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Chapter eleven
Grant
Dinnerendsgreat,justlike I expected, and soon we’re back on the way to the hotel. We share a cab with my mom and dad. Charlie and Eliza clearly needed some time alone. The ride is not too long and when we get back to the hotel Charlie is in the foyer but Eliza is nowhere to be seen. We’re all gathered, getting ready to sort out who’s going where for the remainder of the evening.
Don frowns, waiting a few moments for Eliza to come in. “Do we need to keep waiting on your girlfriend Charlie?”
“No,” says Charlie, and doesn’t elaborate. It’s a pretty clear sign that after the way they had been acting with each other at The Moon, she decided not to stick around. I wince a little bit, hoping that my father doesn’t focus on it too much.
I guess he’s still riding high on the fact that I’ve just proposed to Ashley, because he doesn’t press my brother.
You would think that would make Charlie happy, but he just turns and gives me the stink eye. Ignoring him for the time being, I say, “We still need to meet up with Mr. Hanshire for drinks, right?”
“We do,” says Don.
Cheryl frowns. “This late? Don, you’re not going to get back to the hotel until after midnight!”
“I know, I know!” He waves a hand, trying to soothe my mother. “But this is when he and his partners could all meet today. You can’t push a big client like this, and you know that.”
Still looking unhappy, she asks, “You aren’t going to do this the entire time that we’re here, are you?”
“I don’t have any control over it,” insists Don. “But I’ll try to be back in earlier tomorrow, how about that?” He leans forward, pressing a kiss to the corner of my mother's mouth. “We’ll spend the evening together.”
“Alright,” says Cheryl, sounding just a touch put out. She turns to face Ashley, questioning, “Are you going to do something to celebrate?”
“Speaking of celebrating,” Charlie asks, suddenly. “When exactly did you two start dating? It was just a month or two ago, right? That seems like a pretty short time to decide that you’re going to get hitched.”
“Don’t call it that,” scolds Cheryl. “It takes the romance out of it. Engaged, Charlie, that’s the right way to talk about this.”
The question is pointed at me but Ashley rushes to answer. “I know it’s a bit fast. I mean, I’d never thought Grant would propose so soon, or even that I’d accept—I guess that I just really fell hard for him.” She reaches out, taking hold of my hand. I tangle our fingers together. “And you know, we’ve lived next to each other for so long, it feels almost like we’ve already been through that whole honeymoon phase.”
“Uh-huh.” Charlie doesn’t sound like he buys it. “Sure. And you decided that this was the perfect moment to pop the question, right?”
I frown at him. “I don’t know what your problem is, Charlie. It’s not my fault that Eliza decided to take off. There’s no reason to be a dick to Ashley over it.”
Cheryl hums. “He’s right, Charlie. You shouldn’t be giving them such a hard time about how long they’ve been dating. It’s not as if you’ve had Eliza around for years.”
“Exactly, Mom,” says Charlie. “I haven’t had her around for years, and I didn’t try to pass her off as someone that I was going to spend the rest of my life with either. I knew that we weren’t going to stay together. You see the point I’m making?”
We all get the point he’s trying to make: Charlie has figured out that I brought Ashley here to try and win my father over.
So yeah, he’s on to us. This was the perfect time to pretend to propose to Ashley, giving us both the leverage that we needed to get our parents off of our backs. The problem is not that he figured it out. It’s that I actually care for her. A lot.
I realized it in the middle of our proposal. While I was down on my knee, I looked up at her and saw that Ashley’s eyes were brimming with tears, and that her lips were parted in mock surprise, and I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to see that look on her face for real one day.
She makes my heart skip beats when I look over and see that brilliant smile on her face, her eyes so blue and bright that when you look into them you feel carried away to a tropical ocean. And I’ll be honest. She makes me comfortable in a way that no one else ever has.
I never feel like I have to hide parts of myself around her. When it is just Ashley and me, I can truly be myself, no matter what we were talking about.
So sure, the timing was right. And maybe the proposal itself was just a part of our show. But I would be lying to myself if I didn’t admit that there was something inside of me that was thinking about trying to pursue Ashley for real.
I reach out, curling an arm around her shoulders and tugging her up against me. She comes easily, resting her head against my chest. Ashley says, “I’m sorry you’re so upset Charlie, I can call and talk to Eliza, if you want. She might just need some time to cool down.”
“I don’t need you to call and talk to her,” says Charlie, sharply. My bet would be that he’s actually the one that broke it off with her. I could tell that he was losing interest when we were in The Eye earlier. She was too demanding for my brother’s taste.
“Enough,” says Don, sounding equally aggravated and tired. “Just—enough. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Charlie, but you had better shake it out before we get to the lounge tonight. I’m going to my room to change, and I would suggest that both of you do the same.”
Cheryl is much more gentle when she bids goodnight, “There’s no reason that you two shouldn’t be getting along. Ashley is going to be a gift to our family, Charlie. And you’re in London, you should be trying to enjoy it. Not everyone is given the same opportunities that you boys have been handed.’
