Page 123 of Charlie

We walk into the kitchen to find Greer behind the counter, prepping food. "Greer! I didn't know it would be you!" I say, giving her a tight hug. "If Jack had told me that, I wouldn’t have kept you waiting."

"Then I’m glad I didn’t tell you," Jack chuckles, winking at Greer.

"It’s good to see you again, Charlie," Greer says, sweeping my wet hair behind my back, "You look... refreshed?" The corner of her mouth pulls up as she returns to the food.

"What’s on the menu for tonight?" I ask.

"Three courses of fondue," she explains, "Cheese, meat, and chocolate. Jack mentioned something about teaching you both how to make it. I have everything ready to go if you want to learn."

"I would love that!" I say, excited. "I tried a couple of years ago, but it didn't turn out well – it was a big gloopy greasy mess." I cringe, thinking of the fifty dollars’ worth of cheese I had to throw in the trash.

"Perfect. Why don’t I do a quick rundown of all three? Everything is prepped and the instructions are super simple. That way I can leave you to eat your dinner together without interruption." She winks at me, then wiggles her eyebrows to drive the point home.

"That would be great. Thank you, Greer," Jack says, chuckling, drawing me around the counter so that the three of us are on the same side. Greer takes about twenty minutes to explain the steps to us, the ingredients for all three fondues laid out in different spots on the counter so that we can't screw it up. When she's finished, she hugs us both and tells us to text or call with any questions.

After she leaves, Jack pulls out a hot plate and sets it on the kitchen table. We bring over the ingredients for the cheese fondue and go step-by-step through the instructions Greer left. Jack adds the last ingredient and I stir it, my mouth watering at the creamy, perfect cheesiness.

"So," Jack says, dipping a piece of bread in the pot, "have you thought about what you want to do now that you’re staying?" He holds the morsel to my lips. I take it from him and think about the question seriously while I chew.

"The only thing I’ve been able to come up with is to continue doing my genealogy charts." I dip a slice of apple in the cheese and blow on it before popping it into my mouth. "I don’t want to go into landscaping again, and that’s the only other thing I have experience with."

"Can I make a suggestion?" Jack asks, apprehension in his words.

"Of course."

"I’ve been thinking for a while now that I’d like to open the castle up to tourists. The farm doesn't make enough to keep the castle afloat, and I’ve been pulling out of savings for years. Savings I was hoping would be there for future generations. I don’t have a head for that kind of thing, but I think you'd be perfect."

My mind starts spinning, thinking of everything I would need to do to get the castle ready, everything that needs to be done to market it. "Are you thinking of having guest rooms?" I ask. "Do you have any social media accounts yet? Does anyone even know the castle is here? Any website or ad accounts?" I think back to the time I worked at getting Rob's business off the ground and how much I loved the challenge of it.

"No, to everything you just said," Jack says, looking at me like I’m speaking a different language. "You don’t need to give me an answer tonight, but I want you to think about it. If you decide not to, I’ll have to hire somebody anyway."

"I’ll think about it, I promise," I say, his vulnerability striking a chord. Doesn’t he know I'd do anything for him?

"So, are we going to talk about this?" Jack asks, grabbing my hand and thumbing the ring Lach gave me the other night.

"Lach didn’t tell you?" I ask, surprised.

"No. The three of us agreed that we wanted the proposals to be private. I knew he was going to do it, and I saw the ring, I just didn’t know how or when."

"What about Cam?" I ask, the worry about him feeling left out creeping back. Jack only pretends to zip his lips closed. Fuck. I'd have to find a second to sneak a look at my phone and see if Isla found anything.

"How do you feel about the proposal?" Jack asks, threading his fingers through mine. "You didn’t seem too keen before, so I wasn’t sure how it would go – especially when Lach told me he was asking you so soon."

Does that mean Jack’s not asking soon? A jolt of disappointment races through me, but I push it down deep. "It was a complete surprise, but honestly, I think what surprised me more was how much my feelings had changed. I still don’t want you guys to support me, and I still want to be independent, but I don’t want to do it alone."

"Good," Jack says, his face betraying the emotion behind that simple word.

"Do you mind if I check my phone quick?" I ask, "Isla was supposed to text me and I completely forgot about it till now."

"Of course. Why don't you check while I’m getting the next course ready?" he says, standing up and starting to clear the dishes.

I pad to the front hall and grab my phone off the console table, unlocking it to find ten texts from Isla. Fuck. My heart is lodged in my throat as I unlock my phone, but I relax a little when I realize they’re from only a few minutes ago. She sent pictures of five different rings. I scan through them quickly, my gaze snagging on a ring that looks hundreds of years old. It’s a gold signet ring, the engraving almost completely worn down, but it gives it an air of mystery instead of looking worn. Isla had written a little blurb under it: they’re telling me this is from the 16th century – found here in the Outer Hebrides. I fire off a text telling her it’s perfect, then leave the phone on the table. When I return to the kitchen, I lean against the doorframe and watch Jack add ingredients to the pot. He has his hair pulled back, his sleeves pushed to his elbows as he pours the broth. The tie on his robe has loosened, giving me a glimpse of his hard chest.

"Jack," I breathe, my body coming alive for him.

"Don't look at me like that, Charlotte," he says, his voice low and husky.

"Like what?"

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