by Leslie North
“Come on, bud, let’s go get changed,” Stephanie said, corralling the still-hyped Jasper. “What should we have for dinner?”
“Are we having dinner with Charlie?” Jasper’s voice was high and earnest. “I like him a lot.”
10
“We’ve got tickets. We’ve got my wallet.” Charlie patted the back pocket of his pants, the California sunlight catching gently in his hair. The morning smelled fresh and new, and even the parking lot of the amusement park seemed magical. “We’ve got water.” He swished the water bottle in his hand. “And we have a schedule.” He tapped the pants pocket that held his phone. “Are you both ready?”
Stephanie looked down at Jasper, who was the most ready she had ever seen him. He bounced up and down on tiptoe, raring to go. It was easy to be excited when they were visiting an amusement park. She’d found Charlie tapping away at his phone the evening before. He’d said he was only checking the hours, but his big smile had given him away. He’d bought tickets. It was a done deal. Charlie seemed determined to spend every second of this weekend with Stephanie and Jasper, which—she had to admit—felt wonderful.
“Let’s go,” she said.
The three of them walked hand-in-hand from the parking lot to the main entrance. Charlie showed his phone to the gate attendant, she scanned the screen, and there they were: in theme-park heaven.
They strolled down the main boulevard, drinking in the scents of fresh popcorn and cookies just out of the oven. The park had only just opened. It was the perfect time to take a leisurely stroll toward…well, wherever they wanted to go.
Stephanie looked over at Charlie. He peered down at his phone. “We need to get to Space Flight in the next ten minutes. That way, our time window works out for the rest of the rides I’ve planned.”
“Okay,” she said, feeling light and free. “Let’s go to Space Flight, then.”
Halfway to Space Flight, Jasper stopped dead in the middle of the boulevard. “Mom, look at that.” He raised a trembling hand and pointed. “That’s Splash Peak.”
“You’re right,” she said, relishing the excitement in Jasper’s face. She’d never had the chance to take him to a place like this before, but every kid knew about Splash Peak. You got soaked. Stephanie had come here once with her parents and come off the ride so wet that her mother had bought her a new t-shirt at one of the shops. “We’ll go on it in a little bit.”
“I want to go on it now,” said Jasper. He didn’t have a single hint of a whine in his voice, but Stephanie could hear how much he wanted to do it.
“We’ve got to get going if we’re going to make it to Space Flight,” said Charlie, and the tension in his voice was sharp enough to crack.
“Jasper wants to go on Splash Peak first,” she said, putting on a big smile to match Charlie’s frown.
“If we do that, we’ll be all wet for the rest of the rides. And for the character lunch and tour,” Charlie said, eyes darkening.
“It’s not a big deal. We’ve got a towel.” Stephanie pointed at her back, where her drawstring backpack hung down between her shoulder blades. “We’ll dry off in the sun.”
“I’m not sure you’re thinking things through,” Charlie said. “If we get off schedule, we might not make lunch on time. Jasper should eat at regular intervals, so that he doesn’t get sick on the rides.”
Stephanie put a hand on Charlie’s elbow. “I swear, it’ll be okay if we go on this ride before the other one.”
“I don’t know—”
“Listen.” Stephanie rested her hand on Jasper’s head; he was still in thrall to Splash Peak. “You’ve been a parent for a couple of weeks. Things get unpredictable. You’ve got to be able to roll with the punches.”
Charlie pursed his lips.
“Seriously. Relax. Your shoulders are way up by your ears.” Stephanie mimicked what Charlie looked like, and he dropped his shoulders down so far he almost hunched forward. She laughed.
“I’ve planned an itinerary,” said Charlie. “It’s meant to maximize our time in the park so that we see as much as—”
“I want to ride Splash Peak!” Jasper shouted, and then he took off. Stephanie reached out at the last moment and caught him around the chest.
“Whoa. Let’s not run in the park, bud.”
“But it’s exciting,” shouted Jasper.
“All right,” Charlie relented. “Let’s go.”
By the time they tipped over the edge of Splash Peak and went hurtling down into the pool below, Charlie had moved on to more important things, like sealing his phone in a plastic bag and making sure they collected their souvenir picture. At the top of Dinosaur Dreams, a Ferris wheel with seats that looked like dinosaurs, Stephanie grabbed Charlie’s hand and held it tight.
She was a little afraid of heights, which made it seem like a good idea to steal a kiss while Jasper stared out the window. But she was also a little afraid that Charlie might never get out of his habit of planning everything down to the last detail. That just wasn’t how life was—not with a child. Was he ever going to be able to go with the flow?
“You scared?” he asked, and his voice brought her back to reality. He was sitting here with her on a giant Ferris wheel that was supposed to take them back in time and return them to the present. This attraction hadn’t been on his itinerary at all. He had laughed when Jasper spotted it.
“Not at all,” said Stephanie. “Not at all.”
It was almost the truth.
“So you skipped out on the retreat to play T-ball and ride roller coasters,” Archer teased, dropping down into their mother’s biggest sofa and sipping at his drink. “How typical.”
Charlie shot him a look. “Better than being at that place.”
“I’m just being an ass.” Archer grinned.
“How typical,” said Charlie. “Where’s Drew?”
“Here.” The last brother came around from the other room and took the seat next to Charlie. Drew and Archer had gotten back around midday from Allen’s retreat, just in time for Monday’s family dinner. They needed to squeeze in a status meeting before they ate because the event was doing double duty as a client appreciation party. Drew checked his watch. “We don’t have much time, so I think we should get straight to the point. I don’t think we should go through with the acquisition.”
“No?” That wasn’t what Charlie had expected out of this sit-down. “He didn’t convince you that everything’s fine?”
“No way,” said Archer. “We barely talked about Baldwin Trucking the entire weekend. Our man Allen had little to no interest in discussing the anomalies in his accounting.”
“Then what was the point of the retreat?” Charlie’s frustration rose hot and thick in his throat.
“Distraction, probably,” said Drew. “Maybe the private jet has worked for him in the past, but every time I tried to steer the conversation back toward the matter at hand he found something else to talk about.”
“Bizarre,” said Charlie, though it didn’t really strike him as bizarre. The more he thought about it, the more he became convinced that the disorganization was hiding deeper problems. Another CFO might have overlooked it in the interest of expanding the business at any cost—a bad CFO. But Charlie wasn’t a bad CFO, and if Allen hadn’t given them any reassurance, well…that was that. He had a feeling that if he ever did untangle the web of reports and numbers, he’d find a company in serious financial trouble. No point putting more time into the task. He felt a knot at the back of his shoulders loosen with the distinct sensation that he’d dodged a bullet. “The records didn’t give me a lot of confidence, so if the two of you are in agreement, I’m good to leave this behind.”
“I’m in agreement,” said Archer. “He just doesn’t strike me as an honest guy. All flash, no substance.”
Drew scoffed. “That’s rich, coming from you.”
“I have plenty of substance, thanks very much,” Archer shot back.
“I’ll let Stephanie know,” said Char
lie, and both of his brothers turned to look at him. “What? She’s been left hanging long enough.”
“You don’t want to wait and let Allen tell her?”
Charlie imagined her face when her boss let her know that she had missed her vacation for nothing. “No. I don’t want to wait.”
“Look at him,” said Archer. “He doesn’t want to wait for anything.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Charlie said primly.
Drew grinned. “You’ve got it bad for her, don’t you?”
Having it bad was the least of it. He’d taken her to his bed two nights ago, and part of him had never left. Charlie didn’t relish the idea of telling Stephanie that the acquisition was off, because that made it very unlikely that they’d have another night in bed. That was all he wanted. Stephanie, flushed and satisfied, her hair spilling over his pillow. And Stephanie, waking up next to him in the morning. Stephanie, stepping out of his shower…
So he wanted more than to sleep with her. Sue him.
“I care about her,” he admitted. This line of questioning didn’t need to continue into dinner. “And I care about Jasper, too. Is that all you wanted to know?”
“I want to know if you’ve—”
“Shut it, Archer,” said Drew. At that moment, Jasper and Logan came thundering into the sitting room.
“Uncle Archer!” Logan shouted. “Will you play catch with us?”
“Before dinner?” Archer pretended to be shocked. “You know I will. Drew, come on.”
His brothers headed out for an emergency game of catch, and Charlie went to find Stephanie. It didn’t take long. She was coming in from the front yard, the scent of the ocean breeze in her hair. She smoothed it back from her face and smiled at the sight of him. His stomach tightened. Better to tell her the news now, before he could spend another second feeling guilty about it.
“Hi.” She came close and rose on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “The boys are having fun together.”
“That’s good. That’s great.”
She paused, cocking her head to the side. “What’s wrong?”
He took a deep breath. “The acquisition is off. Allen’s retreat didn’t give us any reassurance, and we’ve decided to stop pursuing it. I wanted you to hear it from me. I’m sorry, Steph. I know you missed your vacation for this, but my offer is still on the—” He stopped at the shock in her face. Her skin had gone pale, except for two crimson spots high on her cheeks. “It’ll be all right,” he said lamely.
“My vacation,” said Stephanie, and then she laughed, the sound sharp-edged and panicked. “It’s not my vacation I’m worried about now. Oh, I was worried about it. I was furious about having to miss it. But now that’s the last thing on my mind.” She put her hands to her hair, running them back one time, then two, then three. “You’re seriously not going ahead with the acquisition?”
“No. We’ll let Allen know in the morning.”
“That’s good. That’s great,” she said, in an acid-tinged echo of his words. “I’ll spend the night searching for a new job. God, Charlie. I know the records were disorganized, but…” Her chin quivered.
“A new job?” He put his fingers under her chin and tilted her face up to his. “What are you talking about?”
“It wasn’t just my vacation riding on the acquisition,” she said miserably. “It was my job. Allen made it clear that if he can’t sell the company, he’s just going to lay everybody off and shut it down.”
He took a beat to rearrange his thoughts. “Someone else might buy it,” he offered, knowing even in the moment that it was a cold, lame comfort. “But you could just come work for me.” He couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. It was, honestly, a brilliant idea. He could keep Stephanie and Jasper close, keep them happy…
Stephanie was scowling.
“Steph, what is it?”
“I’m not coming to work for you.” Her tone was low and bitter. “I don’t want your pity job or your charity.”
The words landed like a rock to his ribs. “It’s a good plan,” he insisted. “We can take some time to flesh out the details—”
“It’s your plan. God, Charlie, do you ever stop trying to make decisions for other people?” Stephanie wiped at her eyes, then ran her palms over her face. When she lowered her hands again, her expression was cold and neutral. “I knew this would be a mistake. You just don’t get that I need to be independent.”
“I get that you’re not rational,” he said, regretting the spill of his words the instant they were out of his mouth. “You won’t even consider my plans, even when they make sense.”
“Ha.” There was no hint of a smile on Stephanie’s face. “I’m not rational? You—” She shook her head. “I’m not going to fight with you.”
“I don’t want to be fighting with you. I want you in my life, but…” Hurt twisted its fingers around his neck and squeezed. “If you’re going to be this stubborn, how are we supposed to make that work?”
“Maybe we don’t.” Stephanie gave a shrug. “Maybe this is a good time to walk away from the acquisition and from us.”
He could hardly breathe. “Maybe it is.”
They stood by his mother’s front door, pain arcing across Charlie’s chest and down to his fingertips. The silence between them was drowned out by the yelling of the boys in the front yard and his brothers’ deeper voices calling out. It was awful. It was so awful.
He took in a jagged breath and forced it back out. “Are you still coming to dinner?”
Stephanie’s eyes shone with tears, but she blinked them back. “I don’t want to let Jasper down. Not tonight. But this will be the last one.”
She headed down the hall then, head held high.
Maybe it was for the best. But it didn’t feel like it.
Not at all.
11
Somehow, the documents had reproduced.
Stephanie had packed a couple of boxes’ worth of papers and binders, along with a few flash drives. In the course of the audit the papers had multiplied. She sat at the table in Charlie’s office, sorting through them as meticulously as she could. Allen would need them in good order if he shopped Baldwin Trucking to anyone else, but she doubted he would. He didn’t like to lose. He’d rather take the ball and go home.
Speaking of going home…
Stephanie let out an exasperated sigh, trying to relieve some of the pressure around her heart.
“Stephanie.” Her boss’s voice from the door of the office didn’t help matters. She stood up to greet him.
“Hi, Mr. Baldwin.”
A frown looked like it had been permanently etched into his face. Her heart dropped to her toes. Past her toes. Past the floor. Allen cleared his throat. “You can have these shipped back to my house, not the Baldwin Trucking offices.”
“Okay, that’s—” She stopped, the meaning of his words sinking in. “Mr. Baldwin, are you shutting down the company?”
He gave a resigned nod. “I’m sending out a companywide announcement later today. I’ll give you an extra week of severance pay for coming out here with me.”
She swallowed hard, trying to get any moisture whatsoever into her throat. Stephanie had been expecting this, but she’d held out hope. Now, that hope had been extinguished like a cigarette butt crushed beneath Allen’s golf shoes.
“Well,” she said, searching for something to say. “All right, then.”
“Best of luck,” Allen said absently. “Do you have my home address?”
Wow. Wow. “Yes, Mr. Baldwin. I do.”
“Charge the shipping to my personal card. The company cards won’t be active much longer.”
“I will.”
He tipped his baseball hat toward her and disappeared down the hall.
So that was that. Stephanie sat back down at the desk and buried her face in her hands. What were they going to do now? She had savings in the bank to tide them over for a month. Maybe two, if she stretched every penny.
Then what?
“Are you okay?”
She lifted her head and found Charlie standing in the middle of the office, hands in his pockets. They hadn’t talked during the family dinner, or afterward at home, or this morning. But now she felt raw, like her skin had been buffed to the point that even the air hurt.
“No,” she said, swallowing down all the bitter words that she found on the tip of her tongue. “But I’ll be fine eventually.” Stephanie squared her shoulders. “Just another bump in the road.”
It felt worse than a bump in the road—a lot worse. The job at Baldwin Trucking hadn’t been her dream job, and Allen could be a nightmare, but it had been steady and reliable and came with great health insurance. Now she was facing down the dreaded limbo of temporary insurance and job hunting and maybe even having to move, depending on how things went.
“Are you planning to head back east, then?” Charlie’s dark eyes were steady on hers, steady enough to make her want to throw herself into his arms. She resisted the urge. It was still too new between them to ask him for help, though a tiny voice in the back of her mind was begging and pleading for her to do a little begging and pleading of her own.
“Right now, I’m packing up these boxes. Once I ship them out, we’ll be heading back. I need to start applying for jobs, setting up interviews…”
“I don’t want you to go.”
Charlie’s voice was so full of barely restrained emotion that it brought her up short.
“And this isn’t about me trying to make decisions for you,” he continued, his eyes never leaving hers. “I was just beginning to bond with Jasper, and it’s…important for me to continue that. Essential.” He lifted his shoulders in a shrug that tore at her heart. “Stay here, with me.”
“I can’t do that.” She said it quickly, like ripping off a Band-Aid. “I have connections back east that I can leverage to find work, and—”
