“Huh?”
“You disappeared with Damon for a while. Went out in the yard. When I tried to find you, I couldn’t.” Charlie was looking straight out the windshield.
Natalie suppressed an inward sigh. She wasn’t in the mood to endure another session of accusations.
“Where were you?” she said. “You were my escort but disappeared for God only knows how long. You know I had to deal with Marcus O’Dell and his pregnant wife? Thank God Alex rescued me from that embarrassment. You were nowhere to be found.”
“I had important business to discuss. I—”
“You mean more important than being by my side when I needed you?”
He slapped the steering wheel. “I thought you were over O’Dell.”
“I am over him.” Suddenly, she was angry at Charlie. If he’d been around, she wouldn’t have succumbed to Alex…or used him to bandage her ego after seeing Marcus’s wife and dealing with Louise’s cruel comments. The memory made her hot and embarrassed. She should’ve known better. “Why are we even arguing? Alex just did something you wouldn’t do.”
“Hey!” Charlie yelled, surprising her. He rarely lost his temper and never with her. “You think it’s easy? That bastard’s trying to steal my company.”
“What?”
“That’s right. He’s been trying to take us over. Oh, it’s all behind-the-scenes, but make no mistake, it’s happening.”
She frowned. “That can’t be right. I know what’s going on at DDE, and Rodale is priced too high for us.” Alex was far too business-savvy to go after Rodale International. He hadn’t built his empire by paying more than he could afford.
“I’m not mistaken about who wants to fuck me over.”
She gasped. She’d never heard him curse like this before.
“And you”—Charlie raked his hair—“I know you didn’t just have a nice chat with him outside. I’m not stupid. You were pretty close to doing him. Or maybe I’m wrong and you did him already.”
“Doing him? Oh for—! Sure. Right in my-dad-the-senator’s yard. In front of all the guests.”
“I saw the way he was looking at you.”
“That’s your evidence? A man looks at me, and I’m ready to jump him?” She glared at him with a mixture of outrage and guilt. “What kind of woman do you think I am?”
Clutching her purse, she opened the door. Charlie’s hand snaked out and grabbed her wrist before she could step out of the car. She struggled to free herself, but it only made his grip tighten.
“You’re hurting me!”
Suddenly, he let go. She jumped out of the car.
“Natalie—” Charlie began.
The emptiness inside her heart ached, and she was sick of Charlie and her family and everything. Charlie was one of her closest friends—actually, her only close friend from the Halls’ social circle. He’d been nice to her, been there for her when Louise and Belle did their best to make her feel inadequate. He was like a brother to her. How could it come down to this?
“I don’t want to talk to you right now.” She took a step back. “You should go home.” She turned around and stalked toward her condo.
“I’m sorry,” he called out from his car. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
He didn’t have to say it; she knew. She even felt a little guilty, because she knew why he was acting this way. It wasn’t fair to him that she couldn’t return his feelings, no matter how safe her heart would be with him. But she couldn’t pretend to feel anything beyond platonic love for Charlie.
Not when another man filled her thoughts.
Chapter Eight
NATALIE PADDED BAREFOOT around her condo, opening all the windows to air the place out. She’d been cleaning since breakfast. It was amazing that so much dust could accumulate in two weeks, but she’d finally gotten it all. Now all that was left to do was to shove the vacuum back into the closet by the bedroom, which she did.
Matto rubbed his body around her ankles. She picked him up and scratched behind his ears. He purred, his eyes turning into two thin slits. She lay on the pale green couch in the living room, with him still in her arms. The light yellow curtains danced in the balmy breeze, and she closed her eyes.