“I saw them sitting on the table outside your shop,” he said quietly, quickly reading the message before his hand closed over the card. “He really is not very bright. I’ll give this to Abby in the morning and see where they go from here.”
“If he is sincere about the apology for the misunderstanding, then it goes no-where,” Charlotte tipped her head back and dragged in a long, slow breath. “This is more than just about occasional sleep-overs, Jesse.”
“I thought that’s where we were,” he said slowly, taking her hand and backing up to the bed. He sat on the high end, his knees parted and her tugged in the center. “What are you worried about? If it isn’t where we are, Charlotte, tell me. I won’t hold you anyplace you don’t want to be.”
“You introduced them and…and she looked at me like I would have…like I would be…I’ve never had someone working for me!” She finally managed to blurt out. Closing her eyes and groaning the next instant at the sound of her own voice. “God, that sounded like a kid…”
“You have employees, Charlotte. We might be a little closer than that, but…they work for me,” Jesse answered simply. “It’s not any different. Chuck is my driver when I need to work at the same time I’m moving around town. He takes care of the landscaping and other things. Dona does laundry, keeps us mostly neat and cooks and shops. If you want to do any of those things, feel free,” he had been watching her eyes continually grow wider and wider. His hands held her waist firmly. “Why is this upsetting you, Charlotte?”
“I didn’t know I was…I didn’t know I would be…” Her head shook and she stepped closer, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him close. “I don’t know,” she finally answered, a little more in control. “Momentary panic?”
“About?” Jesse let his head rest against her shoulder, inhaling and deciding he’d never get tired of the scent of sugar and spices that permeated her after she’d been in the shop all day.
“I don’t know. It shouldn’t be there. It should be gone after Saturday evening,” Charlotte straightened up and took his hands from her waist. “Come on. I promised Dona you’d eat…” She gazed around the room. “And from the looks of things, we have lots of boxes to unpack.”
“We do, huh?” Jesse grinned at her and toed his shoes off, carrying them to the closet and putting them on the rack.
“I’m going downstairs,” was her safe answer, leaving him to change as she argued with herself. If she felt comfortable enough to make a statement like that why was her stomach churning at this latest leap into his life?
The stair way opened into the large vaulted ceiling of a main room that combined the dining area, kitchen and a huge space for socializing. The center, end wall had built in shelves and a space for the large flat panel TV. She guessed Dona was responsible for the partial effort at organizing. Furniture had been nicely placed and was sturdy and resembled rooms you might find in a lodge up north. Heavy and well made out of hard woods with thick, comfortable looking cushions.
Two very nice ceiling fans moved silently above her. She sat on the edge of one of the sectionals and absently unknotted her shoes, leaving socks and shoes by the door before wandering into a cooks dream kitchen. She had no idea that she sighed like she was in heaven or that Jenna had come in behind her.
“Isn’t it great?” She moved to the fridge and started pulling things out for sandwiches. “Dona is really good about keeping good stuff in here.”
Charlotte had noticed the stack of flattened boxes near the outside patio door as she opened cabinets and followed the common sense way the woman had organized them. All food stuffs to the left of the sink, all else on the right side. The left side also held then huge stainless steel stove and oven and the large pantry.
“I am having the best time fixing my room,” Jenna continued building a sandwich, partially on a high stool. “And so really glad to have my stuff back. Do you need help with anything?”
“I’m good,” Charlotte said quietly, watching her gesture to the containers she had on the wide marble breakfast bar. “I’ll clean that up.”
“Thanks. I’m taking this in my room and read my assignment while I eat,” Jenna balanced a plate and large bottle of water. “I’ll bring things back,” she promised, wandering off to the right and down the hall to her bedroom.
She left the kitchen and peered down the hall on the right and then on the left. Their bedrooms were on either side, she realized as Jamie flattened a box and laid it in the hall before returning into the room, the door wide and soft music coming from inside.
“You make me nervous when you don’t speak,” Jesse commented as he crossed the room. He glanced over the selection and went to the fridge, pulled out the mustard and some white cheese and took one of the high stools. Changing his mind, he found the large pitcher of cold tea in the fridge and a glass before taking his seat again. Still she hadn’t spoken. “Charlotte…you have to talk for me to get an idea of what’s wrong.”
“Who said something is wrong? I’m fine,” she lied, setting two plates on the breakfast bar before sliding onto the stool.
“Uh-huh…” Jesse was up and crossing the kitchen. “Want something to drink? Tea, milk, juice…iced water,” he saw her nod, her hands just kind of folded together, not making a sandwich. He set the large glass tinkling with ice on the surface. “Not hungry?”
“No…no…not really…” though she pulled a slice of Colby cheese free and nibbled.
Jesse made it through building a sandwich before speaking.
“Would it help if I just asked you, straight out, to move in here?”
He was positive he’d never seen a person choke on air before.
“Obviously help is the wrong word. Charlotte, do you want to go back to your apartment? You have a key. You know the code…” He stopped when one of the slim, sharp nailed palm whipped up facing him.
“I am fine. I am thinking and…and just feel quiet. If you want to talk, by all means, talk,” she told him firmly. “But don’t be surprised at reactions when you come up with off the wall things like that.”
“I don’t think it was off the wall,” he responded with a calm shrug.
“Less than a week ago, you were ranting about my being friends with the twins through a game,” she raised one brow. “Remember?”
“We’ve come so far since then,” he returned with a teasing wink, but he’d caught the look in her eyes. “That’s what’s wrong. The house.”
“It’s a beautiful house, Jesse.”
“Gonna make me sleep alone? I’ve got an office to arrange,” he took a bite of his sandwich, doing as she suggested. Just talking. “Dona will handle the rest of the house but I like doing my office. There’s room enough for an extra desk and computer.”
“I didn’t see that room,” she sighed, reached for another slice of cheese and wrapped it in a couple pieces of really good ham.
“Next to the bedroom. The house sort of makes a wide arch, like a wing to the south. I work a lot from home so I set up my office for function and comfort.” He watched her absently begin to close things up and seal bags. “Were we supposed to get extra clothes from your place?”
“I can change in the morning before I open,” she shrugged, her head snapping up when she just realized she’d committed herself for the evening. Not that she didn’t want to be here in the first place, but the man was devious.
Jesse popped the last bit of his sandwich into his mouth and took her hand off the counter, pulling until she came around the side and stood between his knees.
“You’re not a guest here. I don’t think either of us are stupid and I don’t think this is something that’ll go away,” Jesse was relieved when she stepped closer and wrapped her arms along his shoulders. “And I left the long, low bureau empty for you.”
“Been plotting this all day?”
“It was in a compartment of my brain,” he admitted with a grin. “I’ll help you clean up and make sure things are locked down.”
“I’ll do this. You make sure the kids aren’t in need of help,” she kissed him and backed out of his hold. “Nope…none of that. There’s work to do.”
“I really work better with incentive,” he made a grab but his fingers slid off the curve of her hip when she twisted to the side. “I’ll be right back.”
Incentive, she was chuckling as she cleaned up and explored cabinets, drawers and the inside of the huge fridge. It was a restaurant style with sliding shelves. She made a mental note to bring things from her apartment to avoid having food go to waste.
She wandered to the patio door, hands in the back pockets of her jeans.
This was bad. She was thinking of this as home.
Why was that bad?
You think of someplace as home until it’s not home then you pick up the pieces of your shattered heart off the floor and start again.
Sure. Happens all the time.
Jesse slowed his approach when he saw the expression on her face.
“I haven’t done anything.”
“Sometimes it’s best not to think so hard,” Charlotte said, shaking. “Especially for me at the moment. So…show me your office.”
“Hmm…what’s making you frown at me?” But he took her palm and they walked up the stairs.
“Not you…per se,” she made a face at the arched brow. “More like you in the future when you finish with me and throw me over for a younger model.”
“Your brain really went there?”
“I think you should come up with a new topic of discussion,” she pulled her fingers free and continued toward the open archway to the second room.
“I didn’t come up with this one,” he laughed behind her, his hands settling on her waist.
“This is like a little apartment,” she announced in amazement at the size of the home office.
“It’s the other reason the house appealed to us. None of us like small rooms that make you feel like you’re in a cage,” he moved around her and opened the windows, the soft, cooler breeze floating up to them from the ocean quickly filling the room. He lowered the blinds outside to keep the heat of the setting sun out. “The delay was having all the carpeting removed and hardwood floors installed. Nice and solid and allergy free,” he met the curious look on her face. “Jamie has a couple pet hair allergies. He’s grown out of most of it, only those left. I didn’t want to take a chance there were pets here at some time, so I pulled the carpeting completely out.”
“You need some colorful good rugs,” she said absently, opening boxes and sliding them over the floor. “I don’t know where you want stuff so I’ll just open and stack for you on the desk.”
“The cable and internet have been set up into the sockets,” he commented casually. “It’s run through the router already so all you do is plug into the cable outlet and you’re hooked up.”
Charlotte smiled into the box she had crouched in front of, her eyes peering up through thick lashes.
“I’m sure there’s a motive behind you telling me that.”
“Nope. No motive at all,” he returned with a cheeky grin.
“Subtle,” she murmured, her head shaking as she stacked books on the desk. Business, human resources, fiction with large bold mystery letters across the front with police tape and cruise line schedules. The last was a little puzzling. “Why do you have old schedules?”
“Design ideas,” came the answer, his head coming out of another box, hands filled with more books.
“You design covers?” Charlotte sat back on her heels, finished stacking the books on the desk and looking for something sharp to break the tape from the box. She accepted the pocket knife Jesse held out to her.
“I have covers designed. But I provide information and my ideas for what I want on them,” he answered, moving to stand in front of one of the wide shelves and began placing books on the higher ones first.
Charlotte stopped halfway through the slice on the tape and reached for one of the schedules.
Glossy. Colorful. Canadian. She looked from the cover to Jesse. For some reason her brain didn’t want to acknowledge what she was seeing.
“This is you?” She asked finally, losing her focus and falling back on her behind to the floor.