25. All About Being Happy
25
ALL ABOUT BEING HAPPY
“Y ou don’t normally come to the office on a Friday,” Eva said to her two weeks later.
“No,” she said. “But a meeting was scheduled and I need to be here.”
Charlotte could have taken it via zoom, but when Foster said he had to come into the City to do something at the corporate headquarters, they decided to come together and then stay the night.
Since their relationship wasn’t a secret with anyone, he was taking her out to dinner and she was going to meet his siblings.
She had to admit she was slightly nervous over that, but Foster had told her it’d be fine.
The thing she hated the most was that she was leaving Marco overnight for the first time. But he loved doggie daycare and they had boarding services there. He’d be taken care of well, she knew that.
“You don’t always need to be here,” Eva said. “I might never come in if I had your job.”
Eva was a coworker in another department. They’d worked on a lot of projects before she was promoted. Eva was actually happy for her and not jealous as she’d experienced enough in her life from other women.
“I will admit it’s sweet working from home.”
“Do you miss this?” Eva asked. “Not coming into the office or just walking to get a lunch or a coffee. Meeting up with people. I mean, what do you do in your little town?”
“I don’t miss it,” she said. “Which is surprising. I think I get my fill when I’m here. As for what I do—not much.” She debated saying she had a boyfriend, but since she was meeting Foster’s family tonight, she could give a little.
In the past, she never wanted to let anyone know because then when it didn’t work out, she’d have to explain that too.
This time, she was hoping nothing went wrong.
“I’d go nuts,” Eva said.
“I do sit by the water a lot. My boyfriend has a place right on the bay with a little beach. We go out on his boat too.”
Eva grabbed her hand. “I didn’t know you were dating someone. Good for you. How long has this been going on? What’s his name?”
“It’s been a few months that we’ve known each other. He lives by me,” she said. “That’s how we met. His name is Foster.”
“You look so happy when you talk about him,” Eva said. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you smile and talk about Landon like that.”
Her smile dropped. “There weren’t a lot of happy times with Landon. I’m not sure what I was thinking about him. And when he tried to get me fired.” She moved into Eva’s office and shut the door. “Landon has been reaching out to me too. He thinks I’m playing games or something and waiting for him to give me something big to come back.”
“What a jerk,” Eva said. “But that is typical of him too. He thought his shit didn’t stink. He just liked having you on his arm. I heard Nicholas saying that Landon used to brag to everyone how good you were in bed. That is why he kept you around.”
She felt her face flame up.
The funny part was she never did anything adventurous with Landon as she did with Foster.
Landon never made her feel like Foster did either.
The sex was pretty bland with Landon.
“I’m not sure why he’d say that,” she said. “He’s nothing to talk about. Maybe younger men are the way to go.”
Eva burst out laughing. “Good for you. Do you have a twenty-year-old?”
She started to laugh. “No. Foster and I are close in age,” she said. Best to just leave it at that. One year wasn’t a big deal.
“Age is only a number,” Eva said. “I know people gave you a hard time about Landon being older, but what’s the big deal? To me, it’s all about being happy and this is the happiest I’ve ever seen you.
“Thank you,” she said. “It might be the happiest I’ve ever felt.”
At the end of the day, she walked a few blocks to their hotel. Foster had his SUV and he said he’d be over when he was done. It was only five when she’d left the office, so she had time to get ready. They were meeting his siblings at six thirty at some pub that West owned.
Foster had told her that there was a room in the back reserved for them so there wouldn’t be a lot of eyes on them.
She wasn’t too concerned about it.
Charlotte slipped her heeled sandals off, unzipped her dress and then hung it up. She’d take a shower since she got a little sweaty walking to the hotel. By the time she got a taxi after work, it was faster to just walk.
When she was coming out of the shower, she heard a noise in the hotel room.
“Foster?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “Did you need something?”
She opened the door. “Nope. Just wanted to make sure it was you.”
“Who did you think it’d be?” he asked.
“I have no idea, but a girl can’t be too careful.” Then she shut the door in his face.
She heard him laughing and found it funny that when she first met him he was grouchy and now he almost seemed like another person altogether.
She dried off and put lotion all over her body, then applied a thin layer of makeup. She’d washed off what she’d had on earlier.
It felt good to get ready for a night out. She wanted Foster to be proud she was on his arm and then worried she was reverting back to the way she was in the past.
She touched her hair up, crunching it so that the waves were more defined, then pulled on her dark jeans. Not fitted to her body like she’d worn in the past, but a little looser on her that fell straight to the floor.
Her top was sleeveless and silky. Bright colors that made her feel happy. Jewel tones looked awesome on her and she had a light tan to go with her beach wavy hair.
She made sure everything looked perfect and opened the bathroom door.
There was Foster standing at his open suitcase, jeans on, his shirt off, his feet bare.
She wished she hadn’t just gotten ready because she wanted to get messed up.
“Don’t you look handsome,” she said.
He turned and looked at her. “And you look like someone that is ready to go out on the town.”
She frowned. “Is that a bad thing?”
“Not at all,” he said. “I know you are used to dressing up. Maybe I worried that you missed this.”
“Not really,” she said. “But I will admit this is going to be fun. It’s nice to do it now and again.”
“I should take you out more,” he said. “At least around town. You know, rather than serving you a deli meat sandwich.”
She grinned. “I might like that, but I like the sandwiches on the boat just as much.”
“I’m going to take a quick shower too and then we can get a taxi and leave. If we are early, it’s not a big deal. We’ll go to the back and get a drink.”
She sat on the bed and put her heeled sandals back on. She purposely picked out shoes that she could wear to work and out so she had less to pack.
A year ago, she wouldn’t have cared. She would have been encouraged to pack as many outfits as she wanted and then Landon would have decided what he wanted her to wear.
She liked it so much better the way it turned out tonight.
Foster came out of the bathroom ten minutes later. He had on a different pair of jeans. These were dark like hers. His shirt was a light gray in color and looked to have navy stripes in it.
“Now you do look handsome,” she said.
He pulled out shoes from his bag. Just a pair of brown ones that had sneaker soles on them. He’d combed his hair in the bathroom, and his beard was trimmed.
“Thanks,” he said. “I’m not fancy like my brothers or Jamie.”
“Jamie Wilde is going to be there?” she asked. She was afraid he was going to get more attention than the rest of them.
“Yes,” he said. “Laken wants to meet you. I figured if we got there first, we’ll be in the back when he comes in and no one will pay attention to us.”
“Then let’s go,” she said, laughing.
“Don’t be nervous,” he said. “It will be fine.”
“I think I’m more nervous that you’re going to be ready to leave right after we get there. Or that you are doing this because you think I want it.”
“First,” he said, stopping her, “I want you to meet my family. It worked out well that we could come to the City together, and since it was a Friday night, West decided to stay in town. Normally he and Abby go to the Hamptons for the weekends. She’s not fond of city life. Lily and Braylon are always here. Jamie and Laken split their time between her condo and his home in New Jersey.”
“What about Lily?” he asked. “What’s she like?”
“I should tell you they are both younger than you,” he said. “My brothers like the younger women. Me, I know going older is better.”
She gave him a playful shove. “Not funny.”
“I thought it was,” he said. “But Lily and Abby aren’t silly or immature by any means.”
“I will admit I looked at the engagement picture that was in the magazine and saw what your family looked like.”
“I expected that you would have,” he said. “Are we ready to leave?”
“Yes,” she said.
When they were in the taxi, Foster turned to her. “My family is very down to earth. Lily and Abby’s backgrounds are very similar to ours growing up.”
Which meant they didn’t have a lot. “Not like mine then,” she said.
“Abby had the right things. Lily’s life was a bit different. I’ll let her tell you if she chooses to.”
Charlotte didn’t know what that meant and wouldn’t pry.
They got to the pub at six, Foster nodded his head to the hostess who knew who he was and they went to a back room past a lot of people.
“This is more your type of setup, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “It’s why I didn’t have a problem doing this. It’s easier for us to come here than for everyone else to come to my place or West’s. I know that.”
“That means you can be accommodating,” she said.
“I think I’ve proven that to you already, haven’t I?” he asked.
“You have. More than anyone else.”
She turned her head when the door opened and in walked West Carlisle, self-made billionaire.
He wasn’t dressed any differently than Foster was, with the exception he had pants on rather than jeans. Abby had a light blue summer dress on that was fitted to her body but in a fashionable professional way. She knew Abby and Lily both worked for Laken, so maybe they all just came straight from work.
“We finally get to meet the woman that Foster called home about. You do know you’re the first, right?” West asked.
Charlotte stood up to move closer to West and Abby, Foster, giving his brother a shove.
It was that move that relaxed her more than anything.