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I snorted. “Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”
Ending the call, I rested my head on the back of my chair and gazed up at the office ceiling. I had to fix things with Charlotte too. She hadn’t been her usual perky self since she overheard my conversation with Dad yesterday. I only had a couple more days with her before she returned to Kohala, and I didn’t want her to leave doubting our relationship.
32
CHARLOTTE
I stared out the window of Jamie’s penthouse, not really seeing anything. Too many worrisome thoughts flitted through my mind for me to properly enjoy the view. My time with Jamie had started so perfectly. I had a blast for my birthday, we shared our feelings… We had been on the right path. How could things change so quickly? Now, doubt overshadowed our happiness.
I couldn’t ignore everything his father said when those had been my fears from the beginning. How many times had I said our worlds were too different for us to work? How many times had I wondered what he was doing with me when I felt he was out of my league? When I heard his father call me a “nobody,” it hit me hard.
“But he loves you,” I whispered, hoping that the reminder would ease my doubts.
I glanced at the clock hanging over the gigantic flat-screen TV that took up almost an entire wall. Jamie wouldn’t be back for a couple of hours. He had to run to the office for the morning. He’d been reluctant to leave because he wanted to talk more about what I heard yesterday. I hated that our time together was ending on such a bad note.
Jamie’s landline rang, pulling me from my thoughts. I glanced at it, wondering if I should answer. Maybe it was him calling to check on me. I’d left my cell in his bedroom, so maybe I missed his first call. I hurried across the room to answer the phone.
When I didn’t hear Jamie’s voice, I hesitated. “Hello…?”
“Miss Brooks, good afternoon.” It was the security in the lobby. I was familiar with his voice. “There’s a Gwendolyn Calloway here…”
“Mr. Winchester isn’t here,” I said. Of course, he must know that since he saw Jamie leave this morning.
“She’s here to see you.”
My eyebrows shot up. First of all, who the hell was Gwendolyn Calloway? I figured she must be one of those personal shoppers Jamie hired to bring me tons of clothes and jewelry to try on. I shook my head at his need to spoil me at every turn.
“Er… Send her up…”
I waited in the foyer for the elevator to arrive. As soon as I heard the ding, I slapped on a smile, expecting to see a woman dressed in designer slacks and heels, carrying arms full of clothing bags and shoe boxes. However, the woman who appeared was empty-handed except for a clutch purse. There were no shopping bags on the elevator’s floor either.
My eyebrows furrowed as I took in the lithe brunette who had stilts for legs. She wore a dress that clung to her body and heels that looked like they could slit somebody’s throat. She wore minimal makeup that enhanced her naturally gorgeous features.
“Uh… hi…”
She must be a close friend of Jamie’s if she was visiting his home. He was so private and cautious about who entered his domain.
The woman assessed me as a queen would a peasant, and I dropped the hand I had extended, which Miss Snooty Pants ignored.
“Charlotte, I presume?” She looked down her nose at me.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as my snarky side surfaced. “Gwendolyn, I presume?” I threw back in an equally superior tone.
Her smile was cold enough to freeze my tits off my chest. Jeez. Jamie’s friend sure was a bitch.
“Jamie isn’t here,” I said. “Maybe you can come back later.”
“I’m here to speak to you.”
“About…?”
“The video that’s making its rounds on social media. The photos from the charity gala…”
Gwendolyn brushed past me and flounced into the living room, her heels clicking on the hardwood. I frowned. Jamie hadn’t seemed upset about those, but had he hired a PR person or something? Rich CEOs did that to control narratives in the media, right?
“Okay… What about them?”
I almost collided with Gwendolyn, the snob, when she stopped abruptly and turned to face me. “Look, Charlotte, I’m sure you’re a nice woman and you probably don’t know.”
