Chapter 39
Charlotte
“You’ve reached Gavin Lacey. I can’t get to the phone right now. Please leave a message and I’ll–”
It’s one thing for my calls to go directly to voicemail.
I mean, he runs a resort. He’s a busy man.
But it’s another thing when the phone rings a couple times before going to voicemail.
It means his phone isn’t dead, and he’s not on the other line.
It means he sees that it’s me before rejecting the call.
Rejecting me.
As if leaving every text on read isn’t enough.
“Still nothing?” Josie asks as I throw my phone down on the couch. She’s padding around the kitchen in her PJs, feeding her cat, and making coffee.
“Nope,” I huff, leaning back into the couch. “He has written me off forever.”
“Maybe try another route,” she says, picking up her cat and petting under his chin.
“Another route?” I ask. “Stalking is a felony.”
“Not stalking, per se. I mean, try going through someone he knows, Ben maybe.”
“I’m pretty sure Ben and Gavin still aren’t speaking,” I say.
“Still?” she asks, setting the cat down and picking up her coffee. “Even though they’re still getting married at the resort?”
“Yep,” I say. “And the wild part is I am meeting them at the resort today to organize some things.”
“Jesus, their family should be on a reality TV show,” she says, and she’s not wrong.
Holly and I are now friends. Ben and I are also friends. Ben and Holly are getting married at the resort. Ben isn’t speaking to Gavin, and Gavin isn’t speaking to me. Our situation would make a great Prime Time special for sure.
“Maybe when you go there, you can talk to Gavin,” she says. I’m already thinking about doing that very thing.
I bite my lip. It’s a Hail Mary. One that might piss Gavin off. It might even make me look desperate. But honestly, I am desperate. Because even if Gavin writes me off forever and I am a self-employed single mom who will die alone, I can’t live in limbo. Limbo is a Type-A’s worst nightmare.
“I’m going to do it,” I finally say. “I’m going to confront him while I’m there, whether he likes it or not.”
“Hell yeah you are,” she says. “You want me to come with you?”
“No,” I call back. “I think this is something I need to do alone.”
“Alright well, just let me know. Although, honestly, I am dying to dive into this book.”
“Haven’t you read Outlander before?” I ask.
“Twice. But there’s no such thing as too much Jamie Fraser,” she says.
“So, is Jordan a thing of the past?” I ask.
“Maybe. He’s a guy who’s used to getting what he wants. So I’m making him sweat a little,” she answers.
I smile at that.
* * *
As I assumed, Gavin is here. I park my car next to his and make my way to the main desk. The Patagonia-clad woman looks up at me with a rehearsed customer service smile. Ben and Holly won’t be here for another hour from what we planned, so I have time.
“Hello! Welcome to Snowcap Summit. How can I help you? Oh, and just so you know, we have a special on cabins right now. Buy two nights, get the third free! And it comes with a beer and coffee voucher as well.”
Of course she doesn’t remember me.
“I’m looking for Gavin,” I tell her, cutting right to the chase.
Recognition flashes in her eyes, and her smile dips into a small frown. “Oh. Right. He’s not—”
“I know he’s here,” I say. “His car is outside.”
“He’s in a meeting.”
“I need to talk to him,” I insist.
“He isn’t taking visitors outside of appointments,” she says.
“Fine. Then I’ll make an appointment,” I tell her.
“Oh. Well, he doesn’t have any appointments available,” she says.
“Ever?” I ask.
“Not today,” she says flatly.
“Well then, I’ll stay the night. Or two. Or three, since the third night is free. I have time.”
“We don’t have any available cabins,” she lies.
“But you just said–”
“He doesn’t want to talk to you,” she finally admits, and I narrow my eyes at her.
“Well, that’s too bad. Because he’s going to talk to me whether he likes it or not,” I say before dashing off towards his office.
“Ma’am. You can’t go back there. Ma’am!”
I avoid the Karen squad and stop in front of his office, rapping on the door with my fist.
“Gavin. I know you’re in there. Can we talk? Please?”
Nothing. But I’m not giving up that easily. My polite knocking escalates to pounding, and I call out again. “Gavin! You can’t hide from me forever! You can’t hide from us…”
Nothing.
Crickets.
My heart dips into my stomach, and tears surface in my eyes. Slowly, I walk back to the front of the lobby where Karen is losing her ever-loving mind, complaining to a security guard.
“There she is!” she points as though she’s just turned in a wanted felon. Then my attention is pulled elsewhere.
“Charlotte!” I am rushed by Holly, who wraps me in her arms. Ben saunters up with his hands in his pockets, as he always does.
“You’re early,” I say.
“Well, I was excited to get up here,” she says. Then she looks at my face. “Is everything okay?”
“Gavin still won’t talk to me,” I admit flat out.
“Seriously?” she asks. “Did you go to his office?”
“I did. He wouldn’t open the door,” I answer. “These Lacey men are so bullheaded.”
“You’re telling me,” she says, looking back at Ben, who won’t make eye contact. “Someone still isn’t speaking to his father.”
“I have my reasons,” he mumbles.
Holly presses her lips together and stares into the distance. It’s a look that both Ben and I recognize. “You’re up to something,” Ben says. “That’s your up to something look.”
“What is it?” I ask.
“Benny,” she says, whipping around to face him with sugar in her tone and mischief in her tone. As she places her hands on his chest, I bite back a smile. She is good for him. “Benny…you know I don’t ask for much…”
“I don’t know if I’d say that…”
“Well, you know I’m pretty flexible as women go…”
“True,” he agrees.
Get him, girl. Get him.
“I want nothing more than for our wedding to be here with Charlotte as our planner,” she says.
“I agree,” he nods.
“But that’s going to be a little tricky if you still aren’t on good terms with your dad.”
Ben lets out a sigh. “So you want me to make up with him?” he asks.
“Yes,” she says.
“You understand this could get ugly,” he warns.
“Fine. Let it get ugly. Duke it out if you have to. As long as in the end you two are hunky-dory. And you are okay with him and Charlotte being in love with each other, and he agrees to talk to Charlotte.”
“What?” Ben and I ask simultaneously.
“So you want me to offer forgiveness and a green light to my father for being with my ex-girlfriend…in exchange for him agreeing to talk to her and admit he is in love with her?” he asks.
Good lord.
“Yes!” she jumps with a cute smile that no man in his right mind could argue with. “That’s exactly what I want. And considering that you and I were technically supposed to be on our honeymoon right now, I don’t feel like it’s too much to ask.”
“No, I suppose it isn’t,” he agrees, though I can tell he still doesn’t love the idea. “I’ll go talk to him…”
Ben begrudgingly walks towards Gavin’s office, and Holly smiles at me. “And that…is how you do it,” she says, and I can’t help but let out a nervous giggle.
For all our sakes, I hope she’s right.