by Alison Ryan
“This is ridiculous,” he said out loud to himself. “I should just go over there and acknowledge her. See what her husband looks like. Try to break the ice and cut through the awkward.”
But she’d run away! Fled from him without shoes on her feet. He’d watched her perfect ass trudge through the sand so she could get away from him. So, clearly, just going over to her house and saying hello wasn’t an option.
Maybe he’d write her a letter. Put it on her door. It was passive-aggressive, which was completely not his style, but he couldn’t get the look on her face out of his mind.
Yet he couldn’t not contact her. Especially if they were neighbors.
He pulled on a pair of shorts and pulled out a notepad from his computer bag.
Charlotte…
********
Charlotte woke up a couple hours later, her head heavy from only having had wine today, and her stomach rumbling from hunger.
I need to order some food, she thought. I’ll go to the store tomorrow.
She padded into the kitchen. The sun was beginning to set. She could hear the waves lapping against the shore. She glanced outside to see who was on the beach. It was empty.
She walked over to the window in the dining room that faced Declan’s house. There was one light on downstairs, the rest of the massive house was dark.
In the kitchen, she went through drawers to see if there were any take out menus. A pizza place was the first one she found.
“Pizza it is,” she decided.
Thirty-five minutes later there was a knock on her door. She was sitting on the couch, her knees tucked under her while she absent-mindedly watched a reality show featuring squawking housewives.
She jumped when she heard the knock and then slowly walked to the front door.
She was relieved to see it was just a young man with floppy hair and a greasy cardboard pizza box in his arms.
“Hello,” he grumbled. “It’ll be fifteen oh seven.”
“Sure,” she said, handing him a twenty. “Keep the change.”
This elicited a broad smile from the young man, “Hey thanks! Oh, by the way, this envelope was stuck to your door. It fell off when I knocked, sorry.”
Charlotte’s stomach dropped. She took the pizza and the envelope, which said Charlotte on the front of it.
“Thanks,” she whispered. “Have a good night.”
“You too, ma’am!” he said, stumbling down the steps and back to his Honda Civic hatchback.
Charlotte closed the door behind her and walked slowly back to the kitchen. She placed the pizza on the counter, suddenly not so hungry.
She knew instinctively it was from him.
She tore open the envelope and pulled out a folded piece of yellow paper, the kind torn from a notepad. It shook in her hand as she read his slanted and still sloppy handwriting.
Charlotte…
You ran away before I could say anything, not that I would have known what to say. Seeing you here was one of the biggest shocks of my life, and clearly it was for you too. It’s been so long… I can’t pretend the thought of you hasn’t crossed my mind a time or two hundred. This wasn’t how I would have wanted to run into you. Is it possible we can run into one another again? Catch up a bit? I would love to talk to you, though I know I don’t deserve any sort of conversation with you. But I also didn’t want to just show up and upset you. So I will leave the ball in your court. I live here now… It’s a long story, but I’m here for now. I don’t know how long you’ll be here, but if it’s for a while, it’s probably best we talk so neither of us has to feel awkward. All I want is for you to be happy. I hope you are.
-Declan
Charlotte could barely read his signature by the end. Everything was a blur through the tears.
Ten Years Earlier…
“What should I wear?”
Charlotte stood in front of the full-length mirror next to her closet clad in only a lacy pair of underwear and bra.
Declan walked over to her, bending down to kiss her neck while his hands roamed over her body, “Nothing at all. That always looks best on you.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes and swatted him away, “Seriously. I want to make the right impression on your parents. I don’t want them to think I’m some harlot that’s shacking up on their property.”
“Harlot? Who uses that word?” he laughed as he grabbed her waist and spun her around. “Wear whatever you want. It’s not anything formal. It’s just a regular dinner at the DeGraff house.”
“As if anything about your family is ‘regular’,” she retorted. “You live in a house that’s on the National Historic Register. You have a live-in maid. This is not the typical family I’m meeting here.”
Declan stopped to kiss her softly on the mouth, “You’re flailing. Don’t flail. It’s all okay. What’s the worst that can happen? They hate you? It’s not likely, but even if they did, it would probably only make me love you more.” He grinned.
“I’ll go with the Lily,” she said, sashaying back to her walk-in closet and sifting through the rack of clothes hanging there. “It’s Charleston. I can never go wrong with some Lily Pulitzer, right?”
“I guess,” Declan said, collapsing on Charlotte’s bed. “I’ve never known what the big deal is about her. The prints are so weird.”
“She’s classic,” Charlotte was muffled as she spoke to him from inside the closet. “Jackie Kennedy wore Lily!”
“I’d rather be with a Marilyn,” he said. “And you are definitely a Marilyn.”
“Well, I kind of hope not,” Charlotte said. “It didn’t work out very well for her.”
Declan shrugged, “It doesn’t work out very well for any of us in the end.”
Charlotte stiffened.
“Shit,” he said, suddenly realizing how it sounded. “That was a shitty thing to say. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to dismiss…”
Charlotte smiled, “It’s fine. I’m not that sensitive about my mother. And its kind of true, isn’t it? So we might as well enjoy the moments we have.” She held up the dress to examine it more closely. “Yep. This’ll work. If I can tame this wild mane of mine, I might just look like a respectable Charleston girl.”
********
It was strange to enter the main house. Charlotte saw the outside of it every morning, and admired the Roman Tuscan columns and the moss-covered stone steps that led to the large, wood paneled door of the DeGraff home. It had two stories of sweeping, wrap around porches. It was something out of a movie, Declan’s house. And going inside it made her very nervous.
When they walked inside, they were greeted by a grand foyer with double staircases cascading up to the next floor, a considerable chandelier hanging high above between both sets of stairs.
“Wow,” Charlotte couldn’t help but utter. “This is beautiful.”
Declan took her by the hand, “The dining room is this way.”
They walked through numerous rooms to get there; a library, an office, and a home gym. Charlotte was speechless.
The dining room consisted of a long mahogany table that could fit at least twenty but was set for four people, all on one end.
“I can smell dinner already!” Declan declared. “What do you think?”
“I think I need to catch my breath,” Charlotte said. “You grew up here?”
“Yep,” he replied. “So did my dad. And his dad. And his… Well. You know. The DeGraffs have been around a while.”
“I see,” Charlotte said, suddenly nervous. She wiped her hands against the side of her dress. “Is your mom from here too?”
“She’s actually from Alabama. Mountain Brook,” Declan said. “She met my dad at her sister- my aunt’s- debutante ball. He was an escort.”
“Romantic,” she said. “Like something out of a…”
“There you are!” a voice called from behind them.
They both turned to see Anna DeGraff standing behind them. She was a tiny woman, shorter than Charlotte, but classically
beautiful with styled blonde hair and big blue eyes like Declan’s. She wore a lavender kaftan and flats. Large diamond earrings hung from her ears, so heavy from the weight of the stones that they stretched her earlobes a bit.
She looked like money.
“Hey, Momma,” Declan said, stepping forward and bending down to wrap his arms around her. “You look nice.”
“Thank you, sweetheart,” she said, her eyes on Charlotte. “And this must be our summer tenant. Well, don’t you look lovely?”
Charlotte smiled, “Thank you, Mrs. DeGraff. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Please, dear. Call me Anna,” she replied with a comforting smile. “I hope y’all are hungry. Antonia has made quite a meal for us tonight. Have you ever had a Lowcountry boil, Charlotte?”
“No, ma’am,” Charlotte said.
“Oh, you’ll love it,” Anna replied, motioning for them to sit down in the seats across from her as she gingerly sat down in her own chair. Demonstrating the decorum he’d begrudgingly learned at countless cotillion classes, Declan stood until his mother was seated and then offered Charlotte a chair, which he pushed into the table once she was comfortable. “It’s sausage, crab, shrimp, corn-on-the-cob, and red potatoes. It’s a staple around here, we have it every so often. It’s nothing fancy but it’s our favorite meal here. Right, Declan?”
Declan nodded, “I could eat it every day.” He squeezed Charlotte’s knee under the table.
“Your daddy should be here shortly,” Anna said. “Until then, Charlotte, why don’t you tell me about yourself? You go to the college?”
Charlotte nodded, “Yes, I plan on being pre-med once I get all of my general prerequisites out of the way. I’m about to be a sophomore.”
“Oh, how lovely!” Anna said. “I like an ambitious girl. You want to be a doctor?”
“Yes, I’d love to be a pediatrician,” Charlotte said. “Or maybe an obstetrician. I can’t decide yet.”
“Well, you’ve got time. That’s so admirable,” Anna said. “I wish Declan here had a clue as to what he wanted to do.”
Declan rolled his eyes, “Like you said, plenty of time to decide.”
Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming from the other room and with all the discretion of a bull in a china shop, there was Henry DeGraff. He was tall and imposing, a large man with a gruffness in his features. Henry was a man that suffered no fools, and Charlotte could tell right away that if she should be anxious about meeting anyone, it was him.
“Dinner’s not out yet?” Henry said. “I don’t have all the damn time in the world, I’m supposed to meet with a client over on Montagu at seven.”
“Henry,” Anna said, warning in her tone. “Now, be polite. We have our guest with us tonight. This is Charlotte.”
“Oh,” Henry glanced at Charlotte. “You’re the girl squatting in the carriage house?”
Charlotte gulped and Declan responded, “Dad. She’s not squatting. She’s renting it out, just like we do almost every summer. Jesus. Squatting?”
“It was a joke,” Henry said, but no one believed him.
An awkward silence ensued but it was broken by the entrance of Antonia carrying a large pot.
“Dinner’s ready,” she said. “Good evening.”
Charlotte was relieved to have a distraction. Henry DeGraff had really caught her off guard. She sensed maybe her being in the carriage house was not something he’d been consulted about. She wanted to kill Declan.
The four of them began to eat, the sounds of silverware clinking the only sound in the room for a few minutes.
“So,” Declan finally spoke. “How are things?”
Anna smiled, “Very good. I spent the morning with Helen planning the St Vivian Ball.”
“But it’s not until December,” Declan said. “You already have to start planning it?”
“Oh yes,” Anna said. “There’s a lot that goes into it. Helen was wondering if you could be one of the escorts.”
“What’s the St Vivian Ball?” Charlotte asked, wanting to show her interest in what was happening.
“It’s a debutante ball,” Declan said. “Probably the biggest one in Charleston. And boring as hell.”
“Declan!” Anna said. “That’s not true! It’s a beautiful affair, Charlotte. Don’t listen to my silly son. The girls wear these big beautiful white dresses and there’s dancing and food and everyone drinks too much, so the whole place is in a great mood.”
“You should go with me,” Declan said. “You can be my date.”
“She certainly cannot be your date,” Henry DeGraff suddenly bellowed. “You know good and well she’s not allowed at St Vivian. It’s for members only.”
Suddenly everyone was silent. Charlotte wanted to fall through a crack in the floor and never be seen again.
“Dad,” Declan said. “She’d be my guest. And since when do you even care? You hate the St Vivian Ball. You don’t even go anymore.”
“I’m just being honest,” Henry said. “You know how it is. This is Charleston. Unless Charlotte is from one of the old families or is the daughter of a member, she can’t come.”
“Since when did you become such a snob?” Declan raised his voice. “It’s a stupid dance where girls get paraded around like they’re part of some weird virginity auction.”
“You better watch your tone, boy,” Henry said, pointing his butter knife at his only son. “I don’t like how you’re speaking to me.”
“I don’t like how you’re speaking in front of Charlotte,” Declan said. “It’s pretty rude to come into dinner, not even acknowledge someone, and then tell them they’re not good enough to participate in your fucking archaic ritual.”
Henry threw down his napkin, “You will not use such language in front of your mother. I won’t tolerate it. I think it’s about time you left the dinner table.”
“Well on that we both agree,” Declan said. “Charlotte, come on. I’m so sorry you had to witness this crap. And by the way, I was going to tell you this after a nice dinner, but I might as well say it now. Charlotte is also my girlfriend. And I was really looking forward to introducing her to you both. But for people who claim to be such experts on etiquette and manners, you seem to have none. So, yes. We’ll be going.” He stood up and offered his hand out to Charlotte.
She took it as she glanced over at Anna, who was giving her a sympathetic look.
“Charlotte,” Anna said. “I’m sorry about this. I hope we can maybe make up for it. My husband and my son, unfortunately, do this often. Just know it’s not you. It’s them.”
And with that Charlotte followed Declan out of the dining room and back to the carriage house.
********
“God, he pisses me off!” Declan yelled as they walked into Charlotte’s bedroom a few minutes later. He kicked his shoes off and collapsed onto her unmade bed. “He can be such a dick.”
“I didn’t take it that way,” Charlotte said, lying next to him. “I’ve been treated much worse by my customers. And he was just being honest. I didn’t take it personally.”
“Well, I take it personally,” Declan said. “He’s always like that. He loves to make people feel beneath him. He really gets off on it. He’s all about being exclusive and keeping a tight circle. He and his asshole friends who think their shit doesn’t stink because their great-great-great grandfather showed up here one day on some boat from France. I mean, seriously, what kind of people base their identity on something like that? I’ll tell you the kind. People who have nothing else going on for themselves.”
Charlotte stared at him. She wasn’t sure what to say.
“Anyway,” Declan said, pulling her on top of him. “I have something else planned for us for tomorrow. A surprise of sorts.”
“Oh yeah?” she said, kissing his neck. “Tell me!”
“Nope,” Declan smirked. “You know me, Char. I like to show you things. Not just tell you.” He slid his hands up her dress. “Now, let me have my dessert.”
********
The next morning the two lovers had changed into more comfortable clothing and were driving in Declan’s BMW towards Charleston Marina.
“So we’re traveling by boat?” Charlotte asked as they pulled into the parking lot.
“Yep,” Declan said. “Hope you don’t get seasick.”
“I have no idea if I do or not,” Charlotte replied. “I’ve never been on a boat before.”
Declan looked at her surprised, “Really? Never?”
Charlotte shook her head, “Nope. This will be another first.”
Declan grinned, “I like popping so many of your cherries.”
Charlotte smacked him on the arm as he laughed, “You’re terrible, Declan DeGraff.”
They walked hand in hand down the dock to a small house boat.
“I rented her,” Declan said, hopping off the dock and onto the stern and holding out his hand to help Charlotte get across. “We’re going to float around today and spend the night on her tonight.”
Charlotte’s eyes widened, “Really? Declan, this is so great!”
She threw her arms around him and he lifted her up so he could reach her mouth. She tasted like summer time and felt like a dream.
“Well, it’s been on my bucket list,” he confessed.
“What’s been on your bucket list?”
“I’ve never made love to someone on the water before,” he whispered in her ear. “Or fucked anyone. And I’d like to do both of those things tonight, if you’re up for it.”
“Always,” she said. “Tonight, you own me.”
And every night after, she admitted to herself.
********
“Fuck!”
Declan was pounding her mercilessly from behind in the small bedroom of the house boat. They had yet to leave the marina, instead choosing to christen every part of the boat with their need for one another.
“I’m gonna come,” he announced. “Inside you, Charlotte. I need to come deep inside you.”
