by Tamie Dearen
“No, I’m sworn to secrecy.”
“We can get around that.” She waved off his words with her hand. “Why don’t you tell me a hypothetical story, using hypothetical names?”
“That seems a bit dishonest.”
“But if you want my help...”
“Okay, but if you figure it out from my hypothetical story, you still can’t repeat it to anyone. I don’t want it getting back to them.”
“Getting back to who?”
“To uhmm... our hypothetical friends, Cherry and Jess.”
Grace grinned. “Go on...”
Chapter Sixteen
“I FEEL LIKE THIS IS getting way too complicated,” Brad complained. “You were supposed to keep it to yourself. Remember? Now everyone knows, and everyone is involved somehow.”
“Not everyone,” Grace soothed. “We didn’t tell my parents or Spencer or Mr. Gherring, even though they could have been helpful. We were afraid they would put the brakes on the whole thing.”
“Did it occur to you they might have been wise in putting the brakes on? Why does it have to be so complex? Why couldn’t one of you girls talk to Charlie? Couldn’t Emily have made her listen to reason?”
“You mean the way she listened to you? Or for that matter, the way Josh listened to you?”
“Okay, fine. We’ll do it your way, but this had better work.”
“It was working fine on the ski trip until Charlie had her accident. We’ve decided the main problem is with Josh.”
“Of course six women would decide it was the man’s fault.”
“Actually, seven women. Gram is helping, too.”
“Arghhh!! I’ve created a monster.”
“Gram’s actually had the most experience. She’s been very helpful, and she’s so creative.”
Brad screamed dramatically, “It’s alive! It’s alive! I’ve created a monster!”
“Shut up!” laughed Grace, shoving him so hard he almost lost his balance. “You only have one job.”
“What’s that?”
“You have to make sure he buys the right ring for Charlie. Emily has some ideas of what Charlie would like. She’s even going to send you pictures.”
“How am I supposed to play this? Do I tell him I asked Emily for suggestions?”
“Sure. That’s fine. I’ll leave it up to you. It’s not like it’s a surprise he’s getting her a ring.”
“And what are you going to do?”
“You’ll see.”
Brad felt a little shudder run up his spine. He muttered, “I hope I don’t live to regret this.”
CHRISTMAS MORNING CAME all too quickly for Charlie. She wasn’t sure why her heart was pounding and her palms were sweating. It must have been shopping with Olivia that did it. She’d kept talking about Josh and how popular he was with the nurses and how they would probably always be trying to steal him away and how Charlie should work hard to hang onto Josh not that she needed to work hard since Josh was so obviously smitten with her and she was so lucky. After all her talk, she’d convinced Charlie it was extremely important to choose the right Christmas present for him.
Olivia had suggested a sport watch that could handle everything from scuba diving to mountain climbing. It would have been a great choice, but her Mom had always given them strict limits on the cost of Christmas presents. No one was allowed to spend more than fifty dollars on any other person, and she even made her billionaire husband comply. He, of course, thought this restriction was ridiculous, but she maintained it made everyone feel better, and it was more of a challenge to find a good present for fifty dollars. Steven always managed to get around the rule by doing things like giving the entire family a ski trip. But since Charlie’s budget was limited anyway, it was probably for the best. Although it still proved to be a difficult task to find something suitable for Josh.
She’d finally settled on a soft cashmere-blend sweater in a deep green she thought would complement his eyes, but she was second-guessing herself already. Josh had also been informed about the spending limit since he was celebrating Christmas with them, so at least she wouldn’t have to worry about how much he was spending on her. Buying gifts for her Mom and sister had been easy, but Steven had everything he could ever want. So she’d bought him a T-shirt that read, “KEEP CALM, I AM IRON MAN” and made him a playlist of songs for his triathlon workouts. For Jace she found an active video game for his Xbox Kinect. She knew it would be fun to play together once she’d fully recovered from surgery. She’d put together two boxes of ‘dress-up’ costumes for the twins, shopping at the local thrift store. Her finds included a cape and a long, velvet robe. She also had an adorable doll for Chloe, though they wouldn’t see her again until after Christmas, since she was with her grandparents again.
She tried to stop her hands from shaking as Josh opened his gift. At least he seemed as nervous as she was. He pulled it out of the box and held it across his chest. As she’d hoped, the sweater highlighted his gorgeous green eyes. When he flashed his even white teeth in a smile, exposing his deep dimples, her heart turned over in her chest. She’d almost forgotten how handsome he was.
“I love it!” he said. “Now it’s your turn.” He sat next to her and handed her a small gift box. The entire family was observing.
JOSH TRIED NOT TO FIDGET as he watched Charlie open her present. She was somehow even more beautiful this morning than she usually was. He couldn’t help anticipating being able to wake up next to her every morning. Every time he looked at her, she took his breath away. He watched her huge gold eyes, framed with dark lashes, grow wide as she opened his gift. He’d had no idea what to give her, especially when he’d been given a fifty-dollar limit. She’d had a wish list on amazon Emily had urged him to use as a reference, but he’d been determined to surprise her. He’d finally found a silver charm necklace and added two beads—a miniature climber’s chalk bag and a pair of skis.
As she opened the small box, he explained anxiously, “It’s the first two sports we’ve done together. I thought I could add a new bead every time we do a new one.” He fretted as she stared silently at the jewelry. To his horror, he saw she was wiping away a tear. He must have messed up badly. He should have listened to Emily and chosen something from her wish list. He knew she didn’t wear much jewelry. “We can exchange it for something else.”
She threw her good arm around his neck and hugged him. “It’s s-so s-sweet! It’s s-so perfect!” When he overcame the shock of her sudden gesture, he wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace with a stupid grin.
His heart swelled—she liked it. And best of all, she’d hugged him. It had been two years since they’d kissed, and he’d almost forgotten how wonderful it felt to hold her, soft in all the right places. He hugged her gently, afraid he might press too hard against her injuries. He was so tempted to brush his lips against hers, but he didn’t want their first kiss in two years to be in front of an audience.
EMILY SMIRKED. “WOW, Josh. It seems you didn’t need my help after all. I would never have thought of that.” One of her main jobs had been to advise Josh on Charlie’s Christmas gift, but he’d actually done quite well without her help. Perhaps there was hope for him after all, as long as he didn’t try to give her the same engagement ring he’d offered to Olivia. Besides the insult of giving her another woman’s ring, it would be way too gaudy for her. But she’d already sent some engagement ring pictures to Brad, so hopefully that was under control. Now if she and her Mom could find a way to provoke an argument, Charlie would realize he felt more for her than gratitude.
As they watched the twins tear open their presents Emily caught her Mom’s eye and winked. Time for Operation Anti-Solicitous. “So Charlie,” Emily said. “I guess this marriage takes care of your law school expenses. Now you won’t need to take out a loan.”
“What do you mean?” asked Charlie. “I’m still going to pay my own tuition.”
“No you aren’t,” Josh contended. “We’ll be married, and
my wife isn’t going to take out loans to pay for her tuition. That would be ridiculous.”
“I’m not about to come into this marriage as a liability. I’ll pay my own expenses.”
“Legally, Charlie,” Steven interrupted, “Any debts you incur once you’re married are Josh’s debts as well. So you’ll still be a liability in that sense, but only temporarily. I would think of it as more of an investment in your education rather than a liability.”
Too bad Steven wasn’t in on the plan. He could really mess things up if he interfered.
“I still want to pay my own way.” Charlie’s stubborn chin protruded.
“I want to pay for your education, Charlie. It’s the least I can do.” Josh reached over to sandwich her hands between his.
Charlie’s obstinate demeanor morphed into resignation. “Whatever. I guess it isn’t a big deal.”
Emily exchanged an alarmed look with her Mom. That attempt hadn’t gone well at all. Josh had once again sounded too grateful. Anne raised her brows in a question, and Emily gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. They had another possible argument topic, but now didn’t seem like the best time to try it. Perhaps they needed to wait for Gram’s secret weapon, whatever that was.
GRAM AND GUS WERE HOSTING a huge Christmas dinner. Not only were Anne and Steven and the twins coming, along with Charlie, Josh, Jace, Emily and Spencer, but also Spencer’s entire family. This included his parents, Claire, Hannah, Olivia, Grace, and Brad. Steven usually cooked for Gram’s family dinners, but this year Gram had decided to have the entire dinner catered. Though she’d already celebrated her ninety-eighth birthday, she was the antithesis of old and decrepit. Small in stature, but full of energy, her mind was as sharp as her tongue. Only three years ago, she’d surprised the family when she ended a long widowhood by marrying Gus Hamilton, a man five years her junior.
Josh had met Gram before, but he’d never been to her country mansion. When he came in the door with Jace, the feisty little white-haired woman pulled him down into a hug, and grabbed Jace’s hand to lead them on a tour. At the age of nine, Jace was already as tall as Gram, but her wiry strength left him no choice but to follow along.
After parading them through the downstairs parlor, library, dining room, and ballroom, they followed her up the grand staircase.
“I have a special room I think you’ll like, Jace.” Gram led them into a bedroom with sprawling ceilings and a four-poster bed and almost as many bookshelves as the library. Jace glanced around the room and, spying nothing very interesting, turned his attention out the window to the gardens below.
“Jace,” said Gram. “Can you reach this book for me?”
He ran over to stretch his hand high toward a copy of The Hobbit, but he couldn’t reach it without stepping on the low shelf at his feet. Finally, he managed to grasp the book and pull it toward him. With his success, the entire bookshelf began to move, swinging open to reveal a small secret room.
Jace squealed with delight, hurrying inside the area, standing on tiptoe to touch his fingers to the low ceiling. Late afternoon sunlight flooded in through a window, highlighting the abundance of colors from the brightly patterned cushions piled along the wall on the plushy carpeted floor.
“I see you’ve found the secret reading room,” said Steven Gherring, as he peered in through the low doorway. “I spent a lot of hours in here as a kid. And you can go out the window and down that roof ledge and sit on the balcony.”
Jace immediately flew to the window, ready to attempt the trick.
“Don’t be teaching him dangerous habits,” Gram scolded.
Steven laughed. “You don’t want to do it in this weather, Jace. There’s ice on the roof, and the balcony is cold and windy. Josh will have to bring you back this summer.”
“Can I really come here again sometime?” Jace hopped up and down.
“Certainly,” said Gram. “This house is cavernous and boring without little boys running around in it.”
Emily’s voice interrupted from the hallway. “Gram! Dinner is ready. And you didn’t tell me we were going to have fireworks.”
“Fireworks?” Jace cried.
“No—sorry Jace,” Emily said. “Not real fireworks. I was speaking figuratively. These fireworks are actually people—Papa Steven’s cousin, Evan, is here with his grown sons.
“Gram!” growled Steven.
“Don’t start with me, Steven.” Gram’s haughty expression almost made her look taller. “They’re family. You’ll simply have to get along.”
“Who are they?” asked Josh, as they started downstairs.
“It’s my dearest cousin Evan and his two equally lecherous sons, all of whom seem to flirt indiscriminately with any female in range.” Steven coated his words with acid.
“They’re not so bad,” Gram defended. “Steven and Evan simply have a bit of bad blood between them. You should give them the benefit of the doubt, Josh.”
“We’ll see how he feels when David and Collin put the moves on Charlie,” Steven spit back.
Josh could already feel his blood pressure rising. “None of them are married?”
“One woman managed to put up with Evan’s antics long enough to produce two sons, but he’s not currently married. And his sons have been too busy with the LA party scene to settle down.”
“They’re Hollywood producers,” Gram said.
“That’s just a line they use to pick up women, Gram,” Steven corrected. “You have to actually produce something to be a legitimate producer.”
“I MEAN IT, CHARLIE,” said Collin. “With your face and hair and that gorgeous body, I know I could get you some starring roles. We’re shooting a commercial on the beach right now, and we need some extras in swimsuits.” Charlie barely kept a straight face. She’d heard about how flirtatious Steven’s cousin had been with her mother before she’d married Steven, but she didn’t realize the art had been passed from father to sons. The boys, who were in their late twenties, had inherited their father’s sandy-blond hair and good looks, along with his philandering tendencies.
“Collin, I have scars all over my chest from my surgery. I won’t look good in a swimsuit.”
“It would take more than a few scars to keep you from looking hot in a bikini. I bet we can cover the scars with makeup anyway. Let me see them.” Instinctively she braced her good arm across her chest when he leaned over as if to peer down the scooped neck of her sweater. Suddenly, he was lifted bodily away as Josh hauled him back by the scruff of his shirt.
“I’ll thank you to keep your hands off my fiancée!” said Josh.
“Cool off, buddy—I didn’t touch her.” Collin shook off Josh’s arm and tugged his shirt to straighten it. “But she’s not wearing a ring. How was I supposed to know?”
“Please, Collin,” Steven remarked. “Since when would a ring have stopped you?”
“I didn’t say it would have stopped me. I just said I didn’t know.”
His brother, David, looked up from his flirtatious conversation with Hannah to join him in laughter. “Gram, this is the best Christmas present ever—a whole roomful of hot women.”
Charlie saw Spencer’s parents exchange a look of alarm, but Anne patted Connie’s arm. “Sorry about these boys, but they’re really harmless. They’re all talk.”
“Don’t believe it for a minute,” Steven remarked to Spencer’s father, Joe.
As the group made their way to the dining room, David sat between Olivia and Hannah, while Collin snagged a spot between Charlie and Claire. Josh was extremely irritated to find himself next to Charlie’s bandaged left arm, while Collin evidently felt free to casually touch her other arm at every available opportunity.
Josh discovered draping his right arm across the back of Charlie’s chair would serve as bit of a barrier. But this posture made eating impossible, so he had to abandon his defense.
“So are you really marrying that Neanderthal?” asked Collin.
“Yes, Collin. I’m reall
y marrying Josh.”
“Well I understand why you’d be too embarrassed to wear an engagement ring. I wouldn’t want to claim him either, if I were you.”
Josh tried to ignore the bait Collin was throwing his way, but he found himself clenching his left hand into a fist.
“The only reason I’m not wearing a ring is he hasn’t given it to me yet. I’m not ashamed to claim him.”
“Yes darling,” Collin said, stroking her arm like a kitten. “You just keep telling yourself that. Are you sure he intends to actually marry you? Because if you were mine, I would’ve put a ring on your hand in nothing flat. Staking my territory, so-to-speak.”
“Collin, I believe you’ve staked your territory with any number of women without the benefit of any rings,” Steven remarked.
“Yes, but I’m smart enough to recognize some women don’t require a ring.” He looked meaningfully at Charlie and covered her hand with his. “While others do.”
“Stop touching her,” Josh said between clenched teeth. Collin withdrew his hand slowly, while holding his smile and gazing at Charlie.
Evan laughed out loud. “This is a wonderful dinner, Gram. I just love all this family togetherness.” He turned to Anne. “Are you tired of my cousin yet? You know I’m still waiting for you. Surely by now you’ve discovered what a terrible bore he is.”
“No—sorry Evan. I’ll be sure to let you know if I ever discover Steven’s boring. So far, he and the boys have kept me on my toes.”
“I’ll have to admit, I never thought I’d see my playboy cousin reduced to changing diapers and playing patty-cake. But the boys are awfully cute. They obviously take after their mother.”
“Cousin, that’s about as close as you’ve ever come to a compliment,” said Steven.
“No compliment intended for you, cousin. Just the usual jibe. The compliment was for Anne and the boys.”
