9. Tess
Tess
“ S ooo…Charlie...He’s quite the catch. And you two have known each other for years. Has there ever been anything romantic between you in the past?” Ariel inquires, glancing quickly over at Charlie.
“No. I mean, I’ve always found him attractive. Look at the man…” I say glancing in his direction. We both look over at Charlie who’s chatting with a couple and their young daughter. “But, of course, he’s Jane’s brother and she and I have been best friends since middle school.”
“He is gorgeous. I shouldn’t say that since he’s my boss, but it’s true,” Ariel looks at me wide-eyed and giggles.
“He’s also a really good guy, too. Working for him this past year, I’ve been super impressed with how he treats people.
He’s a great boss and he treats his baristas just as well as he treats his top-level management. ”
I smile at her, liking what I’m hearing.
"Like this one guy, Matthew," Ariel leans in, lowering her voice slightly. "He was one of our baristas downtown, working full time while taking engineering classes at UW. Super smart, always on time, customers loved him."
"What happened?" I ask, genuinely curious.
"He caught some nasty bug last year—ended up in the hospital for almost two weeks. The poor guy had no health insurance and was living paycheck to paycheck. When he missed work, he couldn't make rent." Ariel's expression grows serious.
I glance over at Charlie, who's now crouched down to eye level with the little girl, listening intently to whatever story she's telling him.
"Charlie got wind of the situation somehow," Ariel continues. "He didn't make a big show of it or anything. He just quietly paid Matthew's rent—for three months forward, actually—and covered all his hospital bills. Even arranged for meal deliveries until he was back on his feet."
"Wow," I breathe, warmth spreading through my chest. "Did Matthew know it was him?"
"Charlie tried to keep it anonymous, but Matthew figured it out.
When he came back to work, he tried to set up a payment plan to pay Charlie back.
" Ariel smiles, shaking her head. "Charlie refused.
Just said something like, 'Good people deserve good things' and asked Matthew to focus on getting better.”
"He promoted Matthew to assistant manager after he recovered," Ariel adds, her eyes bright. "Said his organizational skills were too good to waste on just making lattes."
Something shifts inside me. I've been fighting this attraction to Charlie. But hearing this story—this quiet, private kindness with no audience or recognition—it resonates with something deeper than physical attraction.
"That's..." I pause, searching for the right words, "that's really touching."
Ariel nods. "Charlie doesn't advertise the good stuff. Which is weird for a CEO, right? Most would turn it into some PR moment."
I smile and nod, continuing to watch him with the family. The little girl is giggling and pointing to something on her adorable pink butterfly dress.
Ariel continues on. “I don’t think he’s seriously dated anyone since Vanessa. I’m glad the two of you decided to take a chance. You make quite the stunning couple. Two tall, gorgeous people.” Ariel is on the shorter side even in her nude sky-high heels.
“Thanks,” I say, touching her arm. I feel a warmth in my chest, and I know it’s not just from the wine.
This day has been incredible so far. It’s the kind of gorgeous Pacific Northwest summer day that has people moving to this area in droves.
Then they go through their first endlessly gray, dreary winter and wonder how they’ll ever get through it.
Everyone has been so welcoming and delightful today. It’s not like the stuffy events I’ve been to in the past. Mr. and Mrs. Astor were so sweet, going on about how happy they are that Charlie and I are together.
And that kiss…oh my God. I’ve never had a first kiss like that in my life. Our lips fit together perfectly. It was like every cliché I'd ever read about in romance novels suddenly made sense. Sparks flew, fireworks exploded, the world faded away until there was nothing but the two of us.
I think Charlie was shocked when I suggested we kiss. I shocked the hell out of myself. Sometimes, you gotta go for what you want though…
I must be crazy having thoughts like this about Charlie. But I don’t care. I just want more of what I’m feeling right now.
I watch Charlie and the little girl walk to the dance floor. When they get there Charlie reaches out his hands for hers. She smiles broadly and grabs them. They begin to sway to the music. It’s awkward because he’s so much taller than her. And it’s honestly one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.
The girl is trying to get her steps right—she’s obviously had some training in dance. Charlie is looking down at her intently and smiling. She guides him into something that resembles a salsa move. He attempts to keep up and they both end up laughing uproariously.
The music ends and Charlie bows. The girl returns the bow with a curtsy of her own. She excitedly bounds back to her parents and Charlie looks over to me. He reaches out a hand, silently asking for another dance and I’m more than happy to oblige.
I walk to the dance floor and he scoops me in his arms and we melt together, moving with the slow music.
“Should I be jealous?” I tease.
“Definitely. I’ve seen her naked more than once.”
It turns out that the little girl whose name is Belle belongs to his longtime friend, Peter. Charlie has spent lots of time with Peter, his wife Lily and Belle over the years, starting when Belle was just a baby.
“I came over one weekend when Belle was probably just a month old. Lily had to be out of town for work and Peter was freaking out. It was the first time he was point guard on taking care of Belle. I helped him give a very fussy Belle a bath. Between the two of us, we got it done but I’m not sure if he could have managed it without me. ”
“I can’t imagine you giving a baby a bath,” I say.
“I’ll have you know I’ve bathed plenty of babies in my life. I’m 38. Most of my friends are married. And quite a few have kids now.”
“Yeah, I get all that. I just can’t imagine you crouching down in a bathroom with your arms covered in suds shampooing a baby’s head with some lavender-scented shampoo.”
He laughs. “I know. Most people who know me well wouldn’t believe it. But, I’m pretty good with kids as long as they’re somebody else’s kids.”
Charlie's expression shifts, a hint of vulnerability flickering across his face. "Truth is, I'd probably be a horrible parent myself. I'm too self-involved, too much of a workaholic, and honestly, too selfish."
I raise an eyebrow, encouraging him to continue. He sighs, his arms tightening around me as we sway to the music.
"I've built my entire life around my career. All I can think about is coffee. I wake up thinking about work, I go to bed thinking about work. Hell, I even dream about work sometimes."
He pauses, his eyes distant. "I can barely keep a plant alive, let alone a child. Just last week I killed another cactus.”
He glances around the wedding reception, his eyes lingering on the families scattered throughout. "I watch my friends with their kids, and I see the amount of time and energy it takes. The sleepless nights, the constant worry, the endless patience required. I'm not sure I have that in me."
I glance up at him and smile reassuringly. “I think most people feel that way until they have their own kids. Once that happens, something kicks in and you’re able to push through - to do all those things you didn’t think you could.”
He smiles softly at me. “Let’s hope so.”
Just then Jane and Trey pull us off the dance floor to inform us that we all need some tequila, pronto. They drag us over to the bar, the four of us laughing and joking around with each other.
We all down our obligatory shots of tequila and then Jane grabs my hand. “Bathroom break?” It’s a question but I know there is only one answer. She wants an escort and it’s my job as her best friend to go.
We both pee and as we’re washing our hands, Jane glances over at me and whispers, “The two of you aren’t sleeping in the same room tonight, right?”
The thought of that revs up my heart rate instantly. “Oh, God, no. Are you crazy?”
“Listen, girl, I saw that kiss. That wasn’t nothing.”
“We were both half-lit, Jane. Nothing is going to happen between us. I mean, it’s Charlie, your brother, for Christ’s sake. As gorgeous as he is, that’s just crazy talk.”
Jane's expression softens, and she leans against the marble countertop, her eyes meeting mine in the ornate mirror.
"Tess, honey, I love you. You're my best friend, and that's exactly why I need to say this.
" She takes a deep breath, her fingers fidgeting with the delicate chain of her necklace.
"Getting involved with Charlie...it's not a good idea. "
I feel a knot forming in my stomach, a mix of disappointment and defensiveness rising within me. I manage to say, “Of course, I know that. Totally dumb idea.”
Jane's eyes dart to the bathroom door, ensuring we're still alone. "Look, Charlie is...he's amazing in so many ways. He's smart, successful, funny, and yes, ridiculously handsome. But a good boyfriend, he is not."
“Well it’s a good thing I’m not planning to date him for real then,” I say, putting a new layer of lip gloss on and trying desperately to sound convincing.
“Then, we’re all good,” Jane says, giving me a hug. “Time for another tequila shot?”
We bounce back to the bar, arm in arm.
It’s been such a wonderful day, one of the best I can recall. So why do I have a nagging feeling in my stomach that something is about to go terribly wrong?