69:Thrilled

August 31

Charlie woke to the early rays of sunlight streaming in through the terrace doors, a muscular arm draped over her waist and soft snoring.  Smiling, she closed eyelids that were still heavy with wine and fatigue, and laid her arm over Jon’s while giving herself permission to enjoy the moment. 

She was getting attached to him more than she had a right to.  For a man who billed himself as a “crude motherfucker” and could live up to the title when he chose to, Jon was proving to be something more than that.  That moment last night when he told her they weren’t saying goodbye could’ve just been him stating his mind, but with the moonlight and their physical closeness, it felt romantic. 

Why shouldn’t she let herself believe it was?  He was letting himself believe that today wasn’t going to change anything.  Both were equally plausible.

Maybe it won’t change anything.  He’s a determined man.

Determined, yes, but she didn’t perceive him as having the patience to wait around for three and a half years while keeping their relationship a secret from everyone but his family. 

In hindsight, it was probably a mistake to allow that.  If Lilah found out…

Lilah’s the one who was trying to talk you into accepting help with your problem.

Ah, yes.  The family member who was psycho or intuitive, depending on who was telling the story.  She did seem to know more than was understandable and appeared to be a sympathetic soul.  This whole mess either wouldn’t come as a surprise to her or it wouldn’t matter and she’d defend Charlie’s actions, because that’s the kind of person Lilah was.

Charlie just didn’t know if she deserved the defense. 

Extending a hand toward the nightstand to retrieve her phone, she found the time to be almost seven.   Luke should be up by now, and she needed to talk to him before he went to work. 

Carefully sliding out from under Jon’s arm, she found his black button-down in the floor and slipped it on before going down the hall to the other end of the apartment.  She dialed the number standing before the wall of glass that separated his upstairs living room from the terrace and, putting the phone to her ear, appreciated the subtle color that was starting to highlight the building edges in preparation for the city’s waking.

“Hey.  Everything okay?”  Her brother didn’t sound particularly perky this morning, but he was probably only on his first cup of coffee.  He had definitely been awake before the phone rang. 

“Yeah, everything’s fine as far as I know.  I just called to see if you might have time to take Nana home this morning.”

“You and that damn dog,” he grumbled good-naturedly.  “Why can’t Dom take her home?  He’s the one who’s been walking her since Thursday.”

“Number one, he doesn’t have a key and number two, he’s been walking her since Thursday.  I’d do it myself, but I’ve got stuff going on today.”

“So do I, but I’ll manage to squeeze Precious Pup in there between job sites.  Is Vivi going to be home?”

“I don’t know,” she sighed, leaning a shoulder against the glass and wondering if the day was going to end as pleasantly as it started.  “I guess.”

“Alright.”  Assuming that the call was coming to an end, Charlie redistributed her weight so that she was standing upright instead of leaning and tucked unruly hair behind her right ear.  “Hey, Charls?”

“What?”

“How are you?  I mean, I know you’re okay about Caleb, since he’s okay.  You can handle shit like that in your sleep without missing a beat.  You haven’t mentioned Jon since he found out about Owen, though.”

Charlie was sure that there was genuine concern prompting him to ask, and she was tempted to tell him everything was fine.  At least to bring him as up to speed as Jon’s family, but her relationship status was still technically in limbo until later today.

“I don’t generally mention Jon in the first place,” she reminded as the man she spoke of joined her in the living room with bed head and morning stubble that made mere mortals pale in comparison to his effortless good looks.  When he mouthed that he was going down to make coffee, Charlie nodded and asked her brother, “Why would I bring him up?”

“Wishful thinking on my part, I guess.”

He sounded so damn disappointed and worried that she had the unstoppable compulsion to tell him something.  Anything to stop him from thinking she was mired in the same funk as the last time she saw him.

“Luca.”  Using his given name was the equivalent of him calling her Charls.  It was an attention getter that preceded something significant.  “You know I love you, no matter what stupid shit you pull, but do you think you could refrain from stupidity and not blab what I’m about to tell you?  No matter how drunk you get at the family dinner?”

“Jeez, Charlie.  You act like I didn’t know what I was doing.  I knew.  I just didn’t care.”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

“Okay,” he huffed with bored annoyance.  “I won’t tell anybody.  Now, what?”

This might come back to haunt her, but she was going to go out on a limb and trust him at his word.  “Jon and I are seeing each other.”

“Halle-fucking-lujah!” her brother crowed with triumph.  “When’s the divorce party?  I’ll pay for the whole damn thing myself.”

Making a mental note to never have an important conversation before coffee, Charlie kneaded her forehead and stalled.  “I’ll get back to you on that.  In the meantime, you’re my confidante big brother.  Don’t screw it up or I’ll never tell you anything again.”

“Your news has made me happy enough to agree to whatever the hell you want, little sister,” he chortled carelessly.  “Anything you say.  Want me to walk the dog while I have her out?  Take her to Starbucks for a puppacino?”

Chuckling at his enthusiasm, she turned toward the sound of bare feet shuffling over the floor and smiled at the man bearing coffee.  “Just take her home and preserve my privacy.  That’s all I need.”

“Yeah, I can do that.  I really am piss-my-pants excited about this though.  I feel like ten pounds has been lifted off my shoulders knowing that I won’t have to worry about you, anymore.  Jesus.  What a relief.”

Her smile faded as she accepted a cup from Jon with a grateful nod.  Everything wasn’t going to be the sunshine and kittens Luke was hoping for, but there was no point in crossing that bridge yet.  He deserved to be out from under the weight of her for a little while. 

“Well, I’m glad you’re happy.  Now I have to go.  Thanks for chauffeuring Nana.”  Disconnecting the call, she twisted her head to find Jon on one of the sofas with his feet on the ottoman/coffee table as he sipped coffee in nothing but a pair of shorts.  “Good morning.  Thank you for the coffee.”

“Mornin’.  Where’s Nana been the last few days?”

“With Vivi and Dom,” she said, settling on the sofa beside him. 

He nodded.  “Vivi have any particular favorite songs?”

Charlie supposed he was asking because of the birthday party, and speculated, “I doubt she cares what comes out of your mouth as long as you’re there.  In case I haven’t mentioned it lately, I appreciate that.”

“If it’s a private family thing and nobody’s advertising that I’m coming, it’s really no big deal to stop in and sing a couple songs.  Actually,” he mused thoughtfully.  “The band will be in town by then for rehearsals before we head to Southeast Asia.  We could probably make a big production if you wanted.”

Jon picking up a guitar and coming to sing to Vivi was one thing.  The thought of him dragging his full band along sort of made Charlie sick to think of.  She didn’t want that, regardless of how anyone else in her family may feel.  It was unnecessarily extravagant, and besides that, they were having it at the restaurant. 

“It’s very generous of you to offer, but no.  My brother’s restaurant does good business, but it’s a small place tucked under the Brooklyn Bridge.  There’s no room for all that, so just you is fine.”  Tucking her feet beneath her as she drank her coffee, she figured since he’d brought the subject up…  “You realize my family birthday party isn’t going to be like yours was?  Hand holding and familiar touches will off-limits.”

His mouth tightened with displeasure.  “Because they all think you’re happily married.”

“No,” Charlie laughed without humor.  “They all know I’m stubbornly married.  If they catch wind of any intimacy between us, it will be like sharks chasing the scent of blood.  They’ll be all over us.”

“I don’t have a problem with that.  What I have a problem with is meeting your family under the pretense that I’m just your celebrity acquaintance instead of your lover.”

She leaned forward with a sigh to put her coffee on the table, and then took his to do the same.  Once they were both safely out of the way, Charlie twisted around and swung a leg over to straddle his lap, stroking his stubbled while gently saying, “I just told Luke we’re seeing each other.  He’s thrilled, in case you couldn’t guess.”

He wasn’t impressed.  “And the rest of them won’t be?”

“Oh, I’m sure they’d be equally happy if they knew.”  Vince and Dom would probably make the same offer Luke had and they’d all fight over footing the bill for the divorce party.  Izzie would probably rent Carnegie Hall for the event.

“Then why aren’t you telling them?”

Scraping her fingertips along the sandpapery edge of a jaw that was set like granite, she thought his look of stern consternation would make a gorgeous picture if it weren’t so frustrating for her. 

“Because word would get back to Owen very quickly.”

“So?  If you’re going to divorce him, why the fuck shouldn’t he know it?  Why the fuck shouldn’t you just go ahead and do it, Chiara?  Stop fucking playing games and tell me what’s going on.”

Charlie had anticipated doing this much later in the day – after coffee, breakfast, Millie, lunch and maybe even dinner.  Not now, before she’d had the chance to savor her own personal version of Neverland, where Jon was hers and she was his, without question or problem.

Unfortunately, that’s not the way things were destined to play out.  Neverland was a fictional place and the man staring expectantly up at her was far from fiction.  He was living, breathing and deserving of the truth.  It was now or never, and Charlie chose now to trust him as she’d trusted no one else.

Softly scraping her thumb over his bottom lip, she memorized everything about his face while bracing herself for whatever the rest of this day would bring. 

“He’s blackmailing me.”