Page 119 of Love By The Falls

Once the baby arrives, I’ll take time off to be with Charlotte, but in the meantime, I’ve got work to do.

When I open the door, Michael is pacing in the hallway. I look right and left and wonder who or what is bothering him. “What are you doing here? Is there a problem downstairs?” Even if there was, I don’t understand why he wouldn’t just call me instead of showing up at my apartment.

“No, there’s no problem downstairs.”

“Okay. Then, what’s going on?”

“Fuck man. I don’t know.”

I open my door wider. “Come inside. Let’s talk.”

Michael and I aren’t exactly close, but we’ve always respected one another. “You know you can tell me anything. I won’t judge you. You can tell me if you’re in some kind of trouble.”

“Stop it, man. You’re making it worse.”

“Making what worse?”

“Brigitte called Charlotte today.”

“How did she get the number?”

“She found it on your phone. She was trying to help. She just gets worked up and takes things too far sometimes.”

“Slow down. What did Brigitte want with Charlotte?”

He runs his hands through his hair and exhales loudly. “She wanted her to go away, so she accused her of manipulation and using you for your money.”

“She said that?”

“Not in those words, but yeah, that was the gist of it.”

“Fuck.” I grab my phone from my back pocket and dial Charlotte’s number.

There’s no answer. I glare at Michael. “What did Charlotte say?”

“I’m not sure. Brigitte was a little vague about her responses. But…”

“But what?”

“She said she cried out in pain at the end.”

“What!” I roar, backing Michael up against my door. “What did she say, exactly?”

“I’m not sure, man, but she looked guilty, so I think Charlotte may have fallen or hurt herself. I don’t know.That’s why I came up to talk to you so you could call and get a hold of her. When Brigitte called back, she didn’t answer, but I thought it was because she was avoiding her.”

“I don’t fucking believe this. Why would Brigitte get into my fucking business? What does this have to do with her?”

Michael shrugs. “I made some bad investments. Trudy’s family is helping us. I think Brigitte may have made some arrangement that if they help us, she will help them get Trudy closer to you.”

My hand curls up at my side, and I struggle to keep it there. I want to hit something or someone, but I don’t.

I scroll through my text messages and recall one with Sage regarding the delivery of some plants to the new house. I call her number. Fortunately, she picks up immediately.

“Hello?”

“Sage, it’s me. Is Charlotte with you? I need to speak with her. She’s not answering her phone.”

“That’s because she’s in the hospital.”

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