Chapter Twenty-six #2
“Hang in there,” Sydney said. “We’ll get this all straightened out before you know it, and you can get back to your regularly scheduled life.”
They parted ways, but as Charlie wandered along the busy sidewalks, fitting in with the throngs of government workers in her suit, wool coat, and heels, she hoped that she could get back to her real life. More than that, she hoped that she hadn’t damaged things beyond repair with Harper.
She pulled out her phone and opened their text chain.
All their texts felt impersonal and cold, and she was afraid Harper was going to move on or close herself off completely from Charlie while she was away.
But she desperately wanted to keep her connection with Harper.
She missed her so much, and while she acknowledged that all this was her fault and regretted leaving in the middle of the night, at the time, it had felt like the only choice.
Or at least the right choice. And she’d needed time and space to think.
She tapped out a quick text. She didn’t know what else to say, so she spoke the truth.
Looks like I’m going to be away for a little longer than anticipated, but I can’t wait to wrap things up and head back home. I miss you.
It was strange that Key West felt like home now, but it did.
Certainly more like home than her cavernous condo back in Manhattan.
She’d made a brief trip up there to get a few suits, her wool coat, and check on her place.
She’d also met with a Realtor who was going to help her get rid of the rest of her stuff and put her condo on the market.
Something she should have done months ago, but in the moment, she’d still been conflicted.
Seeing Ashley had been the highlight of her couple days back in the city.
She looked happy and relaxed in a way Charlie hadn’t ever seen when they’d worked together.
Her business intelligence consulting company was doing well.
It was a bit of a marvel that Charlie getting fired and Ashley’s resultant firing had opened the door to actual happiness for both of them.
She really hoped she hadn’t completely fucked it up. Harper was home for her. She wished she was brave enough to tell her that.
She walked another few blocks and decided that, rather than heading straight back to her hotel, she would wander through Senate Park. She checked her phone every few steps to see if she’d missed Harper’s response, but she hadn’t. Fuck.
Maybe she’d gone too far with the miss you part of the message.
She forced herself to put her phone in her briefcase so she’d stop looking at it every few seconds and took a seat on a park bench. She watched water in a fountain surge upward as though searching for sunlight the way her heart was searching for how she felt when she was with Harper.
She was a hot mess.
Her phone buzzed within the briefcase, and she knocked it over trying to reach in. She held her breath until she saw it was Harper.
Gotcha. But whatever you’re up to is productive?
Ouch. She knew Harper was trying to process everything. But still? She didn’t miss her at all? Or maybe she just didn’t want to put it out there.
Charlie: Yeah. Things are going well. Which is, unfortunately, why I’ll be here for a while.
Harper: That’s great.
The dots kept bouncing so Charlie waited for another message, and she wasn’t disappointed.
Harper: So Key West feels like home now, huh?
A flicker of hope sparked in Charlie’s chest, and she couldn’t help but smile.
Charlie: Yeah, it’s been a surprise to me too. But it does. She went back and forth on whether to leave it at that or not but kept typing. And you and Franky.
She stared at the screen, willing Harper to text something good back. The dots were bouncing, and that had to be a good thing, right?
Harper: We miss you too.
Charlie jumped up and spun in a circle. She didn’t realize she’d yelled, “She misses me too!” out loud until a woman trying to corral two small children glared at her.
She hearted the message and then said: I’ll see you soon. I can’t wait.
Harper only hearted that message without sending anything else, but Charlie floated back to her hotel as though walking on air.
Maybe she hadn’t irreparably ruined things with Harper after all.
Harper had been trying to keep her mind off Charlie for two weeks since she’d left but always with mixed success.
She’d be able to distract herself for a few minutes, but images of Charlie always popped back into her mind.
She needed to talk to someone other than Franky but was so used to keeping her own counsel, it was hard to change.
And she was also afraid of what Andrew might tell her.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she tapped out a quick text to him. Are you available to chat?
As she set her phone on the coffee table, it started to ring. Andrew beat her saying hello when he, breathing a little heavier than normal, said, “What’s wrong?”
His somehow knowing something was wrong without her even saying anything had the words tumbling out of her. “She’s gone, Andrew.”
“What? Charlie? How’s she gone? Where’d she go?”
“Her parents’ house first, and now I’m not sure. Probably DC or New York.” Tightness overtook her chest and arms. She felt like she couldn’t straighten her fingers.
“Why? I thought things were going so well. Do you need me to come down there? Because I will. I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty if she hurt you.”
The fierceness in his voice was almost as good as a hug and made her laugh a little. Because the thought of Andrew getting his hands dirty was impossible to envision. “No, and she’s not here anyway, remember?”
“Well, why’d she leave? And how long has she been gone? Why didn’t you tell me?”
She ignored the last part. She didn’t really have a decent explanation, other than she was out of practice sharing her feelings.
“She’s been gone about two weeks. Do you remember I told you that she showed up here looking completely out of place and like she was running from something?
” She shook her head, remembering how mismatched Charlie had been that first day she’d walked into her bar in those ridiculous flower shorts. “As it turned out, she really was.”
“That sounds ominous. What was she running from?”
“I can’t really tell you everything because I was acting as her attorney for a brief period while she was being questioned.”
“Questioned?” He nearly yelled the word. “What for?”
“It was a privileged conversation, but what I can tell you because I googled her afterward is that she used to work for D. B. Graves.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, so she knew he recognized the significance. When he finally spoke, malice was laced throughout his words. “Did she have anything to do with the coverup?”