Page 48 of Brazen
We headed into the dining area. I paused as I reached for my plate. “I hope I’ve not made him uncomfortable in his house because I’ve been nervous about having a butler.”
Charlie winked at me. “You’re the only woman I’ve ever known to worry about his feelings. He’ll be fine.”
“And I’ll work on being nicer to him.” I vowed to keep my word.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Charlie
* * *
Kir had rented us a conference room as a temporary office until we had the means for a permanent one. So every day, we showed up for meetings and picked up any mail.
I shared my thoughts about offering an upscale airline with food and comfortable seats—people would prefer to pay for easier accommodations for a good price. Bargain-basement prices were deceptive, and seat quality was always sacrificed for the bottom dollar.
Hope talked about having families being able to sit together without paying the extra fees, and I nodded. That was a good addition to focusing our business model on groups and people who wanted some perks without going cheap.
We were almost ready to start on the business goals, but Kir ended the meeting, saying he had everything he needed to take to investors.
And I took a deep breath. Being serious wasn’t that horrible. We stood, and I held Hope’s hand.
“How did Pedar take you leaving?” I asked Kir.
He smiled. “He was happy I was working with you, though we spoke about the blog article. Maman convinced us that she believed you and we should too.”
“I’m not a liar, Kir.”
“I know. You’re forgetful, but you tell the truth. It’s why I calmed down.”
“Good,” I said.
The office was quiet. At the elevator, Kir asked, “And Maman is planning the family engagement party for both this weekend in Hawaii the night before the wedding festivities begin.”
Hope squeezed my hand, and her eyes were wide. “What wedding?”
I bounced as we walked into the elevator. “Cyrus and Sarah’s wedding this weekend.”
She shook her head as she joined me. “Charlie!”
All I wanted was to hold Hope the second she said my name. I smiled down at her. “I thought my mother looped you in now.”
She had her other hand on her hip. “That should be you.”
And that was it. I loved Hope. I wanted her forever. It was why I’d looked her up, why I'd asked her to be my fake date in the first place. The epiphany hit me as we descended.
She stared at me, clearly wanting me to say something. So I pressed my hand to her back. “Well, it seems we’re leaving a day before, then. No big deal.”
She shook her head. “For you.”
Her scolding only somehow made my feelings grow. I wasn’t sure why. As the doors opened, I said, “Everything will be provided like last time. Don’t worry about anything, though now that I think about it, if you want to invite your friends to join us in Hawaii for a few days, there is plenty of room in the guest house on the ocean.”
“You both sound like you need me to go.” Once we were outside, Kir waved. “I’ll see you both tomorrow to get signatures for the financing.”
“Bye," Hope and I said.
I gazed at Hope as people passed us. She went on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Charlie…”
I held her tight and only wanted to be with her. I needed to prove to her it was safe to be with me and that there was nothing fake about how I felt. “You’re cute when you're frustrated at me.”
