Chapter 24 #2
In fairness, I did warn Charlie. I was gracious enough to give him a chance to come clean, but he missed it. I believe he’d been distracted by the way my nipples looked under the flimsy cotton nightgown I’d been wearing and he hadn’t been paying attention.
But that’s not really my problem, now, is it?
I press deeper into Charlie and beam at Gracie before winking in hopes of giving her a heads-up that what I’m about to do is all in good fun. “Thank you. That means a lot to me coming from someone I heard around town spent a fair amount of time in his bed.”
The cadence of my sentence lands perfectly, delivering the final blow just as Charlie is taking a drink. I affix the smile of an angel to my face as he chokes when the liquid goes down the wrong pipe, sending beer spewing and him into a coughing fit.
There’s a crackling of excitement as the collective turns their attention toward me, broken up by Charlie’s continued hacking and sputtering. I pound him on the back, which makes him cough harder.
Gracie grins. “Uh-oh.”
Her professor husband doesn’t disappoint. Instead, his expression is downright gleeful. “This will be fun.”
Charlie finally gets control of himself and gasps, “Now, Jessica… I can explain.”
“Charlie, no!” Lines bracket Gracie’s mouth. “You didn’t tell her?”
“I—” Charlie starts.
“I’m not mad, of course.” I interrupt him, appealing to the woman across from me so she knows this isn’t about her.
Given the times I’ve met her, instinct tells me she’ll understand.
“Why would I be mad to find out from some woman really leaning into the whole mob wife aesthetic that you used to sleep with a blond bombshell sex goddess?”
“Gina!” Charlie spits the name like a curse.
Gracie reaches across the table and gives my hand a pat. “Aw. That’s so sweet.”
Her husband takes a sip from his wine goblet and grins at Charlie. “You really made a mess this time, didn’t you?”
Charlie’s finally gotten ahold of himself. “I swear, it didn’t cross my mind.”
“Wow, you’re an idiot.” Evan Donovan, former football star turned offensive coordinator, shakes his head. Next to him, Penelope, his pretty brunette wife, laughs.
“Didn’t cross your mind?” I yell the words, because everyone is expecting a scene, and I’m going to give it to them. “Look at her!”
Charlie glances around the room like he’s searching for a rescue. “I’m aware of what she looks like.”
“Because you’ve seen her naked.” I let the indignation ring in my voice.
“Well, yeah, but not for a long time.” He rubs the back of his neck.
I affix my most menacing glare onto my face. “Could you identify her in a police lineup?”
Charlie shrugs at James as though apologizing before turning back to me. “I’m guessing blindfolded isn’t the answer you’re hoping for here.”
Every male in the room lets out an audible groan.
I cluck my tongue. “Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, what am I going to do with you?”
Gracie presses her fingertip to her lips like she’s trying to contain her laughter.
Charlie opens his mouth to speak, but Mitch cuts him off from the end of the table. “Bro, I think you should be quiet.”
“Yes, he should.” I put a hand on the table and say to the woman across from me, “I’m sorry. This isn’t your fault. I see you’re all happily married, but it’s the principle, you know?”
“Oh, I know.” She grins at Charlie. “He deserves every second of the hell you put him through.”
“Hey! You barely know her.” Charlie’s voice is brimming with irritation. “Your loyalty should be to me.”
I scoff. “Just because you’ve had your dick in her doesn’t mean she owes you loyalty.”
Charlie growls, shaking his head up at the ceiling, arms crossed over his chest. “You could have just asked me, Jessica.”
“True, but I thought this way was more inventive and fun.” I deliver the quip as satisfaction settles in my chest. This is going even better than I hoped for.
“She’s not wrong,” Evan chimes in. “This is way more fun than a private conversation between the two of you.”
Shane laughs. “How the mighty have fallen.”
Sure, I could have gone for more direct communication, but Charlie needs more challenge than that. I’ve got to keep things interesting.
Which is why he’s lucky enough to have met me.
Someone up there must have really been looking out for him.
I study my manicured nails. “Are you impressed with my patience?”
Charlie’s teeth are grinding. “Maybe we should go talk about this outside.”
“But why?” I give him my sweetest and most innocent expression. “Since everyone knows all about it, this will ensure we’re on the same page and there are no more pesky secrets floating around out there waiting to be uncovered.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” The poor guy is actually sweating, and I have to say, I’m here for it. “It was forever ago.”
I flash a smile at Gracie. “Does this mean we can’t talk about sex?”
“No,” says James and Charlie say in unision.
Gracie laughs. “Girl, we can absolutely talk about sex.”
I give the blond goddess a glance every female on earth understands. “Good thing we’re liberated women who won’t be told what to do.”
“Amen, sister.” Gracie raises her wineglass in a toast.
“Seriously, it was nothing.” Charlie turns his imploring pleas on Gracie. “Tell her! We were just… What should I call it?”
“Fucking?” Gracie provides.
Charlie snarls. “I was going for something like casually dating.”
James chuckles lazily, raising a glass to Charlie. “Good one.”
I look at the man who, by all appearances, is mild-mannered but is clearly capable of keeping up with his wife. “What is wrong with you?”
“I’ve been waiting for this conversation since you showed up. What can I say? I’m having a great time,” James says.
“Your wife and him—” I jab a finger in Charlie’s direction “—had sex.”
“Yeah, I know. Actually, when I met Gracie, she hated me, and they were still…” Behind his glasses, his green eyes dance with mischief. “Fucking?”
“Why are you making this worse?” Charlie scrubs a hand over his face.
“Because everyone at this table has a vested interest in watching you suffer. I thought that would be obvious,” James says.
“I have to side with James here. You were past due,” Mitch adds helpfully.
I make a good show of being disgruntled. “And how long were you fucking?”
“Don’t make it sound like that. We were friends. That’s all.” His tone is full of Southern exasperation.
“How. Long?” The words shoot out like bullets.
A put-upon, aggrieved sigh escapes his chest. “I don’t know, a couple years.”
“Years!” I press a fingertip to my temple for dramatic effect.