Page 56 of The Husband Game

It still didn’t feel quite equal to Charlie though, so he resolved to work even harder on Dustin’s home renovations to make it the perfect place for him. Now that he knew Dustin didn’t love the current look of it, he was trying to tease out what Dustin’s style actually was.

Charlie had claimed a small nook on the second floor for his office.

He thought it was maybe supposed to be a sitting area but along with a couple of comfortable chairs, there was a wide desk and great light, so it was working well for his needs.

“Hey, Charlie, if you’re not too busy, what do you say we go out for lunch today?” Dustin asked. “I’m all finished with my workout and that phone interview.”

Charlie glanced up from his drawing. “Oh. Sure. We could do that. I was working on some designs for the house but I could take a break.”

“Can I see?”

“Uhh.” Charlie bit his lip and gently closed the cover of the sketchpad. “Not quite yet. I’ll show you when it’s ready.”

“Okay.”

God, Charlie couldn’t wait to get started at his new job.

Although his former boss was definitely pissed about his abrupt move to Toronto, she’d put in a good word for him and he’d had an interview last week. The interview had gone well and Charlie had filled out the work visa and insurance paperwork and now all he could do was wait while the slow gears of bureaucracy turned.

It was far better than Charlie could have hoped for.

In the meantime, he was enjoying the chance to indulge in design.

After he’d sent the money to Taylor’s parents to pay off his debt, he’d splurged on some nice notepads and pencils. He would use software to lay out all of the specs once he had access to it at the new job, but he loved working on hand-drawings too.

He’d already spent hours sketching various rooms in Dustin’s house to get a feel for the basic space planning and what direction he wanted to head with them.

He didn’t have access to actual samples but he’d created mood boards online and pulled together some product ideas and color schemes.

Dustin had more or less given him carte blanche to come up with ideas and the budget he’d mentioned was eye-watering.

Charlie had worked with some high-end clients before, but this was going to be one of the most comprehensive projects he’d ever done.

“Kitten?” Dustin asked and Charlie blinked at him.

“Yes. Sorry. Lunch would be good. Where were you thinking of going?”

“There’s a bistro downtown I like. They have outdoor seating and it’s a nice day out.”

“Sure. Sounds great.”

Dustin offered to drive, since he knew the area better and he kept up a steady stream of chatter the whole way, pointing out various landmarks.

Charlie looked out the window as they merged onto the freeway. Or parkway, maybe? He thought that was what they called it in Canada and there were plenty of trees along the route.

Charlie had visited Canada loads of times but always for skating. He’d never been a tourist and his head had always been too full of thoughts of his upcoming performance or trying to ignore his mother as she dissected whatever he’d done wrong in the previous one.

“Really, Charlie?” she’d said with a sigh after the last competition in Toronto. “You aren’t even trying. What on earth were you thinking with that triple axel? It’s sloppy and you’re better than that! You need to tighten everything up. You’ve let the recent article about your grace on the ice go straight to your head and it hasn’t done you any favors.”

Charlie remembered leaning his head against the cool glass of the car window as the driver navigated to the airport, letting her voice wash over him, nodding and murmuring his agreement. He wasn’t trying hard enough. He wasn’t doing enough. If he was more disciplined, he’d have earned the gold instead of silver at Nationals.

If he’d eaten less, he’d have slimmed down and wouldn’t be so solid through the middle. If he’d stop cheating on his diet, he’d have the look the judges preferred. His jumps would be higher, his landings smoother.

Lightheaded, his stomach aching, he’d promised he’d do better.

Now, Charlie blinked when the car slowed to a stop and he straightened, realizing they’d pulled into a parking ramp.

Dustin found a spot and put the car in park. “Ready, kitten?”

---