Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 149(@200wpm)___ 119(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 149(@200wpm)___ 119(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Oh! My! God!
"Will you please shut up?" She tried shoving him away, but it was like shoving off a brick wall.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten all about it."
No, she absolutely had not forgotten a thing, and it was why her face was now burning in embarrassment.
"It was the only thing I looked forward to, every time I had to leave you for a job. I loved how you'd do everything just to keep me from getting out of our bed. One more kiss. Please, Land. One last f—-"
"I remember," she nearly yelled. "I totally remember everything, so can you please shut up?"
"I'd gladly do so, but..." He suddenly stopped walking, and Charlotte's steps came to an abrupt halt as well. "We're already here."
Chapter Four
CHARLOTTE HAD FORGOTTEN what it felt like to be self-conscious about her age. Ever since Land...went away, she had secretly looked forward to getting old, and had seen every birthday she celebrated as one step closer to seeing him again in Heaven.
But now that Land had come back to her in a younger man's body, her age was once again a liability, and all she could think about was how she was the only one in the room in her thirties while everyone else, her own husband included, was in their twenties.
Sano kept his arm around her waist as he introduced the others to her one by one. Yuki Himura, the half-Russian, half-Japanese entrepreneur she had already spoken to on the phone, while his American wife KC was someone Charlotte was quite familiar with, since she was a huge fan of KC's shoujo manga.
The second couple, Charlotte also recognized by virtue of their names and faces. Silver was the younger son of Senator Samuel March while his fiancée Lace was widely considered as the face of today's generation of women in sports.
And finally, there was Vassi and Seri Grachyov, whose romance had once created quite a stir because the two had been step-siblings at first. Since her friend Fredericka had married Vassi's oldest brother Sergei, Charlotte was personally acquainted with the last couple, and it was their curious gazes that had her internally squirming the most.
"It's nice to see you again." Vassi was the first one to speak as soon as Sano finished with his introductions, but the very smoothness of his tone told Charlotte that the model-turned-actor was not to be trusted.
"You're intending to tell Freddie about this, aren't you?" Charlotte grumbled.
Vassi's lips slowly curved into a smile that could only be described as sly. "Is there something to tell? Sano only said you two were childhood friends."
Charlotte dearly wished at that moment she was the type to curse up a storm. Vassi totally had her there, and Sano just made it all the more obvious when he gave the other guy a thumbs up.
The conversation eventually turned to business as they moved to the lounge's private dining area, and Charlotte was grateful for the change of subject. Her heart might already be convinced about Sano being Land, but her mind remained resistant, and it continued to view anything linked to Sano as adultery.
A pair of kimono-clad women began serving tea as Yuki summarized the main points of his company's joint venture with the national government, which was a luxury train cruise that offered anything from overnight to week-long getaways.
Charlotte was increasingly impressed as she read up on the proposal Yuki had emailed to everyone. She had no idea that the posh lounge they were in right now was exclusive to Yume passengers. She had simply assumed that every facility in train stations had to be public property.
"If you guys flip to the Events section," KC began, "you'll see that we have permanently blocked-out dates. These are the days when Yume will be offering omiai cruises."
"That's basically matchmaking in Japanese, right?" Lace asked.
KC nodded. "It's a lot smilar to what Charlotte does with her agency, Heart's Match. And unlike in Western countries, matchmaking is standard practice here in Japan, but it also isn't a love match per se. More emphasis is placed on the business and practical side of things, and that's where I want the Yume cruise train to differ. Several times each year, I want the Yume to be like Heart's Match on wheels—-" KC looked at Charlotte hopefully. "—-but only with your approval, of course."
The closet romantic inside of Charlotte wanted to say yes right away, but her other and more pragmatic side couldn't help weighing the pros and cons. "How exactly is it going to work?"
"Our local team will be responsible for the initial screening of candidates," Yuki illustrated, "and we'll let you know if there are certain aspects unique to Japanese culture that you'd have to consider. Other than that, you'll have carte blanche when it comes to selecting marriage partners."
"Can you give me an example of what those 'aspects' are?" Charlotte asked.