by Kira Blakely
I flipped my phone back to the passenger seat, annoyed because if it weren’t for that little issue with the woman earlier, I’d probably be at the football field by now. The day would’ve been perfect if she hadn’t crossed the road and ruined it.
“If I ever see that girl again, it will be too soon,” I grumbled to myself.
Chapter Two
Charlie
To: Parker
Your wide receiver = TOTAL DOUCHEBAG
I’ll be late for your game, have to do something important ASAP.
Will make it up to you. Sorry.
I hit SEND and shoved my phone back into my bag. I knew Parker was going to be disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to watch him play the whole game, but I had to take care of this big fella first and take him back to the vet.
I placed my hand on his neck and he whimpered slightly, leaning into my touch as he gazed at me with big, golden eyes.
“I told you not to run off. Now look what happened,” I said softly.
My initial plan was to pick the dog up and pile him into that speeding truck, but when I looked up it was already gone, speeding away from his responsibility toward almost killing me and this dog.
I petted his stomach and back once more, getting him relaxed enough before I carefully placed both of my hands underneath his body and picked him up, my breath coming out in huge puffs as I struggled to carry him and walk back to the vet.
I had watched football so many times now, especially Parker’s team, and I knew each player’s face and position. It pained me to admit it now, but Sean West was one of my favorites. He was an extremely skilled player, and he came across as cocky most of the time, but I had justified it by telling myself that he had a right to be cocky since he had the skills to prove it. But I had never thought he’d be such an asshole in real life.
Parker had complained to me once or twice about Sean West, but I always thought he was exaggerating, especially since Parker and Sean had a sort of rivalry going on between them. What had happened today confirmed that Parker was right, though. He really was a jerk of epic proportions.
I felt so ashamed now, too, because I couldn’t believe that my biggest football crush ever wasn’t as beautiful inside as he was hot as hell on the outside. His dark brown hair, turquoise eyes, luscious lips, and tanned complexion served as a mask for the ugly personality underneath.
The dog whimpered again and I cooed at him, trying to make him feel better.
“We’re almost there, big guy, just hang on,” I told him.
***
“Well, there really was nothing to worry about, Charlie. He’s just a little dehydrated. A little rest and some food will fix him right up in no time,” the veterinarian explained.
I sighed in relief and scratched the dog’s head, grinning as I watched his tail wag happily.
“I’m glad he’s okay,” I said.
“Care to tell me what happened when he escaped from here?” she asked, and I shook my head.
“It’s a long story. One that I’m not too keen on remembering. What matters is he’s going to be okay now,” I replied. “So, when is his owner picking him up?”
The vet shook her head, her eyes drooping sadly. “Unfortunately, he has no owner. Diana brought him here because she saw him rummaging through the trash for food, and she feared he might have worms.”
“Well, then what are we supposed to do?” I asked worriedly.
The vet clinic had a policy to turn over all dogs that owners didn’t come to pick after a set period of time over to the pound, and I knew what happened to most of them that didn’t get adopted.
“He’s not going to survive there,” I whispered, and the vet nodded.
Black labs like this dog ate a lot, and as much as I’d like to adopt him, I didn’t have the space or the money to take care of him. But I couldn’t leave him here.
“Hey, what’s that limo doing outside the clinic?” the vet asked.
I tilted my head, not knowing what she was talking about and turned around. Sure enough, there was a black limousine right outside the clinic. I stood on my toes to peer down at the license plate, and I felt my stomach plummet as I recognized it.
I didn’t think they’d find me so soon.
“Who do you think it is?” the vet asked.
“It’s my father,” I grumbled. Her eyes widened but before she could ask me anything else, I walked out the door and glared at the car, waiting for my father to come out and give his latest spiel in getting me to come with him.
I wasn’t surprised when it was the driver who got out and bowed.
“Miss Charlotte,” he greeted me.
“Where is he?” I asked.
“He is in an important meeting and ordered me to take you to the estate as soon as possible,” he answered.
“And I said not in a million years am I going there. What makes him think this day is gonna be different?” I asked in annoyance.
It was too late to ask me to be with him now after all my mother and I had gone through before she died. My father had seduced my mom while she was working as a maid in his parents’ household, and when his parents found out, they kicked her out. My mother had to work three jobs just to support herself when she found out she was pregnant with me. I could still remember my mother’s crying face when she begged my father’s family to take me in because she was dying and she didn’t want me to be alone. But all they did was laugh and cast her out, and my mom died a miserable death.
My good-for-nothing father did nothing but watch it all happen.
It wasn’t fair to be treated that way when the only crime my mother committed was to fall in love with a man who was way out of her league. My father had whisked her off with flowery words and promises, and by the time she finally knew the truth – that he was about to marry someone else – it was too late and she was already pregnant with me.
My mother had worked hard to support both of us, and when she died and I didn’t know what to do but go and ask them for help, they did the same thing they did to us all those years ago. They threw me out.
And now, for some reason, they wanted me to be with them like nothing ever happened? Fat chance.
I was about to walk back inside the clinic when the driver said solemnly, “He suffered from a heart attack a few days ago.”
That stopped me in my tracks.
“Miss Charlotte, the doctors think that the stress of running the company is finally getting to him. They suggested–”
I cut him off, glaring at him. “Oh, that he wants me to take his place? To be the solution to his problem?” I cried. Where was he when I was suffering? And now that they had a problem, they wanted me to just accept the responsibility as if nothing had ever happened?
“Please, Miss Charlotte. At least come to the estate first and hear it all from Mr. Jameson himself,” the driver said, bowing to me once more.
I sighed heavily, unsure what to do. I still hated them for what they did, but at the same time I wanted to know what my father had to say and why he was so adamant that I see him. I glanced back toward the shop and, as if he knew I was looking at him, the black lab wagged his tail excitedly.
A lightbulb flashed in my head.
“Fine. Take me to him.” The driver’s eyes lit up, and he bowed gratefully again. “But,” I added, holding my forefinger up in front of me, “I have one condition.”
Chapter Three
Sean
“Where have you been?” Evan scowled at me as I entered the pre-game huddle. The others grumbled as well, and I raised my hands up in surrender.
“Hey, I would’ve been here earlier if it weren’t for some crazy chick with a dog, so give it a rest, man,” I said.
“I don’t need you. Chester is doing just fine,” Parker said, giving me the stink eye through his facemask. I rolled my eyes. Parker Nolan was the captain and quarterback, and we both had a mutual understanding of hating each other’s guts since… I honestly couldn’t remember how long
it had been. Since we met, I guess.
“Oh, sure. The kid is a rookie.. I’m sure he’ll do a bang-up job,” I said sarcastically. “No offense,” I added, glancing at Chester.
“None taken,” he immediately said. I nodded my head back toward the bench, and he jogged back without complaint. I turned back toward the team once more.
“Calm your tits, Nolan. The coach sent me here because he knows you need me. I was a little late. So what? Not a big deal. It’s not like the game has already started.”
He glared at me without comment. Yeah, my antics were probably getting old, and I felt a little bad about it. But we both knew that he needed me.
Soon, the game started, and it wasn’t long before the crowd started cheering my name. I did what I said and got every single pass Parker sent sailing toward me. I scored the final touchdown of the night, and the screams from the spectators nearly had me going deaf.
Another win under my belt. Another team conquered by yours truly.
“You’re praising yourself again, aren’t you?” Evan’s voice came from behind, along with a slap to the back of my head. I frowned and followed him to the locker rooms.
Evan Hall was probably the only one I’d let hit me upside the head, because we’d grown up together and been together for as long as I could remember. His mom used to run the orphanage I grew up in called “Our Place,” and they became the family I never had. Our personalities couldn’t have been more different, though.
I was the badass, and he was the good guy; I liked the thrill of the chase, while he liked to take his time. He was patient, whereas I was hot-headed. But it was probably why we got along so well together; we balanced each other out. And it was probably why I ended up pushing for a football career, while he took the quieter route and served as the team’s athletic trainer, a job I had recommended the coach give to him not just because he was my bro, but because he was damn good at it.
“A little self-praise is a good thing,” I reasoned, massaging my head.
“‘A little?” he repeated, and he chuckled when I gave him the finger.
“Next time you want to show off, do it on your own time and not during a game,” Parker called, sending me a quick glare before opening his locker on the other side of the room. Evan and I looked at each other, and I shrugged. Parker could bark all he wanted, but if I hadn’t been there, they would’ve lost the game and we both knew it.
“He’s got a point, Sean. This is the third time you’ve been late for pregame. One more strike and Coach might kick you off the team,” Evan said.
I waved off his worries. “He’s not going to do that. I’m the best–”
“You are, but that doesn’t mean you’re not replaceable, Sean,” Evan interrupted, and I frowned at him.
“What do you mean?” I said.
“It means it doesn’t matter how good you are, West. If your attitude sucks, then we have no problems kicking you to the curb,” Parker said, coming toward us, his phone in his hand. “Where the hell have you been today that made you come late?” he demanded.
“Jesus, Parker. What are you, my nanny? I was driving over here when a crazy lady jumped in front of my truck, and I almost killed her. That’s the reason I’m late,” I replied.
“You what?” Evan cried in shock, but I ignored him.
“And you didn’t do anything else to her?” Parker asked menacingly.
“What the fuck, Nolan? No, I did not do anything to her except tell her it was her fault I almost hit her. I high-tailed it out of there before she did something else,” I told him.
“Bro,” Evan said, shaking his head in disappointment.
Parker shook his head in the same manner and walked off, typing away at his phone.
“What?” I asked.
Evan sighed.
“Just… never mind, Sean,” he said, giving up on explaining it.
“Oh, hey, when was that brand party we need to go to?” I asked him.
“You mean that swanky gathering we’re required to attend because we’re endorsing their clothing line? In two weeks, why?” Evan replied.
“Do we really have to go? I hate wearing suits,” I said, scowling at the prospect of needing to buy a tie.
Evan chuckled. “You hate wearing anything. But to answer your question, yes, we must. We’re getting paid to make appearances,” he replied, and then it was my turn to sigh.
“You know, sometimes I wish I wasn’t such a celebrity,” I grumbled.
Evan and I looked at each other in dead silence before exploding with laughter.
Who was I kidding? As much as I hated wearing a suit, I loved what I was, and I’d go to any appearances or parties I was required to attend.
But they better be serving some good food.
Chapter Four
Charlie
“Any minute now, baby. We’re going to be in your new home,” I said, scratching my new dog’s neck, making him yip in delight.
I’d told the driver that I’d come with him if he agreed to let me keep the dog. He was surprised and had to call my father about it, but it didn’t take him long to get the go ahead. I had told the vet the good news, and she gave him one of the spare collars she had in her office.
So now I had a new black lab that I hadn’t figured out what to name yet, and I sort of sold myself and my dignity to my father so I could give this dog a proper home.
I realized how stupid that was, but what’s done is done. At least I had company.
“Miss Charlotte, we are here,” the driver said, coming to a stop in front of a huge mansion, complete with a gravel pathway and big mahogany double doors at the main entrance. The driver opened my door and the dog and I got out, still in awe of our surroundings.
“I don’t remember this place being this big before,” I marveled. Granted, it’d been years since I was here, and I was a little girl back then. I fixed my grip on my dog’s leash and looked back at the driver. “So, where is he?” I asked.
“Right this way, Miss,” he said, extending his hand out toward the double doors, waiting for me to walk ahead of him. I tightened my hold on my dog’s leash, took a deep breath, and went in.
The first thing I thought of when the doors opened was that the house looked larger from the inside, something I knew to be impossible. There was a big, sparkling chandelier hanging over the foyer and two grand staircases. My gaze followed the steps all the way up until I reached the center, where a tall man with graying hair peered down and two women stood on either side of him.
This man was my father, and instantly I felt a flash of anger coursing through me as I remembered everything that happened in my life – and in my mother’s life – all because of him.
“Charlotte,” he called softly, and I turned my eyes down to stare at the floor. “I’m glad you finally decided to accept my offer,” he said.
“I only took it because this big guy doesn’t have anywhere else to go,” I said, holding the leash up so he could see.
“Daddy, why are you letting a dog in here?” one of the women beside him asked. My ears perked up when she called my father “Daddy,” and I immediately realized that she was my half-sister, which meant the older woman on the other side of my father must be…
“Charlotte, I’d like to introduce you to–”
I raised my hand up and stopped him from saying another word. I didn’t like how we were set up. I was standing at the bottom of the stairs while all three of them addressed me from above, not bothering to come down and greet me properly. It was a statement, I realized. This was their subtle way of telling me where my place was, and it was beneath them.
Well, I figured I should give them a statement of my own.
I pulled my dog’s leash lightly and climbed up the stairs, my lips barely able to contain the smirk that crossed my lips as I watched the older woman’s face turn ghastly pale. I guess she really did mean something with the whole staying on top of the stairs thing.
I stopped right in front of th
em and turned to look at my father, smiling politely.
“You were saying?” I asked him.
“Oh. Charlotte, allow me to introduce to you my wife, Wilhelmina.” He waved his hand toward the older woman and she lifted her hand slightly – a poor attempt at a wave. She raised one eyebrow as she assessed me from head to toe, and I could tell she didn’t think highly of me. I was just wearing a t-shirt and tattered jeans, after all, very different from the fine dresses she and her daughter were sporting. “And this is your sister, Ariana.” He pointed toward the younger woman.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said, smiling politely at both of them.
“I’m sure it is,” Ariana replied, and I knew then that my half-sister and I would not be getting along anytime soon.
She was beautiful. Her long curly brown hair was tied in a high ponytail, her tanned skin was flawless and radiant, and she had big brown eyes that looked sleepy yet vibrant at the same time. She was quite petite as well, barely reaching my chin with the top of her head, and I guessed she was about five feet tall. However, the way she stood was ramrod straight, making her look regal and so much taller than she was.
I tried not to let the growing feeling of insecurity show in my face as I looked at her, even though it was hard. She was so beautiful and looked like she really belonged here, surrounded by luxury, unlike me, who stuck out like a sore thumb. I looked plain compared to her – my flat red hair and green eyes would never compare to the almost exotic allure of her features. Her mom pretty much looked the same. She was an older version of Ariana but with hair that barely reached the tip of her chin.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my father pull his phone out and answer a call. He spoke quietly for a while and when he hung up, I knew he was about to ask me something else.
“I’m so sorry, but I have to take care of this matter for the company. Ariana, may I please ask you to give your sister a tour?” he asked her.
“Of course, Daddy. Leave her to me!” she said, grinning so hard I thought she’d break her teeth.