“You are doing me a favor. Consider it your apartment. It is usually empty, since I am basically living with Carter.”
A slow smile spread across my face, and I leaned forward to prod Viv’s leg. “Mmhmm. Nasty asses think you’re grown, huh? Maybe I should have given you those extra pregnancy tests instead of throwing them away.”
I sat back in my chair again, waiting for Viv to laugh.
I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
“Viv! Are you…”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “But… I did think that I might be. You and I may have been taking pregnancy tests at the same time.”
She dropped her gaze to her hands, and I sat up, trying to get a glimpse of her expression. “How would you have felt about it if you were? Have… have you guys discussed that?”
“We have.” Viv looked up, wetting her lips with her tongue before she continued. “Carter would be thrilled. He has been campaigning since we made things official, but I prefer to wait. After… everything that has happened, I need to be sure that Carter can handle the commitment of us before working toward the even bigger commitment of a child, you know? I do not want to have a child if I cannot be absolutely sure he and I can surround it with love — not just for the baby, for each other.”
Yeah.
I did know.
That declaration hit me right in the chest, dredging up a wave of guilt about my eagerness to have a baby with Adrian. No way would my home have been filled with the kind of love that oozed off of Viv and Carter. It was all over them, all in the way they looked at each other. The child would have been loved, without a doubt, and that was a large part of why I wanted one so bad. I needed somebody around that I could feel that variety of deep, tangible emotion for. I hadn’t experienced love like that since…
Since Nixon.
And he screwed it up.
“Charlie? Are you okay?”
I gave a slight shake of my head. “What? Yeah…yeah, I’m good. Just thinking about everything I still have to do. I haven’t even gone to see my mom yet, still trying to mentally prepare.”
“Yes, I know the feeling,” Viv laughed. “But… you know that your mother is in Paris with mine right now, no?”
My expression dropped into a scowl. “No. She didn’t tell me that!”
“You did not receive the group text aunt Melissa sent last night?”
I lifted an eyebrow. “The picture of her and Aunt Morgan in their little 50+ club gear, captioned “Turn down for what?” yeah, I got that, but I didn’t realize it was from freaking France.”
Viv’s moms and mine — Morgan and Melissa — were not only sisters, but best friends. Twins in more than once sense of the word. M&M were beautiful, fun, nosy, and loud. Aunt Morgan moved to France, got married, and had Viv. My mom globetrotted, and had herself plenty of fun exploring cultures, food, fashions, and… men. As a result, my paternity was… ambiguous, at best.
Giggling, Viv climbed down from the desk and went around to the other side to collapse in her chair. “Yes, my mother talked her into it, and they left yesterday morning. I may have dropped it into my mother’s ear that you would probably need some time to settle in before Aunt Melissa got ahold of you.”
“Bless you,” I said, giving her a playful salute. “How much time did you buy me?”
“However long it takes my father to shut off the credit card… so probably about two weeks.”
I let out a relieved sigh. “So at least I’m not dealing with her and Nixon at the same time.”
Viv shook her head, sympathy lacing the smile she gave me. “I did what I could.”
“I definitely owe you one. Another one. Where are we now, like a hundred?”
“I have told you about that already.”
“I know, I know, family, schmamily. Still. I owe you. And your man promised me chocolate for teasing me about Nixon.”
Lifting an eyebrow, Viv crossed her arms over her chest. “Is that what you were tattling on him for when you two came to the door like children? I should have known. How did your meeting this morning go with Nixon?”
“So anyway, you said Roman got married? To who?”
“Ah, changing the subject now are we?”
“We are,” I nodded eagerly, not wanting to get on the topic of Nixon. Viv wasn’t living in the neighborhood back then, but she’d certainly heard every detail, good and bad, of the relationship. “Back to Rome. Tell me who locked down his sexy, dark roast ass. I was trying to come home and see what he was talking about. You didn’t mention nothing about that.”
Viv laughed. “Well, you were married when he and Simone started dating, and then you were a little busy with federal investigations and such. But you’ll really like Simone. She owns the flower shop next door, and she’s a sweetheart.”
“If you say so.”
“Oh, whatever. Besides… I am quite sure that Roman would not have crossed such a line with you, considering…”
I huffed. “Of course. Considering Nixon is his homeboy.” I rolled my eyes. “Anyway, if you say Roman’s new bride is a sweet girl, I believe you. I’m jealous, but I believe you.”
“Mmhmm. Speaking of Nixon…”
“Oh God.”
“Stop it. I just want to know how things went, how he responded to your going back to the restaurant.”
After a heavy sigh that earned me a glare, I gave Viv a rundown of the meeting with Nixon, leaving out that I’d been ready to leave my panties on his office floor.
“So do you think you will be able to work together?” she asked, propping her elbows on her desk.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. But, I think so. We’re both professionals, and we’ve worked together really well before. If we can put the personal stuff behind us…”
“Can you put the personal stuff behind you?” Viv raised an eyebrow, not looking all that certain.
Scratching my head, I let my fingers linger in my curls for a moment as I thought about it. After a long moment, I gave another non-committal shrug. “I mean… Nixon and I broke up five years ago. We should both be over it, right?”
“There’s no certain time frame Charlie. You get over a breakup… when you’re over it.”
I sucked my teeth. “I’m not talking about me, I’m talking about him. He’s the one with the flirting, and the touching, and the—“
“Touching?”
Crap.
“What?”
“You said Nixon… touched you.”
“I said no such thing. Are you hungry?”
Viv rolled her eyes. “You are very good at changing the subject, cousin, but yes, I am.” She paused for a moment, then gave me a wicked grin. “Do you want to go to Pot Liquor for lunch?”
— & —
Forty minutes later, Viv and I had patio seats at Honeybee, one of the few restaurants I would sit down in within a fifty-mile radius of Pot Liquor. It was a larger restaurant, much further into the hustle and bustle of the big city than my place, but the food was always impeccable.
I’d seriously considered cursing Viv out when she suggested that we eat outside, but the patio was shaded, and cooled with large, gentle-breeze producing fans, so it was actually nice. The warm weather, good food, and the sounds of the city were relaxing to me, unlike the stuffy suburban life I’d fallen into with Adrian.
Despite my trepidation, it did feel good to be home, to a place that I knew well. It didn’t hurt to surround myself with familiar faces — even Nixon’s. Being around the people I still considered family took the edge off the pain and loneliness of a failed marriage, even if it was something I’d done out of desperation to get over the botched relationship with Nixon. Funny thing was… I wasn’t even sure it worked.
“Excuse me.”
My breath caught in my throat as I looked up, into a pair of brown eyes warm enough to melt butter. A quick perusal of the rest of the face gave me deep chestnut skin, a straight nose, full lips, and a cl
ean-shaven jawline.
“Yes?” I said, almost choking on a too-quickly-swallowed mouthful of lemonade once I pulled my lips from my straw. “Can I help you?”
His mouth tipped up into a charmingly crooked smile. “You can, actually. I think I know you from somewhere, but… I can’t quite place it.”
Shaking my head, I smiled back. “Look,” I said, taking advantage of the opportunity to scan the rest of his body as he stood over our table. He was dressed in a button up and nice slacks, with a tie loose around his neck. Corporate brother. “You’re a really nice looking guy. You don’t have to use a line to approach me.”
“It’s not a line,” he laughed. “I swear. What’s your name?”
“Charlie. Charlie Bennet.”
He propped his elbow in his hand as he stroked his chin. “Charlie Bennet… Charlie Bennet… as in, Charlene Bennet?”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Yes…”
“I do know you, we went to high school together. Trent Ellis.”
Is there something in the damn water?!
My mouth slacked a little, eyes wide as I finally recognized him. He’d changed, but I still recognized a little of the boy who used to wait for me outside of Biology to walk me to my next class — until Nixon found out, and threatened to kick his ass. (Sidenote, Nixon and I were not dating at the time.)
I stood up with a smile, wrapping my arms around his neck as he pulled me into a hug. He held me a little longer than necessary, squeezed a little tighter than required, but he was fine, and he smelled good, so I gave him a pass.
When he stepped back, he looked me over with obvious admiration in his eyes. “Damn, those fifteen years since we graduated have been mighty good to you.”
I blushed, biting my lip as I shot a glance at Viv, who was pretending to be very interested in the shrimp and pasta on her plate. “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself. I see those braces were well worth it.”
“Yeah, you know. I got teased for it, but…” he smiled, showcasing a mouthful of beautiful white teeth as he shrugged.
“Look at you now, right?”
He nodded. “Right. So… what, are you just back for a visit? I heard you got married, moved to Cali, all of that…”
“Um… I’m back permanently, I think. For now,” I said, returning his smile.
“With your husband?”
I dropped my gaze to my hands, then returned it to him. “No, actually. I’m… divorced.”
Or… would be, soon, but he didn’t need to know all that.
“Wow… I’m sorry to hear that.”
Of course you are.
He said he was sorry to hear it, but his eyebrows shot up, and I could practically see the mental high-five happening in his head.
I shrugged. “Hey… stuff happens, usually for a reason.”
“Yes, it does. Including us running into each other like this. I… I hope I’m not being too forward, but maybe we can have dinner or something, since you’re back in town. I’d love to catch up.”
Butterflies erupted in my belly. My cheeks grew hot, and again I glanced at Viv for a little hint on what I should do, but she was still acting as if those shrimp were spelling out the cure for cancer.
“Uh… sure. I’d love to.”
Trent smiled big as he pulled his cell from his pocket. “Cool. What about this Friday, if you’re available?”
“Let me check,” I said, knowing damned well I didn’t have anything better to do on a Friday night as I reached for my purse and pulled out my phone. For a few seconds, I pretended to check my calendar, then nodded. “Friday works for me.”
My heart raced as we exchanged numbers and agreed on a time, then with a final parting embrace, Trent walked away, leaving me to swoon into my chair across from Viv.
She glanced over her shoulder to make sure he was gone, then leaned over the table and whispered, “Details. Give me every single one.”
four.
nixon.
Thicker than a goddamned snicker.
My mouth went dry when I walked in my office to see Charlie standing by my desk, in slim black pants and a rich blue sports bra, looking like hot sex, first thing in the morning. Bountiful breasts, curvy hips, thick, supple thighs… blood rushed straight to my groin. When she and I were together, her body was easily top five in my favorite things on the planet, and right now, those lush curves were calling my name.
“Good morning,” I said, closing the door behind me and dropping my things into the chair in front of the desk. Charlie’s head popped up, and I noticed then that she had earbuds in, with the cord draped behind her. Her eyes went wide, and she turned her back to me, snatching what appeared to be a tank top from the desk.
“Good morning. I wasn’t expecting you to be here so early,” she said, with a hint of strain in her voice. She glanced at me over her shoulder, then pulled the shirt over her head. When she turned back, I saw that there was a large coffee stain on the front, and a soiled towel on the desk where she’d obviously been trying to clean it.
“I always get here early. If the schedule says nine, I’m down here by eight.”
She picked her chef’s coat up from the desk. “You didn’t used to. You avoided me, for a while.”
“I do a lot of things now that I didn’t used to do.”
Charlie’s fingers paused over the buttons to her coat, and her eyes flickered up to meet mine. “Yeah. I see.” She gave a slight shake of her head, then continued the task of donning her coat as I stepped forward.
“You have a little accident?” I asked, pointing at the stain on her shirt.
She let out a huff of air, rolling her eyes. “Yes, because I had a full cup of coffee in my hands, and ran into a table on my way in. Luckily I hadn’t buttoned up yet, so it just got on my shirt. You didn’t say anything to me about changing the table layout,” she snapped as she finished closing her coat.
The hell…
“I didn’t realize I needed to run every little decision by you first. I’ve been running this place basically by myself for the last four years, and it has survived… you do realize that, right?”
Charlie took a deep breath, then bit down on her lip as she gave me a little nod. “Yeah… sorry. I don’t mean to snap at you, I’m just feeling a little… stressed.”
“I can tell,” I said, approaching the desk. “What’s up… you not happy to be back home? Do I need to do something to make you feel a little more welcome? I know what always used to make you feel better…”
She rolled her eyes, but a little smile danced at the corners of her mouth. “No thank you, Nix. I am happy to be back, it’s just…” she stopped to sigh, then shook her head. “It’s… other stuff. Stuff from back in Cali.”
“Stuff meaning… your husband?”
Bingo.
From the way her shoulders tensed, and the tightness in her jaw, I knew I was on to something.
“Yeah,” she mumbled, avoiding my eyes. “He called yesterday, wanting to talk about the divorce.”
“Wanting to change your mind about the divorce.”
She scoffed, then nodded. “Yeah.”
“But… you don’t seem open to that.”
“I’m not.”
“Why?”
Raising a neatly shaped eyebrow, Charlie eyed me for a second before she licked her lips and looked away. “Personal reasons.”
I kept my eyes on her, wanting her to look my way again so I could see her face. Those pretty brown eyes of hers never could hide how she was feeling. She kept her gaze averted, so instead of pressing the issue, I sidled past her, taking care not to touch her. She wasn’t in the right mood to let it slide this time.
“So, is that all? That’s what has you on edge this morning, your ex getting on your nerves?” I asked, reaching into the closet behind the desk for my own chef’s coat.
“More than one ex getting on my nerves, actually.” She shot me a sweet smile, and I chuckled, shaking my head as I shrugged the coat on. “But
, no, that’s not all. My boxes, with all of my stuff were supposed to get here yesterday, and I find out this morning that they won’t be here until Friday.”
“That’s just tomorrow.”
“Right… but they were supposed to be here yesterday. I had to borrow a coat to cook in from Viv and it’s not exactly the best fit. I’ve got a couple of pounds on her.”
I cocked my head to the side. “A couple?”
Bad time for a joke, dude.
Charlie’s face immediately dropped into a scowl, and her hand went up to rest on her hip. Even with that mean expression, the only thing ran through my mind was how damned gorgeous she was. Golden-bronze skin, cute little nose, and those juicy, perfect lips. She’d cut her hair off, into a short, curly, tapered cut that gave her a little edge to what would have otherwise been just a whole lot of “pretty”. So damned pretty.
“You know I’m playing with you, come on. You’re banging, baby.”
“Baby?”
I grinned, reaching forward to grab her hand. “What, I can’t call you that?”
“Uhh… no…”
“You didn’t used to mind when I called you that.”
She gave me that syrupy-sweet smile again as she pulled away. “I mind a lot of things I didn’t used to mind.”
“Oh, so you’re a changed woman, huh?”
I took a step toward her, and she took one away, backing herself against the desk. She met my gaze with a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she countered. “Actually… yes. I am. We broke up five years ago, Nix, and haven’t been around each other in four… I hope you’ve changed too.”
There.
Just like that, the dynamic of our teasing conversation changed… or did it? I didn’t know exactly what she was getting at, but if she wanted to be cryptic… I could do that.
“I have. Changed, grown up, evolved… all of that. Spent some time figuring out what and who was—no, is important to me.”
By the time I finished my sentence, Charlie and I were almost touching, and I had her full attention. From the expression on her face — eyes wide, lips parted — she’d caught exactly what I was saying. Not that it was supposed to be a secret. If Charlie was: 1. Back in town permanently, and 2. Single, I had no problem letting it be known that I still wanted her, past bullshit aside.
Fall In Love Again (Serendipitous Love Book 3) Page 3
