Sexy Stranger(49)

A little thrill of excitement ran through me, but it did nothing to assuage the guilt and turmoil borne by everything Molly had said. What followed was a tiny grain of something like hope.

"Don't work yourself to death in here," Molly added, then hunched over and hurried out into the rain.

I glanced at her half-empty glass and then reached for my phone. Scrolling through my contacts, I opened Charlotte's information and stared at it, my thumb hovering over the Call button for what felt like the hundredth time.

Logically, I knew it was better to cut things off with her cold turkey. But after everything, Molly had said . . .

I shoved the phone back in my pocket and headed for my truck, my head whirling with everything that needed to be done before the investor showed up. It also spun with all the reasons I shouldn't pull out my phone and see if Molly was right.

To see if Charlotte missed me.





Chapter Twenty-Five


On my second day at Valentina's, I summoned my courage and picked up my phone, finding another slew of missed calls and texts. 

None, I noticed, were from Luke.

I was going to have to deal with the emotions that came along with that soon enough, and I was dreading it. But there were other things that needed tending to as well. Things I felt more sure of with every passing minute.

Clicking open the first message, I listened as my mother's voice poured through the speaker. "Charlotte, sweetie, you missed your appointment with the doctor yesterday. You do know it's very hard to get appointments like those at such short notice. I'll reschedule, but you should know what an awful imposition this is." The message clicked off.

No "I love you," no "I hope you're safe." Again, no question about where I was. For them, it was all about damage control.

Well, I was sick of being a liability. With shaking fingers, I dialed my mother's number and waited until her bored, upper-crust tones filled the line.

"Charlotte, finally."

"Hello, Mother."

"What day will work well for the doctor? I assume you got my message?"

"I'm not going to any doctor." My voice was more resolute than I'd ever heard it, and I straightened my shoulders to project even more.

"What on earth do you mean?" my mother cried. "You've had a nervous breakdown. You have to see a doctor to set you right."

"Nothing is wrong with me." I pulled my black credit card from my purse and gripped the scissors I'd found in Valentina's kitchen in one shaky hand. "Look, I was calling to let you know that I'm safe. Also, you should contact American Express and take my name off the account. I cut up my card."

"You did what?" she gasped.

"I've been thinking, and I want to earn what I get. Maybe Dad was right-about marketing and everything. I shouldn't walk into a job, but I also shouldn't walk into a car and a credit card either just because of who I was born to."

Holding the phone pinched between my cheek and shoulder, I snipped the card in half, then let out a satisfied sigh, feeling the strings of my puppeteer falling away. "I have enough to get by for a while. In the meantime, I'll find a new job, but I can't take any more of your money."

Silence reigned on the line for a long moment. When my mother spoke again, it was slowly and carefully, as if she were speaking to a deranged person. "Honey, is this some sort of Walden thing? Are you trying to-I don't know-only keep what brings you joy? Because I've read that book, and-"

"This isn't anything I got from a book. This is something I feel deep down inside," I said. "I just wanted to let you know."

"We only wanted to help you."

"I appreciate that, Mother. But I need to help myself now."

I didn't say all the rest burning in my throat. That everything I'd been given came with strings, and that I'd suddenly never felt freer. That their help was just a form of control. What would the point be? It would only hurt her. She loved me the best she knew how, and I'd been a willing participant, happy to take what they gave until now. No point in beating it to death. We'd all made mistakes. The key was to move forward as a better me, and hope that didn't destroy my relationship with my parents.

I ended the call despite her renewed cries for me to see a therapist anyway.

When I emerged from the bedroom, Valentina gave me a smile so big and wide that for the first time since I'd left Luke, I almost felt happy.

"We'll start looking for jobs for you next week," Valentina cried, "but for tonight? We're going to celebrate."