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Charlie continued walking and didn't stop until they were standing by the car he'd arranged to take her home.
“He'll probably think about it later and decide it couldn't be you. Even if he did take a picture he'll think it must have been a look-alike. After all, why would you show up at the airport with some unknown redhead?” Charlie's tone told him she believed every word she spoke.
For the first time since meeting her, Jake associated her with the word naive. If she thought the fact that she wasn't a celebrity would stop the media, she was in for a rude awakening. Perhaps if he'd shown up with an eighty-year-old man the photographer would second guess himself, but Charlie was a young beautiful woman, more beautiful than she seemed to realize.
“Don't count on it Charlie,” he warned, dropping her bag to the ground and taking a step closer.
Charlie wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he felt her fingers dig into his hair. “I'm not worried about it.”
Jake shook his head but didn't press the issue. “I'll call you tomorrow.” Jake pulled Charlie tight against him relishing the way her body felt against his.
“Sounds good. Have a safe trip back.”
He felt her fingers trailing up and down his neck. Once again Jake found himself contemplating if there was any way he could reschedule his morning meeting. “You too,” he replied before lowering his head so he could kiss her. Though it took all of his self-control he kept the kiss short. “You’d better go now.”
Jake waited until Charlie left and then went back inside to re-board the plane.
Chapter 12
Charlie's cell rang for the third time in the past twenty minutes. A quick glance at the number told her what she'd already suspected. She didn't know the person calling and most likely didn't want to talk to them. Picking up the phone she set it to vibrate. Something she should have done yesterday when the calls first started. But honestly she hadn't thought the calls would still be coming in.
The first few had surprised her, although she supposed they shouldn't have. Jake tried to warn her about what would happen when the media learned about her. She'd thought he was exaggerating. Man, had she been wrong. Not only had reporters called her phone as well as the Victorian Rose's business line, but they'd descended on the bed and breakfast.
With the first few who showed up, she tried to be polite, but her patience wore out fast. By the early evening she'd stopped answering the door altogether. Instead Sean took over that duty. Sean could be intimidating thanks to his size alone, but Sean angry was something else entirely. And she knew for a fact that he'd threatened a few of the more insistent reporters.
Thankfully she hadn't heard the doorbell ring since that morning. As much as she hoped that meant things were settling down, she doubted it. Rather she guessed the reporters were regrouping, just waiting for a better time to strike.
How long could their interest last anyway? Once they learned what little there was to know about her, they'd stop bothering her, right? The questions danced around in her head as she paced from one side of her bedroom to the other. Besides once she returned to Norfolk, it'd be more difficult for them to get to her. While her house wasn't on base, the hospital where she worked was. These reporters wouldn't venture onto a Naval base just to snap a few photos, would they?
When she'd put the question to Jake the night before, he'd told her that nothing was off limits when it came to the media. Then he'd offered to hire a private security guard for her. She'd immediately dismissed his offer, insisting that she could take care of herself.
Charlie crossed her room one more time and grabbed the book off her desk. For a moment she stared at the manila envelope containing her re-enlistment documents. She'd finished filling them out weeks ago, but was now having second thoughts. Maybe tomorrow she'd sit down and really think about what she wanted.
After dismissing her professional future from her thoughts, she settled into the chair near the window. The night before, after talking to Jake, she started a classic Steven King novel and she hoped his master storytelling would distract her at least until Jake called. Their conversations always managed to keep her mind off whatever bothered her.
***
“Do you want to talk about it?” Maureen O'Brien asked when Charlie walked into the back flower garden Friday afternoon.
Charlie shoved her cell phone into her back pocket and shrugged. “Talk about what?” Without waiting for her mom to ask, she knelt down and yanked out a weed. Maybe if she played dumb her mom would leave her alone.
“Something is wrong. I can tell by your expression.” Maureen stopped working and turned to look at Charlie. “And you've been edgy all day.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to say everything was fine, but Charlie knew it wasn't. Ever since Jake failed to call her two nights in a row, she'd been on edge. Since he left North Salem, no more than a day had gone between his phone calls. The first day when his call hadn't come she'd chalked it up to his busy schedule. Then on the second day she received a short text that just said can't talk tonight. At the time she didn't question the message. Instead she assumed he would call her today.
For most of the day she fought the urge to call him herself. She didn't want to appear needy. But when four o'clock came and went, Charlie caved and tried his cell. It immediately sent her to voice mail.
“I expected a call and it never came.” Charlie tore out another weed and tossed it on the wagon her mom used for gardening. “It's no big deal.”
She spoke the truth. It just wasn't the whole truth. Right now though it was all she would admit aloud. If she acknowledged the sense of betrayal she felt lurking in the shadows, she would have to admit she had strong feelings for Jake. Something she wasn't sure she'd ever be ready to do.
Her mom didn't say anything, but Charlie could feel her mom's eyes on her. When she was a child her mom had always been able to see exactly what Charlie felt. After the divorce her mom became too focused on other things to really notice her anymore. Yet as Charlie sat there concentrating on yanking out weeds so that her mom could plant new flowers, she sensed for the first time in years her mom could see what was bothering her.
“Have you tried calling Jake?” Maureen asked as she moved closer to Charlie.
“Who said I was talking about him?” Charlie asked as she pulled out another weed with more force than needed.
Maureen wrapped an arm around Charlie's shoulders. “You didn't have to. I saw the way you looked at him when he was here.”
