Fortune's Angel (Fates Aligned Book 2)

by Christi Whitson

I unlocked my car and tossed the shopping bags into the passenger seat, taking a moment to let the accumulated heat out of the car before I dared to climb in. August was winding down, and I knew we wouldn’t have too many more days like this. Cooler temperatures, especially at night, was a prospect I could consider with more optimism than I’d had a week ago.

  A flash of light in my periphery drew my attention as I was about to get in the car, and it took me a moment to spot the source of it. The setting sun had reflected off of someone’s car, and to my dismay, I recognized the make and model. It was a dark gray sedan with tinted windows, and although I couldn’t read the license plate from where I was standing, I had no trouble remembering where I’d seen it before.

  In the parking lot at Chance Encounters.

  A chill raised the hair on my arms despite the late summer heat, and I quickly got into my car, locking myself inside. I kept my eyes on the car through my rearview mirror as I started the engine and cranked the air conditioning. I was assaulted with a blast of hot air at first, but I didn’t care. I wanted the windows up and the doors locked. My eyes darted back and forth to my mirror as I pulled out of the store’s lot, but the car didn’t follow. The windows had been too dark to see its occupant or if there had even been anyone inside at all. Just like the car that followed us last night… Could it have been the same one?

  Once I was through the light and turning onto the interstate entrance ramp, I began to breathe a little easier, and the further I drove, the more I began to question what I’d seen. I knew what kind of car Brent Sullivan drove, but now the absence of it in my rearview made me wonder if I’d actually seen his car after all. If he’d been tailing me, surely he would’ve followed me away from the store. The queasiness that had settled in my stomach began to wane.

  Had I jumped to the wrong conclusion? It was a popular vehicle, and I was sure there had to be hundreds of them in the area. The odds of it actually being his car were slim enough to make me roll my eyes at my own paranoia. I eased up off the gas, and the tension faded from my muscles a little more.

  Get a grip, Charlotte.

  I was being ridiculous. Between Eli’s overprotectiveness and Donovan’s urges of caution, I’d gotten spooked and worked myself into a panic over the sight of a perfectly common vehicle. I forced the incident from my mind as I took the exit for downtown and headed toward Eli’s building. By the time I pulled into the parking garage, I felt much better. The smile that lit my face when I walked into his apartment and saw him making our dinner was perfectly natural, and I greeted him with a kiss.

  “Smells great.”

  “Hope it tastes great. How was shopping?” He glanced at my two shopping bags with skepticism.

  “Productive enough for one trip.”

  “You’re efficient. You should see my sister shop. I swear she comes back with half the store’s inventory.”

  I laughed as I headed to the utility room to load my purchases into the washing machine. Eli kept up a steady monologue about his sister Kennedy, and I couldn’t help but smile at the affection in his voice. He loved his sister and was proud of her. Protective too, if I was reading him accurately. At least I wasn’t the only one on the receiving end of that particular character trait. Eli would worry himself into a heart attack if he wasn’t careful.

  That’s why I was glad he hadn’t been with me at the store earlier. He didn’t need my paranoia making him anxious.

  Twenty

  Eli

  “You’re certainly in a good mood tonight,” Charlotte commented with a smile as she watched me from the passenger seat of my car. “I take it you had a good day?”

  “I did. I woke up next to the most gorgeous woman in the world, went to work and got to hear all sorts of wonderful things about her, and now I get to tell my family she’s my girlfriend. The only thing that could’ve made it better would’ve been getting to spend the whole day in bed with you.”

  “Which I’m guessing is exactly what you have planned for tomorrow.”

  “See how well you know me?” I gave her a flirtatious smile, and she rolled her eyes playfully.

  The past two weeks had been the best weeks of my life. Things with Charlotte may have moved quickly, but I wasn’t regretting it in the slightest. It felt natural for us, as though taking things slowly would’ve been a waste of our time. She’d slipped into my life so easily, fitting perfectly into a Charlotte-shaped space I hadn’t even known was empty.

  “Who was talking about me at work?” she asked curiously.

  “Leona and Samantha. They’re both very impressed with you. Samantha in particular wanted to thank us for sending her someone who knows what they’re doing. She hasn’t had the best luck with assistants in the past.”

  “She told me. I don’t think she was really all that sad that the last girl decided to quit.”

  “Yeah. Is everything still okay on your end? No one has been rude to you?”

  “A few sideways looks, maybe, but no nasty comments. It helps having Samantha on my side, and Leona’s a force to be reckoned with too. No one wants to get sent to the principal’s office.”

  We chuckled together at the accuracy of her analogy, and I breathed a small sigh of relief. I’d been afraid someone would say something to frighten her away from our relationship, but as far as I could tell, Charlotte’s first two weeks at RPC had gone off without a hitch. And even better, at least in my opinion, was the fact that the shifts she’d worked last weekend at the restaurant had turned out to be her last.

  She was now making more money than both her previous incomes combined, and with the new private insurance, her bills were lower too. I had already seen a change in her, particularly after her first paycheck cleared. The stress and worry that had always lingered around her eyes was nearly gone, and she’d admitted out loud that it felt strange to have money again. To be able to buy more than her basic necessities without feeling guilty about it. To be able to save money that wasn’t already tagged for her mother’s medical bills.

  Charlotte had agreed to let me help her move Paula to Tampa, and we’d been scouting out potential care facilities in our spare time. She had settled on one yesterday, and plans were in the works to get Paula transported next week. It was a relief to be able to lift at least some of the burden from Charlotte’s shoulders, and I knew she’d be even happier when her mother was close by.

  She hadn’t mentioned getting her own place again, which made me so happy I’d actually caught myself whistling this morning. I knew our arrangement was supposed to be temporary, but I didn’t want her to leave. Ever. She belonged in my home, in my arms, and in my bed.

  “Your parents know I’m coming?” Charlotte asked for the third time today. I answered her with a patient smile.

  “Yes, Angel. Don’t worry. They’ll love you.”

  “Sorry, I just… I haven’t done this sort of thing in a while. Meeting a boyfriend’s family, I mean. And certainly not after two weeks. Won’t they think it’s too soon?”

  “It might be too soon for a lot of people, but not for us. Besides, I met your mom after less than a day,” I reminded her, grinning. She laughed and sounded a little less nervous.

  “I guess when you put it that way…”

  “It’ll be fine. Besides, Kennedy and Donovan already know, and I’m sure Kenn told my dad.”

  “But not your mom?”

  “Eh… Kenn and I have a standing agreement not to share each other’s personal lives with Mom. She’s a different sort of ‘force to be reckoned with.’ But she’ll be pleased to see I’m dating again. She’s been on my back about it for months.”

  “Well, I guess that’s one point in my favor.”

  I frowned a little as we pulled into my parents’ driveway in Palma Ceia. Hopefully, my mother would be on her best behavior tonight. While she’d made definite improvements over the past couple of years, she still had momentary lapses of tact.

  “Look, if she does say something rude, or even a lot of somethings�
�� Please don’t take anything personally. She acts that way with just about everyone. It’s not you.”

  “Okay,” Charlotte nodded, giving me her bravest smile. “I worked in customer service a long time. I can handle rude comments with a smile.”

  God, I hoped so. The last thing I needed was my mother scaring off the first woman I’d ever truly fallen for. I noticed that Kennedy and Donovan had arrived first, which was a good thing. It meant Mom would probably be focused on Ethan. I squeezed Charlotte’s hand as we moved up the sidewalk to the front door and went inside. Several voices called out greetings, and I answered back in kind, leading Charlotte into the living room.

  “Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Charlotte Douglas,” I announced, deciding to get the formal introductions out of the way first. “Charlotte, these are my parents, Lee and Virginia. My sister, Kennedy, and of course, you already know her husband, Donovan. And this little slobber monster is Ethan.”

  My nephew recognized his name and gave a squeal of happiness, leaning out of Kennedy’s arms toward me. I slid my hands beneath his arms with a smile and settled him against my shoulder, patting his little back.

  “We’re glad to have you, dear,” Dad told Charlotte, shaking her hand politely. “Especially since you were able to pull this one out of his office on a Friday night. I was beginning to think he’d forgotten what a weekend is.” Everyone chuckled at my expense, and I shrugged in good humor. I’d been working much less overtime since Charlotte had come into my life.

  “I agree,” Mom smiled. “It’s good to see you, son. And it’s wonderful to meet you, Charlotte.”

  She was perfectly polite and looked very happy, presumably over finally seeing me with someone new, but I could tell she was reserving judgment. There was the faintest hint of skepticism in her eyes, and I tried not to let it worry me.

  Kennedy hadn’t met Charlotte officially, other than in passing at Chance Encounters, and she surprised Charlotte with a hug.

  “I’m glad to finally meet you. I’ve heard so many good things,” my sister smiled. “Anyone willing to put up with this asshole must have a heart of gold.”

  “Hey,” I said, pretending to take offense and turning to my nephew. “Did you hear what your mom just said? Make sure you remember that word when you start talking in a few months.”

  “He’s got a point,” Donovan chuckled, nudging Kennedy.

  “I know,” she sighed. “I’m awful. You’d think I’d have learned that lesson from Miranda.”

  “Kinley picking up some bad words?” I grinned, picturing the little girl’s dark curls and button nose.

  “She says ‘dammit’ every time she drops something. Which is a lot. The daycare sent a note home.”

  “Trust me, that’s probably the tamest thing she’s heard from my sister,” Donovan laughed, before addressing Charlotte. “Miranda is my sister, and Kinley is my niece. She’s two.”

  “I think they came into the restaurant once a few months ago,” Charlotte nodded. “The little girl was so sweet. I didn’t wait on them, but she had a smile for everyone. I think she would’ve given out free hugs if she’d been allowed to walk around.”

  “That sounds about right.”

  “You work at Donovan’s restaurant?” my mother piped up, looking at Charlotte with raised eyebrows. Oh, boy. I hadn’t given them any details about how we’d met, and I was already regretting that decision. But my girlfriend merely smiled back politely.

  “I did until recently, but I work at RPC now.”

  When she didn’t volunteer anything else, I could tell Mom wanted to ask a follow-up, but Dad took the opportunity to herd us all into the dining room. I expected Mom to pounce on Charlotte again at the first opportunity, but to my relief, the conversation was blissfully boring for a good fifteen minutes. Dad kept me talking about the business and pulled Charlotte into the conversation by sharing a few of his funnier stories about Rowan in their military days. Unfortunately, Dad’s skills of interception couldn’t hold out forever.

  “So, how did you two meet exactly?” Mom asked Charlotte directly. “Eli’s always so cryptic about his personal life, I never really know what’s going on.”

  “We met at RPC back in July.”

  I nodded in agreement, approving of Charlotte’s choice of phrasing. We had met in July, though it had been late in the month, and it was now just the first week of September. But the way she’d said it made our acquaintance sound a bit longer.

  “But you worked for Donovan?”

  “Yes. We ran into each other there too,” she smiled. “Our paths just kept crossing, like the universe wanted us to be together.”

  “I couldn’t have put it better,” I agreed, squeezing her hand beneath the table and stifling a laugh because I knew those two instances were the only times we’d met by accident. My mom responded with a hesitant smile.

  “Are you from this area, then?”

  “Sort of. I’m originally from Wauchula, which is about an hour from here.”

  “I see. So, you came here for… college?” Mom’s eyes appeared to do a quick scan of Charlotte’s face and body, no doubt mentally calculating her age.

  “I went to UF in Gainesville, actually. I just moved here for work.”

  “Oh, that’s nice. We have friends up in Gainesville. Did you not like it there?”

  They did? A glance in my father’s direction told me he was just as clueless as I was, and I knew Mom had fabricated that detail in the hopes of getting Charlotte to open up. I sighed and exchanged a knowing look with my sister. This had gone far enough.

  “There’s really no need to interrogate her, Mom. You’ll scare her away.” My words may have sounded like a joke, but my face said otherwise. Mom gave me an innocent smile.

  “I just wanted to get to know her.”

  “There will be plenty of time for that,” I replied, smiling softly at Charlotte. I was relieved to see that she didn’t look too intimidated.

  “That’s true. And now you have a date for the sock hop next month, so you have no excuse not to show up.”

  I tried not to roll my eyes at my mother’s gloating expression. Charlotte looked at me curiously, and I realized I hadn’t brought it up with her yet. I’d intended to ask her, of course, but we’d had other things on our minds.

  “Mom’s on the board for the local branch of the HOP foundation,” I explained.

  “The Homeless Outreach Program?” Charlotte asked in nervous surprise.

  “Yes!” Mom beamed. “Are you familiar with it?”

  “Somewhat. I’ve done some volunteer work at one of the local shelters.”

  “Until recently, Charlotte handled our food donations,” Donovan spoke up. “She delivered them to the shelter herself every night.”

  The others looked suitably impressed by that information, but I could tell Charlotte was uncomfortable with the subject. She clearly didn’t want my family knowing about her previous living situation, and I couldn’t blame her. Of course, the majority of them would think no less of her for it, but my mother might be a different story.

  For all Mom’s contributions to the program, I doubted she’d approve of her son dating someone who had been homeless. That was the sort of thing people whispered about, and Virginia Brighton abhorred being the subject of gossip. She could dish it out, but she certainly couldn’t take it.

  “Anyway, the event is an annual fundraiser with a sock hop theme,” I told Charlotte, hoping to redirect the conversation a bit. “They raise a lot of money for the local shelters and food pantries. I forgot to mention it to you, but I was hoping you’d want to come.”

  “That’s wonderful. And it sounds like a great time,” she smiled.

  “Perfect,” Mom declared. “I’ll make sure to add you as Eli’s plus one, and I can recommend a few places that should have some decent costumes.”

  Charlotte agreed, if a bit reluctantly, and that seemed to be the end of the inquisition. Mom looked satisfied that both of her children woul
d be at her event in style, and the conversation turned to how things were going at Chance Encounters. Since my parents were investors, they enjoyed the regular updates from Donovan, and he loved to talk about it. Charlotte and I welcomed the reprieve and took the first opportunity to head to the living room with Kennedy and the baby.

  “I like her,” Kennedy said quietly as we watched Charlotte make faces at Ethan. I smiled but couldn’t look away to reply.

  “I figured you would. You’d like her even more if you knew as much about her as I do. She’s amazing.”

  “Wow. Look at you. It’s like you’re impersonating that heart-eyed emoji.”

  I tried and failed to give her a stern look, and she chuckled. The sound of Ethan’s infectious belly laugh made us both look back to see Charlotte making a complete fool of herself for his amusement.

  “Eli, come with me, please. I need to talk to you for a minute,” Mom interrupted from the doorway.

  I didn’t want to stop watching Charlotte and the baby, but I stood up anyway and did as I was told. I followed her down the hallway to the den and braced myself for a full dose of her unpleasantness.

  “Charlotte seems lovely. And you both seem very happy,” she began hesitantly, like she was weighing each word before she spoke them. I relaxed minutely, since that was a caution she hadn’t always taken in the past.

  “She is, and we are.”

  “Good. I’m glad. But…” Here it comes. “I feel like I need to speak up about the fact that she works for you. Are you sure it was wise to hire your girlfriend? Or… date your employee? Which one really came first?”

  “Mom—”

  “No, just hear me out. How do you know for sure that she’s not using you for your position? Rowan Pierce made you a wealthy man, and that means you can’t go around dating just anyone now.”

  “Rowan gave me a chance because he thought of me as family. I gave Charlotte a chance for the same reason.”

  “That’s all very romantic, but—”

  “That’s enough, Virginia,” my dad interrupted, stepping into the room behind me. Thank God, because I had already begun to lose my patience and might’ve said something I’d regret later. “Eli is a grown man, and Charlotte is a sweet girl.”