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Two
Ten minutes on the road,Rick peeked at his passenger as he drove. Charlotte finally stopped crying, but she didn’t make a peep after. Staring out at the window, she was catatonic.
It was just his luck that a crazy woman would choose to barge intohiscar. He didn’t care for the emotional, high-strung woman running from her wedding, and putting him in an awkward position.
Now he was going to get it. Calls, questions, and demands for answers. He didn’t even know what the hell was going on and the person in question wasn’t budging.
From the looks of it alone, Charlotte appeared heartbroken. Something awful must have happened.
“So…” Rick clicked his tongue while keeping one hand on the steering wheel. “Was it infidelity?”
“No,” she immediately responded with a sniffle, surprising him. He wasn’t expecting an answer right away.
“Then what happened?”
“Nothing.” Another prompt response that was of no use to him.
Women. When they say nothing was wrong, it only meanteverythingwas wrong. But he knew asking again was futile. Navigating down the streets of Newport Beach on a weekend afternoon guaranteed heavy traffic. In Southern California, that was unavoidable, but he had plans today. He was going to go to the gym, have dinner with a friend, and end the night processing the recent shots he took in Sicily.
He peeked at the mirror again, saw Charlotte’s sad expression, and felt pity forhimself. It was already after two, and he wasn’t going to make it to the gym. If he could send her back home in the next hour, he could at least make it back to his condo and rest before meeting his buddy for dinner.
The calls and text tones had been ringing off the hook on his phone. He saw calls from his brother, Sarah, and a few unknown numbers. Have they caught wind that the missing bride was with him?
“Charlotte, tell me what’s going on,” he said firmly. “I can’t keep driving aimlessly. What happened? Give me something.”
When she didn’t speak, his grip on the steering wheel tightened. He’d never had issues getting women to talk, but these were different circumstances.
At a stoplight, Rick contemplated his options. His gas tank was running low, so they had to stop, eventually. Plus, he’d skipped lunch and his stomach was gurgling. If he could convince?—
“I didn’t know what I wanted, you know?”
The sudden burst of her voice, fragrance and white lace being pushed up against his shoulder, made him jolt in his seat. Charlotte finally rose from her stupor, sooted eyes on him as she rambled.
“He was great. Matt. I love him, but I’m notin lovewith him. It’s a cheesy, cliché thing to say, but it’s so, so true. We’ve been together for two years and I don’t know what his favorite flavor of ice cream is. Mine is strawberry mascarpone, does he know that?” She was so animated that he doubted she cared if he was listening. “It was all my mother’s doing. She did everything. We met because of her. Dated. Even the engagement was pushed byher! I just bought a medspa. How would I have time to think about marriage? About having children? Butno, my mother thought I was taking too long to get my life in order. My life was in order! And now it’s a mess!”
Rick heard the honk from behind him, then saw the green traffic light. Charlotte didn’t have her seatbelt on, and when he thought to remind her, her rambling turned into a full rant.
“It’s not that I’m not grateful for all that she’s done. She had good intentions, but I just can’t stand how she keeps making decisions for me.” She made a strangling motion with her hands and spoke through gritted teeth. “Does she not understand that it’smylife? And she never listens to me! Still treats me like I’m ten years old. It’s infuriating!”
Rick cleared his voice. “May I suggest therapy?”
“And heaven forbid I have an opinion of my own,” Charlotte laughed bitterly. “For every choice I make, she always has to point out the negatives. Studying abroad for one of my college years? Nope—mom says. It’s too dangerous. Too many unknowns in a different country. A girl like me couldn’t possibly be safe on my own!”
Tears rolled in again, sniffles forming on her swollen nose. She looked like a small child if it weren’t for her wedding dress draping her very adult body.
“It wasn’t all bad. I was going to marry adoctor. He was sweet, never cheated—” She paused, thinking about it, “although I’ve never actually noticed or even cared about what he did in his own time. When we weren’t hanging out, we barely called or text each other. I mean, he was almost like a boyfriend on retainer. Worse than a friend.”
As she babbled, a grumble of the stomach rattled and they looked at each other. He couldn’t tell if it was his, or hers, butfrom the way she stopped and blushed, then placed a hand over her abdomen, it was safe to say she was hungry.
Shyly, she sat back in her seat and in a soft voice, asked, “Um… If it’s not too much trouble, could we get something to eat? I left all my belongings at the hotel and I haven’t eaten anything since last night’s rehearsal dinner.”
Rick rolled up to the drive-through, not missing the looks he received from the employees when they saw the weeping bride next to him. Charlotte had crawled to the front to join him in the passenger seat, dabbing her eyes with tissues.
It wasn’t a good look for him. First, a bride kidnapper. Now, a jackass who was breaking her heart. If he made it through the night unscathed, he’ll have to figure out a way to explain all of this.
The girl at the window raised a critical eyebrow as she held the bag of burgers. The look of disapproval was all over her face, as was the coworker behind her, who eyed him in disgust.
Rick took the soda first, then nodded his thanks at the teenagers when they finally relinquished the food to him. “Ladies.”
