That went down like a lead balloon. Everyone stared at her.
“I see,” Jessica said a little frostily.
Uh oh. A glance sideways at Gary and the horrible feeling that had started to creep over her just went hotter. He did not look pleased, in fact, his lips were a little tight, his slight smile a little stiff.
Bugger, she’d just embarrassed him.
Seeking to quickly make amends, she smiled at Jessica. “What a lovely pair of earrings.”
“Thank you.”
“Yes, well, let me introduce you to the rest of the group,” Willard said.
As he proceeded to do so, Charley sank back a little in her chair, determined to appear cool and classy while knowing she’d probably blown that boat right out of the water. But the evening was young, she was sure if she kept her mouth shut and concentrated, she could regain lost ground.
Skye and Robert Matlock smiled politely and nodded, but Marilyn Bayer’s eyes twinkled with humour while her husband, Geoff, winked at Charley, immediately putting her at ease a little.
The head waiter appeared beside Gary, who ordered wine for both of them. Charley inwardly grimaced, not liking wine in general, a little annoyed that he’d order it when he knew she didn’t like wine. Still, she resolved to be pleasant.
Didn’t stop her leaning forward to add pleasantly, “And could I please have a glass of water?”
“Of course, Madam.” The waiter smiled at her.
At least she’d be able to have a mouthful of water between every other mouthful of wine she’d have to choke down.
Willard turned his gaze to her. “I hear you’re in the medical profession, Charley.”
“Yes. I’m a nurse.”
“Admirable. Very admirable.”
“I hear you’re quite high up the chain,” Robert added.
She blinked. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that.”
“Of course, you would be modest, darling.” Gary laughed softly, reached out to give her hand a fond squeeze.
“Aren’t we all?” Skye laughed. “Take Robert. Just the other day we were at a party and he told someone he worked for a law firm. Worked!”
“Couldn’t very well tell them all I was a partner in a very prestigious law firm.” Robert spread his hands. “They’d think I was bragging. Not very professional.”
“Don’t worry, I told them, dear.”
“I’m sure you did.”
Oh yeah, there was no doubt from the way the Matlocks looked at each other that that particular little manoeuvrer was very well practiced. He appeared modest, she appeared proud.
Charley mentally pulled a face.
“I’m sure they were all very impressed.” Marilyn took a sip of wine.
Skye sent her a sidelong glance. “Very.”
Hmmm, maybe there was no love lost between those two. Charley peeked at Jessica, who was watching with veiled eyes. Hard to tell about her just yet.
“So, what department do you work in, Charley?” Geoff queried. “Managerial?”
“No. I-”
“She oversees the other nursing staff,” Gary interrupted smoothly.
“Nurse Manager kind of thing?” Geoff swirled the wine in his glass.
“CEO?” Willard added.
“A little young for CEO,” Jessica murmured.
Charley smiled. “Nothing like that, I assure you. I’m a hands-on nurse.”
“So a Clinical Nurse,” Marilyn announced. “How lovely.”
Before Charley could correct her, Gary again intercepted. “Let’s just say that dealing with other health professionals and clients can be challenging.” He turned his head to smile at Charley, but there was no doubting the warning glint in his eyes. “Isn’t that right, darling?”
He was deliberately giving everyone the impression that she was higher up the food chain to impress them, and then had the gall to warn her silently to keep her tongue behind her teeth.
Not wanting to cause a scene, so acutely aware that he was trying to impress his boss and the partners, Charley murmured, “Not everything is as it seems,” before taking a fortifying mouthful of wine.
The distaste that shuddered through her at the taste was enough to push her annoyance away for a brief moment. Not to mention the hurt that he would deliberately make her job out to be more than it was - and there was nothing wrong with it, anyway.
About to replace the glass back on the table, Charley caught Jessica’s calculating gaze.
Approvingly, Jessica murmured, “Managerial, of course. Most appropriate for our Gary.” She turned to Willard, “Isn’t it, dear?”
Charley tossed the rest of the wine down her throat before she could comment on how worthwhile her job was. But man, Gary was going to get it when they got back to the car alone.
The conversation turned to work for the men, while the women chatted about their charities, holidays and politely pried into Charley’s life. No doubt they were trying to see if she was an ideal fit for a possible future younger partner’s social set. Aka Gary’s wife, maybe.
“I don’t do charities,” Charley replied bluntly. “I just donate.”
“Admirable.” Marilyn sighed. “It can get so tedious at times.”
“It’s good to be seen,” Jessica objected. “Supporting charities is worthwhile.”
“And having a law firm known to charities can bring in high-end clients,” Skye added.
Marilyn rolled her eyes.
“What charities do you donate to, Charley?” Jessica queried.
“The local animal shelters.”
“Local?”
“Yes. I like my money to stay local.” Charley steadily met the curious eyes of the listening women. “Giving money to big charities is great, but the animal shelters need so much help and are often struggling with unwanted animals. These are local people, local animals. I want to see where my money goes.”
“Oh, my dear.” Skye looked at her almost pityingly. “As you move higher up the rungs of society, you’ll need to be seen to be doing more than local.”
“Exactly.” Jessica nodded.
“Mind you,” Marilyn mused, “local charities can be seen as supporting our own, giving to a cause that touches everyone. Winning over the locals.” She smiled widely. “I like it.”
“You would,” Jessica said.
“I don’t care about winning over anyone,” Charley replied bluntly. “Only about seeing that animals get the care they need, while the people looking after them get the support they need.”
No doubt hearing the edge in her tone, Gary gave her a leg a nudge with his foot.
She’d give him a nudge right back in a minute. Right up his arse.
Taking a deep breath, she donned a mask of interest. “So, Jessica, where do you work?”
Jessica blinked.
Marilyn gave a hoot of laughter. “Charley! That’s hilarious!”
Skye bit her lip but not in time to hide a fleeting smirk.
All four men looked at the women.
“Sounds like you’re having more fun than us,” Geoff commented.
“My job is to support my husband and do good for those less fortunate than ourselves.” The frost was definitely back in Jessica’s voice.
“Admirable,” Charley returned.
“It is.” Willard laid his hand on Jessica’s arm. “My wife is my number one supporter. She does all those little things guaranteed to keep me happy, while pursuing her own interests. That’s what makes a good wife, isn’t it, Gary?”
Everyone looked at him.
Charley arched one eyebrow.
Coolly, Gary smiled. “We all want a partner who will support us throughout life.”
The man was bloody good at weaselling out of a corner, no doubt about it.
“How sweet,” Charley said. “Support and honesty, it’s all important in a life partner.”
Gary nodded at her without one flicker of guilt before switching his attention to the waiter approaching with the menus.
It was almost a relief to grab a menu and hide behind it. Pretending to study it, Charley felt her annoyance starting to rise. Sure, Gary was ambitious, he was chasing a higher position, but she’d never dreamed he’d be happy to lead people on about her job. After all, they would be bound to find the truth out sooner or later, so what the hell was he playing at?
Taking a deep breath to simmer down the bubble of annoyance bordering on anger, she forced her concentration on the menu.
By the time the waiter came around, she’d managed to regain her cool. For the rest of the meal she managed to stay out of sticky patches, content to simply let everyone talk while she ate, giving the odd nod or shake of the head, a brief few words in reply when a question was asked.
She felt like everything was going pretty well, she’d managed to get through most of the evening without rocking the boat. That lasted right up until after dinner when everyone was sipping on cocktails while Charley drank a Diet Coke - she bloody well refused to give in when Gary tried to order a cocktail for her, giving him a warning kick to his leg because he knew full-well she hated cocktails - and Robert started telling a story about a well-to-do landowner who was trying to weasel out of a lease an elderly man had on a cottage.
“Honestly,” he said, “the fuss this old man is making, you’d think it was his land.”
“People think they have a right to everything,” Jessica agreed.
“He does,” Charley pointed out. “He has a lease.”
Willard shook his head. “Trying to find a loophole to get the leaser off the property isn’t going to be easy.”
“If it’s there, you’ll find it,” Gary said confidentially.
“Hardly fair, though,” Charley added, unable to simply sit and listen. “How long has this elderly man lived there?”
“Twenty years.”
“And how long was the lease for?”
“Twenty five.” Willard sighed. “The father of the current leaser agreed on it.”
“Then it should be honoured.”
Now she had everyone’s attention, including Gary’s, only his was accompanied by another discreet side kick.
Bugger that. Charley gave him a sharp kick back. Give the man his due, he didn’t flinch, but he did open his mouth and start, “Progress sometimes has to be made way for-”
“What’s it for?” she interrupted. “A highway? Shopping centre? Offices? School?”
Willard studied her face as though just seeing her. “The owner wants to build his home on that spot.”
“This client is rich.”
“Wealthy, yes.” There was a ring of challenge in the lawyer’s voice now.
“And just how many houses does he have?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“So he does have other houses. Can’t he live in one of those houses for another five years rather than try to kick out a poor elderly man?”
Marilyn was grinning from ear to ear. “Now this is entertainment.”
“Charlotte,” Gary warned quietly. “This is the side of business you couldn’t possibly understand.” He turned to his boss. “Work talk. Sometimes it can go right over people’s heads. Maybe we should change the subject.”
“It’s not going over my head,” Charley said.
“Trust me, darling, it is.” His smile this time was all teeth, his eyes hard, before he again turned on the charm. “Did I tell you, Willard, that we won the Sampson vs. Fergus case?”
That appeared to appease Willard. His face brightened. “I hadn’t heard. Well done, Gary.”
Yeah, Charley thought sourly, well done, Gary.
She was also reminded that her boyfriend was trying to make a good impression on his boss and she was jeopardising it. Mad she might be, but destroying anyone’s career wasn’t on her to-do list. She just had to knuckle down, keep her mouth shut and it would be over soon.
Please God, let it be over soon.
Mercifully, the evening didn’t last much longer, but though Gary spoke pleasantly to everyone and was courteous to her, she felt his annoyance in the bite of his fingers on her upper arm as he helped her from her chair to guide her from the restaurant. When she tried to discreetly pull away, his fingers only bit harder.
Not wanting to cause a scene, she allowed him to lead her to the car, remaining silent except for wishing everyone a goodnight right before he solicitously held the car door open while she slid into the seat. Discreetly rubbing her upper arm where his fingers had bitten in, she waited while he exchanged a last few words with his boss before he got into the driver’s seat. He was still smiling pleasantly as they pulled out of the parking lot, but the smile disappeared as soon as they were on the road.
In fact, the chill coming from him could have caused frostbite.
Wondering if she should broach the subject or simply remain silent, Charley bit her bottom lip.
Gary who broke the silence coldly. “What the hell do you think you were doing?”
“I take it you mean my disagreeing with the lease rort?”
“It’s not a rort. The owner wishes his land back to build himself a home.”
“Your boss is trying to find a loophole to screw an old man from the last few years in his home.”
“It’s not the old man’s home. It belongs to the client.”
“It’s been leased for twenty five years by the current occupier. He’s only lived there for twenty of those twenty five, so he still has five years.”
“If the lease isn’t water-tight, if there’s a loophole, there may be a way to cancel the lease before the twenty five years.”
Charley stared at him. “Seriously?”
His gaze didn’t shift from the road, but his voice practically dripped icicles. “What?”
“You seriously don’t find anything wrong with that?”
“The law is the law.”
“The law you’re talking about is shifty!”
“If it’s a legal loophole, it’s not shifty.”
“Shifty, loophole, whatever, it doesn’t matter. It’s just wrong.”
“Don’t presume to know the legalities. You obviously know nothing of this particular subject.”
“I know morality.” Folding her arms, Charley scowled out the window at the passing street. “Maybe you need to learn it.”
“And just what is that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Let me see. Oh, how about we start with the fact that you wanted your boss and his partners to think I’m higher up the medical career ladder than I am?”
“I never said you were,” he replied smoothly. “If they choose to think so…”
She cast him a disbelieving look. “You deliberately led them on!”
He remained silent, his expression stony.
“If you’re so ashamed to be dating a simple RN, Gary, why did you ask me out?”
“I’m starting to wonder that myself.”
A myriad of emotions tossed through Charley - hurt, anger, disbelief and confusion. “I’m not ashamed of you.”
“You have no reason to be.”
The conceit was astounding.
“Until tonight,” she amended.
He didn’t reply.
The rest of the journey passed in silence - cold on his side, awkwardly on hers. Humiliation was coursing through her, the sight of home and the sanctuary it offered was never so welcome.
Parking on the verge, he made no move to get out of the car to open her door. Apparently she didn’t deserve any more courtesy.
That suited her just fine. Charley got out, shut the door with deliberate firmness and strode up the pathway towards the veranda.
He didn’t wait to ensure she got there safely, simply pulled away with well-bred control and drove off into the night.
The sensor lights flashed on, illuminating the pathway which was already lit by the street light. Muttering to herself, Charley went up onto the veranda and made to pull the key from her clutch only to groan when she realised she’d le
ft it in the car. Hoping that maybe she’d left a door unlocked - not likely - she hurried to check the back door only to find it securely locked. Returning to the front, she leaned back against the wall with another groan.
Locked out. She’d either have to call a locksmith or - ah crap, her mobile was in the house. She hadn’t bothered to take it because there was no need to take it on a date. Because she’d trusted Gary.
Stupidly, a lump rose in her throat. What a shitty - utterly shitty - evening. She sniffed. Great. Just great. Her date had ditched her, it was late, she was locked out of the house, her nose was running, and she didn’t have a tissue or a hanky.
Taking a deep breath, she wiped what suspiciously felt like a tear from her eye - I am not crying - and tried to think of what to do.
After a couple of dismayed seconds, it was clear. Nothing. There was nothing at all she could do unless she started knocking on the neighbourhood doors and asking to use the phones. A quick glance around showed every house in darkness, and why not? It was a working neighbourhood, it was late, everyone would be asleep.
Charley’s shoulders slumped at the realisation that her only real option was to sit on the swing chair and wait for Blue to return home. “How bloody pathetic.” Dispiritedly crossing to the swing chair, she dropped down onto it.
She was glumly contemplating her shoes when headlights swept down the quiet street and turned into the driveway. It wasn’t the motorcycle Blue had left on, so unless someone was giving him a lift home because he’d had some alcohol to drink, then she didn’t know who it could be. Then she caught sight of the Wells Security logo on the side of the black SUV and remembered that the house was monitored twenty four hours a day by Aaron’s security firm.
Okay, that was a little humiliating but also reassuring. At least someone cared.
Crossing to the edge of the veranda, she watched as the car door opened and a tall, broad-shouldered figure got out of the car and approached with a sure stride. The sensor light picked out the Wells Security uniform of navy blue pants and short-sleeved polo shirt with the security logo on the breast pocket. Black boots trod silently along the path as the patrol guard moved up to the veranda and came to a stop.
The Wells Brothers: Blue Page 5
