Page 28 of Sweet Redemption
Chapter Fourteen
Charlie
Pulling up to the house Markus grew up in surprised me. The home was modern—looking nothing like what I thought it would. Heck, I had no idea or could imagine a house like the one that stood several yards away.
As I got out of the car, Markus turned to me and said, “What’s wrong? You look shocked or worried about something.”
“I guess…” I had to choose my words wisely. “Um, your house. I assumed it would be more modest.”
“Modest?” Markus chuckled. “This wasn’t the house I grew up in. My parents bought this place right after we left for college. We used to live in Evanston, not far from here, but miles apart. That home was more modest. This monstrosity was my father’s doing.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant by monstrosity. The house should be showcased inArchitectural Digest, but I didn’t get a chance to ask since the front door of the house opened.
A gentleman with graying dark brown hair walked out and stood under the metal portico. His eyes had a hard glint in them but shifted the moment his eyes landed on me. They were serene enough, but even in the distance he made me nervous. This had to be his father.
Markus round his way to me, grabbed my hand and led me to the man.
Markus released me and extended his hand. “Sir.”
Up close, I was able to see the frailty and tiredness in the older man’s eyes. More exhaustion stemmed from those depths. But I could see where Markus got his features. Actually he was the spitting image of his dad.
Markus Sr. nodded once and shook his son’s hand. “It’s about time. What took you so long to get here?” The man glanced my way, then sliced a look back to his son. “Wished you were here sooner. I’m sure your mother would have liked…” His words trailed off when Markus shot him a “Don’t you start” glare.
He cleared his throat, and took a big heaving breath before he turned to me. “You must be Charlene.” He extended his hand to me. “I’m Markus Landry Sr.”
I shook his hand. “Charlene White, but you can call me Charlie.”
“Charlie. I’m sorry that we had to meet you in under such sad circumstances,” he said with a slight irritated hitch to his voice.
“Dad,” Markus said in warning. The tension between them grew as the seconds passed by but I wasn’t going to let it bloom.
“It’s chilly out here.” I gave a mock shiver.
Markus Sr. stiffened, turned and said, “Well, come in. Beth cooked. She has it set up in the kitchen and I’m sure it’s getting cold.”
The man did not know how to quit. But Markus didn’t seem to be bothered by his father’s jabs as I was. I took a tentative glance at Markus and relaxed the second I saw his eyes were trained on me. There was no anger, only annoyance at his father.
He tightened his hold on my hand as we followed Markus Sr. inside.
The interior of the home had the modern amenities. Clean lines of the leather and metal furniture to the contemporary art pieces on the walls, it was like walking into a magazine.
Yet, the second we walked into the kitchen, the tension jumped higher on the Richter scale. Standing on the other side of the huge granite island was a man and woman. The couple who I assumed was Bryce and Beth stood there with nervous smiles on their faces. They moved toward us with hesitation.
A few inches shorter than Markus, Bryce was a good looking man. Though, he couldn’t compare next to Markus. I loved the rugged look of Markus versus the clean cut Ivy League look on Bryce.
Love?I shook off that thought and focused on the people in front of me.
Beth walked up and gave Markus a hug, and then turned to me. “You must be Charlie. I’m Beth Monroe, Bryce’s fiancé.”
“Fiancé,” Markus said with a half grin.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I nervously said.
Beth leaned in, grabbed my hand and said, “Don’t be nervous. It’s all good here.” She pulled back and gave me a wink.
“Markus,” Bryce said tightly as he walked over and placed a hand on Beth’s shoulder. He then turned to me and smiled warmly. “Charlie, it’s very nice to meet you.”
“You too,” I replied with a wave. “When did your two get engaged? Markus, you didn’t tell me.”
