Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
“Right, well, it’s my job not to choose sides, Mr. Pennington. I’m typing it up as we speak,” she says, and I can already hear her fingers flying across the keys of her laptop. “There.” She proceeds to read her statement, and although I hate that it sounds as if Audrey is apologizing, I agree that it’s sufficient for its purpose.
“That works. Now what?”
“These are printing, and I’ll get to work notifying the guests. If you have anyone who has not checked in yet, I’ll be sure that they are notified as well. If I remember correctly, everyone in attendance was staying at the resort, and there were no locals.”
“That’s correct.” I’m thankful for Charlotte and the fact that I listened when she talked during the planning of all of this to know the answer to that question.
“I’ll take care of the rest. That’s my job. You just take care of her, yeah?” she says, her voice softer.
“We’ve got her,” I assure her. “Call or text if I can help in any way.”
“It’s under control.”
“She’s taking care of it.” I go on to tell them about the statement, and Mrs. West looks relieved.
“Now what?” Liam asks.
“We check on the girls? We support Audrey in any way that we can. Get her drunk? Drive back to Charleston and kick his ass? Fuck, man, I don’t know what we do.” I glance at Mrs. West. “Sorry.” I wince when I realize I dropped the F-bomb.
She waves me off. “Been married to this one for far too many years and raised two rowdy boys. I’m used to it.” She gives me a kind smile. “Boys, sit down and eat something,” she encourages us.
“Not all that hungry, Mom,” Liam replies.
“Sit.” His dad commands. “Eat, and then you all can go check on her.”
So, we sit. We order food and eat silently as we all process today’s turn of events, which isn’t at all what we had planned. Thirty minutes later, we’re headed back to the girls’ suite. Audrey isn’t there.
“She’s in her room,” Charlotte says sadly. “She just needed some time to be alone and to process everything.”
Liam nods. The hurt he feels is palpable.
“You doing okay?” My voice is soft, my question just for her.
“I’m doing okay. I hate this for her. I hate that she’s hurting, and I can’t fix it. I hate that she was close to having a family, and now she’s stuck with me, just me.”
“Hey.” I can’t fucking take it. I slide my arm around her waist and pull her into my chest. I expect a fight but get none as she shudders a deep breath. I hold her until she pulls away and takes a step back. “We’ll get through it like we always do,” she assures me.
We stay and chat awkwardly for a few more minutes, not really sure what to say. Jasper has his arms around his wife, Lorelei. Ty is sitting on the edge of the couch with his hand on Amara’s shoulder. I’m standing as close to Charlotte as she’ll let me, and Liam, he’s on the chair, hands covering his face as he works through his hurt and anger with his brother.
My best friend really knows how to fuck things up.
CHAPTER
FIVE
Charlotte
Today has been a clusterfuck of epic proportions. Audrey insisted she needed some time for herself and sequestered herself in the bridal suite she was supposed to be sharing with her husband.
I feel… antsy. There is nothing I can do to make this better for her, and it’s killing me. My mind won’t stop racing with all the questions. Why did he let things get this far? How is she really doing? Will this turn her away from love? And the biggest, are our parents watching over us? Are they seeing this? Will they be able to silently help her navigate this, because she keeps assuring me that she’s fine and just needs time, but how can she be fine? Her fiancé left her on the day of their wedding.
Lincoln West is an asshole.
“That we can agree on,” a deep voice says from beside me.
I don’t need to turn to see who it is, and I know his voice. However, I do turn to glance at him. “I guess I said that out loud, huh?” I ask, taking another sip of my drink. It’s something fruity and delicious, and even though I can’t taste the alcohol, I know it’s there. I need to slow down. I’m not a big drinker, but after the day I’ve had… that we’ve all had, I felt a few drinks were in order.
“You did,” Spencer says, leaning his shoulder into mine. “And like I said, that we can agree on.”
“Have we ever done that?” I tilt my head to the side. “Have we ever agreed on anything?”
He grins, and his brown eyes sparkle, and his broad smile seems to brighten up the dimly lit bar. “I think this is our first time, Charlie.” He winks, and that one simple action sends a swarm of butterflies that takes flight in my belly.