Page 206 of The Baby Twist
“Why?”
“She couldn’t keep all the coffees straight and kept screwing up orders. We had too many complaints, and the last thing we need is bad reviews.”
“I can give you time in between event prepping.”
“We’ll take anything.” Penelope hugged me.
“Thanks, Marley. We knew we could count on you.” Olivia hugged me. “We’ll start interviewing soon.”
Penelope and Olivia were my other halves; we had been inseparable since we were ten. We did everything together—cried together, laughed together, and were always there for each other through the good times and the bad.
Penelope was beautiful with her five-foot-six stature, long auburn colored hair, and green eyes. Olivia was equally stunning with her ebony skin, five-foot-eight slender body, high cheekbones, and rich chocolate eyes. We grew up on Long Island, and after we graduated high school, we backpacked around Europe before heading to NYU and having to become adults.
Two months ago, Olivia and Penelope became the proud owners of Love At First Sip, a trendy coffee shop they always discussed opening. Their parents gave them seed money, and the rest came from the bank. They wanted me to join their little venture, but my passion lay in event planning. That was who I was—a planner—ever since my life fell apart at the tender age of eleven.
Chapter Three
ONE WEEK LATER
Charlie
“Just set the boxes on the floor according to the room,” I told the movers as they unloaded their truck.
“Damn, Charlie. Look at this place. You have really outdone yourself, my friend.” Chase, my best friend and president of my company, smiled. “When you first showed me this place, I wasn’t sure. The décor, the walls, and everything about it sucked. Adalyn Grant transformed this place into a bachelor’s palace.”
“Thanks.” I chuckled, handing my friend a scotch. “She did excellent work.” I held up my glass.
“That she did.” Chase tipped his glass to mine. “But, why so big for a man who never plans to marry or have children? I mean, come on. What does a bachelor who is never getting married or having children need with all this space?”
“I love the layout, the location, and it was a hell of a steal. I wasn’t about to turn away from it just because it has five bedrooms and five bathrooms.”
“Yeah, I guess. I probably wouldn’t have either.”
“Besides.” I grinned, placing my hand on his shoulder. “You’ll always have a room here for when Lila kicks your ass out. But first, I’ll need to buy an extra bed.” I smirked.
“Thanks.” He rolled his eyes. “You’re going to have some good, sexy times in this palace. Speaking of. What happened with Christine? We really haven’t had a chance to talk since you returned from Chicago.”
“She’s nuts.” I tipped the glass to my lips. “She called me while I was at the airport going on about how I didn’t call or text her during my whole two-day trip and wanted to know who the beautiful woman was I had dinner with.”
“Was she talking about your cousin Meg?” His brow arched.
“Yes. Then she told me she was sick and tired of my disrespecting her and to never call her again.”
“What is with women always saying the exact same thing to you?” Chase asked.
“Who the hell knows, and who the hell cares. We’ve only been seeing each other on and off for three months. The last night we were together, she commented about my meeting her parents and how she felt it was time.”
“Shit. That’s enough to make the great Charlie Stone run in the opposite direction.” He chuckled.
“I was going to tell her I didn’t want to see her anymore when I got back, but she saved me the trouble. I want to show you something. Follow me.”
I led him down the hallway and opened the six-panel white double doors.
“What the fuck!” Chase exclaimed as we stepped into my office/gaming room.
“My bachelor pad is now a three-bedroom, four-bathroom home,” I grinned. “I had the wall knocked down between the bedrooms and removed the bathroom.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this, Charlie. This is awesome. I may have to start picking fights with Lila, so she’ll kick me out.”
