No,” he lied; he wasn’t sure he wanted to deal with his brother’s emotional fallout at the moment. “She is trying to find a way for my company to help support the orphanages she runs. I didn’t realize she was the one behind all the work Terrance has been able to do.”
“Why does she need help? She and her mother are quite wealthy.”
Braydon frowned. Was his brother really that blind that he didn’t know what was happening? “When was the last time you actually talked to Charlotte about her life?”
“She hasn’t returned my calls. She won’t let me talk to her.”
“Things are not always what they appear to be, Quin. Maybe you should have a discussion with Mother about her intentions for you marrying Charlotte.” He leaned forward and stared at his brother, long and hard. “Maybe you should find what you want instead of what she wants.”
For a moment, he thought maybe he’d gotten through to him, but Quin shook his head and pushed back from the desk, getting to his feet. “No, I just need to talk to Charlotte. We’ll sort everything out, and it’ll be fine.” He started for the door and Braydon caught a glimpse of the desperation in his eyes. “You said she needed new funding for the orphanages?” Braydon nodded, waiting. “Would it help if my company backed as well? I can run it by my father this evening. We’re supposed to meet with our investors soon. They would agree to help.”
At first Braydon wanted to say no, but, in truth, he needed the extra boost to help convince the board that they could afford to do this. He sighed inwardly but smiled at his stepbrother. “Have the paperwork drawn up and to me by Friday morning. That’s when Charlie and Terrance are giving the presentation. But run it by her first. I don’t want it to come as a surprise while she’s trying to convince my board of uptight old people to invest in children’s futures instead of more profit for them.”
Quin said he would and turned towards the door. “Well then, Braydon, I must be off. Many things to do today at the office. I’ll be sure you get that paperwork. Oh, and Mother is planning another dinner party Monday evening. Cocktails and the like.”
“For what, exactly?” he asked, confused as he walked his brother out the door.
“Why, my engagement, of course. Charlotte said she would give me an answer within the week. Monday is a good solid week.”
“Are you sure you want to embarrass her again?”’
“It won’t be an embarrassment,” he said, sounding confident. “She will say yes. I’ll see you soon.”
Braydon watched his brother leave, a look of disbelief on his face as he returned to his office and sat down. He barely had time to digest what his brother might do before Natalie sauntered into his office and shut the door behind her.
“Yes?” Braydon asked, not even looking up.
“You seem stressed. I thought perhaps a morning bout might make you feel better,” she said as she walked to him and placed her hands on his shoulders, massaging them gently. “Get your mind off things.”
Her lips were almost to his ear when he pushed her back gently and shook his head. Apparently, she hadn’t understood his message the other day. “No, I won’t be carrying on with this any longer.”
The smile stayed on her face as she laughed. “You’re funny sometimes, you know that?”
“I’m serious, Natalie. This has to end.”
She stared at him, long and hard, and the smile turned into a frown. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she said tightly, “You’ve found someone else, is that it?”
He nodded sternly and stood. “Possibly the one. I’m sorry, but as much fun as this was, we both knew it was never going anywhere. Please, leave my office. I’m sure you have plenty of work to do, and I have quite a few phone calls to make.”
Natalie crossed her arms over her chest, her face red with anger, but she didn’t say another word. She stormed out of his office and slammed the door behind her. Braydon sighed. He’d hoped she would understand. They’d made it quite clear when their affair started that they would have no real relationship and no strings. And now that he’d found Charlotte, he wanted nothing to do with what he’d been like with Natalie. He was better than that.
For the rest of the morning, he was on the phone, catching up with clients and potential new contracts, working as he used to do a long time ago when he’d first inherited this company. By lunch, he felt better than he had in months. He’d confirmed plans with Terrance to swing by at some point that evening to help with presentation plans. He was more than willing to get the board to go along with this new venture. Braydon had a good feeling about it. Charlotte was an honest woman, a good person. There was no reason why they wouldn’t listen to her.
That left him with only one other problem to deal with. Ronan.
He’d tried to track the man down, but he hadn’t been around the office at all. He had no idea what he was up to, but the last thing Braydon wanted to do was confront the man directly. The last time that had happened, he’d been shot. Not that he worried Ronan would shoot him in his own office, but he wouldn’t put it past the man. He, as far as Braydon knew, was still part of the Irish mob.
Braydon had just decided he’d speak with the other board members directly when his phone rang. “Keagan here.”
“Braydon?”
“Charlie, what’s wrong?” She sounded like she’d been crying and was out of breath. “Are you all right?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know who else to call,” she sputtered. “Helen and Prudence didn’t answer, and Milly was sick today. I just need help, please. I know you’re probably busy.”
“I’m on my way,” he said immediately, grabbing his keys. “Where are you?”
“Home. I’m at home.”
“I will be there in twenty minutes, all right?”
She told him if he was busy she could call someone else, but he told her he was already on his way and hung up. He left his office, locking the door behind him. He wanted to tell Natalie he was stepping out, but she wasn’t at her desk. Her purse and jacket were gone, but Braydon wasn’t going to waste time tracking her down. He told the first person he found in their office he would be out the rest of the day and hurried to his car.
***
Charlotte paced back and forth outside her mom’s room as the screaming went on and on. She’d called Dr. Shannon, but he was nowhere near the city, a few hours away at the least. None of her friends had answered. No one except Braydon. She wasn’t even sure what he’d be able to do to help, but she couldn’t go in there alone. Her mom was screaming about her dad. And it was all Charlotte’s fault.
They’d been talking, and everything had been fine. Then her mom asked where William was and why he wasn’t at breakfast. Charlotte had answered without thinking, telling her mother Dad was dead, had been dead for over ten years. It was clearly the worst thing she could have said, and now, her mother had locked herself in her bedroom, screaming and wailing, and would not come out. She wouldn’t even listen to Charlotte and kept saying over and over that she was lying, that it was all a lie.
She heard a car door slam and the front door open. “Charlie!”
“Upstairs,” she called out, listening as Braydon’s steps pounded up the stairs. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know who else to call.”
He didn’t say a word; he pulled her into his arms. She cried then, shaking her head and blubbering into his shoulder. Saying that she was the worst daughter ever and that her mother was suffering because she hadn’t thought before she opened her mouth. It was only going to get worse, too. The doctor had said so. There was no way she could
do this alone.
“You’re not alone, Charlie,” he said as he leaned back so he could see her face. “I’m right here with you. Understand? I’m not about to leave you.”
The emotion in his eyes made her breathing quicken as she started to feel that the answers she’d been looking for were right in front of her, in this man who had dropped everything to help her. She nodded as he wiped away her tears with his fingers and kissed her forehead.
“Now, take a deep breath and tell me what you need me to do.”
“Dr. Shannon said if she had an episode like this, I had to try and calm her down, give her a sedative, and let her sleep.”
“Did you call him?” he asked, glancing worriedly at the bedroom door. “She’s pretty upset.”
“He’s a few hours away. I was told to get her calmed down the best I could, but the door’s locked, and I can’t find the bloody key. Breaking it down will only scare her, and I don’t want to do that.”
Braydon grinned. “Luckily, I used to pick locks when I was a kid. Have any hair pins?”
She hurried down the hall, returned quickly, and handed him some pins. “You used to pick locks?”
“Had to eat, keep warm. Sometimes, breaking into a place was the only way to do that,” he explained as he crouched and went to work. Barely thirty seconds later, the lock clicked and he swung the door open gently so she could step inside.
The room was pitch dark. Her mother had drawn the blinds and curtains and the lights were off. Her yelling had quieted, too. A soft sobbing issued from somewhere in the room. Charlotte reached for the light switch, but Braydon stopped her.
“You don’t know what type of mood she’s in. Find her first.”
She nodded and stepped forward, following the sounds. “Mom? It’s Charlotte.” The sobbing continued, and Charlotte wandered around the room while Braydon stayed by the door. Victoria wasn’t in bed, but when she walked around it, she saw a shape huddled against the wall in the shadows. “Mom?”
“Charlotte?” Her mom looked up and reached out a hand for her daughter. “What happened?”
“Oh, Mom,” she cried and wrapped her mother in a tight embrace, sitting on the floor in front of her. “Nothing. You just had a little episode, that’s all. You’re fine now. The lights are going to come on. Is that okay?”
She nodded and Braydon switched the lights on. Her mother blinked a few times, squinting at her daughter as she tried to adjust to the light. Slowly, they both got to their feet, her mother muttering about not remembering and being so sorry for whatever she’d said to Charlotte. When she spotted Braydon in the doorway, she paused, glanced from him to her daughter, and smiled.
“So this is the man you turned down Quin for? He’s quite a cutie.”
“Mom, really,” Charlotte muttered as her mom laughed. “Let’s get you downstairs, maybe have some tea.”
“As long as the hunk comes with us.”
Braydon grinned, his eyes shining as Victoria took his arm and he guided her down the stairs. “This hunk would be more than happy to have tea with you.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes as she followed behind them. Her mother seemed to be doing better, and that was all that mattered to her in that moment. For a few minutes, she’d thought her mother had hit her breaking point and was going to lose what little sanity she had left.
They made their way into the sunroom where it was nice and warm. Charlotte went to the kitchen and put the kettle on the stove, listening to her mother and Braydon, but she was too far away to hear anything but laughter. And that was really all she needed to hear. She found her mother’s sedatives and put one with her tea saucer, just in case. For now, Victoria seemed to be holding up all right. She would wait to give it to her. She didn’t like drugging her mother.
Braydon walked into the kitchen. “Your mother is something else.”
“Oh, Lord, what did she say?”
“I don’t think I should repeat it.”
“That bad?”
Braydon grinned and didn’t say another word. He gathered the tea and placed the pouches in the cups so they were ready when the kettle started to whistle. Charlotte poured the steaming water over them and let Braydon carry the tray, following close. Her mother, settled in the wicker loveseat, looked like her old self, smiling as she watched the birds at the feeders.
“Did you want to rest for a bit?” Charlotte asked her, the pill on her own saucer rather than her mother’s.
“I think I’m all right for now. Thank you, Charlie.”
Braydon raised a brow as he took a seat across from them both and held his teacup. “So your mother is allowed to call you Charlie?”
“I let you call me Charlie now,” she argued.
“Only took forever,” he teased.
“Her father called her Charlie, all the time,” Victoria mused, a gentle smile playing at her lips. “He had always wanted a boy, but I gave him Charlie instead and he loved her so much. Hated it when I named you after your grandmother, so he called you Charlie.”
Charlotte smiled. She knew the story. As much as her father had wanted her to be an exceptional woman in high society, he had taught her other things like finances, business, and how to play a mean game of pool. She and her father had shared a wonderful relationship. It was the only reason why, when he’d told her she was most likely going to marry Quin, she went along with the idea, never doubting her father’s choices. But now she wished he’d never made her feel obligated to follow through with his wishes.
“He was such a good man,” Victoria went on. “Loved everything he did. Took care of his family and staff. Had a firm hand when he needed it, but, God, did I love him.”
“Of course you did,” Charlotte agreed. “He was your high school sweetheart.”
“He was my best friend,” Victoria said. “It just felt right being near him, and when we were apart, it was dreadful. Couldn’t sleep, hardly ate when he was away. And it was the same for him.”
Charlotte’s heart clenched. Her mother had been so depressed when her father died. She suffered from it before that, but to lose the man who had been her everything had broken her. Somehow, she’d kept the pieces together for so long. Now, she was losing them bit by bit.
“What about you, Braydon? Your mother is Meredith,” Victoria said, and a sudden laugh escaped her lips. “I’m sorry. I’m just picturing Charlie hitting her again.”
Charlotte looked a bit worried, but Braydon laughed with her. “I’m sad I missed it. About time someone put that woman in her place. I’ve tried enough times and gotten nowhere. She still thinks she can tell me what to do.”
“What happened with her?” Charlotte asked.
He took a long sip of his tea, then set the cup down, not looking at either of them. “My father had the unfortunate stupidity to be part of the mob in Ireland. He was wealthy, and my mother became spoiled. But then something happened,” he said, and his eyes darkened. “My mom was pregnant with me, my father had a price on his head, and he and my mother had to flee to the States.”
“And that’s how you became involved with them, I assume?” her mother asked.
“Mom, I don’t think he wants to get into that,” Charlotte interrupted, but Braydon shrugged.
“I was going to tell you all of this tonight anyway,” he said with a sad smile. “Wanted you to have the whole picture of the man I used to be.”
“So what happened?” Victoria asked, and Charlotte shot her a look.
Braydon shook his head, telling her not to worry as he went on. “They found land in Tennessee and settled down. I grew up there, quite happy, not knowing anything about their past life, until Mom left Da one day. Left us both.”
“How did you get to the city?” Charlotte asked.
“When I was eleven, I wanted to know why she left us,” he said. “So I scrounged up some money, and one night, when Da was sleeping, I took off and headed for the only place I remembered her mentioning:
Boston.”
She could tell he was remembering those days, could see the harshness of them reflected in his eyes. She didn’t want him to go on if it was going to cause him pain, but he took another sip of tea, which seemed to calm the tidal wave of memories.
“It didn’t take long to find her, but she wanted nothing to do with me. I was broke and alone in the city. That’s how I met Terrance,” he laughed. “We were both starving, looking for a place to stay, somewhere to get shelter and food. He was as much a charmer back then as he is now.”
Charlotte could picture a young Terrance charming women into giving him money or food, even a place to stay for a night. “But you were both so young.”
“We were. Someone on the street learned my name, and one day, I was picked up by men in a limo. They told me I could work for the mob, make some money, get off the streets, and they wouldn’t ask about my da.” He shifted in his seat and cleared his throat, rubbing his left elbow absently. “After that, things got a bit hairy—I did something, saved a man’s life, and wound up CEO of his company.”
Victoria reached out for his hand. “You have come a long way, my friend, and certainly do not seem to be the man Meredith made you out to be.”
“And what type of man was that?”
“One that did not deserve her love because of your selfish behavior.”
Charlotte couldn’t believe his own mother would say something like that. She knew Braydon had a history as a playboy, but since she’d met him, all she had seen was the man who cared for her. She watched him talk to her mother about this and that as they drank their tea and knew, deep down, that no matter what happened with her mother, no matter what they had to go through, this was right. Being in this moment with Braydon was right.
The doorbell rang, and they all stopped for a moment. “Most likely the doctor,” Victoria said. Charlotte stared at her, wide-eyed. “Of course you called him, dear, don’t look so worried. It’s what you should have done. Go and let him in.”
She got to her feet and hurried to the door, glancing at the clock on her way. It was fairly soon for him to be here already. She opened the door and felt the air rush out of her. “Quin.”