The Bachelor

by Carly Phillips

  “Beth?” she called out.

  “Back here.” Her friend strode out of the back room, a bottle of sachet air freshener in her hand, spraying as she walked. “The cleaning people were here last night and they must’ve spilled a bottle of ammonia in the office.” She waved her hand in front of her face. “You could die from asphyxiation back there. I’ve been spraying from the front on back trying to cover it.”

  Charlotte crinkled her nose in disgust. “Yuck. Is it really that bad?” Because the lavender was enough to make her gag too. Charlotte walked farther into the store, dropping her purse by the counter, and when she reached the dressing area, she reared back from the horrific odor. “Whew.” The idea of closing herself in her office and losing her thoughts in paperwork had just been shot to hell.

  Beth nodded. “I shut the door from the office to stop the worst of the odor from getting into the changing rooms, and I opened the windows all the way, hoping to air the place out.”

  “Thanks. At least it’s not too bad up front.”

  “Let’s hope it stays that way.”

  “Well, we’ll have to close off the dressing area and mark the receipts—you can take returns on any item bought today.” Normally on-sale items, bathing suits, and underwear were exchange only, but it wasn’t a fair policy if a buyer couldn’t try on the merchandise first. “If the smell gets worse, we’ll just close for the day. No sense poisoning ourselves.”

  Beth sprayed a few more shots of lavender.

  “Couldn’t you have picked any other scent?”

  “The general store was out of everything else.”

  “Never mind. Just please, quit spraying and let’s see what happens.”

  After placing the can down on a shelf, Beth followed Charlotte to the front end, where Charlotte wedged open the front door for fresh air.

  “So.” Beth perched herself on the counter by the register. “I’m glad to see you here and smiling. How are you after … you know?” She lowered her voice to a hushed whisper on the last two words, obviously referring to the spectacle Charlotte and her family had made at the baseball game yesterday.

  Once Charlotte had climbed into Roman’s car, she’d forgotten all about Beth, dinner, and everything else. “I’m fine,” she said in equally hushed tones before catching herself. She glanced around the empty shop and rolled her eyes. “Why are we whispering?” she asked loudly.

  Beth shrugged. “Beats me.”

  “Well, I am fine. I didn’t appreciate being ambushed in public, though. If Dad—I mean, Russell—wanted to talk to me, he should have called. Or come over. Or gotten me somewhere alone. It was humiliating.”

  Beth glanced down at her nails, not meeting Charlotte’s gaze as she asked, “Would you have given him the time of day if he had?”

  Charlotte rolled her shoulders, where tension courtesy of this conversation had lodged. “I don’t know. Would you give Dr. Implant the time of day?” She immediately sucked in a sharp breath, disgusted with her comeback. “Good God, I’m sorry, Beth. I don’t know why I’m taking things out on you.” Charlotte ran to the counter and gave Beth into an apologetic hug. “Forgive me?”

  “Of course. You don’t have a sister to torture and your mother’s too fragile. Who else is there but poor me?” Despite the harsh words, when Beth pulled back, she had a smile on her face.

  “Actually, you asked an interesting question. I would give Dr. Implant the time—long enough to thank him for opening my eyes to my insecurities. Then I’d dump ice water on his lap.”

  “You’re really feeling better?” Charlotte asked.

  “How do I explain it?” Beth glanced upward, as if searching for answers. “I’m feeling aware,” she said. “All I do lately is think, and I can see a pattern in my past relationships now. All the men I’ve been involved with wanted to change me, and I let them. I easily adapted to whatever they wanted me to be. David was the most extreme case. But no more. And I have you and Rick to thank for helping me on the road to recovery.”

  “Me?” Charlotte asked, surprised. “What did I do?”

  “I told you the other day. You offered me this job because you knew better than me where my talents and interests lay. Now I know it too. And that’s just for starters.”

  “Well, I’m glad to be of service. And what about Rick?”

  “He talked and he listened. Most men don’t talk. They watch television, grunt, maybe burp a few times before nodding their heads and pretending to pay attention. Rick listened to the stories about my past and he helped me draw the right conclusions.”

  “The man’s born to rescue damsels in distress. Maybe he should’ve been a shrink, not a cop.”

  “Nah, the law-and-order thing makes him sexy,” Beth said with a laugh.

  “Please don’t tell me you’re falling for him.”

  Beth shook her head. “Nohow, no way. I’m on my own for a good long while.”

  Charlotte nodded. And she believed her friend. Beth’s eyes didn’t take on a dreamy cast when she spoke about Rick. She didn’t seem to swoon over the sexy officer. Not the way Charlotte swooned when she thought about Roman. Her insides churned with anticipation and excitement at just the idea of seeing him again.

  “I need to learn more about myself,” Beth said, interrupting Charlotte’s thoughts, and not a minute too soon. “I want to figure out what I like and what I don’t. Not what’s expected of me. So for now all I need is my friends.”

  “You’ve got us, hon.” Charlotte clasped Beth’s hand tightly and Beth returned the gesture. Charlotte only hoped she wouldn’t be the one needing her friend’s shoulder next.

  “So what are you going to do now that you can’t hole up in your office and do paperwork? Crochet again upstairs?”

  She cringed at the thought. “No. My hands hurt. I need to spread out that kind of work. First I’ll stop by the Gazette offices and talk to Chase about an Easter sale ad. I can’t believe the holiday’s only two and a half weeks away.”

  “Know what the best part of the holiday is?”

  Charlotte tapped one finger against her forehead. “Hmm. Let me think. Could it be the chocolate Cadbury Bunny commercials?” she asked, referring to her best friend’s weakness.

  “How’d you know?”

  “Are you forgetting I sent you wrapped chocolate every holiday? I know you like I know the back of my hand.” Charlotte picked her bag up off the floor where she’d left it earlier.

  “We get to pig out together this year.” Beth licked her lips in chocolate-heaven anticipation.

  Charlotte laughed. “I’ll stop by when I leave the Gazette. If it’s quiet, I may just take the paperwork and bills upstairs.”

  “I knew this would happen.” Beth shook her head sadly. “One day at home crocheting, and you’re hooked on the soaps.”

  “Untrue.”

  “Are you denying you’re going to watch General Hospital while you work?”

  Charlotte gestured as if she were zipping her lips. She refused to confirm or deny. Of course she’d watch General Hospital. Because one certain sexy actor reminded her of Roman.

  Man, oh, man, she was in deeper trouble than she thought. “See ya later.” She waved and walked out the front door into the fresh air and inhaled deeply. “Much better,” she said aloud. She hiked her purse onto her shoulder and started down the road.

  As she passed the outskirts of town and the final median of grass, daffodils, and other assorted flowers, she saw Samson weeding the flower beds and called out to him. He didn’t hear her, or chose to pretend he hadn’t.

  “Oh, well.” She shrugged and continued on, grateful for the fresh spring air. As she walked, her thoughts drifted to Roman. Tingling anticipation mixed with trepidation over the words they’d exchanged and the level of commitment those words implied.

  She wondered not only what Roman meant by working out a compromise, but whether she could trust in the love he’d given and the marriage he claimed he desired.

  Roman let himse
lf into the Gazette offices, using his key. The place was still quiet. It was too early for Lucy’s arrival, and from the look of things, even Chase hadn’t made it downstairs yet. Roman needed fresh-brewed coffee and fresher air than the stuffy office provided, so he left the door to the street open, then headed for the kitchen to make something strong and caffeinated to drink.

  Daybreak had forced him out of Charlotte’s bed. He’d left her asleep. Only a kiss on her cheek and then he was gone. The town was talking enough about Charlotte and her family. He didn’t need to add to the gossip by walking out of her apartment in broad daylight. Leaving in the early morning was chancy, but he hadn’t been able to resist the opportunity to spend the night in her bed, her warm, naked body snuggled tight against his. As it would be for the rest of his life.

  A tremor shook him hard. He might have acknowledged difficult truths—that he wanted to stop running, wanted to settle down, and that he did love Charlotte—but he’d be a liar if he said he wasn’t scared shitless. Not enough to change his mind. Just enough to make him human, Roman thought. He was on the verge of a major life change and it had him on edge.

  He still couldn’t believe the words had came out of his mouth. Not that the words had been difficult. For a writer, they never were. But Roman always thought things through first, then spoke with precision. He’d never before let emotion overrule common sense. But his feelings for Charlotte were over ten years in the making. He wanted to marry her and he did love her. He hadn’t planned on either declaration, but spontaneity was good. It kept a relationship fresh, Roman thought wryly.

  But his hand shook as he worked on the coffee, counting scoops and filling the machine with water. His timing could have been better. He’d proposed in public, when she was coming off an emotional confrontation with her father, and before he’d had the chance to make decisions crucial to their future. Given all that, he had to admit she’d taken his words better than he could have imagined.

  But now that he was alone in the office he’d spent so much time in as a kid, he realized his escape from Charlotte’s bed was a good thing. He needed time alone, to figure out how to balance his life now, and he had no idea what came next. Though he figured contacting the Washington Post about that job offer would be a good start. The notion of picking up the phone didn’t instill in him the urge to run. He decided that was a good sign.

  “Hey, little brother. You’re up early.” Chase walked into the main room of the offices. “What are you doing here? Mom run out of Cocoa Puffs?”

  Roman shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.” Because he hadn’t been home long enough to eat breakfast. He glanced at his oldest sibling. “You know, I just realized we’ve done nothing but talk about me since I hit town. What’s going on with you these days?”

  Chase shrugged. “Same old thing.”

  “Any new women?” Roman hadn’t seen Chase with anyone in particular since he’d been home.

  Chase shook his head.

  “So what do you do for company? What takes care of the loneliness?” Roman asked. And he wasn’t talking about just sex. The brothers never divulged that kind of information. Chase knew what Roman meant. They both experienced that damn loneliness that came from their choices. The kind Charlotte had taken care of for him.

  With a shrug, Chase said, “If I need company, I have some friends in Harrington. You know Yorkshire Falls is too damn small to get involved without anyone knowing. But I’m not lacking for company. Now back to you.”

  Roman laughed. Chase never could sustain a conversation about himself for too long. “What would you say if I told you the Washington Post offered me an editorial job?” he asked his oldest brother.

  Chase padded across the room in socks, no shoes—one of the benefits of living upstairs—and joined Roman in the small kitchen area, where he poured himself a cup of coffee. He raised the mug. “Thanks, by the way.”

  Roman leaned against the refrigerator. “No sweat.”

  “I’d say don’t take a desk job because of the coin toss.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t pretend it didn’t happen.” The irony was, Roman was now grateful he’d lost the coin toss, glad he was forced to stick around Yorkshire Falls, glad he’d been forced to consider marriage. Because the circumstances had conspired to give him a second chance with Charlotte, the woman he loved.

  The woman he’d always loved.

  “That coin toss is the reason my entire life is about to change.” He shook his head. That hadn’t come out right. Actually, the coin toss had provided the impetus to begin a new life. But love was the reason he was marrying Charlotte. Not family obligation.

  “Marriage is a huge step. So’s a baby. I know how bad Mom wants grandkids, but you have to admit, since Eric, she’s calmed down a little.”

  “That’s because he’s keeping her too busy to bother us, but trust the one who sees her most mornings—she hasn’t forgotten she wants grandchildren and she’s still swigging Maalox.” Though sometimes Roman thought she seemed more active when she thought he wasn’t around, he figured he was imagining things. “So if you ask me, nothing’s changed as far as that goes.” But Roman’s feelings about his mother’s needs had changed.

  “I still say make sure you can live with any decision you make.” Chase paused for a gulp of coffee. “Rick and I will understand if you don’t want to be the sacrificial lamb in Mom’s quest for grandchildren just because you lost the coin toss. You can still back out of the deal.”

  Chase’s words were ones Roman had used himself a short time ago. But things had changed from the time Roman had returned, exhausted, from London.

  Until recently, he hadn’t taken the time to examine the hows and whys of his actions during his short time home. Jet-lagged and exhausted, he’d just known the family had a need and it was his turn to fill it. Charlotte’s presence in town had changed things. And he wondered how to explain his change of heart to Chase, the brother who prized his solitude and bachelor status most.

  Charlotte walked up the path to the Gazette, only to find the door wide open. She knocked lightly, but no one answered. Since the Gazette had always been a relaxed place, one where you could stop by, hang out, talk to Lucy, Ty Turner, or even Chase, depending on his mood and schedule, she let herself inside. Expecting to see Lucy on the phone at her desk, Charlotte was surprised to see the large room was empty.

  She glanced at her watch and realized it was earlier than she’d thought. But voices came from the kitchen and Charlotte followed the low-pitched tones. The closer she came, the stronger the smell of coffee, and her stomach began a steady rumble, reminding her she hadn’t had anything to eat yet today.

  A masculine voice sounded like Roman and her insides twisted into coiled knots. Would it always be like this? she wondered. Pure enjoyment at the thought of seeing him? His voice exciting her, turning her on? An overwhelming desire to look into those deep blue eyes and have them stare back at her with equal longing? If so, she hoped like hell he felt the same way, because she didn’t see her affliction going away anytime soon.

  She reached the doorway to the kitchen. Roman stood eyeing the ceiling, as if searching for answers, while Chase guzzled coffee. Neither brother realized she was there.

  She was about to clear her throat and speak when Chase beat her to it.

  “I still say make sure you can live with any decision you make.” He paused for a gulp of coffee. “Rick and I will understand if you don’t want to be the sacrificial lamb in Mom’s quest for grandchildren just because you lost the coin toss. You can still back out of the deal.”

  Charlotte heard Chase’s words and stars danced before her eyes. Her mind quickly interpreted what she’d heard. Raina wanted grandchildren and Roman had promised to give them to her? Was that why the self-proclaimed wanderer and bachelor had suddenly started talking marriage? Love and marriage? Oh, God.

  Her stomach clenched in pain, but she reminded herself that eavesdroppers never heard anything correctly. She�
��d listened to part of a conversation only. But it didn’t look or sound good. Not for her.

  Good manners dictated she announce her presence now, before she overheard anything else that wasn’t meant for her ears. But that didn’t mean she could ignore what she had heard. “What coin toss?” she asked.

  The sound of her voice obviously startled both men, because Chase whirled around and Roman’s body jerked as if she’d shot at him from across the room. He turned toward where she stood in the doorway.

  “How’d you get in?” Chase asked, with his usual flair for bluntness and no tact.

  “I knocked, but no one answered. The door was wide open, so I walked in.” She tossed her bag onto the kitchen counter and strode past Chase to face Roman. “What coin toss?” she asked again pointedly. With determination, fire, and … trepidation all locked in her throat.

  “This is where I excuse myself,” Chase said.

  “Coward,” Roman muttered.

  “Somehow I don’t think he has anything to do with this.” Her heart pounded hard in her chest as Chase spilled his coffee into the sink and strode out of the kitchen, leaving her alone with Roman.

  A man with secrets she was afraid to hear.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Roman walked toward Charlotte, grasped her elbow and led her to a small table in the corner of the Gazette kitchen area. White Formica, white chairs, furniture she knew came from Raina’s original set. She shook her head at the bizarre way the mind sought to avoid painful truths.

  “Sit,” he said.

  “I have a feeling I’ll take this better standing.”

  “And I’d rather know it wasn’t so easy for you to turn and walk out. Now sit.”

  She folded her arms across her chest and lowered herself into the chair. She wasn’t in the mood for games or beating around the bush. “Please tell me you didn’t ask me to marry you because your mother wants grandchildren.”