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Charlotte watched me through unreadable eyes. “It doesn’t matter now.”
My heart plummeted. I’d ruined everything between us… before it even started.
“I get it, Jamie. When I got back to my room last night, I thought about what you said, and you were right. You can’t ruin your friendship over some woman you barely know. In a few days, you and Lincoln will return home. If you and I…” She sighed. “A fling isn’t worth ruining a friendship for and that’s exactly what you and I would have.”
She stared at me as if waiting for me to tell her she was wrong. That if we gave in to the chemistry between us, we’d have more than a fling. However, I couldn’t tell her she was wrong because as she said, we’d part ways in a few days. My silence continued and she averted her gaze.
“You’re not just some woman…” That was all I could say at first. Tucking my chin into my chest, I heaved the heaviest, longest sigh. “After last night, did I drive you into his arms?”
Charlotte sat taller and huffed. “I can’t believe you just asked me that.”
“I know it’s none of my business but it’s a valid question. It’s what Lincoln wants. That’s why he came here.”
“What about what I want?” she hissed. “Have you or Lincoln considered that?”
18
JAMIE
I stared at Charlotte, my mouth opening and closing several times without a sound because I didn’t have an answer. The fury, exasperation, and agony in her voice made me want to keep my mouth shut for fear of upsetting her more.
“What right does Lincoln have to show up here expecting to rekindle something that’s been over for years without telling me?” She scoffed. “How dare he give you the impression that he and I getting back together is a sure thing when he didn’t even ask me? And how dare you just hand me over to him!”
My eyes widened and my jaw slackened. “I did not?—”
“You keep acting as if Lincoln and I are together and when you and I are simply having a conversation, you act as though I’m cheating on him. It’s ridiculous! And I’m fucking pissed about being thrown into that awkward situation.”
Son of a bitch. When she said it like that… Lincoln and I were both idiots. Lincoln showed up with high expectations without finding out what Charlotte wanted, and I had been behaving as if they were heading down the aisle at any moment.
“Charlotte, I’m?—”
“No, shut up and let me finish, Jamie. Last night, you dismissed me when I tried telling you that I’m not interested in Lincoln as anything more than a friend. How dare he and how dare you decide that I’m his without even including me in the discussion?”
I nodded. “I realize that I’m in the wrong.”
“And so is Lincoln,” she added. “He’s a great guy, but I don’t want what he wants and I don’t know what to tell him because…”
“You don’t want to hurt his feelings. Yeah…” Neither did I. Sighing heavily, I rested my head against the wall and stared ahead. “We don’t have to talk about it any further.”
She looked ready to combust, and it wasn’t my intention to upset her.
She sniffed softly and my attention jumped back to her. Her eyes were watery and her chin quivered.
“I feel so stupid,” she whispered.
I swallowed hard to get rid of the lump of guilt lodged in my throat. “Why?”
“For getting so worked up over this whole thing. I’m not even sure why it’s all bothering me so much. I guess it’s because I’ve never felt…”
I waited but she didn’t finish. Instead, she watched me with flushed cheeks and then said, “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”
My curiosity remained firmly in place, but I didn’t push.
She pushed back her curtain of hair. “We should change the subject, but first, tell me… If you didn’t mean what you said about me being some woman, what exactly am I to you, Jamie?”
I held her gaze for a while. Since we were past the point of no more bullshit, I answered honestly. “You’re much more. You mean something to me. It’s hard to tell what yet since we’ve only had days but…”
Expressing my emotions like this wasn’t a norm for me and it was scary as fuck. However, I had about three more days with Charlotte. I didn’t have time to be afraid of opening up to her… the only woman I’d ever felt comfortable doing so with.
