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“No, nothing.” Charlie shakes his head. “And if something does come up, I’ll let you know, but as of right now, you’re still the silent investor.”
“All right. But if there’s any way I can tell her sooner, I want to do that. Promise me you’ll let me know.” I point a finger at him.
“I will.” Charlie nods.
I turn to leave but think better of it and stride back over to Charlie to engulf him in a hug. “I’m sorry I kept this from you.”
“I’m sorry I made you feel like you had to.” Charlie returns the hug. “I never stopped to consider the down side of your success.”
“It’s okay. I realize it sounds ungrateful in light of everything, but it is really hard to find someone who likes me for me.”
“You think Lisa might be it?”
Despite being twins and not having secrets between us, Charlie and I don’t talk much about feelings. I never told him how much it hurt that our parents didn’t support my decision to go into business instead of going to college like he did. I never told him how lonely it felt to keep getting set up with people who only wanted my money. Those weren’t his burdens to bear, so I kept them to myself. But in doing that I’ve put some distance between us, and now that I have some idea of what it feels like to have someone be part of your life, I realize I want that to include my brother. I want him to know how I feel.
“I think she likes me, not some image.” I shrug. “So yeah. I think she could be.”
“Then I’m glad you didn’t listen to me when I asked you not to get involved.” Charlie smiles.
Chapter 18
Lisa
“How did it go?” I ask as Chris steps inside. I understood his need to speak with Charlie privately, but given that I was the subject of conversation, I’ve been on pins and needles all evening, wondering how that conversation was going.
He pulls me to him and kisses me softly, and as our lips meet, my tension evaporates. I’m not sure when his touch became my anchor, but sheltered in his arms, feeling his heartbeat against mine, fear and uncertainty and worry have no meaning. There’s only us.
“It went well. It got off to a rough start, but everything’s good now.” He pulls me to the couch and sits down, tucking me into his side.
“Rough start? That doesn’t sound good.”
“It wasn’t.” Chris smirks. “Charlie saw you kiss me at the office, so I didn’t get to ease into the conversation the way I had planned.”
“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe I was that careless. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“You were thinking about me. You wanted to support me,” he says, “and I like that.” He brushes a strand of hair back from my face and kisses me softly. “Things kind of went downhill for a while, Charlie was skeptical of my intentions, and then he was upset that I didn’t tell him sooner, but everything is good now.”
“Why would Charlie be skeptical about your intensions?”
Chris takes my hand and laces our fingers together. “I told you how different Charlie and I were growing up, right?” I nod. “Well, it’s not just our interests that are different but our experiences and how we live our lives. Charlie is a planner. He’s very methodical, very practical. I’m more of an impulse guy. While Charlie was debating the pros and cons of, say, jumping off a cliffside into the reservoir, I had already jumped, several times over.” He rubs his thumb along mine, an innocent gesture, but coupled with the intimacy of the conversation, it sends goosebumps along my arm. He notices me shiver and pulls me closer.
“When I was younger, my impulse was to experience all life had to offer, so I sampled everything. That included women. I dated around, a lot. Charlie, on the other hand, has never dated around. He met his wife, Brynn, at college, and from the moment they met, they knew they were it for each other. So Charlie has never understood the side of me that was unsettled. The impulsive side. I think he associates it with recklessness.”
“Is it? Reckless, I mean.”
Chris seems to think about this, absently stroking my finger with his own. “No, I don’t think so. I have boundaries. I weigh pros and cons like anyone else, and try to avoid unnecessary risks. But I’m not afraid to take a chance if it feels right. It usually works out well, but to someone like Charlie who carefully weighs every decision, I suppose it’s a bit unnerving.”
“This makes me think of a story…” I trail off.
“A story?”
I shrug against his side, realizing I just opened a door I hadn’t planned to open yet and wondering if Chris notices. “Yeah, just a story, about making decisions.”
Chris grips the tip of my chin, tilting my head up so I have to look him in the eye. “You’re fidgeting. Are you talking about one of your stories?”
“Um, yeah.” I blink.
“And you’re suddenly very shy.” He brushes his lips across mine. “Does that mean you aren’t ready to share it?”
