***
Charlie checked her emails then switched over to her normal web browser for any interesting world news. She brought up a story about a new space program initiative when her phone rang. When she checked the caller ID she expected to see Jake's number. Instead she saw her friend and temporary roommate Beth's number.
Beth was perhaps her oldest friend in Norfolk. They'd been transferred to the base a week apart and had both worked at the hospital on base. Beth lost everything when the apartment building she lived in burned down so she moved in with Charlie.
“Did you end things with Jake already? Are you crazy?” Beth asked after saying hello. “Do you know how many women would kill to be in your place?”
For a moment Charlie wondered why she told Beth about Jake in the first place. “If I'm crazy I'm not the only one. What are you talking about?”
For a full minute silence stretched out over the phone. “So you two are still a couple?” Beth asked slowly.
“You make it sound as if we're in high school,” Charlie said exasperated. “We spend time together.”
Dead silence again greeted Charlie's ear.
“If you're near a computer look at Today Magazine's site.”
At the tone of Beth's voice ice began to form around her heart. Without asking anymore questions, Charlie typed in the internet address. Immediately a photo of some popular singer she'd never heard of popped up.
“When you have the site up, scroll down to the second article.”
Charlie moved down to the second article and stared. The man in the photo looked remarkably like Jake and he had his arm around the shoulders of a petite blonde. Charlie forced her eyes away from the picture on the screen and read the headline above it. “Playboy Jake Sherbrooke arrives in London with yet another woman.”
When Jake's secretary said he'd flown out, Charlie assumed she meant that he flew to somewhere in the United States not to another country. And although she didn't have any proof, she'd hoped that he'd only left Virginia for business, but the picture on the screen suggested otherwise. Did she want to read anymore, Charlie wondered as she moved the cursor toward the X in the right hand corner of the web browser? Part of her wanted to shut down the computer and ignore the picture on the screen. Unfortunately her jealous half refused to let her. She'd never been one to shy away from things no matter how difficult.
So instead of closing the link, Charlie read the short paragraph under the picture.
International playboy Jake Sherbrooke arrived today at Heathrow International Airport. He was met by an unknown blond who greeted him with an affectionate hug. The couple then got into a black BMW and drove away. This rendezvous follows his most recent outing to Martha's Vineyard with a redhead who he reportedly took to his sister's wedding last month. And while Prince Charming dates beautiful woman on both sides of the pond, model Blair Peters is expecting his first child.
Below the paragraph there were two pictures. The first was a shot of Blair and Jake at some charity event back in January. The other photo was one of her and Jake at the airport in Boston when they'd returned from Martha's Vineyard.
She read the short caption a second time but the words didn't change. Without bothering to shut down the computer, Charlie slammed the laptop closed, then she pushed her chair back and came to her feet with so much force the wooden desk chair toppled to the floor.
“Are you okay?” Beth said, reminding Charlie that she was still on the line.
“Fine. Why wouldn't I be?” Charlie answered through clenched teeth. “We weren't in a committed relationship.” As she spoke Charlie tried to keep her emotions from entering her voice.
“If you say so.” Beth didn't sound convinced. “Charlie if you want to talk later or anything call, okay?”
With anger surging through every nerve in her body, Charlie paced between her bed and the window. “Don't worry. I'm fine. Thanks for calling. I'll talk to you soon.”
After ending the call, she tossed the phone on her nightstand.
The two-timing jerk was off in England spending time with another woman. Did he expect her to sit around waiting for him to come back? Or did he think so little of her that he didn't feel it was necessary to tell her things were over? Either way she should've known better.
What else should she have expected from someone referred to as an 'international playboy’? And to think she'd believed his little story about how the media had it all wrong!
Grabbing a pillow off the bed, she punched it imagining it was Jake's face. He was probably lying about Blair and the baby too. More than likely the baby was his and he just wasn't man enough to own up to it. Evidently even billionaires could be deadbeat dads just like hers.