Page 1 of Just One More Affair
Chapter One
Even a smallSterling family wedding was a lavish affair, Charlotte Kendall thought, looking around at the hotel ballroom where the reception was taking place.
Pink and white flowers twined around the ceiling with lilies dangling for effect. Each table had a luxurious burst of the same blush-colored flowers, a mix of roses, and other blooms surrounded by tea candles. The damask tablecloths were elegant. And the cocktail hour had four stations of different hot food choices along with servers walking around with various hors d’oeuvres.
The bride, Fallon Sterling, was Charlotte’s daughters’ new stepmother. Fallon had just married Noah Powers, the girls’ dad. A man Charlotte had had a one-night stand with that resulted in a surprise pregnancy and a healthy co-parenting situation with their ten-year-old twins. She’d truly gotten lucky with Noah. They’d enjoyed one another once, but there had never been feelings between them and she was thrilled he’d found his soulmate in his younger wife.
As if he knew she’d been thinking of him, Noah strode over and kissed her cheek. “Charlie, I can’t tell you how much it means to Fallon and me that you came home for the wedding,” he said, calling her by her nickname most people used.
“I wouldn’t have missed it.” But she appreciated him saying so. “Thank you for inviting me. Not everyone would understand our relationship.”
“Fallon does, and that’s what matters. We do a good job together with the girls.”
She nodded. “And you’ve had the patience of a saint putting up with me following my dreams.”
“I understand and if this is something you want to continue to do, I want you to know I’m okay with it.”
She wrinkled her nose, having given her situation a lot of thought as the current dig was coming to an end. “As much as I loved the experience, I’m glad it’s almost over. I miss the girls and having them full-time this week shows me how much I don’t see on a day-to-day basis. They’re changing and growing up and I want to be there.”
He nodded. “Well, we’ll work out a new arrangement and schedule when you’re home for good.”
“Hello, you two!” Fallon, who appeared to be floating with happiness, joined them and hooked her arm into Noah’s. “Hi, Charlie. Thank you for flying in.”
“Of course. And I need to thank you for all you do for the girls.”
Early on, Charlie had been worried about all the time Fallon had with the kids while she was away, but Fallon had proven herself wise for her years. She knew how to handle the twins and their precocious personalities, never tried to play mother, and deferred important decisions to Noah and Charlie. When Charlie moved back, she could see herself being Fallon’s friend.
“I adore them and I’m glad we’re making things work between us,” Fallon said.
Charlie smiled. “Me too.”
“Oh, this song!” Fallon exclaimed.
Charlie hadn’t been paying attention to the music but when she focused, she heard the band had shifted to a slow song.
“I want to dance,” Fallon said.
Noah laughed. “Guess that’s my cue. Talk to you later, Charlie.”
With a wave goodbye, Fallon led her new husband to the dance floor.
Given the choice between going to get a drink at the bar and watching the newlyweds dance, Charlie chose the former. She walked over to the luckily empty bar and picked up a glass of Champagne from several pre-poured flutes waiting on a tray.
She glanced around the room, her gaze falling on Fallon’s best friend, Brooke, who she’d met during one of her trips home. She was talking to her mother but she kept looking at Aiden Sterling, the journalist who wandered the world for stories. Charlie had often caught Aiden staring at Brooke, their gazes never meeting, and Charlie wondered what their story was.
“You look lost in thought. Is everything all right?” another of Fallon’s brothers asked as he joined her.
Jared. Though Fallon had four siblings, Charlie had pegged this one as the best-looking of the group. The Sterling men were all extremely handsome, but Jared, with his piercing green eyes, stood out. His dark brown hair appeared as if he’d been running his hands through the strands but the tousled look was intentional, she knew from previous meetings. It suited him. Add in the tuxedo and he was sexy as hell. The wedding wasn’t the first time they’d met. At a family gathering she’d been invited to, she’d been sitting next to him and he’d been utterly charming.
He cleared his throat and grinned, catching her staring.
She fought and lost the battle not to blush. Her cheeks heated with embarrassment. She also owed him an answer to his polite question.
“I’m fine. Just admiring the décor,” she fibbed, taking a sip of the bubbly Champagne.
Turning to the server, he ordered a whiskey on the rocks. “Dirty Dare brand, if you have it.”
The woman in a white shirt and bow tie behind the bar nodded and poured him his drink.
