by Sophie Blue
Choking back the tears that are now flowing freely, I run up the stairs and start to pack my things. I can’t believe it’s ending like this. That it is ending at all. I thought we had something special.
Picking up my phone, I dial my brother’s number and let out a relieved sigh when he answers.
“Hey, sis! Are you—”
“Can you book me on the next flight back home please?” I sob down the phone line, wiping my nose with the back of my hand and not caring how disgusting it is.
“Yes, of course. What’s happened?” he asks, moving around probably trying to find his laptop.
“I’ll explain it all when I get home. Just please, can you get me home?” I ask, my eyes streaming, my voice catching and my heart breaking.
How ironic that the man I thought had put me back together is actually the one who has truly shattered me into pieces.
Chapter 25
Ollie
“Honey’ I’m home,” I singsong into the hallway as I close the front door, dropping the bags of shopping by the door. Silence greets me, and I scrunch my brows in confusion.
Checking the kitchen and lounge to no avail, I head upstairs to look for Charlotte.
“Charlotte?” I call, heading to our room, but she’s not there. Just as I turn to leave, I notice her bedside table is empty. Her kindle and perfume are gone. Glancing around the rest of the room, a sinking feeling settles in my stomach. Nothing of hers is here. Moving to the en suite, I’m met with the same sight. A complete lack of anything belonging to her.
Jogging over to the guest room, where her clothes were hanging in the closet, I find it empty.
What the fuck?
Reaching into my jeans pocket, I pull out my phone and dial her number, but it goes straight to voicemail.
“Hey, it’s me, call me as soon as you get this, okay?” My voice sounds panicked and breathless but I don’t care.
Sitting on the guest bed, I run a hand through my hair in confusion. Where the hell is she? Has something happened?
Scrolling through my phone, I find her brother’s number and click call. It rings a couple of times before it stops. Looking down at my phone in confusion, I try again. This time it goes straight to voicemail.
He’s avoiding my calls. Did Charlotte tell him about us? Is that what’s happened? She let it slip and he’s mad? But then why did she pack up and leave? Does she regret what happened between us? Did he make her choose between the two of us and she chose him?
Throwing myself back on the bed, I rub my eyes and think.
How can everything go from being perfect to fucked all in the space of an afternoon?
My phone vibrates beside me and I grab it hoping it’s Charlotte but it’s not. It’s Scott.
“Hey.” I sigh heavily.
“Woah, what’s up man?” he asks.
“I have no idea. Just got back to the house and Charlotte is gone, as are all of her things. Her phone is going to voicemail, and I can’t get through to Alex either.”
“Fuck. You think she told him?” he asks and I sit up, rubbing a hand over my face and thinking.
“I guess so. Maybe she accidentally told him and he lost his shit and she panicked and left? I don’t know. I would have thought she would have spoken to me first. It’s not like her.” None of this makes sense. Everything was fine this morning.
“So, what’s your plan?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well sitting there moping isn’t going to win your woman back. So what is?”
He’s right. I can’t sit here and do nothing. Alex may not approve of us, but I’ve been happier these last few weeks with Charlotte than I ever have been before. And I’m not willing to let that go without a fight. Not unless she can look me in the eye and tell me she doesn’t feel the same.
“I’m going to England,” I say, standing up and making my way to my room.
“Damn right you are. Book a flight and go get your girl.”
Chapter 26
Charlotte
Arriving at the airport, I feel numb. I spent most of the flight crying, berating myself for trusting again so easily. After pulling my case off of the luggage carousel, I wheel it into arrivals and spot my mum. Tears begin to fall again as I power walk towards her, throwing myself into her open arms.
“It’s going to be ok, love,” she whispers, rubbing my back to comfort me. Alex must have called her and filled her in. “Let’s get out of here and we can talk, okay?”
Nodding, I wipe my eyes with the sleeve of my cardigan and follow her as she wheels my case to the car park, stopping to pay for her ticket.
Once we pull out of the car park, she heads to a drive thru coffee shop and orders us both a coconut latte with a salted caramel shot. I smile at the gesture and gratefully accept mine, trying to ignore the memory of Ollie doing something similar when I first arrived over there.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asks as she pulls back onto the motorway.
“I don’t know what there is to say. I let myself believe he cared about me, that he was different than Carl. But he broke my heart just the same,” I choke out, closing my eyes and leaning my head back against the headrest. “But it felt worse this time. Carl hurt me, but looking back I think it was more embarrassment and anger. But with Ollie, I loved him, Mum. God, I’m so stupid! I never learn.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t blame yourself for wanting to see the good in people. That’s one of the things I admire about you, you always see the best in everything. It isn’t a weakness. It’s a strength. And if people take advantage of that, that’s on them, Charlotte. Not on you.” She puts her hand on mine and I clasp it, so glad I have her.
Taking a sip of my latte, I look out the window and digest what she said.
“I thought he felt the same, but in the end the business was more important. He wanted that to work more than he wanted us to work,” my voice breaks again and I shake my head, sick of crying over men.
“Then he’s a fool. He knocked you down, but he won’t knock you out. You get back up, put a smile back on your face, and show him what a fool he was to let you go. You’re my daughter. The strongest woman I know. Don’t let him have the power to break you. Only you have that.”
A smile slips onto my face, for the first time in a while and I turn to the woman who is always there for me, no matter what. “I missed you.”
“Of course you did, I’m fabulous,” she jokes and I laugh and squeeze her hand.
“You’re something, alright.”
Chapter 27
Ollie
Banging on the door like a man possessed, I wait for my best friend to open it. If anyone knows where I can find Charlotte, it’s him.
The door opens and his face appears. It goes from neutral to furious in record timing. His eyes narrow and his jaw ticks, fisting his hands to stop himself from lashing out.
“You’ve got some bloody nerve coming here. I trusted you! I trusted you to look after her, you arsehole!” He’s in my face, pushing his finger into my chest and I take it. I crossed a line by pursuing his sister, I know that. He’s one of my best friends and I should have known his sister was off limits, I did know, but I pursued her anyway.
“I did,” I say, frustrated and tired, the long flight catching up with me. I just want to find Charlotte. I understand that he’s not thrilled about me and his sister, but he needs to get over it, I’m not going anywhere.
“Yeah? Is that what you call contacting a local reporter and letting them know she was staying with you?” He scoffs, folding his arms across his chest and shooting daggers at me through his glare.
“What? I didn’t...” What the hell? A reporter found her? How is that possible?
“Save it for someone who cares,” Alex spits out as he goes to close the door on me. I slam my hand on the door to keep it from shutting. I need to know what the hell is going on.
“Wait! Alex, I swear to you, I didn’t contact a reporter. I wouldn’t do
that to her.” Fuck. Is that what Charlotte thinks? Is that why she ran?
“No? Then why did the reporter tell her that their contact was called Oliver? Explain that.”
“What? That’s impossible, I would never… Fuck, she wouldn’t…” The pieces start to fall into place and it feels like time slows down. The events of the last few weeks begin playing on a loop through my mind.
“Who wouldn’t?” he growls at me, his face red with anger. He’s barely holding it together and I’m actually impressed he’s yet to take a swing at me. I deserve it.
“Becky, my ex. She came by a few weeks ago, saw Charlotte at the house. Wanted to get back together once she saw the house and the money it could make her. Her last name is Oliver, remember? Becky Oliver. You used to joke that I should take her last name if we got married. ‘Ollie Oliver, so good they named him twice.’”
“Fuck,” Alex curses, rubbing a hand over his tired face. He pulls the door open wider and motions for me to follow him in.
That’s progress. At least he isn’t shutting me out.
“Christ, I knew she’d do anything for money, but this is low. Even for her.” You think you know a person and they do something like this.
“Best thing you ever did was kick her to the curb.” Alex nods, rolling his eyes at my poor choice in partner.
“No. The best thing I ever did was fall in love with your sister.”
His head snaps up as his eyes meet mine in shock. I hold his stare, not backing down. He needs to know I’m in this for the long haul.
“You love her?”
“More than life itself. I would never do anything to hurt her, Alex. Never. She means the world to me.” She’s my ocean.
“Seriously, man. I told you to take care of her, not fall for her,” he jokes, shaking his head at me. I’m relieved he isn’t trying to hit me.
“She made it too hard not to. She’s an incredible woman.” And she is. I know she thinks she’s weak and afraid of the world, but she still gets up every day and lives. She’s the bravest person I’ve ever met.
“You’ve got it bad.”
“You have no idea. Now will you help me win her back?”
“You swear to me that you’ll never hurt her? She’s been through hell, man.”
“You have my word. She means everything to me.” And she does. Now that I’ve found her, I can’t lose her. The world makes sense when she’s with me.
He nods, approving of my answer. “Then let’s go get your woman!”
Chapter 28
Charlotte
When Mum suggested a weekend away, just us two, I jumped at the chance. I need a break from everything. I thought I’d found where I was meant to be. My safe place. My confidant. But no, all he cared about was getting publicity for his B&B.
Mum’s popped down to the spa for her massage. I didn’t feel like one just yet so I’m currently curled up on the king-size bed in our hotel room reading a romance novel. With a cup of coffee and a great book, I can pretend for now that my life isn’t falling to pieces… again.
It’s not even that the video came back to haunt me again. Ollie was right. So what if people see it? It says more about the type of man my ex is than anything. It was one snapshot into my life. One moment. It doesn’t define me, and anyone who truly knows me won’t judge me by it. No, what is breaking me apart is that the man I fell in love with, the one I trusted to never hurt me. He betrayed my trust for a payday. That’s what is breaking my heart and making it hard to breathe.
Alex always mocks me for my love of romance novels, but at least you know what you’re getting with them. Ninety-five percent of the time you can guarantee you’ll get a happily ever after that makes your heart happy. So here I am, ignoring my train wreck of a story to get lost in someone else’s.
A knock at the door pulls me back to reality. Mum must have forgotten her room key. Dropping my book onto the bed, I jump off and make my way to the door. Only when I pull it open, it’s not Mum. It’s Alex.
“Alex? What are you doing here? Is everything ok?” I ask, confused by his sudden appearance at our girls’ retreat.
“Yes, everything is fine, Lottie. I need you to hear this out, ok?” he asks, walking into the room and standing by the bed.
“What’s going on?” He’s starting to scare me. “Is it Dad? Has something happened?”
“No, everyone’s fine. Just trust me, ok?” he says, with a smile and a reassuring squeeze to my hand, then he turns and walks back to the door.
What the hell is happening? Just as I’m about to ask him what is going on, I see him.
Ollie.
With his dark hair and bright green eyes, he looks heart-stoppingly beautiful, even with the look of fatigue on his face. My heart hurts at the sight of him. At the memory of what he did to me. To us.
“What… what are you doing here?” I ask, willing my voice to sound strong but knowing it came out breathless and pained.
“I’ve been trying to find you,” he answers like it’s the most obvious answer in the world.
“Ever think that maybe I didn’t want to be found?” I ask, annoyed that he has had the nerve to show up and ruin my weekend away with my mum.
“Hear him out, Lot. I’ll be down in the hotel bar if you need me,” Alex says before leaving and shutting the door behind him. My eyes find Ollie’s again and I lose it. I’m not sad anymore. I’m angry. How dare he do this to me, to us.
“You need to leave. Now,” I say, turning my back and moving to retrieve my book from where I threw it on the bed.
“Not until you hear me out,” he replies and I bristle. Spinning on my heels, I meet his gaze.
“Hear you out? Are you serious? I think you said enough to your reporter friend. I’m curious though. Did it work? Did the publicity help you make bookings for Ocean Dreams? Was it worth it?” I don’t realise I’m crying until the tears hit my chest. Angrily, I wipe them away, annoyed that he can see how much he has affected me.
“I didn’t, sweetheart. I would never.” He steps forward and I hold up a hand to stop him, I can’t let him touch me right now.
“Please! The guy told me you were his source. And you said it yourself! No such thing as bad publicity, remember? Anything to get the B&B’s name out there!”
“No. Charlotte, I didn’t call the reporter. I would never do that to you, and you know that.” His eyes pierce my soul, the pain and emotion in them moulding with my own.
“Do I?” I’m shouting now, but I can’t help it. All the anger, the hurt, the humiliation, it all comes spilling out like the plug has been pulled. “You told me I could trust you. You made me feel like you actually cared about me. And then you took it all away with one phone call. Why?”
He shakes his head and moves toward me, grabbing my chin and tilting my head to look at him.
“I didn’t call that reporter, Charlotte. Hell, I didn’t know one had showed up until I spoke to Alex. He said that the guy told you his source was Oliver, right?” I nod, confused as to where this is going.
“My money grabbing ex, her name is Becky Oliver. The one who came over a few weeks ago, remember? My guess is that she saw the video on social media and figured she’d found a way to make an easy buck. Selfish bitch.”
What? It wasn’t him? But…
“But…”
“I’m crazy about you, Charlotte. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You’re the sunrise on a quiet morning, the first sip of coffee at the beginning of the day, the bright star that lights up a moonless night. You’re everything I ever wanted, but never thought I could have. You make me want to be a better man. I’m hopelessly in love with you and I need you to know, even if you don’t feel the same, I need you to know that I would never betray your trust like that.”
I feel like the wind has been knocked out of me.
It wasn’t him.
He loves me.
“Say something, sweetheart,” he begs, running his free hand through his messy hai
r.
“I love you too,” I whisper. The smile that materialises on his face lights up the room and has me smiling back through my tears.
“Yeah?” he asks, almost surprised, which is ridiculous. How could he doubt how strong my feelings are for him?
“Yeah.” I laugh. “These past few months I’ve been the happiest I’ve ever been, and that’s because of you. You showed me that you don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be present. And that’s what I want to do. I want to live in the present. With you.”
“You are perfect, perfect for me.”
He leans in and our lips connect. I’ve missed the taste of him. The feel of his soft lips pressed to mine. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pull him closer and push up to my tiptoes to get as close to him as humanly possible. As he deepens the kiss, I moan into his mouth, the feel of his tongue dancing with mine sets me on fire. This man knows me better than I know myself.
Moving one hand down to feel his insanely sculpted abs, I try to push his t-shirt up to get better access. Only to be interrupted by the opening of the door.
“Oh, Ollie. What a lovely surprise! Are you staying for tea?”
Pulling back, I hear Ollie chuckle. Cock-blocked by my mother.
Wonderful.
Chapter 29
Ollie
After catching up with Charlotte’s mum, I went down to reception and booked a room for the night. We agreed to have dinner together, the four of us, in the hotel restaurant. Then Alex was going to head home, and Charlotte was going to spend the night with me. Her mum insisted she didn’t mind spending the night alone, apparently she considered it a treat to get a night without her husband snoring like an angry bear next to her.