Page 18 of Runaway Pride

The woman pulled out her phone. “You don’t have to hide it from us, Charlie. We’ve known you for a long time. There was no chance you’d do something so insane as to leave your wedding if it wasn’t for something… orsomeone.”

Charlie froze. “What are you talking about?”

“The man you ran away with. He’s your friend Alex’s brother, right?” Gisele asked. “I never knew you had it in you, to go for someone… out of our field.”

What was Gisele talking about? How did they find out aboutRick?

Gisele presented her phone to the table, exposing Alex’s account with a picture of him and Rick at a baseball stadium. Rick had a pair of sunglasses over his head, a light smile across his face as Alex leaned against him in a selfie shot. His fitted t-shirt hugged his broad chest and shoulders, and the angle caught his long legs where he sat. He lookedgood.

“I tried looking him up after finding out you left with Alex’sbrother. Richard, right?” Gisele squealed. “Oh, my gosh, Charlie. Inever knew Alex’s brother was sosexy. Now I understand what you mean by getting lit up.”

“Wait just a minute. I never said anything about being involved with him!” Charlie protested. “He was just being helpful.” This would imply that she’d been cheating on Matt, and that was thelastthing she wanted to convey.

Eunice, who had been ogling the picture, looked up to throw Charlie a dubious glance. “Come on. A man asspicyas that? Who wouldn’t want to have relations with him? I don’t mean what you did was right, but I totally understand. Wow. What’s he like?”

“Practically astranger,” Charlie snapped. “Please, Rick just happened to be there in his car when I ran off. I needed the ride, and he was kind enough to drive me.”

“Oh, so it’sRick,” Gisele teased. “That’s intimate. You told us you were at a friend’s house for a few days, Charlie. People don’t stay over at stranger’s houses.”

Charlie glared at them. Gisele was only running on speculations. An innocent interaction between her and Rick was being painted into something much more scandalous. For someone as prone to gossip as Gisele, it was difficult to get her to look another direction. When she gets the juice, she won’t let go, but Charlie would not be the protagonist of the woman’s self-made soap opera.

“Don’t look like that. I am very much supporting you on this,” Gisele said, putting her phone away. “Good for you! You should go after what you want.”

“Yeah. You deserve to be with someone who makes you feel alive,” Eunice echoed. “I’m tired of seeing our bunch get sucked into a role expected of them. Sometimes I wish I did the same thing.”

Charlie noticed the brief, somber expression that passed Eunice. Eunice behaved like she found joy in being a mom and devoted wife, but her exhaustion was also obvious.

“What do you think, Aera?” Eunice asked. “You haven’t said anything since Charlie sat down.”

The former archer offered a soft smile. “I think Charlie should do whatever makes her happy.”

“There! See? We’re all here for you!” Gisele clapped. “You’re going to have to bring Rick over sometimes.”

The way she slurred his name irritated Charlie. There was no convincing her friends now, but she needed to make sure they didn’t mouth off such horrible stipulations to the rest. Matt and his family didn’t deserve this kind of humiliation, and she resented Gisele for playing it off to benefit her fascination.

“I need you to not talk like this,” Charlie hissed. “You are making it sound like I have been going behind Matt’s back and having an affair when it isnotlike that at all! You can think what you want, but don’t drag Matt’s name down, okay?”

“Jeez, okay. I hear you loud and clear. My, my, you’ve gotten aggressive.” Gisele said. “I like this change in you!”

The brunch went on smoothly, with Gisele supplying the group with her latest gossip. Eunice was engrossed with the stories, but Charlie noticed Aera’s gaze on her. After they finished their meal, Aera asked Charlie to walk out together.

“How’s it really going with you now that Gisele and Eunice aren’t here?” Aera asked. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Yes I am,” Charlie answered. “I think I’m even happy about the way things turned out. I thought I’d regret it, but I don’t.”

“That’s good.” They stepped out of the building to give the parking servicemen their tickets.

“Gisele and Eunice are a bit much, but they’re not wrong,” Aera said. “I think you did the right thing, going for what your heart desires.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “As women, we are expected to meet impossiblestandards without losing ourselves. It’s not a good way to live, Charlie. We can’t have it all.”

Charlie laughed. “Yeah, not all of us can be likeyou.”

Aera’s expression turned weary, unable to appreciate the good jest. Charlie noticed her sobriety since the start of their brunch but hadn’t had a chance to address it. Something was on Aera’s mind.

“Danny and I are divorcing,” Aera confessed.

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