Page 108 of Falling Slowly
“I don’t have a charger for it, sorry.”
“What else, Charlie? Did you drug me and harvest my kidney? Is that why my back hurts?”
He winced. “That’d be the hammock. Mine’s killing me.” He leaned against the wall, grimacing from the pain. “Gran warned me about this, and she doesn’t know the half of it. But she knows me, I guess. She told me to come clean and beg for mercy. My plan was terrible. It was so stupid. But it got us closer. I got to know you. And that’s the part I don’t regret. That’s the best part. I always liked you. I had a crush on you… but I didn’t plan to fall in love.”
My chest squeezed, and I spent a moment fighting tears. I stared at the dust particles that floated in the air between us, illuminated by the light streaming from the small window. “Why are we here, Charlie? Why Rubie Ridge? You could have asked me to help you with that campaign anywhere.”
Charlie chewed on his bottom lip. “My dad sent me to Rubie Ridge, to think about the campaign. But I knew I needed help. I needed someone who understood the target audience.”
“And that’s where I came in?”
“Sort of.” His voice sounded a little choked up, eyes searching around the room like he couldn’t bear to look at me. “You have to understand… I’ve had this crush on you for a long time. There’s something about you. This strength and determination. Purpose. This passion you try to hide… You’re one in a billion, Bess. And I’m the luckiest guy to spend any time in your presence.” His voice cracked, and he looked out the window, clearing his throat. “I know it looks like I have it all, but I don’t. I’m quite lost. I feel useless. Undeserving. I get reminded about that daily. But with you, I feel grounded. Like I have a purpose and a… home. Like I don’t have to look for something else or order something. I’ve always wanted to make a difference, not just sell shit. With you, I feel like maybe I could.”
He was quiet for a while. I could barely breathe. I just watched him, my heart aching.
When he spoke again, he was finally looking at me, eyes burning with conviction. “I want to break free, Bess. I’ve been planning… I want to start my own business and run it differently. Pick meaningful jobs. I don’t have that much capital. It’s all tied up with my family. In trusts. And once I tell Dad, those taps will close. But I can sell my stuff. I’ve already got Trevor sorting it out. He’s joining me. Him and Lee.”
“You don’t want Teresa?”
He glanced up, surprised. “I didn’t think she’d be interested. And frankly, I’m scared of her.”
“Me too,” I admitted. “But she has a good heart.”
“Yeah, sure. And she’s a great designer. But I don’t think she’d ever want to work with me.”
“Don’t assume. Ask her.” I owed my friend that much.
“If you want her, I’ll take you both. But I need you, Bess. Will you join me?”
My heart was in danger of hammering right out of my chest. “You want to start a new company and want me to work for you?”
“Not as an employee. As a shareholder.”
My breath hitched. “But I have nothing. Nothing but debt.”
“Your debt is my debt, Bess. We’ll handle it together. I spoke to your mom. You’re paying crazy high interest. I want to pay off your loan. You can pay it back to me instead, whatever you want. I don’t care. But we shouldn’t put any more money into the loan sharks’ pockets.”
“We? It’s my loan. Jack’s loan.”
“Whatever it is, it stands in the way of you living life. So, it needs to go.”
“But how can you afford that? Even if you sold everything?—”
“Gran is investing in the business. She’ll do the accounts.”
I took a deep breath, my head still spinning. “You’ve been busy, Charlie.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry I kept things from you. You’re allowed to hate me for that, but please don’t run away. Please don’t leave me. I’m terrified of all this. I can’t do this without you.”
I’d never seen a grown man cry. Jack must have, in the end, but he hid it from us. He hid everything, whereas Charlie sat there in the dim little doll’s house, weeping his guts out.
“Charlie,” I said, my heart pulling me to him, fueled by some unstoppable force. “I’m not running away. I’ve only got one leg.” I edged closer until he was sobbing against my shoulder. “Also, I think Stockholm syndrome is kicking in.”
“Is it?” He lifted his chin, blue eyes red rimmed, yet filled with hope.
“Yeah, it must be. Because I think I’m in love with you, Charlie.”
His tear-stained face broke into a huge grin, and he wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me so tightly I had to fight to fill my lungs. “Finally.”
