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Ashley turns to look at me, brows raised in question, but I’m just as lost as the rest of them. I hold my arms out in a helpless gesture and shrug, trying to convey that I’ve got no clue what Charlie’s about to do.
Something he won't regret later, I hope.
“Alright then.” Don pushes his plate slightly to the side. “Let’s hear it, then. What’s this big announcement of yours?”
“I’m stepping down from the competition for CEO,” says Charlie. There’s not an ounce of waver in his voice. My first thought is that this is Charlie making another snap decision—but then I remember the look on his face the night before.
Charlie isn’t the same irrational dude as before. Whatever he’s pulling, he’s thought about it a lot.
Charlie continues, explaining, “I think that it’s time we are all just honest with each other. You know that Grant’s the guy you want. Making us both jump through hoops isn’t right.”
“The position is open to either of you,” says Don.
Charlie shakes his head. “The position is only for the one that can meet all of your standards, Dad. And—there’s nothing wrong with the fact that Grant’s met them. Ashley is…” He turns to look at her, smiling as he exhales. “Ashley is an amazing woman. And I’m happy for them. They’re good together. And now you’ve got what you want, too. Someone to keep building the family, the legacy.”
“Charlie, dear,” starts Cheryl, clearly planning on trying to sweep everything away.
I shake my head. “He’s right, Mom. Dad wants the position to go to someone that’s got the same family values he does.”
“Exactly,” says Charlie. “And I’ve tried to find someone that I connected with, Dad, I did. But I’m not interested in settling down right now. My life is never going to be your ideal life, and I’ve decided that I’m okay with that.”
Ashley leans over, putting a hand on Charlie’s arm. The touch only lasts for a moment, but it seems to reinvigorate my brother and settle his nerves a bit.
Charlie keeps going. “I’m going to be happier if I stop trying to impress you in that way. I’m good at my job. I’m just not going to be good at being a husband.”
For a moment, a heavy silence washes over the table. I know how this could go. If Don takes offense to the announcement, then it really could turn into a scene. My father doesn’t embarrass easily, after all. But instead of jumping to his feet and ripping into my brother for giving up, he just says, albeit a little on the gruff side, “Fine. Then Grant can have the position.”
The silence settles over us again. I turn to look at my father. “What?”
“I was going to tell you at the end of this trip anyway,” says Don. “I just hadn’t figured out how to bring it up with your brother. It looks like he beat me to it.”
Charlie still doesn’t sit down. He’s got both hands curled around the back of the chair that he normally uses. Though he seems confident in what he said, I can still see that every muscle in his body is pulled tight.
He’s waiting for the other shoe to drop.
On some level, so am I.
But Ashley clears her throat, and she picks up her glass of ice water. She tilts it forward. “I know that it’s no champagne, but a toast to the both of you.”
Charlie asks, hesitantly, “Both of us?”
“Yes,” says Ashley. She gives me and my brother that sun-bright smile of hers, and it’s all I can do to not melt where I’m standing. I think that it must make Charlie feel better too, because some of the tension leaves his face. “The both of you. For finally getting what you’ve always wanted.”
“Sit down, Charlie,” says Cheryl. “We can’t have a proper toast if you’re standing. You too, Grant. Come on, boys, breakfast is going to get cold on us.”
Charlie and I trade looks, and then we both glance over at Don, just to make sure that he’s on the same page. It looks like he’s still debating on it himself, but then he waves a hand at the table. “Your mother’s right. The food is going to get cold if you don’t sit down. And you know what I’ve always told you about not going into a meeting on an empty stomach.”
“You won’t be able to focus on the important shit,” Charlie and I say, practically in unison. That’s one of those little rules that my father’s been teaching us since our days in private school. Sure, he didn’t say ‘shit’, but the premise is the same. Never leave the house without breakfast because you won’t be able to focus on your work.
We both sit down, taking our usual seats at the table. I lean over, mouthing, ‘Thank you,’ at Ashley. She just smiles at me and picks up her glass again, tilting it towards the center of the table. “Shall we?”
“I think that we shall,” says Cheryl. They clink their glasses together. The rest of us follow suit, a clattering of tall glasses filled with water and orange juice. “A toast, to the happiness of my two boys, and the inclusion of our newest ‘soon-to-be’ family member.”
Ashley’s cheeks go bright pink when the attention is put back onto her, and I’m quick to say, “And to my brother’s happiness, too. I’m so glad that we’re finallyallgoing to get some.”
That’s a long shot, tacking that on. But I need my father to know that I back Charlie’s decision. More than that, I need Charlie to know that I support his decision. Not just because I wanted the position, either, but because I know him stepping down from the running and focusing on what he’s best at will make him happier.
And Charlie deserves that happiness.
