by Kira Blakely
“Look, if you want to see who blinks first, be my guest, but I am going inside. My feet hurt like hell. Later, guys,” I said, turning away from them and giving them a wave of my hand without looking back.
***
Sean
I seriously did not get this guy and his need for ruining the best moments in my life. He’s butted in so many times, I was starting to think he’d turned it into either a hobby or an art form.
He was probably enjoying cutting me off, too. The bastard.
“I told you, didn’t I?” he snarled. “Stay away from her.”
“She’s not your property, Parker. She can hang out with whomever she wants. Your panties are only in a twist because she wants to hang out with me,” I said, and he took a step toward me. I did the same until a bright light shined in our direction, and I shielded my eyes to stop it from blinding me.
I strained my eyes to see where the light was coming from and could make out a car. It turned off its headlights and a man in a crisp business suit got out, his eyes the exact same shade of green as Charlie’s.
I didn’t need to be a genius to know who this guy was. It was Charlie’s dad. He looked at me first before turning his gaze to Parker, who straightened himself to his full height. Seriously? The guy saw me first before turning to you. Any attempt at making yourself look better is futile, since he’s already seen the better-looking man.
“Parker, right?” Charlie’s dad asked, and he nodded.
“Yes, sir,” he replied. Charlie’s dad nodded and turned back to look at me, and I puffed my chest a little in response. “And who are you? A friend of Charlotte’s as well?” he asked, and I nodded.
“Yes, sir. My name is Sean. I just took her home,” I answered.
“From your date?” he asked once more, and I could detect a hint of edge in his voice when he said that. I bit the inside of my cheeks to keep myself from smiling. I didn’t mind him thinking that at all, but Charlie’s dad didn’t look like he’d be too pleased to know that when he didn’t even know who I was.
I shook my head. “No, sir. I saw her walking while I drove by, so I offered her a ride. I didn’t want her to get rained on,” I explained, and the tension in his face disappeared as he nodded.
“Well, since both of you are already here, would you like to come inside? You can stay for dinner,” he offered. I was about to accept when Parker intervened.
“No, sir. We wouldn’t want to intrude,” Parker said.
“It’s fine. I’d also like to get to know my daughter’s friends better. I insist,” Charlie’s dad said before walking toward the house. Parker and I looked at each other before following suit, and I whistled low as I looked at how fancy their home was.
We followed Charlie’s dad – who told us to call him Nicholas – to the dining room, and after the food was served, Nicholas immediately started interrogating us. He wanted to know everything – like how we first met Charlie (a fact that I had to work my brain into keeping as vague as possible, because I couldn’t exactly tell him I almost killed his daughter with my truck), what we did for a living (professional football players), and funny enough, what our intentions were toward his daughter. I felt like Parker and I were in a job interview, to be honest, and only one of us was going to pass through to the next stage of winning Charlie’s heart.
I made sure to let Nicholas know how good I was in my chosen career, how I had won the MVP award, and everything else I could think of to impress him. Parker didn’t say much, but when he did, he was all, “I owe it all to the team’s efforts,” or something like that.
When we finished eating and it was time for us to go, Nicholas walked us out. I waited with bated breath for him to say anything else, like a clue if he approved of me going out with his daughter or something like that, when he suddenly stopped walking. Parker and I stopped and snuck a glance at each other before waiting for Nicholas to speak.
“I forgot to tell you two about the party we will be having next week. We will be formally introducing Charlotte as part of the Jameson clan, and seeing as you are the closest friends my daughter has, I’d be very happy if you came,” he invited, and I smiled widely.
“Of course. I’d be happy to, sir,” I replied, and he nodded at me, smiling slightly. He turned to Parker next, who nodded.
“I wouldn’t miss it, sir. Thank you,” Parker said.
“That’s good, then. Since you will be going, Parker, might I ask you one more favor?” he said, and Parker nodded, looking confused.
“Would you be Charlotte’s escort?”
Chapter Twelve
Charlie
I was holding on to my dog’s leash as he hurried down the stairs, excited for his walk when I spotted my father talking to Sean and Parker outside. He clapped Parker’s shoulder and smiled at Sean before making his way back to the house.
I opened the door for him, and he looked surprised for a second before giving me a kind smile.
“Yes, Charlotte, what is it?” he asked. I still wasn’t used to him calling me by my real name.
“Uh, what were you doing talking with Parker and Sean?” I asked.
“Is it wrong for a father to want to get to know his daughter’s suitors?” he asked innocently, and I couldn’t help but laugh at him.
“Oh, yeah? I’m surprised you didn’t bring a shotgun to your conversation,” I humored him.
“Sadly, I don’t have any firearms in the house. Do you think I should invest in one?” he asked me, his face totally serious.
“Okay, joke’s over, Dad,” I said, and my eyes widened as I realized what I’d just called him. He was equally surprised, and then he smiled brightly. I scratched the back of my head, feeling embarrassed.
“I asked your friend Parker to be your escort for next week,” he said, and I looked at him weirdly.
“Do I need to have an escort?” I asked.
“Not really, but I like him for you. He’s a lot humbler than your other friend,” he said, and I slapped my hand to my forehead. Sean had probably put his foot in his mouth and started bragging about himself again.
I opened the door and saw Sean still standing outside, Parker nowhere to be found. I said goodbye to my father and ran out with my dog, chasing after Sean.
“Hey, Sean!” I called, and he turned his head toward me, his eyes widening in surprise. “What are you doing?” I asked, and he shrugged.
“Nothing. I was just about to leave. What about you?” I raised the leash in answer, and he looked down and smiled at the dog who happily rubbed its face in Sean’s legs. “Remember him?”
“How could I forget?” Sean replied, crouching down and giving my dog some love. I laughed at how silly they looked and sat down on the ground beside them.
“I heard my dad talked to you and Parker earlier. How did that go?” I asked him.
Sean faltered a little, but quickly resumed rubbing my dog’s ears. “It was all right,” he said softly. I raised my eyebrows at him, and he sighed. “I mean, I thought it went well until your dad asked Parker to be your date to the party instead of me,” he admitted.
“Dad said he only chose Parker because he was humbler than you,” I told him, and Sean closed his eyes, like he was expecting that answer. “Maybe this is the time for you to consider dialing down that ego meter? I mean, I know that underneath all that bravado you’re a really great guy. And that person does not need you to brag about himself.”
“I guess I’ll try,” he mumbled. “What’s his name?” he asked, scratching my dog’s belly now.
I wrinkled my nose in response. “Nothing yet. I’m having a hard time thinking of a name for him. Got any ideas? I’m open to suggestions.”
“Hmm,” he said, getting back on his feet as he pondered my question. “What about Dash? After all, he’s a big, speedy monster who escaped becoming a decoration for my fender,” Sean joked, and I giggled and nodded.
“Dash, huh? Do you like that name, sweetie?” I asked, looking down at the Labrador, a
nd he wagged his tail happily, making Sean and I both smile in delight. “Well, he seems to like that,” I said, and Sean nodded.
He looked at his watch and sighed. “I gotta go, Charlie. I’m sorry.”
I shook my head. “Nothing to be sorry for. Just go before I change my mind,” I said, getting back up as well. He bent his head down and kissed my cheek before whispering goodnight. I watched him walk back to his car and drive off before pulling on my newly-christened dog, Dash, for a walk.
I touched my cheek where Sean kissed me, and I felt myself blush because of it. I was acting like a giddy little school girl, with my heart beating fast and loud and my face red as a tomato, but I couldn’t help myself. Sean was going to give me a heart attack, I just knew it.
***
A week had passed and it was finally the night where I was to be formally introduced as Charlotte Jameson, the eldest daughter of Nicholas Jameson and an heiress of the Jameson Company.
I had done the best I could the past few weeks, training and learning all the ins and outs of running the business. Despite still having that nagging feeling that I was nowhere near ready for this, I comforted myself in the fact that I had given it my all.
Ariana and I had not spoken with each other since I left her and her friends at the shop after I heard her say all those things about me, but I didn’t care anymore. Keeping what Sean told me in mind, I wasn’t going to try and make her like me anymore. If she wanted to be petty and rude to me, then fine, but I would not stoop to her level.
I looked at my reflection once more, amazed at how my maids could turn me into a princess yet again. My hair was in a braided up-do tucked into a bun. I was wearing a red A-line gown that kept my shoulders bare and white lace gloves that reached my elbows. As a final touch, I picked up the golden locket Dad had given me to wear, telling me that he had it made especially for me. To be honest, I was equal parts happy and surprised he was making an effort to reach out to me, or even get to know me at least. It made me realize that maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on him and give him a chance to get to know me.
I pushed the secret button on the locket, and my eyes teared up as it opened, and I saw a picture of him and my late mother on either side of it. It warmed my heart to know that even after all this time, and even when he was married to someone else, my father still had a special place in his heart reserved for my mom.
“Ms. Charlie?” Sarah’s voice dragged me out of my reverie and I smiled at her. “It’s time. The car is waiting.”
I nodded and finished putting the necklace on, placing the locket at the center of my chest, right where my heart was.
Once again, my dad and his family went ahead of me, only this time, Dad promised that he’d meet me there. Parker would also be waiting for me.
I wondered if Sean would be there, and I bit the inside of my lip to quell my excitement. We’d been talking more and more since that day, but whenever I asked him about the party, he’d clam up and talk about something else. I wish he’d tell me if he was coming or not.
My heart started beating fast just from thinking about him. I doubted it would stop being this way for a long while. My longtime crush on Sean West had evolved into something more, that much I was certain. And I made a promise to myself that if I saw him at the party, I was finally going to tell him how I felt about him.
Do I have a seventy-five percent chance? Absolutely. I have a seventy-five percent chance of getting rejected. But love was when you were willing to accept that you might get hurt in the process, right? So, I would take this as only the beginning of my pain and misery.
Oh, God. It sounded so bad when I put it that way.
What I did know was that I wanted Sean to know how I feel. I’d deal with whatever came from his reaction later. At least for now, I was comforted by the thought that if my heart did get broken, I had someone to fall back on and cry to, and that was my father.
***
Sean
I was nervous. I think I’d done something terribly wrong, but it was too late to take it back now.
When I drove out of Charlie’s place that night, I passed by her sister, Ariana, who was out walking with her friends. She saw me get out, and then the day after that, I received a call I didn’t expect to get.
My cellphone rang for the third time and I swore out loud, removing my hand from my pants. I took my phone out of my stand and answered, not bothering to check who it was.
“What?” I yelled.
“My goodness. Is that how football players say ‘hello’?” a feminine voice asked from the other end of the line.
My bravado disappeared and was replaced with confusion as I had no clue who the hell this chick was.
“Who is this?” I asked, feeling a little apprehensive about the call now. I hoped this wasn’t one of those women I slept with and wanted to trap me into marrying them or some shit like that. I’ve got my lawyer on speed dial for such cases, and I really don’t like pulling the paternity test card on these women.
“This is Ariana Jameson. I’m sure you’ve heard of me,” she said confidently, and my eyebrows shot way up from the high level of confidence this girl had. She could probably give me a run for my money.
Deciding to mess with her a little, I feigned ignorance. “Ariana? I know the singer, but a Jameson? Hmm… doesn’t ring a bell.”
“Well, I suppose that’s understandable, since I doubt you engage yourself in more sophisticated interests,” she responded, and I shook my head. This girl was way in over her head, and I really had no clue what Evan saw in her.
“Now that you’ve gotten around to insulting me, is there any point in this phone call? Or can I hang up now?” I asked.
“I’d like to make a proposition to you,” she said, and I tensed up, wondering where she was going with this. “My father has mentioned that he has asked Charlotte’s friend to be her escort, and I would like to ask you to come as mine.”
“Excuse me? And why would I do that?” I asked.
“To make her jealous, of course. Don’t you think this is the perfect opportunity to know how she really feels for you?”
I shook my head as I recalled how I stupidly agreed to Ariana’s master plan to get Charlie to notice me by making her jealous. I thought it was a brilliant idea. But then, after thinking it over some more, I realized that there were a lot more cons to this than it was worth. First was that Charlie might not become jealous of us at all, and then my heart would be crushed. Second was that I felt like I’d broken the golden rule for bros, and Evan was going to kick my ass once he found out that I went with Ariana even when he’d called dibs on her.
Ugh… I was pathetic.
I’d picked her up from their house earlier, and a part of me was glad that I didn’t see Charlie there. I wouldn’t have known what to do if she had caught me picking her sister up, so we left as soon as Ariana came down.
When we arrived at the party, her parents came to greet us, and they told me that Charlie was still on her way, so I immediately left Ariana’s side to look for some food. I didn’t want to be with her any longer than I had to.
Half an hour later, the floor was filled with people dancing and having fun. I left our table and walked toward the exit to get some fresh air when I heard the emcee’s voice through the speakers.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we will now be introducing you to the reason we are all gathered here today. Someone very dear to our hosts was once lost. But now, she has finally emerged and accepted her place in the family. Let us all welcome the newest addition to the Jameson clan, Ms. Charlotte Harris-Jameson!” The emcee raised her hand toward the stairs, and my heart thudded loudly in my chest as I slowly turned around and looked up.
She was so beautiful.
She smiled nervously as she came down the stairs, her hands holding her skirt up so it didn’t cause her to trip. Her eyes were bright, and her cheeks were flushed. Then she turned those green eyes of hers in my direction and smiled at me.
My hear
t stopped. I slowly raised my hand toward her as she got closer and closer, my ears ringing with every beat of my heart. She extended her hand, I reached for her…
…and someone else’s hand wrapped around her fingers.
I turned my head and watched as Parker pulled Charlie close, leaving me hanging. The spotlight shined on them, effectively leaving me and my heart in the shadows.
Chapter Thirteen
Charlie
If Parker hadn’t reached out and taken my hand, I wouldn’t have woken up from my fantasy and remembered that he was my date, not Sean. I turned my head to smile apologetically at Sean, but his face went taut and shadowy like he was a whole other person.
Parker walked with me to the stage where I gave a simple speech about being grateful to everyone who came, a brief introduction about myself, and finally, that I would be helping my family with the business. My Dad, Wilhelmina, and Ariana came up beside me for some pictures, and then the party resumed as the staff fixed the stage to get ready for the auction.
I saw Parker coming toward me, and I smiled.
“Hey, stranger,” I whispered, and he gave me a crooked smile.
“Hey, yourself,” he replied. He dropped his smile and looked at me with a serious expression. “Charlie, I need to–”
“There you are, Charlie!” I winced at my sister’s voice, turning to face her. My eyes widened in surprise as I saw her wrap her arm around Sean’s. I furrowed my brows at him, but he refused to look at me. Ariana pushed her chest closer to his arm, and I felt a surge of anger and jealousy toward her. “I hope you don’t mind if I steal him away. I mean, after all, you got the quarterback,” she said, sounding way too innocent and suspicious.
Parker took my hand, and I saw Sean’s face darken, looking at our joined hands. I moved to pull my hand away, but Parker wouldn’t let go, and then Sean shocked me by wrapping his arm around Ariana’s shoulders, pulling her closer to him but never taking his eyes from me.