22. Charlie
Charlie could hardly believe his eyes. He had told himself in no uncertain terms that he would never see Megan Bright again, that she was no longer going to be part of his life moving forward. All the fun, the joy, the energy he associated with her was gone from him. This was what growing up looked like, he had told himself. This was true maturation, knowing when to accept that your life was going to be miserable. Yes, he had finally put childish things behind him. And childish things apparently included having passion for his job, a romantic relationship, a sense of self and purpose.
But here Megan stood in front of him, her beige dress crumpled and grass-stained, twigs sticking out of her messy bun and her glasses sitting crooked on her face. Charlie pinched his lips together for as long as he could before he finally burst out laughing. It was like magic. The heavy feeling his father had managed to hand him, the hopelessness, the feeling of vital sacrifice — it was all gone in a matter of seconds. He felt… lifted.
His father gave him the most baffled of looks. “Who the hell is that?” he said. “You shouldn’t laugh at people with substance abuse issues, Charlie,” he said. “It’s unprofessional.”
“I know,” Charlie said, still gasping. “She doesn’t have a substance abuse issue. That’s Megan Bright.”
“Who?”
“The girl you wanted me to stop dating.”
His father crossed his arms over his chest. “Looks like the advice was warranted.”
Charlie ignored his father. He immediately crossed the lawn toward Megan. The closer he came to her, the more his arms ached to hold her. Her eyes darted from side to side like she was desperately searching for a way out, but she couldn’t seem to pick a direction. Her feet were planted on the concrete, the sign she’d knocked over still laying useless on the ground behind her. Maybe she hated him, but he didn’t care. Just seeing her reminded him of what it was he’d lost when he lost her — a partner, a confidant, a best friend, and the most remarkable lover he’d ever had.
He didn’t even wait for her to say hello. He just swooped in and scooped her off her feet, giving her the biggest bear hug he could without crushing her. “I missed you so much,” he said. “I can’t keep on like this without you. I’m so sorry, Megan. Please, please, please forgive me. If I could do it all over again, I’d never have done anything to jeopardize my relationship with you. To me, right now, you are all that matters.”
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” she said when he finally let her catch her breath.
“It’s okay.”
“I mean, I did mean to a little,” she corrected, “but I didn’t come out here to listen. I didn’t even know your father was here.”
He held her at arm’s length and looked into her eyes. “It doesn’t matter, Bright. It’s okay. I’m glad you heard it.”
“Me too,” she said. “Because now I think I understand the kind of pressure you’re under all the time. It’s crazy. I’m sorry?—”
“Shh…” He put a finger to her lips, partly to make a point, and partly because his father was now headed toward them, and if anyone was going to piss his father off, it was going to be Charlie himself. Megan did not need to be dealing with Jon Sullivan’s infamous wrath. “You have nothing to apologize for. You did everything right, and I am the one in the wrong. I should have never accepted the fellowship.” Just then, his father caught up, waiting to be introduced no doubt, but Charlie wasn’t finished talking to Megan. “I went against my principles when I took that chance from you. Nothing is worth that. Nothing is worth losing myself and everything I believe in, and nothing is worth losing you.”
Charlie’s father had come within earshot, and the frown on his face was enough to tell Charlie that he fully understood what Charlie was saying. Some deep, childish part of Charlie wanted to take it all back and go along with whatever his father’s opinion was. But it was time to let go of all those childhood fears. Charlie Sullivan was not the same as his father, and it was time both he and his father realized this.
It was time to be completely honest. “I love you,” he said to Megan. “I know it now. It was stupid to deny it for so long. We butted heads so much in the beginning, and I think I get it now. You reminded me too much of myself. You were so focused, so driven. I hated competing with you when all I wanted to do was lift you up and make life easier for you. You have talent — so much talent, you don’t even realize. If my father knew you like I do, he would have wished you were a Sullivan too.”
His father grumbled, but Charlie ignored him. There were tears in Megan’s eyes, but Charlie could tell they were happy tears. He had said the right thing, finally. For once, he wasn’t looking to make her angry. He wanted her to be happy, and whatever happy looked like on her at this exact moment was precisely what he wanted to see. “I look ridiculous,” she said with a laugh and an adorable blush.
He picked a twig and some leaves out of her hair. “You look perfect. You’re the most beautiful woman here.”
“Son,” his father cut in, “as soon as you’ve finished with your seduction of this woman, we should get back to the conference. There are a few important people I want to introduce you to before the day is out.”
Charlie fought the urge to obey. “No,” he said. “I think I’m done being introduced to your friends for now, but thank you.” It was always easier to defy his father in a respectful way. If Charlie lost his temper, things would go unbelievably badly for him. “Megan and I have a few things to talk about, if she doesn’t mind. She’s my most important contact right now. And if she can’t mingle due to being forced to hide in a hedge by her stupid boyfriend, then her stupid boyfriend owes her a new dress and a good dinner.” He turned back to Megan. “What do you think, Bright? Dinner tonight?” He attempted a charming smile, which she visibly appreciated. “With a side of forgiveness?”
She smiled up at him, suddenly unflustered by his father’s hovering presence. “Dinner sounds wonderful. We’ll see about the forgiveness.”
“I’ll win you over,” he said, pulling one more twig from her hair. “Let’s go.”
Charlie took Megan to a high-end department store and encouraged her to try everything on. “It won’t make a dent in what I took from you,” he said when she protested. “I just want to pay a little of it back. So please don’t worry about the price.” Then he winked at her. “I promise I can afford it.”
It didn’t matter which outfit she chose. They all looked amazing on her. Megan had one of those bodies that could pull anything off. At least, that was Charlie’s opinion. She chose an old-fashioned dress with a calf-length shirt and three-quarter-length sleeves. It looked like she’d either time traveled from the 1950s or she was the coolest librarian in the stacks. “You look amazing,” he said, meaning every word.
She smiled a little. “Thank you.”
“Now, dinner.” He took her by the arm and brought her to the counter. “She needs to wear these out,” he told the teller. “Little mishap with the landscaping.”
The teller laughed and took his card. She was flirtatious, but Charlie could not possibly care less. The woman on his arm was the only woman he could see just now. Her drive and determination only added to her already gorgeous appearance. He wanted her on his arm for the rest of his life, but he didn’t dare say it yet. There was no chance he was going to screw this up again . Slow and steady wins the race , he told himself.
He took Megan to the best Italian restaurant in the city. His intention, this time, was to show her that he could be more than her resident rival. He wanted her to fall for him for real, and he wanted to show her what kind of long-term partner he would be. He pulled her chair out for her like a high-class gentleman, and sat across from her feeling like every word he was about to say would be the most important words he would say in his life.
“Megan,” he said. “I want you to know that I’m going to give up the fellowship.”
She shook her head. “Don’t do that. It’s not like they’re going to give it to me. If anyone was going to get it other than me, I’m glad it was you.”
“I’m not,” he admitted. “I hate nepotism. I wanted to earn everything I had. Since I was a kid, I’ve wanted that — to prove myself worthy of the life I was blessed with. How can I do that if my father just hands me what I’m aiming for before I even have the chance to compete?” He sighed and reached across the table, hoping she’d take his hand. To his great relief, she did. “You are the one who gave me a real fight, a real chance to prove myself. I know you weren’t doing it for me, but it meant the world to me anyway. Doing all of it without you felt meaningless.”
She bowed her head and their server came to take their order. “I don’t even know what I want,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting a fancy dinner tonight.”
“Will you allow me to order for you?”
She shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”
“Is there anything in particular you can’t eat?”
She shook her head, so Charlie ordered for both of them. He’d been to this restaurant before and knew the menu like the back of his hand. He had also watched Megan eat her lunches for months and felt he had a good idea of which way her tastes leaned. She was a little adventurous, so he was confident he could find something she would love.
“Wine?” he asked.
“Are we going back to the conference?”
“I wasn’t planning to, but I’ll take you back if you want to go. Maybe my father will be happy to introduce you to his friends. For me, it’s just more unpleasantness I’m trying to get away from.”
When the server brought their wine, Megan thanked her and picked up her glass. “So… did you like the fellowship at least? Surely, you got something out of it. Is there anything you learned that you could pass on to me?”
“If you’re anxious to learn to play golf, then yes.” He chuckled under his breath. “That’s all they ever talk about. It’s like the patients mean nothing to them. I hated it,” he admitted. “I don’t want to learn from my father’s friends, Bright. I’d much rather learn from someone like you. And Dr. Ralter, obviously. But God, I can’t even begin to describe how much I missed you there, how much I missed your genuine care for your patients.” He closed his eyes and massaged the back of his neck. “I can’t begin to describe how much I admire you.”
Megan allowed the server to set her plate in front of her, all the while suppressing the biggest smile he had ever seen her wear. “Does this mean I win?” she said.
“Eat your ravioli, Bright.”
He smiled at her, and she glared back at him. And somehow, that adorable expression told him everything was going to be all right.