Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Charlie
I wanted to recreate Paris. Holding her and being seen in public was fueling my desire. And best of all, her nearness was making me believe I fit in with my family and wasn’t entirely hopeless.
The party was winding down. The married couples were mostly gone, and my younger brothers were starting a poker game with the family penny jar that had traveled with us all my life.
Pedar and Maman hated real gambling, so we all started with pennies from the jar, and once the game ended, we redeposited the winnings for the next game.
I walked out to the balcony overlooking the swimming pool. We leaned over the balcony, and asking if she wanted to go swimming was on the tip of my tongue.
However, Maman rubbed both our backs. We turned around, and she said, “Charlie, Hope, I’m having a room prepared for you.”
I straightened. Hope might have forgiven me for not mentioning the wedding, but we’d made a deal for when we were alone. I nodded. “We were going to fly back tonight, Maman.”
She waved for us to join her, and we walked as she said, “The weather is predicting a storm. We’re all safer if we wait it out.”
We took the first step, and Hope said, “It’s okay, Charlie. I’m sure we can have our own rooms.”
Maman shook her head and met my gaze. “Don’t worry, Hope. I’m not expecting you to want separate rooms.”
I rubbed the back of my head. I wasn’t looking for my mother to push. “Isn’t that more appropriate?”
We made it to the top as she asked, “Aren’t you living together in Manhattan now? Why would sharing be a problem?”
“My grandfather was traditional, and we kept to ourselves,” Hope said. “I’m almost moved in, but this is a family thing. So I’m unsure what to do.”
“If you don’t want to stay with Charlie here, I’ll be more surprised.”
“Right, no, that’s not it. It’s… I grew up with boundaries.”
“So you want to share?”
“Yes. Of course.”
Maman opened a suite that was warm in tone, with her original portraits of the ocean that could be seen from every window. “I hope this room is okay for the two of you.”
I needed to apologize to Hope, but I waved. “Thanks, Maman.”
I held Hope until the door closed, then I let her go. I would wait for her to kiss and hold me.
She turned on her heels. “Charlie, I’m not sure we should sleep together.”
I scanned the room then pointed at the wall between the windows. “Relax. You take the bed. I’ll take the couch.”
She took a deep breath, and color returned to her face. “Are you sure?”
I hoped she would be more comfortable with me now. I took off my tie. “Let’s go back downstairs, have some wine, and unwind. Tomorrow, we’ll fly back.”
She bounced on her feet but nodded. “Can I change out of this?”
I checked the closet and grabbed a shirt for myself. I unbuttoned my suit and tie as I opened the door wide for her to see her options. “Maman put clothes in the closet. Meet you at the bottom of the stairs.”
“Sounds good. Thank you. Are there swimsuits?”
“Yeah.”
She watched me change out of the shirt. “Maybe we can go swimming?”
I laughed. She’d seen all of me naked not that long ago, and I was still hitting the gym. I grabbed a pair of swim trunks. “Sounds perfect.”
Then I turned away and finished changing entirely. My heart was lighter, since it was clear she still liked what she saw. I hoped this meant she would open up more to me soon.