by Nicole Dykes
He seems to be studying my face, searching to see if I really mean it. “Okay, so then what happened with Nicholas Warner?”
That’s it. I decide to just come totally clean with Dylan and tell him everything, “He hit her. She came to my house late the night before, covered in bruises from him. She didn’t have anywhere else to go and there was no way I was going to send her away.”
He rubs the back of his neck in shock, “Holy shit. The senator is a fucking wife beater?”
“Yep. And Charlotte is staying with me until she can find a more permanent place.”
He drops his hand to his knee, “Shit, Jax. She’s living in your house? That’s fucking dangerous man.”
I shake my head, “No, it’s not. She doesn’t have anyone. That asshole has totally alienated her. She’s looking for a place. This is just temporary.”
“You better hope so. Take it from me, it’s easy to cross that line when you are in constant close contact.”
“I know. I’m handling it.”
He sits back in the chair, “So you roughed up the senator?”
I wonder how much Luke actually saw. The door was closed so more than likely he’s going on a hunch. “Not exactly. We just had a chat.”
“Uh huh, I know how you chat.”
“So what did he say?”
I have to tell him, “He threatened our business.”
He doesn’t look as pissed or worried as I expected, “You think he will do anything?”
“No. I threatened his perfect image as a senator and I think he cares way too much about that to fuck with us.”
Dylan stands up from his chair, “Alright, I hope so. We have a damn good reputation here, but him going around telling everyone we will fuck their wives probably wouldn’t be good for business.”
“Probably not, but I still think we will be fine.”
“He may be a wife beating prick, but he has a lot of people fooled around here. The only thing we can do is what we’ve been doing. Try not to kill him.”
As long as he stays away from Charlotte, it shouldn’t be a problem. “Don’t worry about it.”
He strides over to the door, “For the record, I would have done the same thing.” That’s probably true. “You coming to dinner tonight?”
“I don’t know.”
“That was rhetorical, you never miss dinner.”
I don’t, but I also don’t like the idea of Charlotte at my place alone. I don’t think I should tell him that.
I don’t have to, “Bring Charlotte.”
“What?”
He shrugs, like it’s nothing, “Why not, you said she has no one. Bring her to dinner. You know Brooke and Alex will take her under their wings. Hell, Hannah too.”
“Maybe.”
“Oh yeah, Alex is bringing the suit tonight. I was instructed to tell you to be nice.”
I grin, the suit is another nickname we have for Stephen, “So they are back on, huh?”
“Yep.”
“Well, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll be there.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you later.”
He leaves my office, confident that I will be at his house later for dinner.
Cocky asshole.
After I finish work, I drive home and go inside. Charlotte is sitting on my couch, talking on her phone.
She seems happy, so I don’t think it’s Senator Dipshit.
She waves over at me, and I nod my hello to her before going upstairs to change for dinner.
After pulling on a long sleeve tee and changing into nicer jeans, I walk downstairs to see that Charlotte is now off of the phone.
“Hey.”
She smiles that bright happy smile at me, “Hi, you look nice.”
I laugh, “Thanks, this as dressed up as I get for family dinner at Brooke and Dylan’s.”
“Oh, you’re going over there tonight?”
Like how I did that? Nice, easy intro, “Yeah, you’re invited too. If you would like to go with me?”
Her face is a mix of excitement and fear. A signature Charlotte look, “To the family dinner?”
“Yeah, they’d love to meet you. Brooke is a fucking fantastic cook and it’s usually a good time.”
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
“A hundred percent. They’re good people.”
She stands up, “Okay, if you’re sure they won’t mind. I would love to. I hope they like me.”
It’s not possible to not like her.
Chapter 27
Charlotte
I’m not sure why I’m so nervous.
I’ve met Dylan before and I’m sure that the rest of the family is equally as nice, but the butterflies in my stomach just won’t quit as I ride in Jackson’s truck to dinner with the Monroes.
When Jackson parks his truck I take a deep breath looking at the beautiful home before us.
He smiles over at me, “I promise that they don’t bite. They are a little nosey and pushy, but they’re the best people that I’ve ever met.”
I nod my head and open my door, climbing out and walking up the sidewalk to Brooke and Dylan’s house.
I hope the foundation I used on my face will mask the hideous bruise on my cheek.
I’m honestly slightly giddy about possibly making new friends.
I know I’m pathetic.
Today has actually been a pretty good day. I am worried about Jackson, and the mysterious dreams that haunt him, but I cannot force him to open up to me. Hopefully over time he will.
After he went to work, I went for a swim in the indoor community pool at Jackson’s. I haven’t gone for a swim in ages, and it was invigorating. The proper exercise for me over the years has been joining Karen and Gloria for Pilates only.
Then right before Jackson came back today, my realtor called and we set up an appointment to look at condos tomorrow.
I could be out of Jackson’s house by the end of the week. That thought scares me more than it should.
Jackson knocks on the door and a pretty teenager opens it, “Hey, Jax.” She grins, mischievously, “You brought a girl?”
Jackson motions for me to walk in and then he follows me, “Cassie, this is Charlotte. My friend.” He turns to me, “Charlotte, this is Cassie Monroe. She’s Dylan’s oldest sister, and a real pain in the ass.”
He says that, but he ruffles her hair affectionately and she laughs, “Come on in. It’s nice to meet you, Charlotte. Dinner’s almost ready.”
We follow her into a large dining room where the rest of the family is already seated. Jackson slowly introduces me to everyone.
I recognize Dylan, who gives me a nice greeting. The young man I bumped into that day at the garage is apparently Dylan’s younger brother, Luke. He has his arm around a very pretty girl named Hannah.
Next he introduces me to young man, who is clearly Dylan and Luke’s little brother. Michael smiles shyly over at me and waves. After I wave back, I’m introduced to the youngest Monroe, Gabby.
She’s an adorable little girl with her hair in pigtails. A dog is resting his head at her lap, probably praying that she will drop some food.
Jackson then introduces me to Dylan’s wife, Brooke. She’s stunning and even though she is seated at the table, I can tell she is very pregnant. “It’s nice to meet you, Charlotte. I’m glad you could join us.”
I smile in her direction, “Thank you very much for having me.”
Jackson finally moves on to a unique couple. The man is dressed in a suit and wears glasses. The woman is gorgeous, has dark red dyed hair, tattoos and piercings. “And this is Stephen and Alex.”
Alex. Wow. She is exactly the type that you would picture with Jackson.
Suddenly I feel intimidated.
She however, oozes confidence and smiles at me, “It’s nice to finally meet you. I wasn’t sure that would ever happen.”
“It’s nice to meet you too.”
Jackson’s hand grazes my back as he guides me to an empty seat, “Okay, that’s everyone.”
Idle chit chat starts at various parts of the table, and then Cassie seems to be studying me and then asks, “Are you a model?”
The question catches me off guard, “What?”
She shrugs casually, “You look fresh off of the runway; tall, skinny, perfect posture.”
I see Jackson grin at that and I laugh, “No, I’m not a model. The perfect posture is probably from my pageant days.”
I never realized it before.
That catches Alex’s attention, and she asks, “You were in pageants?”
It doesn’t seem like a friendly question, more like pageants are a ridiculous. I could be wrong, but I have met people that despise pageantry a lot in my life. I nod, “Yes, when I was younger.”
Cassie pipes up and seems genuine in her questioning, “Wow. That’s so cool. So how long were you in them?”
“From around five years old until I graduated from high school.”
I hear Alex scoff and then seems to cover it with a cough.
I see Jackson look over at Alex with a stern look, and I politely smile at her. Then I focus my attention back on Cassie when she asks, “That’s probably the norm in the South huh? Where are you from?”
I swear I forget about my accent until I’m around new people. “Savannah, Georgia.”
“Sweet.”
I smile at her. Then her brother Michael, who is sitting next to her, points at my left hand, “Are you married?”
I look down at the seven carat diamond ring, glistening on my left hand. I haven’t taken it off yet and Jackson looks over at Michael, “Hey, let’s not overwhelm Charlotte.”
I shake my head, “No, it’s okay.” I smile, nervously at Michael, “I am married.”
Cassie looks confused, “And your husband doesn’t mind you dating Jax?”
Jackson speaks up before I can, “We aren’t dating. We’re just friends.”
For the second time tonight, I hear Alex scoff at the other end of the table.
Brooke, who is sitting at the end of my side of the table, interrupts, “Alex, didn’t you say you have some amazing news for us?”
“I don’t think tonight’s the right time.”
Brooke prods her further, “Oh, I think it’s the perfect time.”
Alex seems to give in and smiles, adoringly, over at the man in the suit and tie, “Stephen and I have decided to get married.”
Brooke looks happy at this news and congratulates her friend—as most of the people at the table do—but Jackson nearly chokes on his food when he hears the announcement. “You’re getting married? When?”
Alex looks irritated with his question, “We haven’t set a date yet, but probably within the year.”
She takes her new fiancé’s hand in hers, and Jackson goes quiet—leading me to believe that there may be more between them than he had originally let on. Which is none of my business really.
I’m in marriage limbo after all.
After dinner, we don’t stay very long. Jackson seems eager to leave. I thank everyone for having me, and Jackson helps me with my coat as we stand by the front door with Brooke and Dylan; everyone else has dispersed throughout the large home.
Dylan and Jackson are talking about business and Brooke pulls me to the side, “Thank you so much for coming tonight, Charlotte. It was great to meet you.”
“Thank you for having me, Brooke. You have a lovely home and family.”
She smiles, “Yeah, they are great. A bit intrusive at times, but we all mean well.”
I nod my head, “I had a lot of fun.”
“I’m so glad.” Her voice grows quiet, “And if you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to call me. I myself work in children services, but I have a lot social worker friends in the domestic violence field.”
I look over at Jackson, who is still in a conversation with Dylan. I’m not angry he told her, but I’m a bit embarrassed. He’d told me before that Brooke is a social worker, but it had slipped my mind until now.
Brooke puts her hand on my shoulder, “Dylan told me what happened because he’s worried, but I promise you, it will never leave these walls unless you want it to. I can help you though.”
“Thank you, but I’m okay. I left him, and I’m figuring things out.”
She smiles at me; she’s very kind. “I’m here if you just want to talk or need a woman to hang out with.”
I really like that thought, a friend close to my age who doesn’t know my husband at all. “That sounds great actually.”
We join the men and Dylan takes Brooke’s in his arms. They don’t even have to say a word. Both looking totally content in each other’s presence. The entire evening I’ve seen them giving each other glances across the table. I don’t know either one of them very well, but it’s obvious that their love is a true love.
Soon after Jackson and I say our goodbyes and walk out to his truck.
When we are both buckled he starts the drive back to his house, he’s quiet so I decide to start the conversation, “That was a fun dinner; I’m glad I went.”
“Yeah, I told ya it would be fun. Sorry about Cass, she has absolutely no filter on her mouth.”
I laugh at that, “I thought she was sweet.” I add in cautiously, “I don’t think Alex liked me very much.”
He pulls into his neighborhood and enters the code into the gate, “I’m sure she does, she just has a lot going on right now.”
He still doesn’t seem happy about her engagement, “Yes, it sounds like she does. Stephen seems nice.”
He laughs, but it’s a strange laugh, like maybe he doesn’t like him that much. “Yeah, he’s fine. Not exactly who I pictured with her, but if she’s happy that’s cool. Last time we talked, she didn’t want to get married.”
I decide to leave it alone and not prod any further. I don’t want to upset him, and it’s not my business.
When we get inside, I take my coat off and turn to Jackson. “Thank you for taking me with you, I had fun.”
“Me too, I’m glad you came.”
“I think I’m going to turn in now. I have a meeting with my realtor tomorrow.”
His interest seems peaked by that, “Oh yeah?”
“Yes, we are going to look at some condos in the area. Hopefully, I will find something.”
He runs his hand through his hair. “Well, no rush, but I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
We say goodnight, and I go upstairs to the guestroom. I am thinking about what my future holds.
The next morning, I wake up fairly early and take a shower and get dressed before going downstairs.
Jackson is nowhere to be found. When I walk to the kitchen island I see a note from him telling me that he had to get to work and good luck today. It’s unbelievably sweet—and what is even sweeter, is that next to the note are fresh bagels and coffee.
I take them to with me as I go to meet my relator. We discussed on the phone that I’m looking for something small, in a quiet area, and already furnished—so I’m hoping I will be able to commit to moving into one today.
Living with Jackson is nice, but it’s a little too comfortable. I know I need to move soon.
The first condo we arrive at is in a quaint, gated community not unlike Jackson’s, but when we walk inside it’s decorated to the hilt with fancy, expensive things.
This is the opposite of what I’m looking for.
However, my realtor, Michelle is going on and on about the vaulted ceilings and how it’s a steal. She seems to love it, but it’s just not for me.
Now to be polite, but still get what I need out of this experience.
“It’s beautiful, but I’m not sure if it’s exactly what I’m looking for.”
She looks slightly annoyed with me already and we just got started. “Alright, well it only goes up from here, sweetie. Don’t you worry.”
We l
eave that condo and drive about ten miles to the next place. It’s very nice and spacious, but it’s a little too spacious.
I’m only one person. Why would I need four bedrooms?
Also, the furniture is cold and uninviting. Black leather and glass fill up each room.
I turn to Michelle after listening to her spiel about how incredible this condo is—how it fits all of my needs, “I’m not sure about this one either.”
Michelle sighs, “Alright, no worries. Let’s go to the next one, although I don’t think these two will last very long.”
I apologize to her and we move on to the next condominium. It’s decorated basically the same way and by the fifth and last condo of the day, I’m feeling hopeless. They are all massive and secluded.
Michelle gestures around the large, sterile kitchen, “Well? I mean this place is fantastic is it not?”
“It is. It’s beautiful. I don’t know, I guess I was hoping for something a little cozier?”
She looks at me with disbelief, “Cozy? Honey, someone of your status with your budget doesn’t usually look for cozy. I’m afraid that would be quite different from the grand home I found for you and Nicholas.”
That’s the point. “I think I would like to try cozy.”
She throws her hands up, frustrated with me, but then smooths down her blazer jacket switching back to professional mode, “Alright, I’ll try. Perhaps I’ll look below your price range.”
“That would be great. Thank you.”
I met her at a coffee shop near Jackson’s house and rode with her today.
I can tell she cannot wait to drop me off.
When we arrive, she turns to me and says, “Okay, Charlotte, give me a few days and I will see what I can dig up.”
I meet her annoyance with a smile, “Of course, thank you so much for your time today.”
After that we part ways and I drive back to Jackson’s.
It’s been a long day, and Jackson isn’t home yet, so I go for yet another swim. I leave Jackson a note before I walk over to the community pool in the middle of the gated neighborhood.
It’s chilly outside, since it’s mid-February. It seems odd to be going to the pool bundled up in a coat.
I should have mentioned to Michelle that I would love a condo with an indoor pool available…
