Chapter 11 #3
“Great journalism, Mom.” It was high praise from him.
“John Williams hasn’t seen the one about him, it’ll be out in two weeks. He’s not going to like it. I hope he doesn’t sue us.”
“He sounds like a real bastard. Did anyone say anything nice about him?”
“No.”
“How is the poor girl he raped? Did she survive mentally? It sounded pretty rough.”
“It must have been, and she was very young. She seems okay now. She’s married with children. It was fourteen years ago, though I’m not sure rape victims ever get over the trauma.”
“I know he’s very rich, but I don’t know much about him. What’s Ben Sharpe like? I’ve always been fascinated by him. From homeless to billions. He’s the epitome of the American dream, and I’ve read some things he’s written. He’s brilliant.” Hugh saw something odd cross his mother’s face then.
“Are you friends with him?” he asked.
“Sort of, or I was. Lightning hit us, so to speak. I did the interview, we spent a few days together on his incredible boat, and that was it.”
“And he never called you afterward? What a shit!” Hugh said.
“No, he called me. A lot. I was the shit. I didn’t want to continue.”
“Why not?” Hugh looked disappointed for her.
“He’s fantastic, but it just didn’t make sense.”
“You’re fantastic too, Mom, you’d have fun with him.” Charlotte shook her head.
“Our lives are too different. I can’t keep up with that lifestyle.
Look at this apartment, it’s the size of a shoe box.
He floats around on his gorgeous yacht, going to fancy places, expensive restaurants, great hotels, dining with presidents, dating twenty-year-old models. I don’t fit in with any of that.”
“Is he a snob?”
“No, he’s very down-to-earth, and I have to admit we were crazy about each other, but I thought we should stop before we started, so no one got hurt. It would be hard to bounce back and get used to real life after a man like him.”
“You can’t just assume it’s not going to work. People don’t always have the same amount of money. Rich people marry poor people all the time.”
“I’m not in his league,” Charlotte insisted, as she had to Ben.
“I really want to meet him, and I think you should give him a chance. Where is he now?”
“I have no idea. I haven’t seen him in nearly three months. He’s probably married to another model by now, or an actress,” she said in a light tone, to be flip about it so Hugh didn’t guess how much she missed Ben.
“I’ll bet he’d rather be with you. I think you should reach out to him and give him a chance.
You can’t just give up because previous relationships didn’t work.
Let’s face it, my father is a little weird, and you met him in college when you were a kid.
But what if it works with Ben? You could be really happy. ”
“I don’t care if he’s rich. Everyone wants him for that, I don’t.”
“I want you to be happy, and I think he’s an amazing guy.
You have to be open to what comes, Mom. We have to reach out and grab the gifts we’re given.
I have a new girlfriend, by the way. She works for the same company I do, in Dubai.
I just signed a new contract with them for a year.
Pauline is French, from Bordeaux. Her parents own a winery there.
She’s a year younger than I am. We have a lot of fun together. ” He looked happy when he said it.
“So you’re staying in Dubai for another year.” Her heart ached a little when he said it. The past two years had been hard. She didn’t get to see him as much, but he seemed to love it.
“We thought we’d both come back to Europe or the States for a year when we leave Dubai.”
“Are you thinking about marriage?” Charlotte had a lump in her throat when she asked, trying to sound casual.
“No, and neither is she. Maybe one day, but not yet, and at our age, a lot can change in a year. But it’s great for now.
” It sounded exactly as it should be, and she could see his happiness in his eyes.
“I want you to reach out to Ben after I leave. Invite him to do something fun. He must do some pretty cool stuff. He has the world at his feet. All you do is work now. You need more in your life than that.” In theory, she knew he was right, but she was comfortable as she was.
Nothing was hurting, and she didn’t have a broken heart.
She felt ahead of the game that way. But she could see that Hugh was very earnest about it, and he almost made her want to call Ben, but not quite.
She’d feel foolish calling him now. She’d been so adamant about not seeing him again.
And she was sure he was back with the actresses and models by this time.
That was his world. And for her, nothing had changed.
She and Hugh went out to dinner that night and roamed around the Village on Sunday, checking out the galleries and the shops.
They cooked dinner on Sunday night, and at six-thirty on Monday morning he left for a nine a.m. flight back to Dubai.
Now she knew about Pauline, his new girlfriend.
She hoped they’d decide to move to New York for their next chapter.
Charlotte was still basking in the glow of Hugh’s visit when Henry called. He had another big assignment for her. A cover story. A famous actress, Amanda Fine, had requested Charlotte.
“You’re getting quite a reputation for your profiles. She can come in this morning at eleven to meet you.”
“I’ll be there,” Charlotte said, smiling. She felt a bounce in her step because of Hugh’s visit. She always felt that way when she saw him. He called her from the airport to say goodbye again.
“And call Ben!” he said to her. “Trust me! I have a good feeling about it.”
“I have a good feeling about you. And I want to meet Pauline on FaceTime. Call me!” Charlotte said. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Mom. I’ll call you from Dubai.”
She left for work then, excited to meet Amanda Fine, the famous actress who had requested her.
She didn’t need Ben, she reminded herself.
She had a job she loved and a son she adored.
That was enough for now. And Ben was a billionaire with a storybook life.
She didn’t belong with him. Hugh was young and he still believed in fairy tales.
She didn’t, and she liked her life as it was.
She wasn’t going to go chasing rainbows and get her heart broken.
Not again. No matter how terrific Ben was, or how much her heart ached without him.