by Vivian Lux
He grinned that grin of his that always made me want to count his teeth and see if there really were more than should be in a human mouth. "You're gonna be thrilled with the numbers we're working with here," he said, clapping his hand down on my shoulder again.
The wide sidewalk was empty of people, but I could hear the hum of diners inside. It sounded like the place was packed and it was only four in the afternoon. If it was this busy during the down-season, I couldn't imagine the throngs that must gather here in the summer time when the tourist season was at its height. A quick glance around me told me that Cole was working in smart phases, making certain everything was leased before the next round. He'd paid careful attention to fitting the development in with the landscape, building a pretty promenade that jutted out into the water. Seagulls wheeled overhead and I could hear the lapping of the water against the pier. It was altogether a pretty place and I was clearly not the only person who wanted to get in on the action. Coming Soon signs were in the windows of nearly every unopened shop.
But I kept my face studiously neutral as I regarded Parker coolly. "Let's hope I'm thrilled," I sniffed, shifting from one foot to the other like I was in pain. "After everything that's gone wrong."
The overgrown frat boy snatched his hand back then took a step back and winced. "Sorry man, was that too hard? Your assistant told me about the accident."
"Yes, well..." I trailed off, glancing away without bothering to hide my contempt. I'd never liked Parker Henley, not even back in our early days at Penn, but he was a brilliant money manager and Cole Granger had snapped him up to run the investment side of his little real estate empire up here. It was too bad Parker looked like a Ken doll with his overly gelled hair and toothy grin. Plus, I was pretty sure his nails were manicured. They were far shinier than any man's fingernails had business being.
Parker was an overgroomed idiot, but he was no fool. He could see that my interest in being chatted up was waning so he quickly stepped aside. "How about we head in?" he asked. "Man, I am so glad you rescheduled. I've been wanting to come here for ages and you've given me the best excuse possible."
"What, you can't get in?" I jeered. "Your company owns the building."
He shrugged. "The chef is a bit of a control freak." He moved to open the door for me. "You'll see. Staff is excellent though. And so is the food."
"Better be, I'm starving."
"Uh oh," Parker joked. "You're a beast when you're hungry. Hey, remember that time in junior year when we broke into the cafeteria..."
He launched into some sordid tale of college debauchery that I immediately tuned out. The fact I'd gone to the University of Pennsylvania on scholarship was something that very few of my peers knew about. I was good at keeping up appearances and fitting in, and my luck had held pretty well the whole four years. Only Cole, a fellow scholarship kid, knew the real story. That I had run away from home, gotten myself legally emancipated from my parents at seventeen and worked my way through business school by writing code in my dorm room.
Cole knew all this and that's why he'd called me, but Parker still thought I was part of his crowd. The trust fund babies and their never-ending flow of money. Sure I was one of them now, but it was hard to shake the feeling that it would all disappear tomorrow, which was why I was always seeking out more of it.
Investing in Granger Point was a big step towards doing that. Provided my luck continued to hold. I brushed my hand over the lucky coin in my pocket and followed Parker into the restaurant.
"It's kind of amazing we got a table on such short notice," Parker piped up as we stepped into the dark wood and glass expanse.
I didn't answer. I was too busy staring at the hostess's stand.
"I said, it's hard getting in here," Parker prompted, wanting desperately to impress me. "You're pretty lucky."
The woman at the hostess's stand caught me staring at her and she froze in place, the crown of blonde curls on her head bobbing slightly as she recoiled. She stared at me, open mouthed and I broke out in a smile and touched my hand to my coin, resisting the urge to yank it out and kiss it right there in front of her.
"Yeah, Parker," I said, clapping my old nemesis on the back. "I'd say I'm pretty fucking lucky indeed."
CHAPTER SEVEN
Charlie
I felt like I was rooted to the spot as he moved towards me with that giant grin on his face. "No," I whispered.
"Yes," Jameson Tellar said with that grin.
And I blushed right up to the roots of my hair, realizing I'd said it aloud.
"It's good to see you again too, mysterious lady," he said moving to the hostess's stand.
I looked down and saw I was gripping it so tightly that my knuckles were white. This close I could see the different shades of blue in his eyes, the lighter burst around the pupil and the dark oceanic ring at the edge.
I swallowed hard blinked away from the blue of his gaze. There was a warm feeling settling in the pit of my stomach that made no sense. "Did you follow me?" I hissed at him.
But I already knew that answer. He was standing there in his suit with a guy I recognized from around town, one of the people in charge of the new development down by the waterfront. It was pretty clear that this was a business meeting, the one he had been heading to when we got into the accident in the first place.
But I refused to believe that this was all pure chance. "Did you try to track me down or something?" I demanded, lashing out so he'd think the heat in my cheeks was from anger rather an excitement.
Jameson looked highly amused. Rapping his knuckles on the wood of the hostess stand, he turned back to the man in the suit that he came in with. "You know the staff here, right Parker?" he asked, ignoring me entirely.
"Yeah, of course I do," Parker huffed. "I know everyone there is to know."
Jameson looked back at me. "Can you tell me this girl's name right here?" he asked.
Parker stared at me, letting his eyes trail up and down my body in a way that made me distinctly uncomfortable. "Unfortunately, no I can't," he said with a sharklike grin. "What's your name, sweetheart?"
I gritted my teeth. And looked over at Jameson. His smile had faded and the muscle at his jawline was twitching. I got the feeling he didn't like the way that Parker was looking at me, although I had no idea why that would bother him. He had no claim on me.
Though part of me wanted to see what would happen to Parker if he did.
I shook my head to derail that train of though. I was at work. I needed to be polite and formal and businesslike above everything else. "My name is Charlie," I said through gritted teeth.
Parker sniffed. "Like a boy's name?" he asked.
I opened my mouth to correct him that clearly no it wasn't a boy's name because it was my name and did he have a problem with his hearing?
But Jameson stepped back into my line of vision. "No, let me guess," he drawled. "It's short for something, right?"
I pressed my lips together and forced them upward into a smile. "That's right,” I said, seething.
"Give me three guesses," he told me.
"Can I show you to your table now?" I said instead. "Gina will be your server."
"Oh no," Jameson said. "I'd like to request that you serve us tonight."
"I'm not a server," I said proudly. "I'm the front-end manager."
The way his eyebrows went up, I could tell he was a little impressed, and I felt good that his assumption about me had been wrong. Hell yeah I was the front-end manager, my serving days were behind me. I was moving up in the world, and I didn't give a shit how rich he was, that did not mean he was better than me. "So, Gina will take care of you tonight, okay?" I said with a bright positivity in my voice. "Here she is right now as a matter of fact."
"Charlene," Jameson blurted.
I shook my head, letting my smug smile speak for itself.
He growled a little, and put on a fierce expression. "Cheryl," he said again.
I couldn't help but grin. "Not even clos
e," I said. "Here's your table. Gina will be with you right away. I hope you enjoy your meal."
Frustration clouded Jameson's face. "I still have one more guess left," he grumped.
I licked my lips, enjoying his irritation way more than I should have. I put my hand on his table and leaned closer. "Looks like your luck is not really holding," I said primly.
"Charlotte!" he burst out. I froze and straightened up. And his eyes widened. "Ah, that's it!"
"No," I lied. "Wrong again."
He grinned and leaned forward, resting his hand on mine. "Liar," he murmured.
I looked down at my arm and inwardly cursed the goosebumps that were marching up my forearm. "How on earth did you guess that?" I sighed.
"Luck, I guess," he said. He leaned forward and his whisper sent a shiver down my spine. "Looks like you really are my lucky charm."
I felt my toes curl inside of my sensible shoes and opened my mouth to say something cutting and found I couldn't form words. Not with his warm hand on mine.
Finally, blessedly, he leaned back and slid his hand back. "Charlotte, who goes by Charlie," he mused. He tapped his finger against the side of his mouth. "That's kind of cute."
"I'm glad you think so, Jameson," I stammered. "Here's Gina right here. Enjoy your meal."
As I walked away, I could feel his eyes on me and I swear I heard him start to say something but I hurried away before I could find out what it was.
"Finn, I'm taking my break!" I called out as I rushed past his office.
"You okay?" he asked, turning in his chair. "You sound weird."
I cleared my throat but it was no use, my voice still came out strangled and wispy. "Maybe I'm still shaken up?" I ventured. "From the accident?"
Finn nodded seriously and stood up. "Sit down. Take a moment. I'll take care of the front."
I sagged into his chair and nodded gratefully while he looked at me with concern. "That accident messed you up pretty good, didn't it?" he asked kindly.
I closed my eyes, but that was a dangerous thing to do, because Jameson's face was the only thing I saw when I did so. Alarmed, I opened them up wide.
"Yeah, I guess so," I said to Finn.
I was a mother. I was only just starting to get back on my feet. I couldn't afford a single distraction. And charmingly arrogant rich men with blue eyes and a fetish for lucky charms were as distracting as they came.
I licked my lips. "Yeah, that accident messed me up. For sure."
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jameson
Parker was talking about something important. Something that had to do with asset portfolios and double returns on investment.
I should probably be listening to him.
But how was I supposed to concentrate when Charlie wouldn't look my way?
I'd watched her after she emerged from the back, looking far more composed than she had before. And I smiled to myself knowing that I'd had some kind of effect on her, even if she was trying to pretend otherwise.
"And the biggest asset, we feel..." Parker droned on, nose-deep in his sales spiel and showing no signs of coming up for air. I tuned him back out again as Charlie rushed past our table, studiously avoiding my gaze, and went back up to the front of the house to talk to one of the servers. I couldn't hear the sound of her voice from way back here, but I liked watching the shapes her lips made. I shifted in my seat, discreetly moving my stiffening cock away from my leg as she dashed back to the kitchen.
"Knowing you like I do," Parker smarmed, "I think the aspect that will attract your notice the most is—"
She was always running. She ran with her head up, eyes darting everywhere but over towards me. I had the strangest compulsion to strip naked and stand up on the table just to see if she could pretend not to notice that.
"So I'm pretty sure this is the best we can do and you know I was trying to do right by you, Chance-y boy," Parker concluded. I had missed ever single word of the offer so I just blinked at him and kept my face neutral. He squirmed a little and looked down at his phone. "You're right," he said. "I can ask about that, give me a sec."
His fingers flew over the keys of his phone as I sat there wondering what I had just asked for. Parker was one of those people who couldn't stand silence, had to fill it at all costs. My distracted attention was making him antsy and on edge.
Without even meaning to, I had him right where I wanted him.
I felt like jumping up and kissing Charlie right on the lips in front of everyone. Ever since I'd bumped into her, literally, she'd done nothing but make this deal better.
"Gentlemen." Our server appeared at the side of the table, all smiling deference. "I hope you enjoy your meals," she said, laying out our plates. "Can I get you anything else?"
I looked down at the artfully prepared presentation. It was clear that the chef was no slouch here, and the food looked like it cost an arm and a leg, and possibly a head too. But I didn't give a fuck, it was Parker's business account we were spending from, not mine. "Maybe another bottle of wine?" I asked.
She nodded crisply. "Of course sir, another bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon?"
I shrugged, smiling. "Surprise me," I told her. Leaving it up to luck, like I always did.
She grinned, and dashed back to go find something that I was certain would be perfect. That was the way to go with these things. Let other people think they're helping you. People loved to help, even if they claimed otherwise.
I looked back over towards where Charlie was standing. An idea was starting to form in my head, and as I took a bite of the food that I intellectually knew was delicious, I couldn't taste it, because I was so focused on her.
"Tell you what," Parker said, sounding a little irritated as he looked down and read from his screen. "Since you’re giving me the hard sell, let me show you another property we have in our portfolio."
I blinked and sat back in my seat. "I didn't realize I had to give you the hard sell to get that, Parker," I said carefully. It was the truth too, just not the way that he'd expected. I wasn't holding out on him. I'd just been ignoring him entirely in favor of watching Charlie.
"What property is that you want to show me?" I asked.
Parker's eyes widened, and I had the feeling that he must have already named it, but he plowed on anyway. "The casino," he said triumphantly. "We only just got the licensing finished last week, so it's brand-new. Kind of the biggest jewel in our crown."
The only crown I was interested in was the crown of blonde curls on the top of Charlie's head and what it would look like wound around my fist as I kissed those stubborn lips.
I looked up to find her again and this time when I spotted her the idea that had been forming in my head suddenly burst forth crystal clear.
"—test your luck." Parker said.
"I'm sorry what was that?" I asked.
He repeated his line, but I missed it again, because in that moment, Charlie finally met my eyes.
For a second it was like everything tunneled down to pin prick, and the connection between us vibrated across the room. I smiled at her, and her lip lifted up in the corner — just a fraction — before she scurried away.
I had to know more about her, I knew that, right down in my gut.
"What do you think?" Parker said. "Are you up for a few games?"
I took another bite of my meal, and chewed thoughtfully before washing it down with the wine that our waitress had poured while I was staring at Charlie. Then I searched the room again until I caught sight of her curls.
"Depends," I said to Parker. "Can I bring a date?"
CHAPTER NINE
Charlie
Ducking back into the narrow hallway where our lockers were hidden, I quietly slipped my phone out of my bag and sighed with relief when I saw that Maisie had texted me right back.
"All is well," she wrote, before sending a series of pictures of Malcolm playing in his jammies. The last one made me grin ear-to-ear. My son gazed up from my phone screen with a triumphantly to
othy smile. Both of his grabby little hands were sunk way down in a sea of orange fluff that belonged to Maisie's cat Bonzo, who looked up at the camera as if pleading for help.
I felt my shoulders go down as I exhaled slowly. I'd been worried about him the whole evening. This was his first time at a sitter's in his whole short life — first time away from my Mom and the first night he'd be put down somewhere than his own bed. With Malcolm seeming to be adjusting to Maisie's just fine — even after the mishap on the way over there — my worried focus was able to snap back to my mother and wonder how bad it was going to be this time.
The good times with her were always wonderful. She was helpful and supportive and though she liked to lay the guilt on a little thick, she always came through for me, doubly so once Malcolm was born. People would ask me about being a single mother and I'd say I might be single but I wasn't doing it alone because I had my mom.
But the truth was, I had her for only as long as it took for another bad spell to send her crashing into her bed where she'd lay unmoving for days, only the faintest stifled sob signaling that she was still alive at all.
When I was a kid, my father would shield me from the blackest of her depressions. But when he died, it all fell to me. I was thirteen when I learned the truth. That my mother's mental illness would always be with her. She'd never get better. Just like she’d had to, I needed to learn how to cope.
She'd been good now for so long, I'd made the mistake of thinking she was cured. That her love for her grandson, which was boundless and almost suffocatingly heavy, had pulled her through the worst of it. And for the whole of his twenty months, she'd managed, and because she had, I was able to work to provide for the three of us. I'd been working since I was fourteen because her disability checks just couldn't sustain us and this job at Indigo was the easiest I'd had it in a long time. It almost felt like a vacation. Which, I realized, was really sad.
I tucked my phone back into my purse. She'd pull through it. She always came out the other side. I just needed to give her time.