1112 A.M. — Tuesday, September 11
CHARLOTTE
Charlotte turned onto her stomach on the lounge chair and took another photo, this one with lots of cleavage.
She was wearing her turquoise string bikini and her hair was pulled up on top of her head in a messy bun.
Having finished answering all of her emails, she’d earned a break, so she made her way to the pool.
Most of the pictures would end up on Instagram, but that last one was just for Ted.
Turning the camera, she took a quick video of the open ocean, making sure to get lots of yacht in it.
Smiling to herself, she finally laid her head down, feeling the heat from the sun soaking into her pores.
When she first woke that morning, Charlotte waited for that familiar knot to form in her stomach, like it had every day since the affair started.
But it didn’t. Instead, a sense of calm settled over her.
Last night was one giant leap for their relationship.
They had committed to each other, and she knew it was in part due to Oliver’s attention toward her.
The words in his note popped back into her mind: Charlotte, I can’t stop thinking about you.
I wish things had turned out better after we went out, and I’m open to showing you how I really feel, if you’ll give me the chance.
But if not, I want you to know you’re very special.
He doesn’t deserve you and what he’s doing to you is wrong. O
She was annoyed by his words. Yes, it was wrong, but Oliver didn’t have the first clue what the two of them shared.
Besides, she wasn’t some helpless victim.
And Ted would put her first. As soon as he could.
She realized over breakfast that she might not have to wait an entire five years for them to start their life together.
Ted could probably be talked into asking for a shorter contract—two or three years would be much more palatable.
She sent him the boobsy picture with the caption:
Hope you’re having a great nap, dreaming of our future together. This is all yours. XX
Her phone rang, startling her, and she saw it was Samir, the show’s IT guy. “No, thank you,” she muttered, swiping the screen to send the call to voicemail. A moment later, she got a text from him.
Samir
You probably shouldn’t ignore me. Something big is happening.
Her stomach clenched and she spun her body around, getting up off the lounge chair, and walking to the bow of the ship. She leaned against the railing and called Samir back. “Sorry, I couldn’t answer just then. What’s up?”
“I wanted to ask you that same question,” he said, sounding excited. “Why the hell did I just spend the last two hours backing up the contents of your phone and computer? And Ted’s too?”
Oh shit. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. She knows. Charlotte felt like her legs were going to give out, but she stayed perfectly still. “What do you mean?”
“Antonia called and said there was some sort of legal thing happening, and I had to back everything up immediately. I figured you would know what’s up.”
Her heart pounded so hard it hurt, and her palm was suddenly sweaty, forcing her to grip her phone to prevent it from slipping out of her hand. “I…I honestly have no idea. She didn’t say anything to me.”
“Hmph,” he answered, sounding slightly disappointed. “I can’t believe you don’t know what’s going on.”
“Well, I don’t. What exactly did she say when she called you?”
“She told me something has happened that could compromise the show’s integrity and could have legal ramifications. She also said not to tell anyone, but I just didn’t feel right about keeping you out of the loop.”
“Thanks, Samir,” she managed, even though she very much felt the urge to vomit. “You’re the best.”
“Yeah, I know. But seriously? You have no idea?”
“Nope. No clue. Does Ted know about this?”
“I assume he must,” he answered.
“Umm, listen, Samir, there might be some messages on there that would be bad to have on record. Private ones.”
His tone changed from light and gossipy to serious. “What do you mean?”
“It’s just that I use this phone for personal stuff—”
“Oh, we’re not supposed to do that. HR was very clear that we should all have our own devices for personal—”
“Yeah, I know that. I screwed up. They don’t pay me enough for me to have my own phone. But can I maybe get a hold of the files and delete the stuff that has nothing to do with work?”
“Whoa, that’s the kind of thing that would get me fired.”
“I know. It’s a huge ask, but only if we get caught.” She paused, and when he didn’t immediately agree, she added, “We’re friends, aren’t we?”
“Remember my thirtieth birthday party?”
She wracked her brain but came up blank. “Not really, sorry.”
“Yeah, that’s ‘cause you didn’t come. You didn’t even bother to rsvp even though it was just a quick click on a calendar appointment. Anyway, friend, even if I would do it, it’s too late. It’s all on an external drive being delivered to some law office.”
Closing her eyes, Charlotte let out a shaky breath. Her voice was quiet when she spoke again. “Why did you call me then?”
“I just wanted to get the gossip.”
“Right. Thanks,” she ground out. “I have to go.”
She hung up on him, then rushed over to the lounge chair, pulled on her shorts over her bikini and slid her feet into her flip flops.
Charlotte raced down the steps toward Ted and Antonia’s suite, hoping he’d be in there alone so she could warn him about what was happening. She was just lifting her hand to knock on their door when she heard Antonia’s voice behind her. “Oh, please don’t knock. Ted’s still sleeping.”
Charlotte’s entire body went numb, and she turned to face her boss. “Oh, is he?”
“Yes. I believe so,” Antonia told her. “You look like you were getting some sun.”
She nodded, her stomach twisting in knots.
She must know. And yet, there she was, smiling at her.
Maybe it wasn’t what she thought. Maybe the files had to be backed up because some awful guest was suing them or something.
It happened every so often. “I finished up my work early, so I thought I’d relax a bit. ”
“Good for you. You work so hard, day and night.” Her tone was slightly clipped when she said the word ‘night,’ and instantly, Charlotte knew she was sunk.
“Listen, I’d love for us to have a little chat. Do you have a few minutes?”
Charlotte nodded even though she desperately wanted to bang on the door and hide behind Ted.
“Perfect. Let’s go find a spot where we can be alone.”