Page 42 of Just One More Affair
At the reminder, she experienced a lurch of excitement. “I got the job!” She told him how well she’d meshed with the interviewer and how impressed they’d been with her employment history.
“Congratulations! Not that I had any doubt.” He squeezed her tight and she leaned back into his embrace.
“Thank you. I’m excited.”
“I am sure you’ll do a phenomenal job.”
His faith in her wrapped around her like a warm blanket and she cherished the new sensation and allowed herself to revel in the amazing feeling of Jared being proud of her.
She was well aware she wasn’t the only one affected by tonight’s lovemaking. She couldn’t call it anything else. She’d seen the warmth and feeling in his eyes when he was deep inside her and decided to immerse herself in it.
For now.
Chapter Fifteen
The week flewby and suddenly the day of the gala arrived. Though it had been her week with the twins, Noah had their steady Saturday night babysitter watch them for the evening. Once Noah and Fallon officially became a couple, then married, the twins stopped their antics of driving away sitters, and accepted Greta, a young woman who Fallon met and hired. A Swedish student on a work visa, Dakota pumped her for information about her homeland and Dylan just liked her fun personality.
Charlie spent the day pampering herself. She couldn’t say she was used to it but by the time she walked out of the salon, her hair pinned up for the night, her nails done, and her face fully made up, once again she felt like a different woman. One she was getting used to seeing in the mirror.
She arrived back home to change and wait for Jared to pick her up when she saw a man huddled in the corner of the lobby, his hands in his jacket pockets and his shoulders hunched over.
She looked at the brown hair and immediately knew. “Dan?”
Her brother turned to face her and she gasped at the black eye he was sporting. He limped toward her, showing her his bruised lip.
“Oh, Danny,” she said, using his childhood nickname. “What happened?” She reached to touch his face and he flinched, backing away.
“I walked into a door?” He laughed awkwardly at his horrible joke, as he shifted from foot to foot.
She frowned. “That’s not funny. Seriously, are you okay?”
He nodded, lying. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”
She narrowed her gaze, not believing a word he said. “Whatreallyhappened?”
“None of your goddamn business!” he said, his voice rising.
Wincing, she glanced at the doorman witnessing the scene.
“Ms. Kendall, do you need me to have him removed?” the young man asked.
She cringed inside and shook her head. “No thanks, Kevin. Everything is okay.”
His frown told her he didn’t buy it. She wasn’t sure she believed her claim, either.
She turned back to her sibling. “If you’re okay, then why are you here? What do you want?” she snapped at him. “I have somewhere I need to be.”
His expression turned into a sneer. “Yeah, I can see you’re all high and mighty now.” He gestured to her made-up face and coiffed hair. “Which means you have money to lend your brother.”
If only he knew. She hadn’t started her job, not until Monday, and wouldn’t be paid for two weeks. She was living frugally when she didn’t have the girls to worry about.
“I don’t have any cash on me,” she told him. She’d used her spare money for tips.
He sighed. “Come on, Charlie, please?”
Her heart split in two at his plea. “Is it drugs?” Because he was definitely jittery.
He glanced from side to side, making sure no one was around or listening. The doorman was busy with his cell phone. “It’s not drugs, exactly.”
