Page 63 of Falling Madly
“Agreed.”
“So, you’ll work with me here?”
I drew a deep breath, weighing my words. “You should know though, that we slept together.”
Charlie stared at me, his jaw hanging slack. “What? When?”
“Just before ye arrived with yer team-building exercises.”
“Sheslept withyou?”
I held my breath, counting to five. “Yes. Willingly. With consent.”
Charlie’s face reddened. “No, I didn’t mean?—”
“I know I’ve acted a bit crazy when it comes to her, but only because I still think she’s the one.”
“The one, huh?”
“The only one.”
Charlie’s expression softened, gradually melting into a smile. “My boy’s in love.”
I nodded. “It’s very early, and she’s not quite where I am. But I think she could be. Maybe. Unless I’m so hideously unlovable that it’s just not on the cards.”
Charlie shook his head, still smiling. “No. You’re the best. And I’m thrilled if she’s finally seeing it.”
“You’re not worried about us working together and… dating?”
“No! I love working with Bess. It means I see more of her, and we always know what’s going on with each other. I suppose it’s not for everyone, but it works for us.”
“I really hope we find something that works for us, too.”
“Okay. Okay.” Charlie took a deep breath, glancing around the tiny space as if regrouping. “That… changes things. I guess we can leave the sledding contest, then.”
I suddenly felt colder, like someone had taken off my jacket. “No, wait. I don’t know if she wants anyone to know about us. We haven’t talked about it. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you.” I looked at my friend with slight desperation. “What should I do?”
Charlie took a moment to think. “I hear you. Okay. I won’t say anything and we’ll… carry on.” He picked up the pile of cardboard. “Let’s build a sled.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Teresa
As soon as Charlie and Trevor disappeared out the front door, Bess turned to me, her eyes huge. “Oh, my God! This must be torture for him. I didn’t even think.” She buried her face in her hands.
“What are you talking about?”
“Trevor,” she whisper-shouted. “He’s trying to get over you, and we’re literally tying you together. Charlie convinced me it would help… that if you spent enough time together, he’d start to see you as a normal person and not as this mythical creature he’s built you up to be in his head.”
“Mythical? No… that’s ridiculous,” I protested, but a niggle of doubt made my voice waver.
What if Trevor had put me on some kind of pedestal I was bound to fall from? He didn’t know my flaws. He didn’t know my history. How quickly would this relationship crash and burn when he found out?
Bess wandered over to the kitchen to search for more snacks. “Oh, you have no idea. To him, you’re the perfect woman who got away.”
I followed at her heels, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. “Maybe we do need to spend more time together doing some godawful team-building exercises so that he gets over that idea. There’s nothing perfect about me.”
Bess found a block of cheese and some crackers. “I guess that’s part of any relationship. You gradually find out more about each other, good and bad. And hopefully, the good outweighs the bad.”
