Page 4 of Charming Like Us
Never did it hinder my job.
Until those fucking rumors.
Charlie Cobalt and Oscar Oliveira are a couple!
Farrow and Thatcher, two Omega bodyguards, decided to not only date their clients but put a ring on them. And it’s fucked me to hell. Becausenowfans think SFO is some pretend security firm as a front to hide relationships with clients. So they think Charlie and I are an item, and it’s so far from the truth.
Adrenaline and annoyance make a home in my body. Charlie seems unperturbed but he keeps glancing at me and then back at the girls. We reach the curb just as the Uber Black skids to a halt in front of us. Timing isn’t always my friend, but I’m thankful it’s in my corner tonight.
Charlie doesn’t argue with me as I open the door and guide him inside.
“Where’d you set the address?” Charlie asks me as I shut the door.
“Your apartment.”
“Can I have your phone?”
I know the drill. As I pass it to Charlie, I tell the driver. “Frank, we’re about to change our destination. Is that a problem?”
The heavy-set man shakes his head. “Not at all. Just give me a second to let the GPS recalculate.”
“Done,” Charlie whispers to me and hands the phone back. “Your sister texted you.”
I can’t tell if he’s trying to distract me by bringing up my baby sister. Or if he’s pointing out that he saw her message to annoy me.
Whatever the case, I take a quick glance at the message while the Uber pulls onto the street.
I found an apartment & roommate on Craigslist. Meeting them tomorrow. Rent is affordable. Im not living at home anymore. I cant do it– Baby Sis
Fuck, Joana.
I text fast and feel Charlie’s eyes on my fingers.
Just live with me. There’s room.I hit send.
She’s quick to reply.
I like the Craigslist place– Baby Sis
My nineteen-year-old rebellious sister loves to stick it to our dad whenever she can, and I’d say eight times out of ten, he probably deserves the hard time. She’s stubbornly set on Craigslist, maybe to cause waves. Because Joana rooming with me willpleaseour parents.
I’m the oldest by a longshot. I celebrated my thirty-second birthday a couple months ago, and my sister and brother are a wholedecadeyounger than me.
This is a bad time to have a text war with my sister. I’m on-duty. So after I send a brief message saying,I’ll call later, I shut out the text thread.
Juggling family life among a never-sleeping job ishard.Anyone who says differently hasn’t met the Oliveira clan.
My eyes flit to the car windows. Yeah, I have no clue where we’re going, but at least we’re not being trailed or flanked by paparazzi vans.
I open up the Uber app and glance at the new address Charlie plugged in. My brows furrow.
My veins pump harder.
What the actual fuck?
I figured he’d take us to the airport.
But I’m staring at an address to The Walnut, an apartment building in Philadelphia. It can’t be a coincidence that Jack Highland lives there. I rub a hand through the thick curly strands of my hair.
