Love Beyond the Curve (BookStrand Publishing Romance) (13 page)

Charlotte didn’t answer him, but kept walking toward the stairs to her apartment.

Maybe she didn’t hear me, or worse, she did, and doesn’t want to speak to me after that stupid note I left for her.

“Charlotte! Wait up.” Reed threw his briefcase in the cab of his truck and jogged over to catch her before she went inside. He reached her as she started climbing the stairway. “Charlotte? Are you pissed with me? Look, I’m sorry about that note. It was…” Reed stopped midsentence when Charlotte turned around to face him. She was crying, and had been for a while, based on her red nose and puffy eyes. “What’s wrong? What happened? Are you okay?” Reed placed his hands on her shoulders and searched her face for a clue to her distress. She was standing on the second step and was eye to eye with him. He waited patiently for her to answer, wiping away a falling tear with the pad of his thumb. He took her in his arms and held her as she began to cry softly on his shoulder. He gently rubbed her back as he comforted her, waiting for her to share with him what had brought her to tears.

In a few minutes, Charlotte raised her head and began to wipe away her tears. “I lost a patient this morning. I met her my first week on the job, and we had grown close. She was more than a patient to me. She was only seven years old, and her body just gave out. She was so brave.”

“I’m so sorry, Charlotte. I know it has to be hard to see someone so young go through that. It doesn’t seem fair.” Reed talked as he led her on up the stairs and took her keys from her to unlock the door.

Once inside, they walked over to the sofa and took a seat. Reed kept his arm around her as she began to talk more about what happened. “Her name was Amelia. She was so smart and had her own dreams about what she wanted to do when she got well. She was precious. I tell myself all the time to not get too close, but I do every time. I can’t help it. It never gets any easier. If it ever does, I’ll know it’s time to quit.” She leaned her head over on his shoulder and let him hold her close. Somehow it helped to be in someone’s strong arms. Someone with whom she could let down her guard. Someone who had seen her at her worst and didn’t seem to mind. Reed was that someone for her.

“Do you want me to take the day off and stick around for a while?” Reed asked her as he gently stroked her upper arm. He kissed the top of her head and waited for her reply.

Charlotte sat up and said sincerely, “No, Reed. I’ll be fine. I’ll take a shower and go to bed and get a few hours of sleep before I have to go back. I’ve already made you late for work as it is.”

“I’m the boss. Remember? I can come in when I want to. If I want to. I’ll be happy to stay. Just say the word.” He smiled sweetly as he gently wiped her cheeks with his thumbs.

“No. You go ahead. You’ve helped more than you know. I’ll be fine. This goes with being a nurse at St. Jude’s. I don’t like this part, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, or be doing anything else. It’s who I am.”

Reed took her hand in his and squeezed it slightly. He reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand, looking directly into her eyes. “I like who you are, Charlotte Hamilton.”

Charlotte felt her face warm and looked down at her hands. She raised her eyes to look into the kind, brown eyes looking down at her, and smiled. “I’m glad, Reed Jackson.”

Reed slowly, almost hesitantly, leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips. He then stood and took her hand to pull her behind him as he headed toward the door. He stopped and turned around to face her. “Call me if you need me. Whenever. It doesn’t matter what time it is.”

Charlotte nodded and said, “I will.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, Reed. I promise.” Charlotte took her hand from him and shoved it into her pocket. When she did, she felt the envelope in there. She slowly pulled it from her pocket and called down to Reed, who had begun to descend the stairs. She held up the envelope and when he paused to turn around said, “Nice touch, Jackson. I’ll see you at seven Saturday.”

Reed blushed and smiled broadly at her acceptance to his dinner invitation. “I’ll be counting the hours.” He turned and jogged down the rest of the stairs and over to his truck. He hopped in and backed out, waving to Charlotte, who was still standing on the landing watching him drive away.

Charlotte went back inside and grabbed an apple to eat as she headed for the shower. Soon she was resting comfortably in her bed. She didn’t realize how tired she was until she stretched out and relaxed a bit. The last thought she had before sleep overtook her exhausted body was of Amelia and her beautiful smile, and the comfort she had found in Reed Jackson’s strong embrace.

Chapter Twenty-Six

“Damn it! I look huge in everything! Why did I skip my exercise routine twice this week of all weeks? This is going to be our first and last date if I can’t pull something together,” Charlotte fussed out loud as she threw the third dress she had tried on for her date with Reed on top of the other two piled on the chair in her bedroom. She walked back to her closet and began hastily jerking hangers to the left as she searched for the perfect dress for the evening. She had been too busy with work to shop for something new, so she would have to settle on something already hanging in her closet. She stopped when she came to a navy-blue V-necked dress with three-quarter-length sleeves and shutter pleats. The tags still hung from underneath the arm. She had bought the dress on sale because she liked it so much, even though it was two sizes too small at the time. That had been three months ago. It was supposed to be her “incentive” dress. She bit the tip of her pale-pink fingernail as she thought about how the dress would look now after three months of dieting and regular exercise.

She quickly unzipped the dress and slipped it over her head. She gasped as she gazed at her reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of her bathroom door. It was a perfect fit. She turned all around and saw no bulges or strained fabric. Next she did the ultimate test. She sat down in the chair to see if it felt comfortable, or like it might rip if she coughed or sneezed too hard. It felt wonderful. It was even loose across her abdomen. This was it. This was the dress she would wear tonight. She couldn’t help but raise her hands in the air and do a little dance of happiness there in her room. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about her outfit anymore. She would wear her high-heeled navy-blue pumps and carry her small leather navy clutch. With those decisions made, she proceeded to take a long, hot bath and take time to put forth some extra effort with her hair and makeup. She was going to be a princess tonight, even if it was only in her own mind.

* * * *

Reed was dressed by six thirty, but he didn’t dare go over early. He was excited about finally having the chance to show Charlotte how he was beginning to feel for her. A day didn’t go by that he didn’t think about her at least twenty times. She was getting under his skin, and he needed to see where it could go if he tried seeing her in a true dating setting. Tonight he hoped to show Charlotte he saw her as a potential girlfriend, and not only as a friend.

He walked back into his room to take a final look at himself before collecting his keys and phone and walking on over to get her.

Not too shabby. A black suit, white shirt, and blue tie may be on the boring side, but I’m sticking with classic styling. I should have gotten a haircut, but it’s too late to think about that now. I hope she doesn’t have an aversion to facial hair, seeing as I’ve got myself a full-blown beard and mustache going now. I hate shaving, and I’m keeping my winter tradition going. She’ll have to take me as I am. Hell, if she even slightly alludes to disliking it, it will be gone by morning. Okay, man. This is it. Be cool. Be yourself. It’s just a dinner. Right…with the girl of my dreams every night for the last few weeks. Here goes nothing.

Reed rang the doorbell at exactly seven on the dot. He was greeted by Charlotte, looking more beautiful than he’d ever seen her look before. She had always been in her uniform or casual clothes. Tonight she was radiant. Her hair fell in thick dark waves over her shoulders and down her back. The navy-blue dress brought out the blue in her eyes and accented her hourglass figure. He noticed she had gotten thinner since she had arrived back in June. How did he miss that? She was just Charlotte, but now she was
Charlotte
. Her legs were beautifully shaped and seemed to go on forever as she stood there wearing the spiked high heels. Even in heels, she only reached his chin.

“You look stunning, Charlotte. Here. These are for you.” He handed her a dainty Victorian bouquet of three pink rosebuds with greenery and tiny white flowers round them. Pink satin ribbon was wrapped around the short stems, making them easy to carry.

“Reed, they are beautiful. How thoughtful. Thank you.” Charlotte held them to her nose to take in their lovely fragrance. She reached up and lightly kissed his cheek before leading him into the apartment.

“Would you like a glass of wine before we go, or do we need to leave right away?” Charlotte walked to the bar and put the bouquet beside her evening bag.

“That would be great. Our reservations are for eight, so we have time for a glass. Shall I open the bottle for you?”

“Yes, there is a corkscrew in that drawer, and I’ll get us a couple of glasses.” Charlotte indicated where he would find the corkscrew with a nod of her head as she took a bottle of port from the wine rack built into the cabinets.

They took their wine and went to take a seat on the sofa. Reed raised his glass and said with a smile, “To a night of discovery. May it be the first of many.”

Charlotte nodded and touched her goblet to his before taking a sip of the warm liquid. “You look terribly handsome tonight. You clean up rather nicely, Jackson.” Charlotte nodded her approval as she looked him over. “I like the beard and mustache. You’ve had a busy week, too, or are you trying something new?”

“I always let it grow during the winter. I keep it close and neat, but when summer comes, it has to go. It’s too hot to have a beard when you work outside as much as I do. I’m glad you like it. I wondered if it would be okay with you.” Reed stroked his beard absently as they discussed it.

“I have always been a fan. My father has one. It becomes you.” Charlotte reached out and cupped his cheek, stroking his beard with the pad of her thumb.

Reed covered her hand with his and turned it to kiss the inside of her wrist. His mustache rubbed lightly over her tender flesh and sent shivers through her body. Reed noticed immediately that her pulse had quickened and leaned over to kiss her lips. He lifted his head and said in a soft tone, “I think we should be going now. I am really looking forward to spending the evening with you.”

Charlotte smiled and squeezed his hand. “I’ve been excited about it, too. I think we will have a good time. I’m going to be myself, and I hope you’ll do the same. If we don’t, this will end up being awkward, and I really don’t want that to happen.”

“Me either. Let’s just go with the flow. Shall we?” Reed took her glass from her and set it, along with his own, on the coffee table. He stood and took her hand and led them to the bar, where Charlotte gathered her purse and flowers.

“I’m ready. After you.” She walked behind him to the door, which he opened for her to exit. He followed closely behind, knowing he had closed the door on the relationship as it was and hopefully would open another door leading to a different, more intimate one, if he had his way.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Dinner was fabulous. I ate more than I should, but I’m not going to worry about it. This place is very elegant. I’m glad you chose to bring me here.” Charlotte expressed her enjoyment of the evening thus far as she took another sip of wine.

“I’m glad you’re pleased with it. I want you to know
you
look very elegant tonight. Everyone turned to stare when we walked in the room.”

“You’re too kind. They may have been wondering what a guy like you was doing with a girl like me.” Charlotte regretted having said it the second it came out of her mouth, but it was the truth. She took another sip of wine and looked across the room to avoid his narrowed eyes frowning back at her.

“Listen, I want us to clear this up once and for all. You are a very beautiful woman, and any man would be out of his mind not to be attracted to you. Don’t put yourself down like that again. No one but you has thoughts like that, and if they do, screw them! Do we have an understanding now?” Reed had leaned in toward her and turned her head around by placing a fingertip on her chin.

“I’m sorry. It’s a reflex to think those things after a lifetime of hearing cutting remarks. I tend to expect the worst in people when it comes to weight issues.” Charlotte half smiled at him and looked down at the wineglass she was twirling by the stem.

“You’re gorgeous, Charlotte. Get used to hearing that. Would you care to take a turn around the dance floor?” Reed stood up and offered her his hand, quickly changing the subject before it put any more of a damper on the evening.

“I’d love to dance.” Charlotte smiled warmly and slid her hand into his, following him onto the floor where a few other couples were taking advantage of the smooth, sultry music being played at the piano.

Reed placed a hand on her waist and took the other hand in his to dance slowly around the floor. “You dance beautifully. You’re very graceful.”

“When have you seen me dance?” Charlotte was surprised to hear him say this and tried to recall when it could have been.