The couple made their way back to the living room and Alex dropped exhausted to the sofa, not caring about his sweaty clothes. His friends and family gathered around, sipping cocktails or coffee, nibbling on canapés that Charlotte had handmade yesterday while he regaled them with stories of mishaps and accidents, triumphs and tribulations. He told his friends how he hit at a wall at mile marker 12 and how much having a cheering section waiting for him at thirteen helped. He thanked them all for their encouragement and support.
Charlotte emerged from the kitchen with a casserole in her hands and invited everyone to take a seat at the table. With family, friends and two neighbors from down the hall they made a party of sixteen. It was relaxed and friendly, with lots of good food. Alex ate the equivalent of a bear it seemed, and took a lot of ribbing for it before he finally announced he needed a shower and excused himself for a few minutes.
Conversation turned to the upcoming elections, Aubrey’s wedding plans and the rumblings of wedding plans for Randall and Sloane.
“My mother is planning an enormous event for late spring,” Sloane told them. “She is in seventh-heaven.” They all laughed envisioning Marianne Huyler throwing the social event of the year. All who knew her understood that she would be pulling out all the stops for her only child.
Alex stopped just outside the dining room when he returned, out of sight of everyone, listening to the conversation swirl around the table. Charlotte fit right into the group, tossing in her opinions without fear, accepted by all as if they had known her forever.
But of course, no one really knew her, did they?
Alex was listening to the wedding talk and wondering if he and Charlotte would ever get to the point where they could consider marriage. He was certainly falling in love with her. But she had not suggested introducing him to her family, in fact she was surprisingly silent on the subject considering she called home or they called her daily. She never took their calls without leaving the room for at least part of the conversation. The only exception was when she spoke with her brother, Don, at school. They would discuss recipes and cooking techniques until Alex’s eyes glazed over, but not speak of much else.
Alex was coming to understand that whatever Charlotte’s secret was, it had to do with her family as well. She was in some kind of danger. He knew that her brother Jake called specifically to check on her safety. Every conversation began the same way between the two of them, at least what he could hear of it as she left the room.
“Hi Jake. I’m fine. Really. Things are quiet here.”
What did that mean, ‘things are quiet here’? It was code for something. Alex was tired of wondering. It was time to put a plan in motion, he was chomping at the bit to get to the bottom of this but he needed to get through Aubrey’s wedding, clear things with his family, then his friends, and finally Charlotte. That could take months and based on Charlotte’s appearance and demeanor when he came in today, Alex feared he didn’t have months.
Forcing a smile back on his face, he entered the room to a hero’s hurrah and the conversation turned back to the marathon. There was tons of bragging by Alex’s family because he had shaved twenty minutes off his time – as if they had been the ones to train or run.
“That was all my doing,” Charlotte interrupted. “I ran his ass off before this race. If he hadn’t trained with me, he would have done much worse.”
“Oh,” Randall quipped, “so now they call that training.”
Everyone laughed and Charlotte blazed bright red. Alex loved her embarrassment, it made her feel more his for some reason. Perhaps because all around the table were acknowledging that every night, he took this special woman into his bed.
“Speaking of training,” Wyatt interrupted, “can we talk about the Tahoe schedule?” The men all began speaking at once and the afternoon proceeded around talk of skiing and travels.
The conversation came to a halt when Keeli announced that she could not possibly get away before her Christmas rush. “Not until mid-December for me.”
“What about your family, Kee?” Wyatt asked ending the silent brooding. “Aren’t they expecting us for Christmas? Sorry guys, but I think we have to push things out to January.”
“Speaking of Christmas,” Alex began, getting a collective groan when they all realized someone else was messing with their ski plans, “are you planning to spend Christmas with your family?”
The question was addressed directly at Charlotte.
“Well,” she began and then she stalled. “Well,” she started again, “I have no idea.” It seemed an innocuous enough response but Alex saw an opportunity to dig for more information. She couldn’t hide with all these people watching.
“But, Charlotte, you are so close with your family and your brother will be home from school. I would imagine this is a big deal for them, right?”
“Right,” Charlotte choked out.
“So, they must have some traditions, some plans,” Alex was relentless despite her discomfort.
“Of course you can have the time off, if that is what’s worrying you,” Regan announced from across the table. “I know you have only been able to take a couple days here and there to see them until now.”
“Really?” Alex dragged out the word. “I didn’t realize you had been going to Boston lately.”
“But she was just there,” Regan responded confused.
“Boston? Not St. Louis?” Alex asked, already knowing the answer.
Charlotte was sitting still in her chair, looking at her lap. Alex suspected she wished she were anywhere else, and that Regan would shut up.
No such luck, my dear. I am going in for the kill.
“Charlotte, would you care to explain?”
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
Sensing the tension in the room, Aubrey jumped in to break it.
“I am sure it is just a misunderstanding, Alex. Besides, I thought we were all going to Aspen for Christmas this year.”
“Yes,” Laurel Gaines agreed quickly. “We made plans ages ago to be in Aspen for Christmas. You promised us the house, Alex. You wouldn’t go back on your promise, dear.”
“We are counting on it, Alex,” Aubrey continued. “We have everything planned.”
Alex was forced to pay attention to the women from his family before things got out of control. He had indeed promised that the family could use his ski lodge for two weeks over the Christmas holidays. Aubrey would just have returned from her November honeymoon in Europe before her husband had to be in Springfield for the January session. She had announced she wanted to get away for a couple weeks of “r&r” after her wedding, her honeymoon and her move into a new house. Their mother had been quick to invite the rest of the family along.
“Well, that settles it,” Charlotte said, finding her voice again. “It’s Aspen for Christmas and January in Tahoe. My goodness you all live tough lives.”
The table full of privileged people took a moment to appreciate their good fortune as calendars came out to lock down dates. The four friends agreed to meet at Randall’s Tahoe home right after the new year and the women agreed to join them for a week at the end of that two week vacation.
Once that was resolved the party began to breakup. Charlotte wanted people to stay, expecting a blow up with Alex when they left, but it had been a very early start that morning, people had errands and activities, and Charlotte soon found herself alone with Alex. And silence. Dead silence.
“I guess I should clean up,” she offered to fill the quiet. “You must be exhausted. Why don’t you go lie down?”
“Leave it and come sit with me. I will help clean up later,” Alex offered reaching for her hand and pulling her with him to the sofa where he dropped like a ragdoll.
“I am totally wasted,” he confessed, “but happy. It was perfect weather, I had a really good run and that was a great lunch. You did a beautiful job.”
“Thanks, I loved entertaining your family and friends.”
“Our friends, Charlotte. Y
ou are definitely part of the group now. If Randall embarrasses you when he is sober, you are part of the crowd.”
“That’s all it takes?” Charlotte laughed, reaching to run her hands up Alex’s calves stretched across her lap.
“That’s all. Mm, that feels so good. Charlotte, we have to talk. You know that right?”
“Mm, hm,” she agreed quietly. “But not right now, okay?”
“When?” Alex pressed.
“Soon. I promise I will tell you everything soon.”
“Just tell me if you are okay. Something happened today, didn’t it?”
“Yes, I won’t lie. For a brief second today I thought I saw an old boyfriend. It was a bad breakup and I was shook up at the idea of running into him. But I was mistaken.”
“That’s all? Just an old boyfriend?”
Just. You should only know.
“It was a truly ugly breakup and I hoped never to see him again. It was a false alarm of course. He must be in Boston, not Chicago.”
“Sure, of course. That makes perfect sense.” Alex agreed, his eyes closing, his shoulders relaxing. “So you’re fine.”
“Yes,” Charlotte told his already sleeping form. “I am just fine.”
It had been a very close call, Charlotte knew. In all the excitement of the marathon, she had let her guard down. Of course, Gil would take advantage of the crowds and open spaces to insinuate himself closer to her. She was a fool not to be prepared for the possibility.
“I can pay for my own coffee,” she had told him briskly. “And I have a court order that says you have to stay 100 feet from me.”
“Come on, Car, give me a break. Just talk to me. I promise not to lay a finger on you.”
“That is what you always say. Go away, Gil. Leave me alone.”
“Leave you with your fancy job, your pretty boy and your rich friends? Now that you have a hoity-toity degree from Harvard none of us are good enough for you?”
“That’s not it and you know it. Go away.” Charlotte pushed through the lines of waiting people for the door. “Don’t follow me and stay out of my damn apartment!”
“What do you care about your apartment? You haven’t been back there once. I just want to see you, Carlotta. We could be good together, Querida, you know we could. It could be like before. I just want to be with you.”
“Gil, we’re done. It is never, ever going to be like before,” Charlotte heard her voice rising sharply but could not stop herself. “Leave me alone before I call the police. I mean it.” Taking a calming breath, Charlotte pulled herself up to her full height and threw back her shoulders trying to give extra force to her words.
“Go head, bitch, call the police. But if you avoid me, I promise, all your important friends are going to hear the truth. How long do you think you will keep that posh job of yours once I talk to your boss? How fast do you think that fancy boy of yours will run in the opposite direction? Do you think your father will live through it, Carlotta, if I start talking? Think of the consequences, Querida, before you chase me away.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Charlotte hissed.
“Just try me, Carlotta. Just try calling my bluff. I am done being patient. I am done being understanding. You need to come home and you better do it soon. You cannot hide from me or the truth much longer. I intend to have my way.”
Gil had taken hold of Charlotte’s arm again, wrapping his heavy hand around the soft skin of her wrist and twisting. Charlotte felt frightened and unsure of what to do when a policeman rode by on a bicycle and Gil dropped her arm and disappeared into the crowd.
For a moment, she thought she had imagined the whole thing but the pounding of her heart, the pain where he twisted her wrist and the cold seeping into her pores despite the sunny morning reminded her that the threat had been very real.
It still was.
She didn’t see how she could add this mess to the problems she was already struggling with. How could she juggle Alex, Gil, her work, her family and her damn lies? How much longer could she keep all these balls in the air? She felt ready to crack now.
“Charlotte?” Alex’s sleepy voice brought Charlotte back to the present.
“Hmm?” she leaned over, kissing his lips lightly.
“You would tell me if you were in real trouble, right? You understand that we are a team now. Your problems are my problems. I am here for you. Promise me you will tell me if you need my help.”
“Yes, sleepy head, I understand that. You rest and I will go clean up a bit, teammate,” she said, sliding out from under him and heading for the kitchen.
Good thing he was tired. Otherwise, he would have realized I never actually promised. I need to figure this out soon, before I drag LHRE and Alex down with me too. Carlotta Rocha, I think it’s time to go home.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“Regan to the rescue,” Charlotte teased when the car pulled up to the curb Wednesday morning for a day of shopping.
“Actually, it’s not me that is the hero today, it’s Missy,” Regan pointed to where her older sister sat in the backseat. “She swears that Katie can outfit both of you perfectly and get it all done today. I have to wear that hideous bridesmaid’s dress.”
“It’s not hideous and you know it,” Missy corrected. “It may not be what you would have chosen but it is a beautiful dress.
“It’s green.” Regan responded. She could not have sounded more miserable if she had said it was made of alligator skin and died chartreuse.
“A beautiful pale green that happens to look great on you,” her sister retorted. “So stop bitching about it.”
“Yes, Melissa. Whatever you say, Melissa.”
“Cut it out you two,” Charlotte ordered. “You promised me a fun day.”
“Oh, it will be.” “You’ll love it,” the two replied almost in unison, all sibling animosity quickly forgotten.
The three were spending the day with Missy’s professional fashion stylist, Katie Schuppler, founder of KS Styling. Katie had been enlisted to help them find dresses for the wedding and style them to perfection. Charlotte had waited until the last minute to find a dress, assuming she would wear something that Jo had selected when she was first injured. Shopping was not her thing so the shortcut had suited her.
Regan had been quick to point out the flaws in Charlotte’s plan. One, she needed an evening gown, not a cocktail dress. Second, Jo had shopped months ago, buying clothes for late summer and early autumn, not early November. Third, her friends and coworkers had seen much of her wardrobe and, the Howe sisters had explained, she could not be seen wearing something she had already worn. They all knew that Charlotte would show up in a business suit if they didn’t intervene.
“Do they not have the same problem in Boston?” Missy had asked Charlotte. “You don’t wear the same outfit to multiple benefits, right, not after you have been photographed in it? Besides, don’t the designers offer you dresses to wear to those things? Even I get offers from second-tier designers.”
Thinking quickly, Charlotte had answered with what she believed was a plausible reply. “It’s Boston, Missy. We have that Puritan work ethic thing going there. People take pride in saving money, giving to charity. Being too flashy is not seemly in Boston. Wearing a dress twice is totally acceptable.”
“Oh, yeah. I had not thought of it that way.”
“Well, certainly, there are a few flashy types, but I was never one of them.”
That had ended the conversation but not the argument. The sisters insisted that Charlotte let Katie find her a dress. Having never worked with a stylist, or even met one, Charlotte was nervous, but excited too. It would be so much fun to shop with her friends and a professional stylist. Charlotte had never done anything remotely like it before and had no idea what to expect, but she agreed with little persuasion to let Missy set things up.
She was unprepared for the very young, very petite Katie. Her first impression was that this woman could not be out of school yet, let alone be an expe
rienced professional. Born and raised in nearby Wisconsin, Katie was a fresh-faced girl of 30, slender, not much above 5’ tall and with a smattering of freckles across her nose. Her dark hair hung to the middle of her back simply, but her outfit was fantastic and very chic. Charlotte immediately coveted the short boots Katie was wearing and the insouciant way she had accessorized.
As soon as she began talking, it became obvious that Katie was savvy and connected with Chicago stores of every style and price range. She handed Charlotte her card and Charlotte tucked it safely in her wallet, knowing that she would be back to Katie to help dress her for everything.
Katie suggested they start at Neiman Marcus, with a follow on trip to Ikram or Saks if they needed it. Once they had a game plan, and a parking space, they moved quickly to the gowns and then Katie became a whirlwind of activity while the women were shown to seats and handed bottles of water. Soon the petite stylist had gathered what appeared to be the entire stock of gorgeous gowns, all in the correct sizes.
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