Page 33 of Falling Slowly
“What if I stretch them out of shape?”
“With that ass?” His gaze flicked down my body and my cheeks heated. “You won’t, but I will stretch yours, so let’s make a deal. No returns.”
“That’s not a fair deal for you.”
“I haven’t seen your employment contract, but I don’t think a pair of swimming trunks will tip the scales in your favor.”
His words landed like a soft punch to my middle. With no arguments, I took the shorts and stepped back into the bathroom. To my surprise, they fit me perfectly, elevating my black halter-neck swimming top to a whole new league. I opened the door, this time more confident.
Charlie whistled. “Perfect! Ten out of ten.”
I adjusted the halter-neck, cheeks burning. “They’re really comfortable.”
The look on his face caught me by surprise. Just like Jack. Unfocused and excited, his eyes all over me, struggling to stay on my face. The sudden thought brought up a twinge of pain and longing. Was it even possible Charlie Wilde was looking at me like that? Maybe I’d been alone for so long I was starting to hallucinate.
I handed him my awful bikini bottoms. “You’ll regret this.”
Charlie pulled them on underneath the towel. This time, I didn’t turn away, my gaze pinned at his waist, willing for that loosely folded towel to slide open. If he wasn’t bothered by his own nudity, I might as well enjoy it.
Finally, the towel dropped, revealing a pair of the most snug and ill-fitting trunks I’d ever seen. Charlie adjusted the crotch,desperately trying to capture his jewels inside the material that could neither contain nor support them.
“Well, the crotch doesn’t look so baggy anymore,” I said, biting back my laughter.
“I’ll be peeking out of these, but that’s okay.”
“You can’t wear those. I’ll get changed?—”
I was about to go back into the bathroom when he grabbed my arm. “Enough changing. Enough. Let’s go.”
He handed me a fluffy bathrobe and wrapped himself in another one, pulling me by the hand.
At the door, I halted. “Wait! What time is it? I should call Celia. What if she’s asleep by the time we come back?”
“It’s eight p.m.” Charlie released my arm. “Make the call. I’ll find us some drinks.”
I fetched my phone from its charger. I thought about going upstairs, but Charlie would have heard me anyway, so I just dialed. Mom answered on the first ring.
“Hey Bess! We’re about to have dinner.”
“I won’t keep you long. I just wanted to say good night. I’m heading off to test the hot tub.”
“The hot tub under the stars?” I could tell Charlie heard Mom’s loud excitement.
“Yep.”
Mom put Celia on the phone, and she babbled for a while about her day, who she’d played with and who’d been naughty. By the time I finished the call, I had tears in my eyes. Saying ‘hugs and kisses’ without being able to hug and kiss your child was a special form of torture.
“You okay?” Charlie’s voice was soft when I finally joined him at the door.
“I just miss her.”
“You’ll be back home soon.”
He was holding two Biased craft beers. An instant memory of photoshopping them for a billboard emerged.
I nodded at the bottle. “Do you actually like that stuff or is your own advertising so powerful you can’t help it?”
Charlie chuckled. “I have a lot of samples left. It’s drinkable.”
