Chapter 13 #3
Charli took several deep breaths and smoothed out her expression as she heard him pound up the stairs, then marked her place with her favorite bookmark before setting the diary carefully aside.
She watched as Jack strode through her bedroom with determination and charged out onto the balcony. He stopped next to her and stared down at her, hands on his hips, and breathing hard as if he had just run a mile. She could practically see the smoke pouring out of his ears.
“Are you okay?” she asked, keeping her tone light and batting her eyes innocently.
His eyes narrowed at her sugary tone and he gave one sharp shake of his head. “No, I’m not okay. I’m pissed.” He leaned down toward her until his nose nearly bumped hers.
“Didn’t I ask you not to go up on the Widow’s Walk again?” he asked, his voice dangerously soft.
Charli’s mouth opened, but for a second no sound came out. She closed it, took a deep breath, and then cleared her throat. “It wasn’t a big deal,” she practically whispered.
Jack still hovered over her. “Not a big deal?” he asked, his tone ominous.
He lifted his hands in the air and began counting off with his fingers.
“That house is full of rotting wood which we’ve found on every floor, so it’s highly likely that it’ll be in worse shape up there.
That’s to be expected because of its exposure to the elements, which as you know, in the tropics is fairly substantial.
The fact that you easily broke a board in half already tells me that there’s significant damage. ”
He stopped and took a deep breath, then continued, still counting fingers.
“The outside banister has not been tested and is probably unstable in several areas, so leaning against it could easily send you plummeting to the ground—three fucking floors down.” His voice rose at the very end and Charli could only stare into his chocolate eyes that sparkled with bits of fire.
He was truly angry and for some weird reason, it made her tingle right down to her lady bits.
My god, he’s gorgeous when he’s mad! But he’s right...it’s where Amelia jumped from, so of course it’s dangerous. Way to go, Charlotte Dorothea...
She swallowed hard as the need to apologize flooded her.
She grabbed one of his hands and held it in both of hers at her chest. “I’m sorry, Jack.
I really am. Miriam wanted to see the hidey hole, and I really didn’t think it would be a problem.
” She threaded her fingers through his. “I promise I won’t go up there again until it’s fixed. ”
Jack stared down at her, his expression not changing for several moments. Then he snorted and puffed out an angry breath, shaking his head. “You’re gonna be the death of me. I nearly had a heart attack when Gus told me you two were up there.”
He eased his hand away from her grasp and cupped her cheek, tilting her head up as he kissed her softly. “Apology accepted. Just be aware that I’m boarding up that damned Widow’s Walk until it’s time for us to work up there.”
When Charli’s lips opened to protest, he placed a finger on her lips.
“Nuh uh. No arguments. In fact, Gus and his guys are taking care of it right now as we speak.” He released a long, slow breath, holding her gaze.
“Once the full renovation is completed, you can go up there and visit Amelia as much as your spooky heart desires.”
Charli gulped. “She was up there today. It even freaked Miriam out.”
Jack’s cheek twitched. “Yeah, I heard about that, too.” He leaned down again to give her a quick kiss. “Do you have any plans tomorrow?”
Her brows shot up and she blinked at the sudden change of subject. “I was planning to visit the library tomorrow morning. Why?”
His head tilted. “What’s at the library?”
“Other than books?” she snarked, one eyebrow arching up. His eyes squinted at her sarcastic reply.
Charli shrugged and held up the diary. “I told you—I want to research the family and that’s the best place to do it.
If her father was as wealthy and prominent as she mentions here, then there should be some information on the family.
” She gave Jack a grin. “I found the first entry where Amelia finally mentions her sailor. His name was Ian and he worked on one of her father’s ships. ”
Jack blinked. “Really? Did it give the date she met him.”
Charli nodded. “Yes. February 12, 1870.”
“Hmmm...well, that fits within the timeline.”
Charli bobbed her head again. “I think these last two diaries are going to give us quite a few pieces of the puzzle. So a little visit to the library should theoretically help.”
Jack grunted. “If I remember correctly, my mom has a box full of family records. There may be something on the Brown family in there.”
He cleared his throat. “Now, the real reason I came over...” He paused for a moment and his voice softened. “The farmer’s market is tomorrow afternoon and I’d like to take you, if you’re not busy.”
“A farmer’s market on Thursdays? Aren’t they usually held on the weekends?” she asked.
“Thursdays are for locals and seasonal visitors. The weekends are for the tourists. My family has a booth at both of them,” he replied.
He stared at her for a moment as if considering what to say.
“I was hoping to introduce you to my parents if that’s okay,” he added.
His face was carefully blank as if afraid to show emotion.
Charli’s eyes widened as a bolt of panic shot through her. Meet his parents? The thought made her hands sweat and heart pound.
“Are you sure they want to meet me?” she squeaked.
His face split in a beautiful smile and he ran a finger down her cheek.
“Are you kidding me? My mom has probably asked me at least once a week since you met Janie. And now that David’s been singing your praises, they’ve both been bugging me nonstop.
” He chuckled lightly. “In fact, I’m surprised my mom hasn’t made any surprise visits in the last few weeks. ”
Jack took her by the hands and pulled her up from the chaise, threaded his fingers through her hair and sealed his lips over hers in a deep kiss. Charli moaned at the touch of his tongue and melted into his chest, her arms wrapping around his torso.
She moaned a protest when Jack ripped his lips away and stared vacantly down at the side table. She followed his gaze and realized her phone was ringing—it was Annette.
“Oh! I should take this.” She looked back up at him. “I’m sorry, Jack. Give me a minute?”
He nodded but stayed next to her side as she answered the call, pressing the speakerphone so Jack could hear.
“Hi Annette!” Loud voices dotted with brief screams came through the background, sending Charli’s pulse through the roof. “Oh my god. What the hell is going on over there?”
“Hold on a sec,” Annette answered, her voice sharp. “Hey, Percy! Take it down a few notches okay, buddy. Some people still work here and are on the phone,” Annette yelled out and then huffed. “The nerve of that guy.”
“Annette, tell me what’s going on.” Anxiety knotted her stomach and she clenched her teeth.
“Charli, there’s some serious shenanigans going on up here right now.
Apparently, Percival just lost his shit in the middle of one of Evan’s weekly update meetings with the board.
From what I understand, Evan threw Percival under the bus for some of his own mistakes.
That set off a massive explosion from Percival, who quit with lots of drama and literally just walked out, screaming to anyone who would listen that Evan was a backstabbing asshole, which we all already knew. ”
“Are you okay?” Charli asked, adrenaline and guilt for not being there coursed through her veins. “Have they been targeting you?”
Annette laughed. “Oh, I’m just fine. You know I can handle myself.
This drama literally just happened as I was about to call about that little mission you gave me.
I wanted to let you know that it’s been completed.
The third party you recommended contacted Alan yesterday.
..which I’m guessing may have been the cause of the shouting and hysterics we just heard. ”
Charli released a breath. “Wow...I didn’t expect things to unravel so quickly.”
Annette chuckled. “Well, I’m not surprised. From what I hear, Alan is furious and on the warpath. He wants Evan’s head on a platter.”
Charli snorted. “That’s shortsighted. Evan is a sniveling moron, but he was only doing what the board wanted.
This was their idea, and that’s who Alan should be pissed at.
” She paused for a moment then sighed. “My involvement in this will get to them at some point. It may be better for me to be there in person for a while.” Charli’s eyes darted to Jack who stood stoically next to her, his jaw flexed as if he were grinding his teeth.
“I don’t know about that,” came Annette’s answer.
“I think you should continue to lie low in the keys. You’re pretty insulated and coming back is only going to put you in the line of fire.
Plus, it may give Evan an out that he doesn’t currently have.
Let all of this work itself out before you make a decision. ”
Charli scoffed. “Annette, you have been hounding me to quit for weeks now and start a practice down here. How can I do that if I leave a huge mess up there for others to clean up? Or sit by while they take my actions out on you?”
“First of all, this isn’t your mess to clean up,” Annette quipped back.
“This fuckup lies solely in the lap of the board and Evan, who all refused to listen to you and the client. Trust me, your cases aren’t the only ones they’ve screwed up in the last month.
Secondly,” she continued, “you don’t need to worry about me.
I’ve been touching base with other firms around town and can have another job in a flash, no matter what this firm tries to pull.
Third, and most importantly, you are supposed to be making sure that my next job is running Paradise West, not a paralegal gig. ”
Charli groaned, rubbing her forehead. “Annette, these were my original cases and I’ve committed an ethical breach. I’m fairly certain my name will be dragged through the mud. I should at least be there to defend myself.”
Annette snorted. “You’ve always been such a girl scout, and your so-called “ethical breach” was doing the right thing for a client that this firm was screwing. Do you know how many real ethical violations Evan has committed in just the last two months?”
“I can only imagine...”
“Yeah well, just keep your butt down there and finish that compound. Let’s see how everything settles before you make any hasty moves, all right?
” Annette counseled. “Just trust me and know that I’ll keep you in the loop.
Right now, you need to focus on getting that old resort up and running so I’ll have a new job. ”
Charli chuckled and glanced up at Jack again, his eyes held a dangerous glint and his face was stony. “Okay, I can do that.”
“And bang Jack a few times for me.” Annette added, her voice dropping low. Charli chuckled and could practically see her eyebrows wiggling up and down.
Jack choked and coughed.
“Um...Annette, he can hear you.”
“Good! Hey, Jack,” Annette belted out, not missing a beat. “You keeping her in line like I told you?”
“It’s a full-time job, Annette.” Jack wrapped his arm around Charli. “You take care of everything up there so Charli won’t worry about it or feel the need to go back to Boston. You do that and as soon as we have Paradise West ready for guests, I’ll buy you a first-class ticket down here.”
“You got a deal!” Annette shot back.