Page 58 of Healing Hearts at the Christmas Inn
He leaned against it, his heart still racing, his lips still tingling from that impossible, accidental kiss.
What the heck was happening to him?
First, that electric jolt when he'd taken Charlie's hand. Then that kiss. He placed his hand over his eyes as if it could erase the memory of that stupid, instinctive, completely unplanned kiss that had felt like touching a live wire.
And now Tara was calling.How the heck did she even find out where I am?
Good grief, his festive season was turning into a Comedy of Errors, and he’d only been here two days.
17
CHARLIE
Charlie climbed the stairs to the penthouse suite, her heart still racing from what had just happened in the hallway. Her hand tingled where Logan's had been. Her lips still felt the phantom pressure of that accidental kiss.
She kept replaying it. The electricity when their hands touched. The jolt when their lips met. The complete lack of control she'd felt in that moment.
Charlie Burke didn't lose control. She was a lawyer. She dealt in facts and evidence and things that could be proven in court. She made careful, considered decisions based on logic and reason.
What had just happened downstairs had been neither careful nor logical.
She paused on the landing, taking a deep breath. She needed to compose herself before facing Holly. Her sister had always been able to read her like a book, and the last thing Charlie needed right now was questions she couldn't answer.
Questions like:Why are you flushed? Why can't you stop touching your lips? Why do you look like someone just turned your entire world upside down?
Charlie straightened her shoulders, forced her professional mask back into place, and opened the door to the suite.
The sound hit her first. Laughter and excited chatter. Trinity and Maddy sat on the sofa, heads bent together over what looked like sketches and fabric swatches. An overnight bag sat on the floor beside the sofa.
"Aunt Charlie!" Trinity bounced up, her face glowing with excitement. "Guess what? Gran and Isabella said Maddy could stay with us for a few days! She's helping me and Jane decorate the ballroom for the dance."
Charlie blinked, trying to process the words through the fog still clouding her brain. "Oh, that's great, sweetheart."
"We're going to make it so beautiful," Maddy added, her enthusiasm matching Trinity's. "Jane has all these ideas, and Trinity is so good at organizing everything."
"That sounds wonderful," Charlie managed, looking around. "Where is your grandmother?"
"Here!" Holly rushed out from her bedroom, dressed and ready for their day in St. Augustine. She wore jeans and a soft blue sweater, her dark hair pulled back in a casual ponytail. She stopped when she saw Charlie, taking in her appearance with obvious concern. "You're not ready?"
Charlie glanced down at herself. She was still wearing the slacks and sweater from her morning conference call with her newclient in Miami. "Oh, no, the business call went on a bit longer than expected."
It wasn't exactly a lie. The meeting had run long. She just wasn't ready to explain she’d had two different meetings and she couldn’t explain the second meeting in front of the girls.
"I'll be ready in a few minutes," Charlie said, grateful for the reprieve.
She ducked into her bedroom and closed the door, leaning against it for a moment. Her reflection in the mirror across the room showed exactly what she'd feared. Flushed cheeks. Slightly dazed eyes. The look of someone who'd just had their world tilted on its axis.
"Get it together," she muttered to herself.
Charlie forced herself to move, to focus on practical things. She changed quickly into something more casual for sightseeing. Jeans, a comfortable sweater, and walking shoes. As she dressed, she tried not to think about Logan. About the way his hand had felt in hers. About that accidental kiss that had felt anything but accidental.
She went to her wardrobe and opened the safe hidden inside. The foreclosure documents sat on top of her laptop. Charlie placed the laptop carefully inside with the document and locked it. She couldn't risk those documents being seen by anyone who shouldn't see them. Jack's situation was precarious enough without adding gossip to the mix.
Grabbing her purse and keys, Charlie checked herself in the mirror one more time. She looked almost normal now. Almost.
She opened the door to find Holly, Trinity, and Maddy waiting.
"Ready!" Charlie called, forcing brightness into her voice.
