Read Charlie's Last Stand Online
Authors: Isabelle Flynn
Charlie's Last Stand
CHARLIE'S LAST STAND
By Isabelle Flynn
Copyright © 2013 by Isabelle Flynn
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Copyright © 2013 by Isabelle Flynn
This is a work of fiction. Characters, settings, names and occurrences are a
product of the author’s imagination and bear no resemblance to any actual
person, living or dead, places or settings, and/or occurrences. Any incidences
of resemblance are purely coincidental.
“No. No. No. Not today.” The flannel sheet flew up as she
kicked it off her legs. Charlie stumbled out of bed and shoved the hair out of
her face. The clock had to be wrong. She'd been up at two and then four to make
sure she didn't oversleep.
This was going to be her day. HER DAY! Being late wasn't a
part of the plan. Her outfit was laid out, her makeup waiting on the bathroom
counter. She had agonized over the dress, the makeup for longer than a month,
willing the right moment to come up. The black dress, perfume, lipstick and
mascara were her battle gear for a winner-takes-all campaign to get Dr. Christopher
Ainsworth's attention.
Chris was going to drool. Today, he would be taking notice
and by the end of tonight, she’d have a date. An actual date that involved more
than a quick bite to eat at the pizza place down the road from their office or
some stuffy charity event.
Chris was the full package. Sweet and thoughtful, he'd been
there for her when she needed him the most. He was also hot. Fit and sexy, he
still somehow managed to keep his ego in check and stay oblivious to the
constant flirting and innuendos she'd witnessed through the years. Lately, it
had become harder to remember she had no claim to Chris. He was free to date
any one of the women attempting to seize his attention.
She dropped her lucky llama pajamas on to the tile floor and
jumped into the shower before feeling the temperature. It was cold. Very, very
cold. Her brother and his family had used all of the hot water. A downside of
living in someone else's house. Huddled in the corner, she soaped up while
working up the nerve to rinse in the icy water. This was not the start to the
day she had planned out the night before.
She finished in record time. The mirror was clear, one
benefit of taking the frigid shower. It only took a few minutes to smooth on moisturizer
and foundation. Slipping on her new black panties, she tried not to think about
how much she paid for the little scrap of lace. The outfit was a not-so-small
chunk out of her savings but what were a few more weeks at her brother’s when
she’d finally have Chris Ainsworth all to herself. It’d be worth it. She just
knew the dress, the makeup, the new attitude would get her exactly what she
wanted.
And, if it didn't, she had her answer. It was time to move
on.
She ran out of the bathroom to check the time. 8:30. A surge
of adrenaline had her speeding up. She was supposed to be at the office at
eight. Chris usually arrived in the next few minutes. What would he think when
he didn't see her car in the lot? When he had to use his own keys to unlock the
door? They began accepting patients at nine. Diane wouldn't be there until five
minutes before to boot up her computer and turn the phones on.
She imagined Chris's response to the short black dress. She
never wore dresses or skirts or shorts to work. It was always business casual.
Pressed pants with perfectly practical and completely boring blouses. He had to
notice her today. The neckline of the dress scooped down, giving her new
sculpting bra a chance to showcase the cleavage she tended to hide. She slipped
on a cashmere black cardigan to keep her modesty while the office was open for
patients. She had planned on arriving on time, slipping her sweater off, and
waiting for the fifteen minutes of alone time they spent chatting each morning.
Maybe he would finally see her as more than just his best friend's sister and
the buttoned up woman who ran his office.
She threw her leather satchel over her shoulder and took one
last look in the mirror before leaving her bedroom. She entered the kitchen to
grab a travel cup of coffee on her way out but her brother's appearance at the
breakfast table stopped her. He should have left fifteen minutes ago and Will
never deviated from his schedule.
“You're late.”
Leave it to her brother to point out the obvious. “I know.”
“I was going to call you anyhow. Can you watch the kids
tonight? Beth bailed on us and we have reservations at La Cocina for dinner.”
“I can't.” She never said no to her brother. Ever. He and
her sister-in-law had taken her in after the divorce. They supplied a happy
place to land, and she provided free babysitting. It was a mutually satisfying
relationship that had worked well in the last year.
So it was no surprise that her brother's eyes bugged out and
he stopped in the middle of reaching for his cup of coffee. “Why?”
“I have plans.” She pulled a mug from the cupboard and
poured the last of the carafe. She didn't need to look at her brother to know
exactly the kind of face he was pulling. Wide brown eyes, mouth open in
disbelief. Little Charlie was ready to date again.
“Oh, well, I'm sure Diane won't mind coming over here
tonight.”
Diane?
“What are you talking about?”
Her brother took the last drink from his coffee cup and
stood. “Your plans for tonight. Sue and I don't care if you want to have Diane
over to ring in the New Year. I'm sure you girls can wait until after bedtime
to start the margaritas.”
“Girls?” Of course. Why would she have an actual date with
an actual guy on New Year's Eve? She sloshed a little too much creamer into the
mug and slammed the top on. “I don't have plans with Diane. I'm sorry about the
kids. Can you do dinner on another night?”
“No, we can't. It's New Year's, Charlie.” He reached for his
newspaper and rolled it up. “Are you saying you have a date?”
This was the tricky part. Technically she did not have an
actual date planned for the evening...but she would before the day was out. She
was sure of it. She didn't look at her brother. There was no lying if he pulled
that big brother stare down on her. “Sorry. I hope you can get things worked
out before tonight.”
She rushed out of the house, leaving her brother behind to
figure it out for himself.
****
Only a few more hours and Chris could call the year a
complete success. Not only did he open his own practice but it was thriving,
with far more patients than he needed to maintain a one-man shop. As long as
today went well, this would go down in the books as one great year.
He arrived at the office at his usual time but the door was locked.
It took several attempts using the different keys on his keychain before
finding the right one. He was just turning the lights on when patients arrived
behind him.
He stumbled over a greeting he hoped was suitably pleasant
and welcoming and rushed to the front desk to see if Charlie had left him a
note. Nothing. She was never late. In the year since they opened the office, he
couldn't even remember one instance of her not being there when he walked in
the door. It was one more sign that something was wrong. He’d been getting more
and more concerned about her lately. She hadn't seemed like herself in weeks
and now not showing up on time. It had to mean something.
He was about to call her cell when Diane stomped her way
into reception.
She came to an abrupt stop when she spotted him behind the
front desk. “Where's Charlie?”
“She's late. Can you call her to see if everything's okay?”
He stood and relinquished her seat.
“What do you mean she's late? She's never late...and Doc,
did you let these people in here early?” She whispered the last through her
teeth in an attempt to keep the five women and children from hearing them.
He shrugged. “What was I supposed to tell them?”
“That we're closed.” She shook her head. “You don't see
patients for another thirty minutes. What am I supposed to do with them until
then?” Diane placed her hands at her hips and just looked at him.
“It's okay. I'll start early. Just check them in and I’ll be
ready.” He grabbed the paper bag from the desk. The one that contained two
coffees, a black, no sugar for him, and a pumpkin spice latte, complete with
whipped cream and cinnamon for Charlie. He had hoped to catch some time alone
with her, work out some of the issues that had been popping up lately and find
out what was making her so unhappy. He looked back at the waiting room that
continued to fill up and pushed back his hair. It was going to be a long day.
His cell phone vibrated from his hip and he walked into his
office before answering. “Will, where's Charlie?”
“On her way. Dude, you didn't tell me you already made plans
with her.”
“What are you talking about?” He took the cover off his
coffee and cringed when a few hot drops splashed his hand.
“Your date with Charlie?”
“You've lost me. I thought we were watching the kids for
you.”
“I thought so too, but I asked her and she said she had a
date.” There was silence over the line as they both figured it out on their
own.
“Charlie has a real date?” He could hear his friend drop the
phone and then wrestle it back into his grip. “Oops. Oh, well, I assumed her
date was with you.”
“It isn't. Maybe she just meant she has plans with Diane.”
“Nope. She said it wasn’t. So I guess she's ready to date
again.” Will dropped the phone again. “Listen, I've got to run but I'll catch
up with you.”
“Right. Okay. I'll...uh...talk to you later.” He clicked end
on the phone and stared at it for a few minutes. Charlie, his Charlie was
dating again. How did he miss his chance?
Months of watching and waiting for nothing. He looked at the
coffee cup still in the bag. All along, he’d been searching for ways to show her
they were perfect together outside of work. His plan had been to convince her
that he had nothing better to do than to help her watch Will's kids. Once they
got the kids in bed, he'd pull out some romantic movie he'd rented at lunch.
Maybe he'd get her to curl up against his side, his goal was one kiss. If he
got his lips on hers, maybe, just maybe he could show her that there was more
between them than patient files and medical codes, her brother and their
friendship.
“Doc, you're up in Room Five.” Diane called through his
office door.
He was just pulling the patient's folder from the pocket
beside the door when Charlie walked in from reception.
He noticed pieces of her rather than the full picture. The
length of her tight black dress, inches above her knee, was just shy of being
decent for work. His eyes lingered at her bare thighs until moving up over her
hips, her waist, and then stopped again at the fit of the little black sweater
she wore. He did a double take. Everything was covered and yet he was mesmerized
by her breasts.
Damn, Charlie was stacked. He always knew she had a hot body
but she'd done a good job of keeping it covered since she started working for
him. She usually wore baggy, old lady suits that didn’t give him a glimpse of
the body beneath. Her long blond hair, fell in soft waves around her face. No
tight bun or slicked back ponytail today. He gritted his teeth at the thought
that she was already prepared for her date that night.
“Sorry. I'm late.” She passed him and the sweet scent of pastry
enveloped him. Warm vanilla and sugar, Charlie's signature scent. He stepped
forward, his body no longer completely under his control. He wanted to take a
bite out of her.
She sucked in a breath and her dark blue eyes settled on his
before looking down at the file in his hand. “Is something wrong?”
He forced himself to move away and searched for something to
say but he couldn’t stop from looking over her again. “Where is your coat?”
Her red cheeks darkened. “I forgot it at home, Dad.”
She started to pass him but he wasn't ready to let her go
just yet. “What’s with the dress? Going to a funeral today?”
“A funeral?” Her eyebrows creased.
“You're wearing all black.” He was cursing himself as soon
as the words were out of his mouth.
She peered down at the dress. “No funeral.” She spun away
from him and entered her office without another word.
****
A funeral? He thought she was going to a funeral in the
sexiest dress she could find. So the dress was still appropriate for work but
it was tight and black and short. Didn't that count for anything? Her office
door clicked shut and she banged her head against it. Shoot. Today was already
turning out to be a failure. She bounced her head against the door a second
before a knock sounded from the other side.
Diane voice carried through the thin wood. “Charlie, what
are you doing in there, girl?” She didn't wait for an invite. As soon as the
door was open, she pushed in and looked over Charlie’s entire ensemble. “That
is your sexy vixen outfit?” Diane shook her head as she wiggled her hand back
and forth. “I knew I should have gone with you.”
“Thanks a lot. The clerk at the department store said it
would knock his socks off.”
“First of all, in which department were you shopping? It's
nice and you look great but it might take a bit more for the clueless doctor to
take notice.”
Charlie walked around her friend and dropped her bag on the
desk. “You haven't seen it with the sweater off.”
“Okay...so take the sweater off.”
She hesitated until Diane reached out to unbutton it herself.
She whacked her hand away and started releasing the little mother of pearl
buttons. She pulled it off and tossed it on top of her bag before looking up
for Di's reaction.
“Now, you're talking.” She swiped the cashmere away and put
it behind her back. “Why were you late? He looked like he didn't know what to
do without you.”
Charlie reached for the sweater but Diane stepped back
before she could grab it. “I slept through my alarm and it took me longer to
get ready than usual. Was he surprised?”
“Like a lost little puppy. He relies too much on you. So
what's the next step in your plan to win the doctor’s endless love?”
She hadn't thought any further than getting him alone in the
morning. “I don't know.”
