Chapter Four #2
Ben opened his eyes and rolled onto his side.
It was still dark, but it was time to get up.
Time to start another day. He sat up and pulled on his sweats then headed for the kitchen to make coffee.
He took a quick shower while he waited for it to brew and then poured himself a mug and went to sit out on the balcony.
He tried to make his mind run through the checklists of everything he needed to do today.
It was part of his morning routine; it stopped his mind from wandering to places it shouldn’t go.
Places like London, where Charlotte lived—or at least as far as he knew she still lived there.
He couldn’t focus on his to-do list this morning though.
His mind was flitting around. Memories of last night kept sneaking in, the sight of Angel looking at him so hopefully.
The way she’d held his hand. The way she’d felt in his arms. He shuddered.
That shouldn’t feel good, but it did. He took a big swig of coffee and scalded his tongue.
He remembered sitting in the café in the airport in Vegas, drinking coffee with Charlotte, being so happy to be near her again.
He remembered the waves of shock that had crashed through him as they both realized that it had been her parents who had kept them apart.
He remembered his last email conversation with her.
It had been so hard to let go again, to tell her that he felt it was best for them to have no contact while she was still married.
She’d understood. They’d done the right thing.
But how he wished they’d kept in contact.
How he wished he knew what she was thinking right now.
He took another sip of his coffee, more cautiously this time, as he thought about his conversation with Smoke and all the questions it had raised.
How did he know he was still in love with Charlotte?
He didn’t know who she was anymore. But he did!
He knew who she was, he’d always known her and always would.
Years and distance didn’t change that. He sighed.
Or did they? Was he just kidding himself?
Was it really like Smoke had said; that he was in love with the memory, the myth that was Charlie and Ben?
He looked at his watch. Sitting here pondering it all wasn’t going to give him any of the answers he needed. And it wasn’t going to get his day underway. He stood up. It was time to get to work.
He made his way to the lodge to check in with the night auditor, then headed over to the Boathouse.
Once he’d opened everywhere up, he let himself into the office in the back.
He didn’t like to do too much paperwork on Sundays, but there were a few things he needed to catch up on. He fired up the computer and waited.
Once he was logged in, he didn’t get any further than his email. There it was. The message he’d been waiting for—from Charlotte.
He stared at the screen for a few moments, afraid to click and see what she had to say. He took a deep breath and opened it.
Hey you.
I’m sorry it’s taken me so long. You were right—as always. I needed to take the time to do things properly and I’m glad I did. Thank you.
I had lunch with Alastair today. We separated a couple of days after you and I last spoke. Today we had something to celebrate.
Ben’s heart thundered in his chest—what could they be celebrating? He peered at the screen as the words blurred before him.
Today we got our final divorce papers through.
Ben’s breath whistled out of him. Thank God! He’d feared she was about to tell him something else entirely.
The first thing I wanted to do was to call you and tell you.
I’m finally free. I’m no longer a married woman.
I wanted to ask you what you want to do now.
Where do we go from here? But that didn’t seem fair.
I have grown up a little bit ;0) So I decided not to put you on the spot.
I decided I should email you first. Give you chance to digest my news, and to think about what it means to you.
I’d like to call you tomorrow – that means Sunday – but I’d like to know if that’s okay with you? Please will you let me know?
I love you Ben
Forever and always
Charlie
Oxo
Ben reread the entire thing three times and then sat back in his chair and rubbed his hands over his face.
This was it. She was free. She wanted to know where they went from here.
Today he’d get to hear her voice again, and they’d be able to start planning their future.
He took a deep breath and typed a reply.
Hey yourself.
Of course that’s okay with me! I can’t wait to talk to you. I’ve been waiting and hoping for this day to come. And thank you. Thanks for giving me chance to wrap my head around your news first.
He sat and stared at the screen for a long time, wondering what else he should write. There was so much he wanted to say, so much to tell her, so many questions to ask, but where should he start? And where would it end? He decided he’d be better to wait until they could talk on the phone.
I’ve got a crazy morning lined up, but if you call me after noon I’ll be free and able to sit down and really talk to you. I can’t wait.
I love you, Charlie
Forever and always
Ben
Xx
His finger hovered over the keyboard. Was that enough?
Should he just tell her to call anytime she wanted?
He shook his head. He wanted to call her right now, but he still had things to do, and when they did finally get to talk, he wanted to be able to give her his undivided attention.
He hit send with a smile. “And so it begins,” he muttered.