“I just love you, Char,” he says and tears fill my eyes. Why am I so prone to crying these days? Damn feelings.
“I love you too.”
“I know you’re a little lonely, and I know that you work too much.”
“Takes one to know one,” I murmur.
“Exactly. And now that I have Kate, I just want you to be as happy as we are.”
“Someday,” I reply. “Daddy always told me that I’d know him when I saw him.”
“I don’t believe in that love at first sight bullshit.”
“Why not? It happened for Mom and Dad and they were together forever, and they were blissfully in love every day.”
“Blissfully?” Eli chuckles. “They loved each other, but I think there were days that Mom would have happily killed him.”
I frown and wonder if Eli remembers the same parents that I do. “You’re wrong.”
“No one has a perfect marriage, Charly. That’s not realistic.”
“I don’t need perfect,” I reply. “I just need perfect for me.”
“He’ll come along.”
“Yes, but you don’t have to deliver him to me.”
“You’re so ungrateful,” he says with a smile in his voice. “Get some sleep.”
“You too. Love you.”
“Love you.”
Chapter Eight
~Simon~
“Is this the first night without the baby?” I ask Kelly and Todd as we sit down to dinner in one of our favorite restaurants in London.
“I wish you’d brought her,” Violet says with a pout. “I haven’t seen her in days.”
“Well, it’s the first night Todd and I have been away from her together, so this is a treat,” Kelly replies and takes a deep breath. “I missed you all while you were in the States. Todd filled me in, but did the two of you have a good time?”
“Montana is always beautiful,” I say and set my menu aside.
“So was a certain—”
“Well, hello there.”
All four of our heads whip up to see my ex-wife standing near our table with a smirk on her undeniably beautiful face.
“Hello, Amy,” Kelly says, always the peacekeeper. “How are you?”
“I’m wonderful,” Amy says and tosses her blonde hair over her shoulder. “Aren’t you going to say hello to your wife, Simon?”
“Ex wife,” I reply and offer her a cold smile. “Hello.”
“It’s so nice to see the old gang together,” Amy says, her eyes turning cold when they land on Violet. “I’ve missed my friends.”
“We’re not your friends,” Violet says, her hand balled in a fist on the table. There’s no dramatic, sordid history between the two; Violet just hates Amy. Passionately.
“I see.” Amy turns her attention back to me and sets her hand on my shoulder. Her touch makes my skin crawl. I would shrug her off, but I don’t want to cause a scene, and with Amy, things could escalate to horrific display in a matter of seconds. “How are you, darling?”
“I’m good.”
“Simon’s great,” Violet says. “His business is growing by leaps and bounds. Didn’t you see him on the telly recently?”
Shut up, Violet.
“No, I must have missed it. I did hear about your book hitting the New York Times.”
“Six weeks in a row,” Kelly adds, raising her glass in salute.
“Most of his television appearances have been in the US,” Violet says, nodding. “That could be why you missed them. You should look them up on YouTube. He’s become quite the sensation.”
“That’s enough,” Todd says quietly to his sister. “Have a good evening, Amy.”
“Well.” She clears her throat, her gaze still on mine, and then as if she’s gathering herself, she puts on a dazzling smile for the group. “Yes, I should join my friends. I don’t want to be rude.”
“Too late,” Violet says and waves goodbye as Amy walks away. “I hate her.”
“Rubbing Simon’s success in her face doesn’t do anyone any good,” Todd says immediately.
“It was really more of a he’s doing much better without you dig,” she clarifies and takes a long gulp of her wine.
Todd and I share a long look. He’s the only one in the world who knows everything about my tumultuous relationship with Amy and what she put me through during our marriage. The others just know how it ended, and that’s bad enough to make them want her to suffer.
“How can you not gloat a bit to that bitch?” Violet asks.
Because the result would be far worse than just ignoring her.
“Because she’s not worth it,” I reply with a shrug. “She’s not even on my radar anymore.”
“So let’s stop talking about her,” Kelly says. “I’m baby-less, with some of my favorite people and I don’t have to make a bottle or change a nappie. So tell me more about Montana. Were there some fun women there this time?”
“It was a great group,” I reply before Violet can, making her scowl at me. “It was fantastic.”
“Simon met a girl,” Violet announces as quickly as she can between my comments. “That’s the most important thing.”
“Remind me again why we bring you to these things?” Todd says, rubbing his temple. “You’re a pain in the arse.”
“No, this is important, and you seemed to leave it out,” Kelly responds, watching me with surprised brown eyes. “Who is she?”
She’s the most incredible woman I’ve ever met in my life.
“She was a client,” I say instead and wince. “I’m not proud of that part.”
“I know you,” Kelly says with a shake of the head. “You didn’t flaunt it in front of the others, and you were professional as well. I doubt you have anything to be ashamed of.”
“She’s right,” Todd agrees, surprising me. “You were discreet and Charly is great.”
“Her name is Charly?” Kelly asks. “Tell me more about her.”
“She lives in New Orleans where she owns a shoe store.”
“My kind of woman,” Kelly says with a wink.
“She’s funny, and strong, and we enjoyed each other while we were there.”
“And that’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“He’s a stubborn arse who won’t call her,” Violet says, shaking her head at me.
“We didn’t plan to see or speak again,” I reply, my gut twisting. I didn’t realize how much I would miss her.
“What did you think of her?” Kelly asks Violet.
“Oh, we got along brilliantly. She has a strong loyalty to her family, and she’s definitely smart. She wasn’t showy or pushy, just a nice girl who we would be friends with.”
“How lovely,” Kelly says. “I think you should call her, Simon. Just the mention of her name makes your face soften. You deserve to have some happiness in your life. You work harder than anyone I know. You should enjoy some of it.”
“I love you for looking out for me,” I say and lean over the table so I can kiss her cheek. “You’re one of the sweetest people I know. Why in the world did you marry this bloke?”
“Well, I’m rather fond of him,” she says and kisses her husband softly. “And don’t think I didn’t notice that you changed the subject.”
“You’re a smart woman.”
“I need to go to the loo,” Violet says, motioning to Kelly. “Join me?”
“Sure.”
The women leave, and as soon as they’re out of earshot, I turn to Todd.
“How can I feel nothing for her?”
“Charly?”
“No, Amy. How can I look at her, have her hand on me, and I feel nothing for her at all. No emotion. I don’t hate her. There’s just…nothing.”
“It’s been a few years, Simon,” he replies and pushes his hands through his hair. “She put you through hell for most of your marriage.”
“Yes, so you’d expect that I would hate her.”
“No, I expect you to move on, and that’s
what you’ve done. It hurt for a while, even before you left her. By the time you ended it, you’d already grieved and come to terms with it all.”
“I don’t want to go through life numb.”
“You’re not numb.” Todd laughs and claps me on the shoulder. “You’re a human being. If there had been children, or if she still had to be in your life for some reason, the bad feelings might still be there. But she’s gone, and you’re living your life. She’s not a part of it.”
“It’s rather nice to get advice instead of give it out for a change,” I inform him and drink my water. “And you may be right. I didn’t feel numb in Montana.”
“She makes you happy, Simon. I’ve missed seeing you happy. I won’t pester you like the girls, but I will say this: what’s wrong with going after something that makes you happy? Consider contacting her. Maybe she’s missing you just as badly.”
“Who says I’m missing her?”
“Oh, mate.” Todd laughs. “I’ve known you most of your life. You can’t hide things like this from me.”
“I’ll consider it.”
“Good.”
“What did we miss?” Violet asks as she and Kelly return. “Are you still talking about Charly? I can get you her number, you know.”
Trust me, I’ve thought of that about six dozen times over the past six weeks.
But I just shake my head. “We are talking about the retreat this fall,” I say. “I need you to start calling applicants so we can get our guest list narrowed down.”
“How many did we get?” Kelly asks.
“Over five hundred,” Todd replies.
“And how many are we taking?” Violet asks.
“One twenty five,” I say. “So I’ll need you and a few others on staff to call and interview the applicants, narrowing it down to our limit.”
“Do we have a location yet?” Kelly asks. “I’ve never heard of people signing up for a retreat when they don’t even know where the location will be.”
“I’m looking into it,” I reply. “I’ll make a decision by next week.”
“I’m going this time,” Kelly announces. “I’ll bring the baby. Women love babies.”
“Wild horses couldn’t keep her away again,” Todd says.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
***
I’m standing at the window of my London flat, staring out at the city. I’m in a high-rise in a sought-after part of the city. This flat is just one more thing that the new success has afforded me. The city is quieter at this time of night, lit up and beautiful.
But all I can see is Charly.
I was with her for such a short time, yet she occupies way too many of my thoughts. In the six weeks since I saw her, I’ve been to New York, LA, Paris, and back to New York. I’ve done television appearances and small group workshops. It’s been a bloody busy six weeks.
And still, in these quiet moments, she’s all I can think about.
The sex was incredible. I’ll never deny that. Her body was seemingly made for mine, and I couldn’t get enough of her.
But it was when we were quiet together that’s at the front of my mind. Her laughter would brighten the darkest day. Her sweet smile and quick wit enamor me.
I simply miss her.
I press my hand to the cool glass, immediately reminded of our last morning together. I walked her down to the airport shuttle, and everything in me was screaming at me to ask her for her number, to suggest we meet again.
But I didn’t. Instead, I kissed her forehead, and watched helplessly as she climbed into the van. As it pulled away, she looked back at me with sad eyes and pressed her hand to the glass. Was it her way of reaching out? Of wanting to connect with me, just one more time?
I don’t know. But I’m going to find out.
***
It’s a gorgeous sunny morning less than a week later when I pull up to Head Over Heels and cut the engine. I love New Orleans, and I can already tell that Charly’s shop is something for her to be proud of.
The sign hanging above the door is wrought iron, blending with the historic French Quarter feel, and the name of the store, Head Over Heels, is written in a whimsical, fun font. The building itself must be at least a hundred years old, but it’s been recently painted and is well maintained. The display windows are large and decorated for the season, with beach umbrellas, sunglasses, magazines, and a sign that says, Only amateurs wear flipflops to the beach.
I grin and walk into the shop, triggering a bell, announcing my arrival. I’m nervous as fuck. She might tell me to get the hell out. But she might be happy to see me.
I didn’t call ahead. I decided to just surprise her.
“I’ll be right with you!” Charly calls out, then returns to the man she’s talking to. Her back is to me, so she hasn’t seen me yet. I hang back and wander through the racks of shoes, but my eyes are pinned to her. Her hair is up in an intricate knot on top of her head; she’s in a soft pink dress with killer black heels.
I want to find out what she’s wearing under that dress.
“You know I love you,” the man says, shaking me out of my daydream.
“I love you too, you big lug,” she says and he folds her into his arms, hugging her tightly.
What the fuck? Did I just walk in on an intimate moment with a new boyfriend? Maybe I should have called after all. This is humiliating.
“You have a customer,” he murmurs, and Charly whips around with an apologetic smile on her face, then stops cold when she sees me. Her face pales and the smile slides off of her face.
“Simon.”
“Hello.”
“Do you know him?” her man asks, and Charly nods and wipes her hands down her hips, as if they’re suddenly sweaty.
“I’m sorry, yes. Ben, this is Simon Danbury. Simon, this is Ben.”
“Hello,” I say and shake his hand, then turn back to her, feeling gutted and so bloody disappointed. “I’m sorry for intruding. I’ll go—”
“No, that’s okay. I was about to leave anyway,” Ben says and winks at Charly. “It was nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” I reply, never breaking eye contact with Charly. The bell dings as he leaves, and we are suddenly left in silence. “I should have called.”
“No! I mean, yes.” She shakes her head and walks behind the counter. “I mean, no. This is fine. You’re fine.” Finally she stops, leans her hands on the counter, and shakes her head. “You surprised the bejesus out of me.”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, you did.” She sighs and stares at me with those whiskey colored eyes. “Why are you here?”
“To see you,” I reply.
“You flew all the way to New Orleans just to see me?”
“Why does that sound unreasonable?” I can’t stand it anymore. I reach over and drag my fingertip down her temple to her chin. “Your skin is even softer than I remember, and I didn’t think that was possible. Are you with Ben?”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“You heard me.”
“Ben’s a friend of the family.” She bites her lip as I let my finger glide down her throat and to her collarbone.
I cock a brow.
“Seriously, if Ben is in love with any of us, it’s Savannah. He’s loved her since we were kids. He just needed some advice.”
“I see.”
“Were you jealous?”
“I didn’t like it,” I reply honestly. “I know I don’t have a claim on you, and I have no right to be jealous, but seeing another man’s hands on you didn’t feel good.”
“I don’t think you’d be here if you didn’t give a fuck,” she replies, reminding me of what I said to her in Montana.
“And I give a fuck.”
She sighs and watches me for a moment. “Did you come to town for a weekend of sex?”
And just like that, she’s pissed me off.
“No, Charlotte. I didn’t come to town to get off. If that were my goal, I
could do that just about anywhere. That’s not my style.”
“Okay.”
She cocks a brow and braces her hand on her hip, and I’ve never been so fucking attracted to anyone in my life. Strong women are incredibly sexy.
“I’m here because I missed you, and I wanted to see you.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t call.”
“I’ll be honest. For a while I was just stubborn, and convinced myself that you didn’t want to see me again.”
“I’m not sure I do.”
I still. Her eyes are happy, and her body language is open. Am I misreading this?
“But then I realized that I missed you and I wanted to come find you, even if it was just to take you to dinner to see how you are.”
“You came for dinner?”
“You’re making this quite difficult.”
Her lips twitch and I feel just a bit better.
“I really wanted that phone call, not that I would have admitted it.”
“I’ll add you to my phone right away.”
She bites her lip for a moment, and then suddenly runs around the counter and launches herself into my arms, holding on with all her might.
“I’m happy to see you.”
“I’m glad. You scared me there for a moment. I thought you were going to kick me out on my arse.”
“I just—” She leans back far enough to look me in the eye. “I’m still learning.”
“It seems we both are, darling.”
“How long are you in town for?”
“A week,” I say and return her wide smile. “I’m thinking of bringing this fall’s retreat to New Orleans, so I thought I’d look at possibilities and spend some time with you, if you’ll give me some. My agent is going to book a couple of radio shows while I’m in the area, and I can do my other radio show from here.”
“You’re bringing your business to New Orleans.”
“Just for the week, so I can see you. I can’t take the week off completely, Charly. I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be sorry.” She shakes her head and hugs me again. “Are you exhausted from the flight? Hungry?”
“Both.” I grin as she pulls away and finds her cell phone. “What are you doing?”
“Calling in some help. I’m taking the rest of the day off. I’ll help you get settled.”
Easy Kisses Page 9