7. Charleigh
SEVEN
CHARLEIGH
I was tempted to bail on Julianna’s plan to go out tonight, but I changed my mind last minute because I need a night with my girls.
Sitting in my apartment, alone, was only asking for me to think about Asher. Every breath inside the four walls for the past few days has been a hollow reminder of the life we used to have together. Every memory on repeat like a silent movie. The flickering of black and white. The kisses. The tears. The fevered touches. His finger tracing my collarbone. All of it silent but full of meaning.
But unfortunately, along with the pain comes the reminder of how my love for him blossomed. His adoration used to feel like the warm sun beating against my skin on a sticky summer’s afternoon. I can’t deny the haunting memories of how strong his touch used to be, or how the taste of his tongue used to light my entire body into flames. Over time I thought the memories would become foggy, but ever since seeing him again at the bar, I’ve been proven wrong. Every memory of Asher is crystal clear, and I hate it.
His arrogance about me working with Cyrus has chiseled its way under my skin. Why, if he doesn’t want to be around me, would he want to work with me? I’ve tried not to think about it since seeing him the other day, remembering that Asher is the one who left me all those years ago. He chose this. Now I need to remember what it took to let him go. I need to remember what it took to forget what he did.
Shoving thoughts of Asher aside, I knock on Julianna’s door three times in a row and rock back on my heels. I’m wearing my favorite knee-high, sequined boots, paired with my favorite black sequined dress. The cleavage dips lower than most of my other dresses, and the back is open down to the tailbone. I can’t remember where Julianna said we were going. I didn’t care as long as it got me out of my apartment and away from thoughts of the boy who stole my heart ten years ago.
I’m doublechecking my outfit when Julianna opens the door.
“Oh, good. You’re here.” She swiftly wraps her hand around mine before tugging me inside. “Almost ready,” she says, leaving me by the front door and disappearing back to her bedroom at the other end of her penthouse apartment.
I glance around the open living room and kitchen. Julianna’s clothes are draped over every surface of her living space. Sweaters and dresses are lying across the back of her sofa, and piles of dresses are grouped onto her large, glass coffee table.
“Don’t mind the mess!” she yells as if she can read my mind. “I was purging my closet, ready to donate a ton of clothes, and I lost track of time.”
“Where’s Selene?” I call back from the hall, loving the fact that Julianna thinks to donate her clothes when others of her fortune are quick to throw them out.
She reappears in the doorway at the end of the hall seconds later, stepping into her dress with only her bra and panties on. I didn’t even realize she answered the door barely dressed .
“She got caught up writing another chapter in her book, so she’s meeting us there.”
Selene’s true passion doesn’t align with mine, as much as I wish it did. She’s my best friend, and she’s also a killer employee. But I know flowers and plants aren’t where her heart lies. Words are more her thing.
“Okay.” I nod, inhaling a deep breath. “Is Taron coming?”
Julianna pauses while slipping her dress over her waist. Her eyes harden, and her face stiffens. “No.”
I hold my hands up in surrender, sensing her annoyance. “I won’t ask for more details.”
“Good.” She shimmies her hips, and her black dress stretches over her curves before she slips her arms into the sleeves. “Because I don’t want this night to be tainted before it’s even begun.”
“You know…”—I smile—“I find it funny you were relentless when you wanted to hear about Asher, but you won’t spill as easily about Taron.”
Her face falls, followed by her shoulders. “I promise I’ll catch you up on where I’m at after tonight. I just want one night of fun and nothing serious.”
My heart aches for my best friend. I love Julianna and just want her to be happy. Despite her immense wealth, I know she hasn’t skated through life, and I can’t help but agree with her. I don’t want to think or talk about Asher tonight.
I smirk. “Pinky promise?”
Her grin reappears. “Pinky promise.”
“Great.” I clap my hands together. “Now, where are we meeting Holt and Selene at again?”
Julianna disappears from the open doorway to her bedroom before reappearing with a bright purple, metallic handbag. She meets me in the living room. “One of his friends opened this new beer garden over in the Village. It’s supposed to be this amazing place with at least a hundred beers on the menu, or something like that.”
“But you don’t like beer.”
“Holt assured me they have cocktails as well.” She stands in front of the large, round, gold-framed mirror on the wall near the front door and swipes a fresh layer of lip gloss over her lips. “Apparently this guy owns a million bars in the city and it’s what he’s known for.”
“Nice.” I nod.
After Julianna slips on her heels, we head out the door and head toward the front of the building to meet her driver, who is taking us to the Village. Once there, we join the gathering crowd outside.
The red brick exterior of the beer garden is covered in strings of golden lights. Along the front and side of the restaurant, patio tables are scattered across the concrete, with a small votive candle sitting in the middle of each one. A large grand opening sign hangs above the bar’s front door, and the place is already beginning to fill up. People stand outside, huddled in groups while others are sitting inside near the main bar.
Julianna and I walk in, quickly spotting Holt sitting at a table on the back patio. The patio isn’t nearly as full as the inside; the loud music and chatter quickly drowning out, meaning it’s quieter out here. Holt already has a beer flight sitting in front of him. Five small beer glasses sit on top of the wooden board, each beer is a different color.
Julianna slides onto the bench beside her brother while I take the chair across from them and soak in the atmosphere. Bright green bushes are situated in each corner of the area. It takes me a moment to realize we’re basically sitting in the back alley of the restaurant. The owner of this place has transformed it into something completely different. Warm, soft guitar music lilts quietly in the background.
“Hello, Charleigh,” Holt greets me, pulling my attention away from the musician plucking at his guitar.
I smile. “It’s good to see you, Holt. It’s been a while.”
He shrugs casually, taking a sip of his beer. “I’ve heard your business is booming, so it’s understandable.” He picks up one of the leather-bound menus from the end of the table and sets it in front of Julianna and me. “There’s the drinks menu.” He leans back slightly and glances around the bar. “Weston should be around here somewhere. He said he was going to make a few rounds before heading back over.”
I shake my head, having no clue what I want. I know I just need alcohol in my system. I nudge the menu forward and give Holt a shrug. “I don’t know what I want. I think I’ll just take whatever you’re having.” I nod to his beer.
Holt smiles, swallowing down what’s left in his glass. “We’ll make it easy on West by getting us two.”
I laugh as Julianna continues to scan the menu, her eyes dancing over the glossed page. “I’m just going to have a Manhattan.”
“Of course, you would.” Holt nods, his perfectly-styled brown hair unmoving. It’s easy to see the similarities between the Capuleti siblings when they’re sitting beside each other, despite their age difference. I smile, noticing the way the dimples in their right cheeks deepen with their grins.
“I know what I like.” Julianna shrugs. “Can’t fault me for that.”
Holt frowns. “Debatable.”
Julianna’s eyes flutter shut. “I refuse to fish for your meaning in that comment. I’m determined to make tonight a good one. Instead, I’ll be the better sibling and opt to asking how you’re doing. How’s the magazine?”
Holt’s mouth falls open to answer, but he snaps it shut when his attention is pulled away .
“So sorry I’m late.” Selene huffs, coming to a stop behind Holt and Julianna. Her eyes dance between the two, obviously weighing her choices. After noticing Julianna is sitting at the end of her side of the bench, she slowly works her way to Holt’s side. Her black leather leggings stretch across her thick, curvy thighs, and her mossy green eyes sparkle in the golden lights. She frantically scans the table before her shoulders fall in disappointment. Perhaps she was hoping there would be a drink waiting for her. “I’ve been stuck on this one chapter for nearly an entire week, and I finally had a breakthrough. I couldn’t stop until I finished. But then my sister London called me.”
“How is she?” Julianna asks, leaning around Holt.
“I don’t know.” Selene swipes a few stray hairs from her face, and her eyes quickly flashing to the man beside her. “She’s struggling in Boston. I’m working on convincing her to give New York a chance.”
I’ve met Selene’s sister London only once, over a year ago. She was very sweet, but also very reserved. I don’t know much about her other than her and Selene have only been sisters since Selene’s parents adopted London when she was thirteen. From what I’ve gathered from Selene, she’s fairly close with her sister and loves her as if they were born from the same parents.
“I hope she’s okay,” I tell Selene. “Moving here can be intimidating at first, but I’m sure she’d love it.”
“Yeah.” Selene scrunches her nose. “I don’t know, though. Her husband doesn’t even want to consider it. I don’t know too much about him. They’ve only been married for a few days.”
“Oh, well, hopefully he’s a good one then if she’s willing to stay,” I offer up, trying to shove down my thoughts of Asher.
“Who knows?” Selene waves her hand, and I can tell she’s wishing she had a drink sitting in front of her. “I’ve tried growing closer to my sister and getting her to share more of her life, but it’s been hard. I wasn’t even at the wedding. It was a quick courthouse kind of thing, which is a disservice to her, in my opinion. But if I were to guess, he probably isn’t that great. London hasn’t exactly had the best track record when it comes to men.”
“Have any of us?” I ask, giggling to myself.
Julianna shoots me a glare, but it doesn’t last long before her mouth pulls into a smile. “Good question,” she practically sings, deviously, swinging her attention on her brother with a cheshire cat grin. “What do you have to say, brother?”
“Oh, no.” He shakes his head, refusing to look in Selene’s direction. He’s noticeably scooted farther away from her on the bench. “We’re not talking about me.”
“Why not?” Selene asks, not caring that Holt has practically ignored her for the entire five minutes since she sat down. “You seem to be avoiding quite a bit of conversation tonight.”
Holt sighs and presses his lips together, his nostrils flaring with a heavy exhale. Silence descends the table, until Julianna’s attention is stolen from the two sitting beside her.
“Oh, fuck,” she whispers, her eyes moving above me, dragging the attention of the everyone else the same way. The toe of her boot sharply meets my shin under the table.
“Ow.” I gape, shocked she had the nerve to kick me. “What did you do that for?” I ask, thinking she’s getting me back for my passive comment about her track record of boyfriends. But I know it isn’t that when her wide eyes stare at something, or someone, over my shoulder. I twist on the bench and immediately spot Asher emerging from the entrance to step inside the bar, heading in our direction.
I twist back around in my seat and roll my eyes. “Oh, fuck.”
“That’s what I said,” Julianna hisses before turning her attention to her brother. “You didn’t tell me you invited him.”
I can feel Asher’s presence immediately. Like a heavy-weighted shadow, lurking, towering above me. The hairs on the back of my neck prickle, and my body hums, the vibration slithering down my spine to the backs of my legs. The conversation at the table has completely disappeared with Asher’s entrance.
“Hi, Asher.” Julianna grins. “Good to see you.”
“You, too, Julianna.” His velvety voice slips over my bare shoulder, meeting my ear.
Julianna’s uneasy gaze moves back to me as Asher sits down beside me.
“Charleigh,” he says, making himself comfortable. “Nice to see you.”
I can practically feel his gaze searing my skin. I whip my head to the side, finally bringing myself to look at him.
“Asher.” I utter his name through gritted teeth, putting on a fake smile. I can’t ignore how my heart pounds, or how all of our friends are suddenly watching this turn of events unfold. His scent invades my space. Everything about him is shiny and new—a complete contradiction to the man he used to be.
A deep blue jacket is wrapped around his broad shoulders. Beneath it is a plain white T-shirt. It’s odd to think this is the first time in recent memory that I’ve seen him in anything other than an expensive, pressed suit. Despite his informal outfit, he still looks as if he owns half of New York City.
His hair is disheveled, yet every strand stands somewhat remarkably in the right place. A few hang over his forehead, allowing his golden eyes to stand out against the lights. He’s wearing a pair of dark jeans, torn at the knee. I’m sure they cost more than an entire floral arrangement from my store.
Fuck.
Asher catches my too-long stare. The corner of his mouth curls. “Everything okay, Charleigh?”
“Of course.” Sarcasm drips from my tongue. “Why wouldn’t it be?” I lift my chin and turn back to face Julianna. I give her a small, reassuring smile. There is no way in hell I’m going to allow Asher to think the way he looks has any sort of effect on me.
Asher doesn’t say another word, but I can still feel his stare burning a hole in me.
“I just didn’t know you were going to be here,” I mutter, scraping my nail across the table. “That’s all.”
“Would that have changed your mind about coming tonight?” He smirks, and I hate the way it makes my pussy clench in response. Everything about him is shiny and clean. I feel drawn to him for reasons that have my head, heart, and the space between my legs waging war.
I shoot Asher a glare, refusing to answer his question.
Deep down, I don’t know if I would have backed out of tonight if I had known he was going to be here. But now, with him staring at me like this, I know I would have cancelled.
Asher grins… but he doesn’t just grin. He allows his lips to spread as far as they can, displaying his perfect, white teeth. His grin is as devious as if he were making the winning move in a chess game. Check. Mate.
My stomach dips because he knows he’s won an argument.
His strong thigh is almost pressed against mine, and I can feel the heat radiating off his body. I try to scoot away from him but come up short. I’m sitting on the edge of the bench already. If I move any farther away from Asher, my ass will be planted on the concrete.
I cross my arms and rest them on the edge of the table. Julianna is staring straight at me with a worried expression. Her eyebrows are knitted together, even though her shoulders are relaxed.
“Sorry I haven’t been able to get back around yet. This was meant to be a soft launch, but… you know,” says a man, who suddenly appears at the end of our table.
All five of us swivel our heads in his direction. He lifts his hands into the air, but his smile reaches his eyes. He appears around my age—late twenties, maybe thirties. His thick, dark beard is just past the point of being considered unkempt, but aside from that, he’s polished and clean. His long hair is slicked back, displaying his crystal blue eyes, and the corded muscles in his arms stretch when he plants his hands on his hips.
“It’s all right, man,” Holt says. “Asher just got here, so you made perfect timing.”
Asher stands and reaches across the table. “Asher Egan. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Weston Knight.” He grins. “Same here.”
My eyes dance between the two men before Asher sits back down. I look at Julianna, hoping she can give me a clue about what’s happening, but she simply shrugs and shakes her head.
“Thanks for coming to my opening.” West runs a hand across the top of his head as he keeps talking to Asher. “I’m swamped tonight, but I’ll be sure to grab your number before you leave. I definitely want to work with you once I have this place settled.”
“Sounds good, man,” Asher agrees. “I look forward to it.”
“Great.” West rubs his hands together. “Now, what can I get you all to drink?” he asks, scanning the group.
We all give him our orders, until Asher is the only one left.
“I’ll just have an ice water with lime,” he says. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” West offers us a soft smile before disappearing to get Asher’s drink.
“You aren’t going to try any of the beer?” I ask Asher. “Kind of rude considering you want West to hire you, no?”
He turns to look at me. His eyes narrow, and his eyebrows dip in annoyance. I don’t care. He’s the one who sat down with arrogance dripping from his all too perfect mouth. “I don’t drink. Is it that strange?”
“Well, no.” I swallow. “I mean, if you don’t want to drink, it’s not strange. But we are at a beer garden, so naturally, I just thought…”
“You thought wrong.” He lifts his arm from under the table and rests it on the edge, his gold watch glinting in the twinkling lights strung above us.
“Oh.” My cheeks burn with embarrassment. I suddenly feel like I’ve stumbled into a topic where I’m forcing Asher to be vulnerable in front of everyone. But curiosity still gets the better of me. “Since when?”
“Second year of college.” He sniffs, looking down at the table at nothing. “I drank way too much my freshman year and realized how fucked up I was. I didn’t want to fall down that path when I knew exactly where it would lead.”
I knew his mother’s death influenced him, but I never thought it would drive him to the point of going completely sober.
West returns with our drinks before leaving us again. The group each take a sip of theirs, eyeing each other over the rims of our glasses.
Asher’s first year of college was immediately after he left me and Connecticut behind. I should have known better than to assume alcohol hadn’t influenced his life in one way or another. His mother was an alcoholic, and the repercussions of her drinking led to where Asher and I are today: perfect enemies and perfect strangers.
The entire table falls silent.
“Oh, well, that’s good then,” I finally say, because I’m unsure of what else to say.
“How’s the flower shop?” he asks, catching me off guard.
I’m not entirely certain it’s genuine.
“It’s good.” I nod. “Business is thriving.”
Short and to the point. I don’t want to give Asher too much information. Or the truth. I glance over his shoulder to Selene, silently begging her not to spill the truth.
“What part of the city is it in?” Asher swipes his tongue across his smooth lips after he takes a sip of his water.
I arch an eyebrow, unsure of his motive for wanting to know the location of my shop. “Upper West Side.”
“Huh,” he says, smirking. “Sounds like I might have to stop by some time and check it out.”
“Right.” I roll my eyes, unconvinced he will ever take the time out of his busy schedule to visit my store. “Don’t worry about it. I know my little shop is beneath billionaires like you.”
The tip of Julianna’s foot taps against mine, and I quickly look up and across the table.
“Stop it.” She mouths the words quickly, half turning her face away from Holt and Asher.
“It’s fine ,” I mouth back, giving her another smile before I pick up the lightest beer from the selection in front of me. I take a sip, thankful for the relief it brings. The bubbly liquid coats my tongue, fizzing its way down my throat.
When I place the glass back down on the table, Asher’s staring at me again. My breath catches in my throat, and butterflies erupt inside my stomach. I cross my legs, knowing my lace thong is absolutely drenched at this point.
As they say, old sensations die hard. Or is that habits? Either way, my entire body is running on muscle memory at this point.
“Hey, Ash,” Holt interrupts, cutting the tension. “How’s it going with Allen Simon?”
Asher looks away from me, closes his mouth, and the muscles in his jaw tighten. He scoffs, clearly frustrated as he runs his hand across his mouth before sighing heavily. “He hasn’t returned my calls yet.”
“Well, shit,” Holt blows out .
“Yeah, I don’t know what happened, and I really don’t want to talk about it.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” I mutter, the bitterness leaving me before I have the chance to pull it back. “You’re in real estate. Isn’t your job to negotiate? To manipulate others to cut a deal?”
I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth. Asher tenses beside me, and the air is thick with our sour history. My cheeks flame red, and I want to run and hide from everyone’s constant stares. I can’t seem to keep my mouth shut.
Seconds pass with the entire table sitting in silence. A lump forms in my throat, and my heart flutters. Julianna quickly glances at Selene before looking back at me.
“Have you found any promising locations for your shop yet?” Julianna asks me., throwing out a lifeline.
“Oh, um…” I frown, thinking of how to answer her with everyone at the table. Cyrus has yet to send me any listings. For now, I’m at a standstill until he emails me.
Before I can speak, Asher interrupts me.
“Charleigh decided to hire Cyrus Temper to help find her a place,” he interjects. “Didn’t she tell you?”
“What?” Both Holt and Julianna shift their focus on me, asking the same question at the same time, their voices blending. Holt darts his gaze to Asher, clearly expecting him to have a reaction after just telling us he lost a client to Cyrus. Now I’ve agreed to work with him.
I’m sure the rejection must sting. Especially to someone as driven as Asher.
“You hired Cyrus?” Holt asks, his eyebrows practically flying off his forehead.
“Yeah,” I squeak out, shrinking with the sudden attention. “Cyrus has a good track record for helping business owners like me.”
I wish I could smack the smug expression off Asher’s face right now. I can feel his gaze piercing me like a hot branding iron. He was waiting for the perfect opportunity to shine the spotlight on me, and I know he’s doing it to get back at me for refusing to hire him, for choosing Cyrus over him.
“He also has a reputation of ripping people off,” Holt adds.
“Oh, come on.” Julianna leans back, rolling her eyes at her brother. “He does not.”
“He does,” Holt insists. “I’ve heard stories from some of his clients.”
“What kind of stories?” Selene asks, clearly intrigued with where Holt is going with this. Whereas I am not. I couldn’t care less. Anyone is better than working with your ex.
“Holt’s telling the truth,” Asher chimes in. “Cyrus has a history of inflating his realtor fee. Some of his clients have also complained about his lack of negotiating.”
“Okay,” Selene says, holding out her hand. “Maybe the fee thing can be debated, but the negotiating? How can anyone prove he could have gotten them a better deal?”
“They can’t, and I trust him.” I take another gulp of my beer and look at Holt, making sure to direct my attention to him, not Asher. “I have my budget set, so I know he’ll find a place that will work for me.”
“I hope he will.” Holt’s eyes soften. I can tell he’s still slightly worried about my decision to work with Cyrus, but he doesn’t press any further.
Beside me, Asher lifts his glass to his lips, stifling a laugh against the rim, his shoulders bouncing.
“What?” I ask, annoyed. When did he become so arrogant?
“Nothing.” He frowns, three lines creasing his forehead. The small dimple in his cheek reappears with his smug grin.
“No,” I say. This time I turn my body completely toward him. The one beer I’ve had has already began to warm my body, emboldening me. “I know you want to say something, Asher. So, just say it.”
“My opinion doesn’t matter anymore, Charleigh. It hasn’t for a long time. Do what you want.”
“Fine.” I press my mouth firmly shut, clenching my teeth. The pressure I put on them makes my head pound. Asher’s words cut through me. This is not the man I knew when I was a teenager. This man is narcissistic and arrogant. “You’re right—I can do what I want.” I stand up, unwilling to take any more of Asher’s bitter words. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this.” I look at my two best friends with watery eyes, unable to look at Holt. “I’m sorry.”
I step out from behind the bench and head toward the exit leading to the street. I’ve nearly made it there when Asher steps in front of me.
I close my eyes and inhale a deep breath, willing the tears to not spill. “Get out of my way, Asher.”
I open them to find he’s still standing in front of me. Only this time, he’s closer, and I track his body all the way from his feet to his chest.
Dammit. Why does he look so fucking good?
I take a step to my right to walk around him and push through the gate, staying close to the building as I make my way to the sidewalk to hail a cab, since Julianna’s driver was the one who dropped us off.
“I know you’re an adult and you’re smart, Charleigh,” Asher yells behind me. “That’s the only reason I keep warning you about Cyrus.”
“Well, just stop.” I spin around. My voice has intensified, rising out of my chest with more force than I intend it to. “It’s not helping, and I’m not yours to protect. I’ve gotten this far without you or your help. You can’t just suddenly reappear in my life and pretend to be this white knight coming to rescue me. I don’t need rescuing from some billionaire. And just in these few days since running into you, you’re proving to me why it’s not a good idea to hire you over Cyrus. It’s too complicated and messy. We’re too complicated and messy.”
Asher stares at me with a blank expression, lifting his chin. “Hiring him will be a mistake.”
“No, Asher. Hiring you would be the mistake.” I cross my arms over my chest and narrow my eyes. “Good night.”
I keep my firm gaze on him, waiting until he finally decides to turn around and head back to the table full of my friends.
After he disappears around the corner, I finally release a breath. The same breath I’ve been holding since he shattered my heart, leaving the broken pieces behind without another look back.