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“I FEEL LIKE THIS IS getting way too complicated,” Brad complained. “You were supposed to keep it to yourself. Remember? Now everyone knows, and everyone is involved somehow.”
“Not everyone,” Grace soothed. “We didn’t tell my parents or Spencer or Mr. Gherring, even though they could have been helpful. We were afraid they would put the brakes on the whole thing.”
“Did it occur to you they might have been wise in putting the brakes on? Why does it have to be so complex? Why couldn’t one of you girls talk to Charlie? Couldn’t Emily have made her listen to reason?”
“You mean the way she listened to you? Or for that matter, the way Josh listened to you?”
“Okay, fine. We’ll do it your way, but this had better work.”
“It was working fine on the ski trip until Charlie had her accident. We’ve decided the main problem is with Josh.”
“Of course six women would decide it was the man’s fault.”
“Actually, seven women. Gram is helping, too.”
“Arghhh!! I’ve created a monster.”
“Gram’s actually had the most experience. She’s been very helpful, and she’s so creative.”
Brad screamed dramatically, “It’s alive! It’s alive! I’ve created a monster!”
“Shut up!” laughed Grace, shoving him so hard he almost lost his balance. “You only have one job.”
“What’s that?”
“You have to make sure he buys the right ring for Charlie. Emily has some ideas of what Charlie would like. She’s even going to send you pictures.”
“How am I supposed to play this? Do I tell him I asked Emily for suggestions?”
“Sure. That’s fine. I’ll leave it up to you. It’s not like it’s a surprise he’s getting her a ring.”
“And what are you going to do?”
“You’ll see.”
Brad felt a little shudder run up his spine. He muttered, “I hope I don’t live to regret this.”
*****
CHRISTMAS MORNING CAME all too quickly for Charlie. She wasn’t sure why her heart was pounding and her palms were sweating. It must have been shopping with Olivia that did it. She’d kept talking about Josh and how popular he was with the nurses and how they would probably always be trying to steal him away and how Charlie should work hard to hang onto Josh not that she needed to work hard since Josh was so obviously smitten with her and she was so lucky. After all her talk, she’d convinced Charlie it was extremely important to choose the right Christmas present for him.
Olivia had suggested a sport watch that could handle everything from scuba diving to mountain climbing. It would have been a great choice, but her Mom had always given them strict limits on the cost of Christmas presents. No one was allowed to spend more than fifty dollars on any other person, and she even made her billionaire husband comply. He, of course, thought this restriction was ridiculous, but she maintained it made everyone feel better, and it was more of a challenge to find a good present for fifty dollars. Steven always managed to get around the rule by doing things like giving the entire family a ski trip. But since Charlie’s budget was limited anyway, it was probably for the best. Although it still proved to be a difficult task to find something suitable for Josh.
She’d finally settled on a soft cashmere-blend sweater in a deep green she thought would complement his eyes, but she was second-guessing herself already. Josh had also been informed about the spending limit since he was celebrating Christmas with them, so at least she wouldn’t have to worry about how much he was spending on her. Buying gifts for her Mom and sister had been easy, but Steven had everything he could ever want. So she’d bought him a T-shirt that read, “KEEP CALM, I AM IRON MAN” and made him a playlist of songs for his triathlon workouts. For Jace she found an active video game for his Xbox Kinect. She knew it would be fun to play together once she’d fully recovered from surgery. She’d put together two boxes of ‘dress-up’ costumes for the twins, shopping at the local thrift store. Her finds included a cape and a long, velvet robe. She also had an adorable doll for Chloe, though they wouldn’t see her again until after Christmas, since she was with her grandparents again.
She tried to stop her hands from shaking as Josh opened his gift. At least he seemed as nervous as she was. He pulled it out of the box and held it across his chest. As she’d hoped, the sweater highlighted his gorgeous green eyes. When he flashed his even white teeth in a smile, exposing his deep dimples, her heart turned over in her chest. She’d almost forgotten how handsome he was.
“I love it!” he said. “Now it’s your turn.” He sat next to her and handed her a small gift box. The entire family was observing.
*
JOSH TRIED NOT TO FIDGET as he watched Charlie open her present. She was somehow even more beautiful this morning than she usually was. He couldn’t help anticipating being able to wake up next to her every morning. Every time he looked at her, she took his breath away. He watched her huge gold eyes, framed with dark lashes, grow wide as she opened his gift. He’d had no idea what to give her, especially when he’d been given a fifty-dollar limit. She’d had a wish list on amazon Emily had urged him to use as a reference, but he’d been determined to surprise her. He’d finally found a silver charm necklace and added two beads—a miniature climber’s chalk bag and a pair of skis.
As she opened the small box, he explained anxiously, “It’s the first two sports we’ve done together. I thought I could add a new bead every time we do a new one.” He fretted as she stared silently at the jewelry. To his horror, he saw she was wiping away a tear. He must have messed up badly. He should have listened to Emily and chosen something from her wish list. He knew she didn’t wear much jewelry. “We can exchange it for something else.”
She threw her good arm around his neck and hugged him. “It’s s-so s-sweet! It’s s-so perfect!” When he overcame the shock of her sudden gesture, he wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace with a stupid grin.
His heart swelled—she liked it. And best of all, she’d hugged him. It had been two years since they’d kissed, and he’d almost forgotten how wonderful it felt to hold her, soft in all the right places. He hugged her gently, afraid he might press too hard against her injuries. He was so tempted to brush his lips against hers, but he didn’t want their first kiss in two years to be in front of an audience.
*
EMILY SMIRKED. “WOW, Josh. It seems you didn’t need my help after all. I would never have thought of that.” One of her main jobs had been to advise Josh on Charlie’s Christmas gift, but he’d actually done quite well without her help. Perhaps there was hope for him after all, as long as he didn’t try to give her the same engagement ring he’d offered to Olivia. Besides the insult of giving her another woman’s ring, it would be way too gaudy for her. But she’d already sent some engagement ring pictures to Brad, so hopefully that was under control. Now if she and her Mom could find a way to provoke an argument, Charlie would realize he felt more for her than gratitude.
As they watched the twins tear open their presents Emily caught her Mom’s eye and winked. Time for Operation Anti-Solicitous. “So Charlie,” Emily said. “I guess this marriage takes care of your law school expenses. Now you won’t need to take out a loan.”
“What do you mean?” asked Charlie. “I’m still going to pay my own tuition.”
“No you aren’t,” Josh contended. “We’ll be married, and my wife isn’t going to take out loans to pay for her tuition. That would be ridiculous.”
“I’m not about to come into this marriage as a liability. I’ll pay my own expenses.”
“Legally, Charlie,” Steven interrupted, “Any debts you incur once you’re married are Josh’s debts as well. So you’ll still be a liability in that sense, but only temporarily. I would think of it as more of an investment in your education rather than a liability.”
Too bad Steven wasn’t in on the plan. He could really mess things up if he interfered.
“I still want to pay my own way.” Charlie’s stubborn chin protruded.
“I want to pay for your education, Charlie. It’s the least I can do.” Josh reached over to sandwich her hands between his.
Charlie’s obstinate demeanor morphed into resignation. “Whatever. I guess it isn’t a big deal.”
Emily exchanged an alarmed look with her Mom. That attempt hadn’t gone well at all. Josh had once again sounded too grateful. Anne raised her brows in a question, and Emily gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. They had another possible argument topic, but now didn’t seem like the best time to try it. Perhaps they needed to wait for Gram’s secret weapon, whatever that was.
*****
GRAM AND GUS WERE HOSTING a huge Christmas dinner. Not only were Anne and Steven and the twins coming, along with Charlie, Josh, Jace, Emily and Spencer, but also Spencer’s entire family. This included his parents, Claire, Hannah, Olivia, Grace, and Brad. Steven usually cooked for Gram’s family dinners, but this year Gram had decided to have the entire dinner catered. Though she’d already celebrated her ninety-eighth birthday, she was the antithesis of old and decrepit. Small in stature, but full of energy, her mind was as sharp as her tongue. Only three years ago, she’d surprised the family when she ended a long widowhood by marrying Gus Hamilton, a man five years her junior.
Josh had met Gram before, but he’d never been to her country mansion. When he came in the door with Jace, the feisty little white-haired woman pulled him down into a hug, and grabbed Jace’s hand to lead them on a tour. At the age of nine, Jace was already as tall as Gram, but her wiry strength left him no choice but to follow along.
After parading them through the downstairs parlor, library, dining room, and ballroom, they followed her up the grand staircase.
“I have a special room I think you’ll like, Jace.” Gram led them into a bedroom with sprawling ceilings and a four-poster bed and almost as many bookshelves as the library. Jace glanced around the room and, spying nothing very interesting, turned his attention out the window to the gardens below.
“Jace,” said Gram. “Can you reach this book for me?”
He ran over to stretch his hand high toward a copy of The Hobbit, but he couldn’t reach it without stepping on the low shelf at his feet. Finally, he managed to grasp the book and pull it toward him. With his success, the entire bookshelf began to move, swinging open to reveal a small secret room.
Jace squealed with delight, hurrying inside the area, standing on tiptoe to touch his fingers to the low ceiling. Late afternoon sunlight flooded in through a window, highlighting the abundance of colors from the brightly patterned cushions piled along the wall on the plushy carpeted floor.
“I see you’ve found the secret reading room,” said Steven Gherring, as he peered in through the low doorway. “I spent a lot of hours in here as a kid. And you can go out the window and down that roof ledge and sit on the balcony.”
Jace immediately flew to the window, ready to attempt the trick.
“Don’t be teaching him dangerous habits,” Gram scolded.
Steven laughed. “You don’t want to do it in this weather, Jace. There’s ice on the roof, and the balcony is cold and windy. Josh will have to bring you back this summer.”
“Can I really come here again sometime?” Jace hopped up and down.
“Certainly,” said Gram. “This house is cavernous and boring without little boys running around in it.”
Emily’s voice interrupted from the hallway. “Gram! Dinner is ready. And you didn’t tell me we were going to have fireworks.”
“Fireworks?” Jace cried.
“No—sorry Jace,” Emily said. “Not real fireworks. I was speaking figuratively. These fireworks are actually people—Papa Steven’s cousin, Evan, is here with his grown sons.
“Gram!” growled Steven.
“Don’t start with me, Steven.” Gram’s haughty expression almost made her look taller. “They’re family. You’ll simply have to get along.”
“Who are they?” asked Josh, as they started downstairs.
“It’s my dearest cousin Evan and his two equally lecherous sons, all of whom seem to flirt indiscriminately with any female in range.” Steven coated his words with acid.
“They’re not so bad,” Gram defended. “Steven and Evan simply have a bit of bad blood between them. You should give them the benefit of the doubt, Josh.”
“We’ll see how he feels when David and Collin put the moves on Charlie,” Steven spit back.
Josh could already feel his blood pressure rising. “None of them are married?”
“One woman managed to put up with Evan’s antics long enough to produce two sons, but he’s not currently married. And his sons have been too busy with the LA party scene to settle down.”
“They’re Hollywood producers,” Gram said.
“That’s just a line they use to pick up women, Gram,” Steven corrected. “You have to actually produce something to be a legitimate producer.”
*
“I MEAN IT, CHARLIE,” said Collin. “With your face and hair and that gorgeous body, I know I could get you some starring roles. We’re shooting a commercial on the beach right now, and we need some extras in swimsuits.” Charlie barely kept a straight face. She’d heard about how flirtatious Steven’s cousin had been with her mother before she’d married Steven, but she didn’t realize the art had been passed from father to sons. The boys, who were in their late twenties, had inherited their father’s sandy-blond hair and good looks, along with his philandering tendencies.
“Collin, I have scars all over my chest from my surgery. I won’t look good in a swimsuit.”
“It would take more than a few scars to keep you from looking hot in a bikini. I bet we can cover the scars with makeup anyway. Let me see them.” Instinctively she braced her good arm across her chest when he leaned over as if to peer down the scooped neck of her sweater. Suddenly, he was lifted bodily away as Josh hauled him back by the scruff of his shirt.
“I’ll thank you to keep your hands off my fiancée!” said Josh.
“Cool off, buddy—I didn’t touch her.” Collin shook off Josh’s arm and tugged his shirt to straighten it. “But she’s not wearing a ring. How was I supposed to know?”
“Please, Collin,” Steven remarked. “Since when would a ring have stopped you?”
“I didn’t say it would have stopped me. I just said I didn’t know.”
His brother, David, looked up from his flirtatious conversation with Hannah to join him in laughter. “Gram, this is the best Christmas present ever—a whole roomful of hot women.”
Charlie saw Spencer’s parents exchange a look of alarm, but Anne patted Connie’s arm. “Sorry about these boys, but they’re really harmless. They’re all talk.”
“Don’t believe it for a minute,” Steven remarked to Spencer’s father, Joe.
As the group made their way to the dining room, David sat between Olivia and Hannah, while Collin snagged a spot between Charlie and Claire. Josh was extremely irritated to find himself next to Charlie’s bandaged left arm, while Collin evidently felt free to casually touch her other arm at every available opportunity.
Josh discovered draping his right arm across the back of Charlie’s chair would serve as bit of a barrier. But this posture made eating impossible, so he had to abandon his defense.
“So are you really marrying that Neanderthal?” asked Collin.
“Yes, Collin. I’m really marrying Josh.”
“Well I understand why you’d be too embarrassed to wear an engagement ring. I wouldn’t want to claim him either, if I were you.”
Josh tried to ignore the bait Collin was throwing his way, but he found himself clenching his left hand into a fist.
“The only reason I’m not wearing a ring is he hasn’t given it to me yet. I’m not ashamed to claim him.”
“Yes darling,” Collin said, stroking her arm like a kitten. “You just keep telling yourself that. Are you sure he intends to actually marry you? Because if you were mine, I would’ve put a ring on your hand in nothing flat. Staking my territory, so-to-speak.”
“Collin, I believe you’ve staked your territory with any number of women without the benefit of any rings,” Steven remarked.
“Yes, but I’m smart enough to recognize some women don’t require a ring.” He looked meaningfully at Charlie and covered her hand with his. “While others do.”
“Stop touching her,” Josh said between clenched teeth. Collin withdrew his hand slowly, while holding his smile and gazing at Charlie.
Evan laughed out loud. “This is a wonderful dinner, Gram. I just love all this family togetherness.” He turned to Anne. “Are you tired of my cousin yet? You know I’m still waiting for you. Surely by now you’ve discovered what a terrible bore he is.”
“No—sorry Evan. I’ll be sure to let you know if I ever discover Steven’s boring. So far, he and the boys have kept me on my toes.”
“I’ll have to admit, I never thought I’d see my playboy cousin reduced to changing diapers and playing patty-cake. But the boys are awfully cute. They obviously take after their mother.”
“Cousin, that’s about as close as you’ve ever come to a compliment,” said Steven.
“No compliment intended for you, cousin. Just the usual jibe. The compliment was for Anne and the boys.”
Josh was so busy listening to this exchange he missed all but the end of Charlie and Collin’s conversation. “... But I have an extra ticket. Would you like to go?” asked Collin.
“Well—”
“Are you asking my fiancée out?” Josh could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears.
“Just think about it,” Collin told Charlie. He gave Josh a smug smile before turning to flirt with Claire.
“What was that about?” Josh asked Charlie, trying to gauge her reaction. Was she attracted to Collin? Was she upset Josh wasn’t stopping his aggression? One more aggressive move and he might lose his temper. But he didn’t want to make a scene in front of the entire family. He concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths.
“It was nothing. He’s just trying to jerk your chain.”
“Well, he’s done it,” Josh mumbled.
From across the table, David spoke up. “Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, I must say you have produced four amazingly beautiful daughters!”
“Thank you. What was your name again?”
“David,” he supplied. “You’re welcome, Mrs. Marshall.”
“You can call me Connie.”
“Connie, I see Hannah got her gorgeous blue eyes from you.”
“Why, thank you, David.” Connie cheeks gained an attractive rosy glow while her husband scowled beside her.
“If I could get these girls out to California, I’d turn them into stars,” David proclaimed.
“You’re not taking my sisters anywhere,” Spencer muttered.
“Spencer,” David’s tone wheedled, “You wouldn’t want your sisters to miss the opportunity of a lifetime, would you? I seldom see beauty like this without some kind of surgical enhancement.”
“Perhaps it’s because your eyes are usually closed in a drunken stupor,” Spencer retorted.
“Are you denying your sisters’ beauty?”
“No. I’m denying the significance of your opinion. I know how beautiful my sisters are.”
“Spencer!” Connie scolded. “Be nice—all he’s done is given your sisters a compliment.”
“If he gives them anything else, I’m giving him my fist,” Spencer mumbled.
“I can’t believe Claire is only nineteen.” Collin spoke in low tones to Charlie. “I would have put her at twenty-two or twenty-three. I was about to have her join us for our little New Year’s Eve bash, but it looks like it’ll just be you and me, Charlie.”
“Charlie won’t be joining you for your little New Year’s Eve bash. She has other plans.” The small amount of food Josh had managed to swallow churned in his stomach.
“I can answer for myself,” said Charlie. “You don’t own me.”
“Not yet, anyway,” said Collin.
“No one is going to own me, even after I’m married,” said Charlie.
“I don’t want to own you, but I do want to protect you from scum like this.”
“Here, now. That’s totally uncalled for,” said Collin. “All I did was invite the lady to a private party.”
“She’s my fiancée!” said Josh.
“It’s a free world, and all I did was ask. Like she said, you don’t own her. She’s free to make her own choice. She can say yes or no, herself.”
Charlie covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking. She stood up, turning teary eyes to Steven’s grandmother. “Gram,” she choked out. “May I be excused for a moment?”
Gram lifted her napkin to her lips and gently patted them, before she said, “Certainly, Charlie.”
She fled from the room.
Chairs scraped as Josh and Collin stood simultaneously, asking likewise to be excused.
“No, you may not.” Gram’s voice was firm. “Emily, you may be excused. Everyone else will continue eating. Steven, would you pass the potatoes, please?”
Josh sank back into his chair, his gaze following Emily as she ran after her sister.
“This turducken is delicious, Gram,” said Collin, as he threw a smirk in Josh’s direction.
Josh considered what he might do to Collin that wouldn’t show up in an autopsy.
*
“CHARLIE! IT’S ME! LET me in!” Emily knocked on the bathroom door. She heard noises from inside before the door cracked open and Charlie peered through.
“Are you alone?”
“Yes, it’s just me.”
Charlie snaked her arm outside and pulled Emily into the room, locking the door behind them and burying her face in her hands again.
“I’m sorry that happened. Are you okay?” Emily stroked her hair.
Charlie burst into giggles, wiping tears from her face. “Are you kidding? That was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t keep a straight face anymore.”
“You’re not upset? Collin was being so aggressive.”
Charlie waved off her concern. “You know me. I can handle aggressive guys—well, most of them, anyway. It’s only Josh who gets me off balance. But I was trying to let Collin think he was getting to me before I put him in his place. And then Josh got upset, and I almost cracked up right in front of them. I barely made it out of there.”
“So you weren’t crying?”
“My eyes were watering from trying not to laugh. I was about to lose it.”
“I guess it’s pretty obvious how much Josh loves you. He was so jealous out there.”
“Actually, I’m pretty sure it was a competition thing—like when male dogs go out and mark their territory.”
“Thanks so much for putting such an awful image into my mind. If you apply that metaphor to David, he kind of marked the whole table. He went for all four of the Marshall sisters. And he even flirted with Connie.”
“Yes, I can’t decide whether or not I’m happy Josh is acting like that. I guess it would be a bad sign if he didn’t. But I certainly don’t need his protection, and I don’t want to be his possession, either.”
“But Charlie, when a guy loves you, he can’t help being possessive. Spencer would’ve gone ballistic if Collin had flirted with me.”
Charlie turned mournful eyes her direction. “Emily, can I tell you something?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“I’m sure he doesn’t love me—he hasn’t even kissed me.”
Emily knew her surprise showed on her face. No wonder Charlie thought Josh wasn’t in love with her. “He’s never... But I thought—”
“He kissed me two years ago, but not since I’ve been back.”
“Well, he hasn’t had much opportunity. You were half-dead when you decided to get married. Was he supposed to kiss you in the hospital?”
“My face wasn’t injured.”
“I’m sure he’s just waiting for the right time.”
“You can’t tell anyone, not even Spencer.”
“If you’d let me tell Josh, he’d probably fix the problem right now.”
“No! You’d better not tell him. I don’t want a sympathy kiss.”
“Charlie, don’t be ridiculous. If Josh kisses you it won’t be because he feels sorry for you. As I recall, you told me his last kiss about knocked your socks off.”
“It’s been two years—I think I’ve built it up in my mind. I’ll probably be disappointed next time. If there is a next time.”
“There’s gonna be a next time. You’re getting married.”
“Sister, am I doing the right thing? How did you know? How did you know Spencer was the one?”
“Honestly, I just couldn’t imagine my life without him. Even thinking about being really old, like in our fifties, I could only see us together.” She squeezed her sister’s arm, hoping her words were reassuring.
“Thanks, Sis. Now, I’ve got to put my game face on and go give him heck.”
Emily grinned. “That’s my sister. Poor Collin won’t know what hit him.”
*
CHARLIE PINCHED HER cheeks and nose to make her face red before reentering the dining room with Emily. She kept her eyes downcast as she made her way to the table. Both Josh and Collin stood up to pull out her chair. Charlie sat down and the two men subtly pushed against each other as they moved her chair in under her. Collin was easily overpowered, so he sat down quickly to cover his loss.
“Charlie,” he said, taking her hand between his. “I’m so sorry if I’ve been too forward with you. We’ve only just met, but you’ve captured my heart so. I don’t believe I’m thinking clearly.”
“So you didn’t mean to ask me out?”
“No, I definitely meant it.” She saw Collin’s eyes glance over her shoulder. She could feel Josh looming next to her.
“But you asked Claire out as well.”
“Of course that was before I knew Claire was under age.”
“But which one of us do you want. You have to decide.”
“Why I want you of course.”
“You want me? You’re really sure? Well then... Okay.” She heard Josh muttering behind her.
“Okay?” Collin asked, obviously taken aback.
“Okay. But I want to be really clear about this. Are you asking me to marry you? Or did you just want to hop in the sack together?”
“Hey!” Josh gripped her shoulder.
She turned her head. “Stay out of this, Josh.”
Collin stammered, “Uhmm... neither one. I was merely asking you on a date.” He lowered his voice. “I mean... It’s always possible something could happen after...”
“I see. So exactly what are you offering?”
“Huh?”
“Well, it seems to me you’re suggesting I drop my handsome, physician fiancé just to go out on one date with you. So I wondered exactly what on earth could make this worth my while.”
“Spoken with all the innocence of one who’s never been on a date with Collin Sterling of Hollywood.” He smirked.
“No,” said Charlie. “Spoken with the wisdom of one who knows a line of bull when she hears it. I think I’ll stick with door number one.”
Collin laughed. “Oh ho! You cut me to the quick! I’m bleeding!”
“Something tells me you’ll heal quickly enough.”
“Still, you can’t blame me for trying.”
“I can’t, but Josh can. So lay off, or I’ll start making disparaging remarks about your manhood.”
“I’m almost tempted to keep it up, simply to hear what you might say. But I can see I underestimated you, so I’ll wait for easier prey.”
“A word of warning.” Charlie glanced at the glowers on the male faces around the table. “With all the testosterone floating in this room right now, I suggest you find your prey in a different place. That is, if you want to keep your proverbial manhood intact.”
“Thanks for the advice,” Collin chuckled. “I’m not so certain about the proverbial one, but I’d like to keep the real one safe.”
*
WHEN CHARLIE FINALLY turned her attention away from Collin, Josh murmured in her ear. “Thanks, Charlie.”
“For what?”
“For choosing me.”
“Surely you know there was never any real doubt?” she asked, as one corner of her mouth lifted.
“I wasn’t a hundred percent positive. He’s a pretty aggressive smooth-talker.”
“Reminds me of someone I once knew.” Charlie winked.
“Yeah. Seems like a long time ago.”
“Wanna know a secret?” At his nod, she answered, “I really liked that guy.” She put her hand over his on the table. Her words were so quiet he had to lean in to listen. “But I like this one even better.”
When she glanced up at him, her golden eyes glimmering, and her cheeks flushed, her soft lips inviting, it was all he could do to keep from kissing her right there at the Christmas dinner table, in front of everyone. And he knew, once he tasted her lips again, how hard it would be to stop with a chaste kiss. Instead, he took a deep breath and whooshed it out slowly, sitting back in his chair.
Maybe they could move the wedding date up.
