fist.
She should have called them that morning and already gotten her answers. Instead sh e’d been distracted by her unexpected makeover. Is Charles the ultimate act of procrastination?
She reached for her cell phone and dialed Sarah’s number.
“Melanie, are you wearing makeup?”
“Yes.”
“Hold the phone back from you. I need to see what you’re wearing.”
Melanie smiled self-consciously and did as she was asked. “It’s just a black dress.”
“Just a dress? Have you looked in the mirror? You could be a model. I always knew you were pretty, but oh my God, you’re gorgeous.”
Although Sarah’s words warmed Melanie, sh e’d never been comfortable accepting a compliment. “Is Jace there?”
Sarah put the phone close to her face again and said confidentially. “Oh no. You’re not getting off that easily. Where are you going? Did you find Todd?”
Melanie looked guiltily down at the paper in her other hand and threw it onto the counter. “No. His parents aren’t here. They’re in Greece.” Then she looked down at her dress again. “I should have flown back when I found out. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You never take a vacation. You need this.”
“Maybe.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
With an encouraging tone, Sarah said, “It looks like you’re going on a date.”
Melanie shrugged, still not looking at the phone. “Charles asked me to attend a charity event with him.”
Sarah made a happy whoop. “He is so into you. Wait until he sees you in that dress.”
As if sensing Melanie was holding back, Sarah quieted and asked, “What’s the matter?”
“I know you think Charles and I would be good together, but we have nothing in common. That is even more painfully clear now that I’m here with him.”
“What did he do?” Melanie asked with a sigh.
Melanie met her eyes and lied. “Nothing.”
“You don’t have to lie to me. I love both of you. My brother can be a royal, bossy pain in the ass. I know that. But beneath that, he has a good heart. And he needs someone like you to help him remember that.”
“Someone like me?”
“You didn’t judge me when I told you about Phil. And you didn’t tell me the guilt I felt was wrong. You accepted me the way I was and Charles needs that. He needs someone he can be himself around.”
Melanie shook her head. “Your brother doesn’t care what others think of him.”
Sarah smiled sadly. “There is something I didn’t tell you about the day my brother drowned. Charles was there. He was supposed to be watching Phil. Charles was twelve. I was eight. We were playing by the lake the way we always did. He wanted to ask my parents something, so he asked me to watch Phil.”
“Oh my God.”
“It was only a few minutes. Phil was playing beside me and I was daydreaming about something. It happened so fast. I would give anything to be able to go back and not have let Charles down that day. He blames himself.”
“It was clearly an accident.”
“He calls it that. And he’s never blamed me. Ever. Not even that day. He just pulled away from us.”
Melanie understood that reaction all too well. “I’m so sorry.”
“I didn’t tell you about how it affected Charles because I felt it wasn’t my story to tell, but it’s still holding him captive. He won’t let anyone close to him anymore. It’s like he’s worried he’ll let us down again. He sends my parents money, but he rarely visits them. I’ve only started talking to him again because I’ve made it my mission to. I’m sure the fact that you have Jace terrifies him. He has avoided children since Phil’s death.”
“I had no idea.” So much of what Sarah was saying made sense. It explained why Charles looked unhappy about his own declaration that they couldn’t have anything beyond that week.
Her heart broke for him.
Part of her regretted speaking to Sarah about Charles. The more she learned about him, the more she cared
She should have called them that morning and already gotten her answers. Instead sh e’d been distracted by her unexpected makeover. Is Charles the ultimate act of procrastination?
She reached for her cell phone and dialed Sarah’s number.
“Melanie, are you wearing makeup?”
“Yes.”
“Hold the phone back from you. I need to see what you’re wearing.”
Melanie smiled self-consciously and did as she was asked. “It’s just a black dress.”
“Just a dress? Have you looked in the mirror? You could be a model. I always knew you were pretty, but oh my God, you’re gorgeous.”
Although Sarah’s words warmed Melanie, sh e’d never been comfortable accepting a compliment. “Is Jace there?”
Sarah put the phone close to her face again and said confidentially. “Oh no. You’re not getting off that easily. Where are you going? Did you find Todd?”
Melanie looked guiltily down at the paper in her other hand and threw it onto the counter. “No. His parents aren’t here. They’re in Greece.” Then she looked down at her dress again. “I should have flown back when I found out. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You never take a vacation. You need this.”
“Maybe.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
With an encouraging tone, Sarah said, “It looks like you’re going on a date.”
Melanie shrugged, still not looking at the phone. “Charles asked me to attend a charity event with him.”
Sarah made a happy whoop. “He is so into you. Wait until he sees you in that dress.”
As if sensing Melanie was holding back, Sarah quieted and asked, “What’s the matter?”
“I know you think Charles and I would be good together, but we have nothing in common. That is even more painfully clear now that I’m here with him.”
“What did he do?” Melanie asked with a sigh.
Melanie met her eyes and lied. “Nothing.”
“You don’t have to lie to me. I love both of you. My brother can be a royal, bossy pain in the ass. I know that. But beneath that, he has a good heart. And he needs someone like you to help him remember that.”
“Someone like me?”
“You didn’t judge me when I told you about Phil. And you didn’t tell me the guilt I felt was wrong. You accepted me the way I was and Charles needs that. He needs someone he can be himself around.”
Melanie shook her head. “Your brother doesn’t care what others think of him.”
Sarah smiled sadly. “There is something I didn’t tell you about the day my brother drowned. Charles was there. He was supposed to be watching Phil. Charles was twelve. I was eight. We were playing by the lake the way we always did. He wanted to ask my parents something, so he asked me to watch Phil.”
“Oh my God.”
“It was only a few minutes. Phil was playing beside me and I was daydreaming about something. It happened so fast. I would give anything to be able to go back and not have let Charles down that day. He blames himself.”
“It was clearly an accident.”
“He calls it that. And he’s never blamed me. Ever. Not even that day. He just pulled away from us.”
Melanie understood that reaction all too well. “I’m so sorry.”
“I didn’t tell you about how it affected Charles because I felt it wasn’t my story to tell, but it’s still holding him captive. He won’t let anyone close to him anymore. It’s like he’s worried he’ll let us down again. He sends my parents money, but he rarely visits them. I’ve only started talking to him again because I’ve made it my mission to. I’m sure the fact that you have Jace terrifies him. He has avoided children since Phil’s death.”
“I had no idea.” So much of what Sarah was saying made sense. It explained why Charles looked unhappy about his own declaration that they couldn’t have anything beyond that week.
Her heart broke for him.
Part of her regretted speaking to Sarah about Charles. The more she learned about him, the more she cared
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