Chapter Nine
C harlotte stepped off the hotel elevator and walked across the lobby to the concierge to see if she had any mail waiting for her. Though it had only been two weeks since she’d sent out résumés, she was anxious and hoping someone was impressed enough by her qualifications to offer her a position. She was hoping for an email, a phone call or a letter, though the last two were rare these days.
She stopped at the front desk where a familiar clerk smiled in recognition. “Hi, Ms. Kendall! What can I do for you today?”
“Hi, Patrick. I’m checking for packages or mail.”
“I’ll check for you.” He walked into the back and returned with a few envelopes. “Here you go. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
She shook her head. “No, thanks. I appreciate it,” she said, and immediately began sorting through the mail as she walked away. Nothing but junk, she thought, tossing the papers into the trash as she passed a garbage pail.
She stopped at the coffee shop for a cup of decaffeinated tea and headed up to her hotel room. She opened her laptop and loaded her emails. One in particular caught her eye. A curator position at a medium-sized museum not far from the building where she’d be living was interested in speaking to her. Right up her alley.
She wrote back immediately, agreeing to an interview. Now all she had to do was wait to hear back on a date and time. If she got this job then she’d feel much better about moving into the apartment in Jared’s building. Like she was doing her part to pay some of the rent.
Excited, she forwarded the positive email to Leo along with a bunch of smiling emojis, not wanting to bother him at work by calling. Still on an emotional high, she tried her brother, surprised when he picked up the phone.
“Hello?” He sounded out of breath.
She was thrilled she’d reached him. “Hi, stranger! I’ve missed you. Did you get my message when I got back to the States?”
He paused, then said, “Sorry. I’ve been busy with some things.”
“Too busy to reach out to your sister who you haven’t seen in way too long?”
He let out an annoyed huff. “Did you call to give me shit?”
She rubbed the place above her heart, hurt by his attitude. “No, I called to hear you voice.”
“I’m sorry, sis. It’s just not a good time.”
She stiffened, certain he was looking for the easy way to earn drug money again. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m fine, but I have to go,” he said and disconnected the call.
She stared at the phone in her hand, an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her brother had a drug problem, one she didn’t like to dwell on but knew enough to keep him away from her girls. They’d met their uncle Dan a few times when she knew he was clean, and she spoke of him, just telling the twins he worked hard and couldn’t come see them. The only way she could manage day-to-day was by telling herself he was fine. Deep down, she knew better.
With nothing else to do and the girls busy with friends, she lay down to take a nap without setting an alarm. She and Noah were switching weeks and he had them this week. She stretched out on the bed and let her eyes drift closed…
***
The ring of her phone startled her awake. She fumbled for the cell, finding it on the night table. She glanced at the screen. JARED STERLING . She’d been tempted to change it out for BABY DADDY .
Wondering what he wanted, her stomach did a flip before she answered. “Hello?”
“Hi, Charlotte.” The smooth way he said her full name set butterflies in her stomach.
“Jared.”
She smiled at the formalities, amused when his deep chuckle reverberated through the phone, no doubt for the same reason. “What can I do for you?” she asked.
“Well, first off, how are you feeling?”
“I’m feeling better today. And you’ll be happy to know I’m taking it easy. I was napping when you called.”
“Shit. Sorry to wake you.”
She’d glanced at the time when she answered the phone. “That’s okay. I was out for two hours. I’ll be lucky if I sleep tonight.”
“Then maybe this is the perfect time to ask. Are you free for dinner?”
She pushed herself upright against the pillows and headrest. “Actually, I am. What did you have in mind?”
“I’d like to take you to Le Ciel Etoile in the Flatiron District.”
French, translated to The Starry Sky in English. “That sounds amazing. I read about the restaurant in a travel magazine on my way home from Egypt.” The place had a nod to the owner’s native country, but was a steak restaurant with a French take on the classics.
“I’ll pick you up at eight?”
“Sounds good,” she said.
“Great. I’ll see you soon.”
“Yes,” she murmured. “Bye.” She disconnected the call and stared at the phone in her hand, the reality of her situation just now hitting her. A dressy dinner and she only had the late afternoon to figure out what to wear and to get ready.
She mentally crossed her fingers and called the salon downstairs, thrilled when they had an appointment for highlights, a trim, and a blow-dry. She hadn’t had her hair touched since returning from her dig. They squeezed her in for a manicure as well.
She had twenty minutes before she had to be downstairs and she put her thoughts to her clothing. She wasn’t certain what to wear, unsure if this were a date. Or was he taking her somewhere nice to discuss the baby? Her stomach gave a flutter at the possibility of a date but he hadn’t specifically said. Still, it didn’t hurt to look good either way.
She had a little black dress, but would it fit? Her waistline had popped and she doubted the garment would give her a sexy appearance, like she wanted.
Sexy?
Yes, she thought, sexy. If she was going out with Jared, she wanted him to look at her and like what he saw. There was a boutique in the hotel. She didn’t know if her good luck would continue but she intended to find out.
An hour later, a short red dress was being sent to her room along with a pair of strappy sandals. Her nails were now a matching color, and she sat with foils in her hair. The stylist insisted caramel-colored highlights would go well with her skin tone. When the timer beeped, her hair was washed, trimmed, and styled. Her luck continued to hold and the in-house makeup artist had a cancelation.
She walked out of the salon feeling like a different woman. One that would, hopefully, take Jared’s breath away.
***
Jared had to call in favors to rent out the private room in the restaurant. Normally the smallest room seated ten, but he’d requested the space be emptied out and they put in a table for two.
The limousine he’d hired for the night stopped in front of the hotel. Though he’d planned on meeting Charlotte at her room, he walked into the lobby to find her waiting downstairs. She was looking at something in a store window, giving him a chance to take her in.
Red strappy sandals adorned her feet and she wore a short red dress with glittering material that wasn’t fitted tight but draped her thighs and had him drooling. He couldn’t see the swell of her stomach yet but she looked different to him.
She glowed and from the sonogram they’d seen, she was carrying his baby. The size of a bean, the heartbeat made it all so real, affecting him on a primal level. He felt possessive, both of the little bean and its mother.
As if she knew he was watching, Charlotte turned to face him, causing him to stop in his tracks and stare. Her hair fell to her shoulders in soft waves and caramel-colored highlights shimmered under the ceiling lights. The low-cut dress gave him the perfect view of ample cleavage but the coverage was still enough to tease not over-reveal.
It didn’t matter that he’d seen her naked before. She left enough to his imagination to be sexy and his cock thickened in his pants. She’d always been gorgeous but knowing she was carrying his child made her irresistible.
She watched him approach, a smile on her red lips.
“Hello, beautiful.”
A light flush stained her cheeks. “Hi, yourself, handsome.”
He’d take the compliment.
“I appreciate you coming to get me but I could have met you at the restaurant,” she said.
He held out an arm and she hooked hers with his.
“Then it wouldn’t be a proper date, now would it?” He guided her to the exit and out of the building. He led her to the limousine where the driver held open the back door.
She stopped and stared. “Jared, where’s your car? Or a rideshare?”
“Again, proper date.” He stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter the vehicle, and he slid in beside her. A partition gave them plenty of privacy.
The driver shut the door and walked around, settling in his seat and starting the car.
Jared turned to Charlotte, who looked uncomfortable. He lifted a finger and twirled it in one of her curls. “Hey. Are you okay?”
She turned to face him and he dropped his hand. “I’m overwhelmed. By the lengths you went to today, the limo… I’m not used to this.” She ran her hand up and down, indicating her entire outfit.
“I, for one, am glad you went to the extra effort, but you should know I think you’re gorgeous with or without the glam.”
She ducked her head. “Thank you.”
“And the limo is because I want to wine and dine you, and make you feel special.”
“Well, you are and I appreciate it. I’ll stop making a big deal about it all.” She leaned back in her seat and he draped an arm around her shoulders.
“It’s going to take time to get downtown, so let’s talk. Tell me more about you. Where did you grow up?”
“In a small town in Connecticut. Easy enough for Mom to take the train into the city when she worked. I told you about her.”
He nodded. “And you mentioned you had a brother?”
“Dan. He tends to get into trouble and right now he’s playing coy, so I haven’t really spoken to him enough since I’ve been back.” She twisted her fingers in her lap and he covered them with his hand.
“So he doesn’t know you’re pregnant?”
She shook her head.
“What about your father?” he asked.
She moved her head from side to side.
As she discounted family members, he realized how alone she was, especially compared to his large group of relatives. Even Lizzie and Brooke were family. But he wasn’t only asking about hers because he wondered what her childhood was like. He was also curious about what had caused the walls she’d built and why they were so high.
She glanced out the window as the car made its way downtown. “I don’t like to talk about him,” she murmured. “But so you know, because we’re sharing a baby, my father won’t be in our child’s life.”
“Okay. Do you speak to him at all?”
“No,” she said, turning back to face him. “He wasn’t there when I needed him after Mom died. I was sixteen and had lost my mother. I needed an adult, someone to turn to, to share my pain.”
His chest hurt as she revealed her past trauma and he regretted asking. On the other hand, he was glad she’d shared this with him, that she’d let him in.
“I’m sorry. I know how hard it was for Fallon losing our mom when she was ten.”
Her eyes grew soft. “I’m sorry I’ve been so selfish about my own past when yours—”
“Don’t say, ‘was so much worse’. There is no comparison when it comes to pain. You feel what you feel.” He assumed she knew details about his mother from Fallon or Noah, but he intended to share his version of his childhood with her one day.
She nodded. “Can you tell me what happened?” Her big brown eyes pulled him in but it wasn’t his time to unburden himself. It was still hers.
“I will. But not tonight. Let’s finish the conversation about you. Your dad wasn’t there for you how?”
“Let’s just say his best friend was alcohol and still is.”
Jared slid his hand into hers. “I’m sorry he didn’t step up and do his job as your parent. You deserved better.”
She treated him to a half smile. One that was sad. “You’re damn right I did. And this little one is going to have everything they need.” She cupped her stomach protectively and he placed his hand over hers.
“From both of us,” he assured her, and hoped she believed him.
The vehicle came to a stop and Jared knocked on the divider, signaling he needed a minute.
“I know you’ll be a good father,” she said. “But there’s something else I need you to know.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”
“Though the baby and I are a package deal, you don’t owe me anything. You especially don’t owe me all this.” She waved around the limousine.
He fought back the anger that rose inside him at the mere thought that she’d even believe he was dating her for the baby’s sake. But he reminded himself she’d just told him she’d never been put first after her mother passed away. The man in her life who should have taken care of her had ignored her when she needed him most. Was it any wonder she didn’t trust most guys to live up to their word?
“Charlotte, I’m not playing games with you. I’m not trying to get close to you for the sake of the baby. I already trust you to allow me the privilege of being our child’s father in every sense of the word.”
She looked up at him with those big eyes. “Then why?”
“Because you interest me. I’m attracted to everything about you. Your face, your body, and your mind. And I want you to give me a chance to prove it.”