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THE REST OF THE EVENING was a miserable affair for Charlie. Spencer did the cooking, so Charlie volunteered to help him and clean the dishes, simply to stay away from Josh and Derek. She was so mortified. Why did she have to be so shy about her body? She was extremely confident around guys about everything else. It all went back to her teen years when she’d grown so tall and thin. The boys at the swimming pool had teased her about being so skinny and flat she looked like a boy. That was part of the reason she changed her name from Charlotte to Charlie and competed with guys all the time. If she looked like a guy, she might as well compete with them. And beat them. Even though she’d gained weight in the right places now, she still felt self-conscious when she wore anything slightly revealing. She usually wore a one-piece, but Grace insisted she needed to take a bikini on the trip. “All the rest of us will have on bikinis. And anyway... You only have a few years where you look good enough to wear one. You need to take advantage of it.”
Charlie breathed out a heavy sigh. “What’s wrong?” Spencer’s eyebrows drew together.
She smiled at him. Her brother-in-law was such a sweet guy. And he treated her sister like a queen, absolutely spoiling her rotten. Of course, Emily wasn’t complaining. “Nothing,” she lied. “I’m just tired after skiing all day.”
“Why don’t you go sit down and rest with everyone else? I’m fine by myself. You know I love cooking.”
“No!” she exclaimed, before she caught herself. “I mean... I wanted to spend some time with my favorite brother-in-law.”
“I’m also your least favorite brother-in-law. Right?”
“No, you’re only my favorite.” She hugged him with wet dishwater hands.
“Hmmm... I don’t know about you, but when your sister says nothing is wrong, it means something is definitely wrong. And somehow I’m supposed to magically know what that something is.”
“That’s right—you’ve got her down pat.” She laughed, but her mood quickly deflated again. She’d set out to do everything possible to help Josh and Olivia get together, but she seemed to be failing miserably.
“So what is it? It’s Derek, isn’t it? Is he moving too fast for you? If you want, I’ll beat the guy up.”
Charlie smiled. Spencer had never hit anyone in his life, but she could tell he was sincere in his offer. “No Spencer, don’t beat him up—he’s not moving too fast. It’s more like I’m moving too slow.”
“So what happened in the hot tub?” Emily asked Derek, pulling him aside before dinner started.
“Nothing really.” He rubbed the back of his head. “I was sitting next to Charlie, and Josh and Olivia were on the opposite side. I gave Josh a hard time when I caught him staring at Charlie, and she left crying. It wasn’t really a big deal, and I don’t even know what made her cry.”
“I guess it could have been her shyness. But I bet she was more upset she’d hurt her cause. You know, trying to convince Olivia that Josh is in love with her.”
“Yeah, about that... Are you really certain Josh loves Olivia? Because I’m feeling almost as skeptical as Olivia about the whole thing. It seems to me he likes Charlie a lot.”
“No, they’re only good friends now. He used to be crazy about her, but that’s been over for at least a year now.”
“Then why does he look like he wants to kill me whenever I touch her?”
“That’s nothing,” Emily declared. “Spencer looks at you like that, too. It’s just brotherly protectiveness.”
“Then I think Josh has got a whole lot of brotherly protectiveness going on.”
*
“SO WHAT HAPPENED IN the hot tub?” Grace asked Olivia, catching her in the hallway.
“All in all, I’d say things went pretty well, although Derek was getting a little fresh with Charlie near the end. But then Derek called Josh out for ogling Charlie, and she left crying.”
“Oh,” said Grace. “I’m sorry for Charlie, but on the other hand, it’s good Josh was looking her over. Don’t you think?”
“Yeah, but it may backfire if Charlie decides to pull back. She’s just so darned shy. I don’t know how we’re going to get her together with Josh.”
“Ah-ha!” said a female voice. “I knew you were up to something.” Hannah emerged from a nearby doorway. “I want in.”
“Absolutely not,” said Grace. “If more people are involved, certain other people will end up finding out.”
“If you don’t read me in, I’ll have to ask someone else about what I heard. Someone like... let’s see... Charlie. Yes, I’ll bet Charlie could help me figure out what’s going on.”
“Are you kidding me? I can’t believe my own sister is resorting to blackmail,” Grace complained.
“I learned from the best,” said Hannah, with a grin. “Now, spill it.”
“What choice do we have?” Olivia shrugged her shoulders.
“Fine,” said Grace. “You already know why Josh was trying to talk Olivia into getting married, right?”
“Yes, I know about the kids and the custody thing. But Olivia swore to me she wasn’t going through with it.”
“I’m not,” Olivia declared. “But I feel bad for Josh, and I want him to get custody of the kids, and so... We have a plan to make that happen.”
“With Charlie?”
“Yes,” said Grace. “You see, Josh is still crazy about her, and she’s totally in love with him, but neither one will admit it. I think they may not even recognize their own feelings. It’s like they’re trying to fool themselves.”
“I’m not so sure. Did you see Charlie with Derek on the plane?”
“That’s because Emily and Charlie are working against us,” said Grace. “Josh has Charlie and Emily convinced he’s actually in love with Olivia, so they’re trying to get Josh and Olivia together.”
“And Derek? Is Charlie only pretending to like him? I mean, he’s pretty hot, and he’s going to Columbia Law, like Charlie.”
“I’m going to sacrifice myself and steal Derek away from Charlie,” Olivia said.
Hannah’s eyes were wide as she regarded her sister. Even Grace was surprised. “Since when did your goal change from distracting Derek to stealing him?”
“Since I saw him without a shirt on in the hot tub. Of course it’s his brilliant mind I’m really attracted to. I’m not shallow or anything.”
“Olivia, you’re unbelievable.” Hannah laughed. “Okay Grace, what can I do to help?”
“First of all, you can’t tell anyone, especially your sister.”
“You mean, me?” asked Claire, emerging from the same doorway with her hands on her hips. “You need me. I’m the only one smart enough to walk down this hallway and check to see if anyone else is listening.” When she’d assured the coast was clear, she returned. “Okay. So what’s the plan?”
*
SPENCER PUT THE PASTA on the table while Anne Gherring was arranging the seating. “Okay, there’s not enough room for everyone to sit at one table, so I’ve made arrangements. Steven and I will sit in the breakfast room with Josh and Olivia and the toddlers. Everyone else is at the dining room table.”
“Will you sit by me, Aunt Charlie,” asked Jace.
“Sure,” she confirmed, although she didn’t feel the least bit hungry. At least she felt less self-conscious, sporting jeans and an oversized sweatshirt that hid every possible curve on her body. She spooned a bit of pasta and sauce onto her plate, along with a small serving of salad, and proceeded to pick at her food and push it around to look eaten.
“You need to eat more than that. You burned a lot of calories skiing today, and you skipped lunch,” Emily whispered.
Charlie made a face and stuck a forkful of pasta into her mouth.
“Where are you skiing tomorrow, Charlie?” asked Grace. “I was hoping you could give me some pointers on my board.”
“You looked pretty good when I saw you this afternoon.”
“You didn’t see me when it was steep. I get nervous and I don’t want to turn. I end up going heel-side all the way down.”
“Why can’t Brad help you?”
“Even I know a husband isn’t supposed to try to teach his wife how to do something.” Brad chuckled. “We could have the shortest marriage in history.”
“Okay, I’ll help. Maybe I’ll switch to a board in the afternoon.”
“Great,” said Derek. “Hopefully I’ve got a better chance of beating you on a board.”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Emily remarked.
“Actually, Olivia said you were a pretty good teacher today, even though you were on a board and she was on skis,” Grace told Derek. “I think she’s hoping to ski with you again tomorrow.”
“Sure thing.” He grinned until Emily narrowed her eyes at him. “Uhmm... I mean... Maybe in the morning, because of course, I’ll be boarding with Charlie tomorrow afternoon.”
“But you’re gonna ski with me in the morning?” Jace asked Charlie.
“Absolutely. And by the end of the morning you’ll be ready to start skiing blues.”
“Because I didn’t fall very much?”
“No, that doesn’t matter. In skiing, if you’re not falling, you’re not pushing yourself, so you’re not learning. You’ll be skiing blues because you’re not afraid to try hard.”
“What’s the weather going to be like tomorrow?” asked Derek. “Has anyone seen a report?”
“Cloudy and snowing. High in the upper teens. A little colder than today.” Brad read the report from his cell phone.
Charlie stood with her plate, heading toward the kitchen. “That’s all you’re going to eat?” asked Emily.
“Yeah, I guess I’m still full from that hot chocolate you made me.”
“You didn’t like dinner?” Spencer asked.
“No, it was great. Really.” Her stomach churned as she spoke. “I’m just not very hungry.”
She slipped into the kitchen and scraped her food into the trash.
It was eight o’clock, and she was ready to go to bed. Perhaps that was her best move. She could simply go to sleep and forget this day had ever happened. She could forget all about being alone with Josh. Forget about how comfortable she felt talking to him. Forget how good it felt when he’d held her. Forget about how amazing he looked in the hot tub. Forget she hadn’t been able to act cool when Derek had touched her leg. Forget how red her face had turned when Josh had stared at her. Forget everything. Well, everything except the skiing. The skiing was great. She had to forget everything but skiing.
She grabbed one of the multitude of dirty pots and scrubbed with relish. From the corner of her eye, she saw Josh emerge into the kitchen. She kept her eyes glued to her task, but she felt a blush creeping all the way up to her hairline.
Josh cleared his throat. “Uhmm... I uhmm... Chloe wanted some milk.” He snatched a glass from the cabinet next to her.
She nodded, scrubbing her pot with renewed vigor. She heard him open the refrigerator, pour milk in the glass, and close the refrigerator door. But instead of returning to the breakfast room, he lurked behind her. She ignored him, concentrating on the pot.
“I think you’ve gotten that spot as clean as it can get.” He spoke over her shoulder, and she caught a whiff of his scent—clean and spicy.
Again the blood rushed to her face. She wanted to say something back. Something smart and witty. Something sarcastic. But her brain simply wouldn’t function, so she rinsed the pot off and grabbed the towel to dry it.
“Charlie, I’m sorry I embarrassed you. Okay? I just... You just... I mean, you can’t really blame me for looking. Can you?”
“Yes, I can!” she said, as her brain finally engaged. She slammed the pot on the counter. “You’re getting married to Olivia next month—you shouldn’t be looking at anyone else! But I guess it’s my fault, too. I won’t be dressing like that around you again, so you don’t have to worry.”
“But Charlie—”
“Goodnight Josh,” she said, throwing down her towel and fleeing for her bedroom.
*
JOSH WAS LEFT STANDING, powerless and frustrated, as Charlie slipped away. She hadn’t given him a chance to explain. But what would he have said? The situation was impossible. He turned around, still holding Chloe’s glass of milk, only to find Steven Gherring standing in the doorway. He felt the blood drain from his face.
“Uhmm... How long have you been there?” Josh asked.
“Long enough,” said Steven.
“It’s not what it sounded like,” said Josh.
Steven leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. “Okay,” he said. “What is it?”
“It’s... It’s complicated,” Josh stammered.
Steven regarded him quietly for a moment. “I need to drive to the grocery store. Why don’t you come along? I’m sure there are things you need to buy for Chloe.”
“Yes sir,” he replied, surrendering to the inevitable. Oh well... Maybe it would feel good to finally tell someone the truth. The whole truth.
*
CHARLIE MADE IT TO the relative safety of her room. Her heart was racing as she paced the floor, trying to calm herself. She wanted to go to sleep and wake up in the morning to ski. She checked the time, but it was only eight-fifteen, way too early to fall asleep. She quickly changed into flannel pajamas and brushed her teeth and washed her face. Then she downed two Benadryl. With any luck she would be asleep by the time Olivia came up to go to bed.
As Charlie climbed into her bed with a book, she heard a tentative knock at her door. Her heart began to pound. Who could it be? What if it was Josh?
She tip-toed to the door and opened it a crack to peek through.
“Hi, Aunt Charlie.” Jace peered up with huge rounded green eyes, carbon-copies of Josh’s. “I wondered if you wanted to come see my pictures. You said today you wanted to see my pictures of my mom and dad.” His voice trailed off, and he let his eyes drop away.
“Of course I do. I want to see your pictures. I’ll come right now.”
She took his hand and let him lead her to his room. They crawled onto his twin bed and sat cross-legged while Jace pulled out his phone.
“I don’t have a whole lot on my phone,” he said. “I’ve got more on my computer at home.” He searched through his photos and opened the first one. “This is my Mom. She was cooking, and she was mad I took this picture because she said her hair was messy. But I like it because she was singing. She used to sing all the time.”
Charlie gazed at the image, and her breath caught in her throat. The girl looked so much like a female version of Josh. “She’s beautiful,” said Charlie. “And I don’t think her hair looks messy at all. Did you take this picture?”
“Yes,” he said, proudly. “Mom said I was good at taking pictures. Here, look at this one.”
Jace showed her a picture of his parents posing together in front of a Christmas tree. “This was last Christmas,” he said. “That’s my dad. He’s really tall like Uncle Josh. He gave me a football last Christmas.”
“He’s very handsome,” said Charlie. She couldn’t help the tears that sprang to her eyes. The couple looked so happy together. They would never have dreamed they wouldn’t have another Christmas together.
“And here’s Chloe on her birthday. But Mom is in the picture, too.” The image showed Chloe standing on a chair at the table with her mother steadying her so she could blow on the candles on her birthday cake.
“And this one is Momma and me. She held the phone out and took the picture. That’s why we’re not in the middle.”
Charlie noticed Jace had a few tears now, and she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into her lap. “I like this, Jace. Can you tell me about her? And your dad, too?”
Jace proceeded to tell her all about his family, including his grandparents. His stories made Charlie laugh, but her heart bled for the hurting little boy. She let herself concentrate on encouraging him, forgetting all about her earlier troubles. In the light of everything Jace was dealing with, her problems seemed insignificant, anyway.
*****
“JOSH, I CAN’T CONDONE your actions,” Steven said as the car idled in the grocery store parking lot. “I understand how much you want custody of those children, but you can’t enter into a marriage for that reason alone. Even though you may justify it because you both understand it would be a marriage in name only, I’ll guarantee someone will end up getting hurt. If not you or Olivia, Jace would be hurt for sure. He’s already lost his mother and father. If you marry Olivia and then divorce in a year, he’ll have to go through that loss again.”
“But I’m planning to do all the parenting.”
“Surely you realize it won’t work that way. And it would still hurt him for Olivia to leave.” He speared him with an intense gaze. “Are you absolutely certain you and Olivia could never love each other? I understand you feel more of a brother-sister kind of love right now, but couldn’t that grow into something more if you gave it a chance.”
“I’m willing to work at it. And I tried to tell Olivia that, but she refuses to try.”
Steven rubbed his forehead as if he had a pounding headache. “And now explain what happened with Charlie.”
“It was nothing, really. I was kind of staring at her when she was wearing her bikini in the hot tub. I’d have to be dead not to notice her!” He cleared his throat. “But she was embarrassed and said I shouldn’t be looking because I’m marrying Olivia.”
“She’s right,” Steven said. His voice was flat and a furrow formed between his brows. “But that’s not really all, is it? Your little exchange felt a lot more emotionally charged than the explanation you just gave me.”
“Will you keep this between us?” Josh asked. When Steven nodded his assent, Josh let the truth spill out. “I’m still in love with her. I’ve been trying to get over her for so long, but it hasn’t worked. And it’s worse since she’s back in New York.” He let out a long, slow breath. “There... I said it. I’ve hardly even admitted it to myself, and it sounds even worse when I say it out loud.”
Steven groaned and beat on his head with his palm. “Josh! What a mess! Why didn’t you ask Charlie to marry you instead of Olivia?”
“I actually considered it,” he hastened to explain. “But Steven, she’s blown me off for two years, and now I’m in a hurry. She would’ve turned me down, and then I would’ve had to ask Olivia with her knowing she was my second choice. The chance of Olivia accepting would have gone from small to nothing.”
“Maybe Charlie wouldn’t have turned you down. You never gave her a chance.”
“I couldn’t risk it. The kids’ custody depends on me getting married. And anyway, she doesn’t love me. She’s doing everything she can to help Olivia and I get together.”
After a few moments of contemplative silence, Steven told Josh in a tired voice, “You need to know I’m working on the legal end of this custody battle. I don’t want you to get your hopes up, but I’m doing everything I can. If you could gain custody without getting married, then you could start all over with Charlie. Maybe this time things would work out.”
“But if I can’t get my hopes up for that possibility, what should I do in the mean time?”
Steven closed his eyes, rubbing them with his fingers. “I have no idea.”
*
JOSH SAT IN THE DEN, alone with his thoughts, while the rest of the group gathered in front of the fireplace. He had a slim hope Steven might be able to work a miracle. But other than that, his only real option was to make the marriage with Olivia work. And he knew Steven was right. It had to be a real marriage. It couldn’t be a short-term contract. He could do this—it was mind over matter. He could learn to love Olivia. She was beautiful and smart and sweet. All he had to do was put Charlie out of his mind. Maybe if Olivia saw how devoted he was, she would learn to love him as well. One thing was certain—being around Charlie was like playing with fire. And he’d already been burned.
He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned. “Uncle Josh?” said Jace. “Could you come help me?”
“Sure, buddy. I thought you were already in bed.” He followed Jace up the stairs toward his room. “What do you need help with?”
“Well, I was showing Aunt Charlie the pictures on my phone...”
“Pictures?”
“Yeah, pictures of my mom and my dad.” He glanced warily at Josh. “Are you mad at me?”
“Mad at you? For looking at pictures of your parents?” Josh stopped Jace in the hallway and knelt down in front of him, holding his shoulders. “Jace, of course I’m not mad. You can look at your pictures all you want. And you can show them to me, too.” He pulled him into a hug and squeezed him fiercely. “You know, I didn’t know my parents,” he told Jace, when he felt his little body shaking with sobs. “But my Grandma raised me, and she died when I was just your age. And I looked at my pictures of her all the time. I still do. Okay?”
“Okay,” he muttered with a shuddering breath.
“Did something happen to your pictures?”
“No,” Jace said. “Something happened to Aunt Charlie.”
Josh rushed into Jace’s room to find Charlie passed out on his twin bed, with her head at an awkward position against the wall.
“What happened to her?” he asked Jace.
“I don’t know. She fell asleep, and I can’t wake her up.”
“Did she take something?”
Jace shrugged. “I don’t know what you mean,”
“I mean, did she take a pill to make her sleep?”
“I don’t know.”
Josh felt her pulse at her neck and saw her gentle breathing. He took her hand between his and began to slap her palm. “Charlie! Hey, Charlie! Are you okay?” He pried each of her eyelids open and examined her pupils. Then he pinched the inside of her arm. She moaned and moved her arm in response, but remained asleep.
He told Jace, “Don’t get everybody excited, but will you go get Grammy, please?” As Jace dashed off to retrieve Anne, Josh gently lifted Charlie into his arms and carried her out into the hallway. He realized he wasn’t sure which room was hers, so he checked several rooms trying to ascertain where her bed was. He was still carrying her in his arms when Jace came running up the stairs with Anne behind him, closely followed by every other member of the household.
“What happened to her?” asked Anne, rushing to put her hand on Charlie’s forehead. “Is she sick? Did she pass out?”
“I think she’s just asleep, although I can’t seem to wake her up.”
Steven groaned. “Did she take a sleeping pill? The Best girls seem to overreact to any type of drug.”
“Did you check her pupils?” asked Brad.
“Yes, they’re normal and she responds to pain, at least a little. She just won’t wake up.”
“I’ll look for drugs. Where’s her bathroom stuff?” Brad asked Olivia.
“Where’s her room?” asked Josh. “I need some place to put her.”
“Where was she?” asked Olivia, with a smirk. “In your room?”
“No!” Josh retorted. “She was in Jace’s room.”
“Whatever.” Olivia led Josh to Charlie’s bed and showed Brad her bathroom bag.
“It’s Benadryl,” Brad confirmed. “She even left the bottle out.”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine in the morning,” said Josh, as he laid her gently on the sheets and covered her up. Somehow, he felt reluctant leaving her lying in her bed alone. He glanced her direction one last time before he left the room. By this time the excitement was over and the crowd had returned downstairs. But Derek was standing in the hallway, watching him. He didn’t say anything to Josh, but cocked his head in an unspoken question.
Josh took a huge breath, and released it. “Olivia. I love Olivia.” He grimaced at Derek. “You’re welcome to date Charlie.”
His mouth dropped open, but he held his tongue. Josh stomped back toward the stairs, but stopped at the landing. He turned around and took three long steps back to grab the front of Derek’s shirt in his fist and pull him in close. “But if you hurt her, I might kill you.”
Derek knocked his hand away. “Look, buddy. I haven’t done anything, and that’s twice you’ve grabbed my shirt and threatened me. Don’t you think you’re a bit overprotective of this girl you supposedly aren’t in love with?”
“No,” Josh answered, tramping down the stairs. “And don’t go in her room!”
*
“I’M WORRIED ABOUT JOSH and Olivia,” Anne confided to Steven later that night.
“Really? Why is that?” asked Steven. He tensed, realizing his wife might very well be attempting to push the two together, as was her custom in her perceived roll of matchmaker.
“They don’t really act like they’re in love. I’m afraid the pressures of parenthood have already taken a toll on their relationship.”
“It’s possible.” Steven attempted to hide his new-found knowledge of Josh’s situation, since he’d been sworn to secrecy.
“Well, what are we going to do about it?” she demanded, her hands on her hips.
“We’re going to do nothing. I’m trying everything I can to help him obtain custody without being married. Other than that, there’s nothing we can do.”
“But maybe if you talked to him about it...”
“No, Anne. I’m not going to interfere.”
“Well, then I’ll have to talk to Olivia.”
“No, you need to put it out of your mind and quit worrying about it.”
“But I can’t.” She paced at the foot of the bed, gesturing with both hands. “It’s all I can think about.”
Steven set aside the book in his hands and began to rise slowly from the bed. “Is that so? That’s all you can think about?” He grinned as he moved toward her. “That sounds like a challenge to me.”
“Steven!” she shrieked, as she retreated a step, holding her hands out in front of her for protection.
“I love it when you say my name like that.” He swooped in to grab her legs and throw her over his shoulder, struggling and giggling. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t throw you on this bed and have my way with you.”
From her upside-down angle, Anne chuckled. “Sorry. I can’t think of a single one.”
