Contracted For Love: Famous Love Series (19 page)

Four days after Charlotte arrived home in Australia with her heart in pieces for the second time, her phone beeped. She’d set it up with separate ring tones so she knew who it was from before she picked it up to look.

Jack.

She didn’t want to read any messages from him, but she couldn’t resist. She’d left his hospital room in a shocked daze with him calling down the hall after her. Nikki had been a trooper, helping her escape by booking them tickets to Melbourne for the very next day.

She’d spent two months with Jack, with them together almost every day. Then they’d had six months apart and she could finally admit now that she missed rolling over and knowing he’d be right there. Whatever differences they’d had, he’d been great company, and she missed the closeness they’d shared, even if it was all make believe. Giving in to the inevitable, she picked up her phone and scrolled to his message. It was simple and to the point:

I MESSED UP, CHAR. PLEASE TEXT BACK.

She put the phone on the table and thought about what to do. If she answered, would he assume he was forgiven? Would it start a flood of texts that she couldn’t ignore? What would it take to make him stop, once he’d broken the ice this time? On the other hand, if she ignored the message, what would he think of her?

What will he think of me? I’m not the one suggesting we bang each other for fun!

If they didn’t sort out their relationship soon would he decide she’d never cared about him, or wonder if she’d met someone else? There’d been a rumour a few months ago about her and Jason Madigan, after the feature piece he’d written had been published. His interview with her had gone live and had been a raging success. Several media outlets commented about the intimacy of their time together. Reid had told her Jack had mentioned it to him, so she knew he was aware of Jason. She should have had a reasonable conversation with him in the hospital, but after he’d requested they start having sex as part of a change to the contract, she’d panicked and fled.

What the fuck was he thinking, asking me that?

Did she want to continue ignoring him? They would be moving in similar circles for the foreseeable future, so it would probably pay to be on speaking terms. The media was making quite a big deal about the fact that she’d left, again, after a visit to his hospital bedside. On the plane she’d decided to get the divorce papers drawn up as soon as she got home. She knew now, that the moment they were drawn up and lodged, she’d be reading about it online. At least she knew what irreconcilable differences meant now. They wouldn’t be able to come back from this, would they?

Before she could change her mind, she picked up the phone and quickly tapped out a reply:

BACK.

She pressed send before she could change her mind, and then she waited:

CUTE. STILL A SMARTASS, I SEE.

Then another text from him straight after:

SORRY, DON’T TAKE THAT THE WRONG WAY :)

Charlotte sighed. She didn’t want to spend her whole day texting him stupid messages, so she put the phone in a drawer and went outside to help her mother weed the vegetable garden.

Two hours later, dirty and sweaty, she headed straight for the shower. When she emerged, wrapped in a towel, Sharon handed her the phone. Without thinking, she took it and said, “Hello?”

“Char?” She glared at her mother, who put her hand up to her mouth and chuckled. “Why did you run away?”

“Why are you calling me, Jack?”

“You didn’t answer my text messages.”

“I’m busy. What do you want?”

“Please, Char,” he paused and she thought he sounded miserable. “I didn’t want anything. I just wanted to hear your voice and make sure you’re okay. Maybe we can talk for a bit since you didn’t say anything before you left. I still want to know when you’re coming home.” He was silent as she thought about how to answer. She didn’t want to talk to him. Any conversation would lead to him wanting to meet again, and she wasn’t ready for that. Spending time with Reid had been difficult enough, while he was with Nikki these last few months; seeing Jack would bring her undone at the seams all over again. She’d thought she was over him after six months apart, but his suggestion in the hospital and the sound of his voice now reminded her she was nowhere near cured.

Not only are you not over him, you were sorely tempted to accept his offer.

“I don’t have anything to say to you, Jack. I’ve told you several times, I don’t want to see you again.”

His sigh could have carried all the way to her without the aid of the telephone. She could feel her heart breaking at that sound, but she had to put an end to this now, for both their sakes. He needed to move on and get back to his nice, safe, ordered life, and she had a career to focus on. They had no common ground where they could meet, anymore.

“I have to go,” she said and pulled the phone away from her ear. As she pressed the disconnect button, she thought she heard a sob through the phone. Her mother stood nearby, looking at her with sympathy and a touch of sadness, and her dad was leaning against the doorframe watching her.

“Why do you keep rejecting him, Charlotte?” Ed asked.

“What? Why are you asking me that? You know what happened in Vegas.”

“I do, but I also know that man loves you.”

She scoffed. “You don’t know what you’re talking about Dad, trust me. Jack does not love me. He just wants to have sex with me. He said exactly that to me in the hospital.”

Her dad sighed and stood in front of her, “I don’t know what you talked about in the hospital but I do know what Jack told me at your wedding.” He took her shoulders and waited until she looked him in the eye. “He told me I didn’t have to worry about you because he’d look after you. He said he loved you and always would.”

“Well, he never told me that. Why would he say that to you?”

“I have no idea. He did keep glancing at you and he kept his voice lowered, almost like he didn’t want you to hear. I thought that was kind of strange but, let’s face it, your whole fucking wedding day was strange for us.”

She smiled at him and gave him a hug. “Thanks Dad. I appreciate the pep talk. I can’t be with him unless he can tell me those things himself, though.” She handed the phone to Sharon and headed for her room. Another week of crying in bed didn’t sound so bad.

***

Two days later, Nikki burst into her room. She was waving a piece of paper that looked like a print out from the internet. “Tell me you haven’t been online,” she said, gasping for breath.

“Nope, I was asleep until you crashed in here. What’s wrong, this time?”

“It’s nothing. Reid called me and insisted I come down here to make sure you knew it was nothing.” She glanced at the clock. “It’s eleven in the morning; why are you still in bed?”

“Because I can do whatever I fucking want. Now, what’s nothing?” She sat up and snatched the paper out of Nikki’s hand as her eyes ran down the print. “What. The. Actual. Fuck?”

“Reid said it was a lie. He hasn’t been anywhere near her. They think she paid a couple of sources to plant the story, knowing you’d probably hear about it.”

Charlotte screwed her eyes shut and rubbed her hand across her forehead. She thrust the paper at Nikki. “You know what? I don’t give a fuck. I don’t care what he does or who he does it with. Cindy is welcome to him.”

“Charlotte, the story isn’t true.”

“I don’t care if it is or isn’t. Why can’t this all just go away? He tells me in the hospital that we should have meaningless sex. Instead of getting the message when I leave, he’s harassing me by text. Now she’s doing it from the other side of the world through the media. I refuse to participate in their drama. Meeting Jack Fawkner was the worst bloody thing that ever happened to me!” Charlotte slumped onto her pillows and pulled the covers over her head.

A deep voice from the hallway felt compelled to defend itself, “That’s not fair. Most of our time together was magical.”

Charlotte and Nikki froze as Nikki turned toward the door and Charlotte hid under her covers, hardly believing her ears. “Reid!” Her friend screamed as she launched herself into his arms.

“Hey, baby. I couldn’t stay away. Between you and the kangaroos, I’ve been enchanted.” He laughed as Nikki kissed him all over his face, and Charlotte heard them stumble into the hallway. She could just imagine what her mother thought of
that
. Before she had time to consider the front door banging open and closed, the covers on her bed were gently tugged down. As they slipped off, she came face-to-face with Jack’s concerned face.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey. You shouldn’t be here.”

“I know. I’m not very good at following orders, it turns out.” He traced a finger down her face. “I had to see you—I’ve been worried sick.”

She sat up and leaned against her pillows. “Jack, you should go. I meant it when I said I wouldn’t sleep with you.”

He looked startled. He’d expected a better reaction, obviously, especially in light of the instant connection between Nikki and Reid. “I’m not leaving.”

She pushed the covers off and struggled to stand up. “Then I will. I’m not doing this with you again. I
told
you: I’m done with you and the contract.”

“Fuck the contract, Char. I didn’t come here because of a stupid agreement we made.”

“Can you please stop calling me that? I don’t know why you think my name can somehow be shortened. You don’t even say it right—I’m not char-grilled, like meat. It’s a shhh sound.” She stood with her arms crossed, glaring at him. The edge of his lip twitched and she narrowed her eyes, daring him to laugh at her.

“Will you stay here long enough for me to explain why I’ve nicknamed you that?”

“If you make it quick.”

“Like you have so many places to be.”

“Don’t fucking tempt me, Jack. I will throw your ass out of here, if you push me.”

“Okay, sorry.” He looked down and glared at the floor. “This is not going at all how I imagined.”

“That’s because you’re an idiot. You thought I’d see you and fall at your feet? After the fucking stupid offer you made me?”

“Well, it sure worked for Reid. What the hell has gotten into him? He hasn’t screwed anyone else since he came home before Christmas. I think he’s serious about her.”

“At least someone knows how to love. Let me ask you one thing: why did you even propose to me properly in Paris? Why did you buy me a giant engagement ring? Why carry me over the threshold when we got married? You made me think this might have meant something more to you than just a contractual agreement; you had me labouring under that impression this whole time. I kept waiting for you to tell me it meant more to you than just good business. Now I know you just wanted to get some.”

He closed his eyes before he answered, and she had a moment to examine his face. He seemed older, somehow, like the last six months had taken its toll. She’d thought it was just the hospital lighting making him look like that. Considering what she looked like each day when she looked in the mirror, Charlotte felt a tiny jolt of sympathy for him, but she snapped her mind down on that feeling straight away. Softening toward him would do no one any good—it would just hurt more when she eventually made him leave.

He opened his eyes and pierced her with his gaze. “Can we go for a walk?”

“Why?”

“I just… um… I feel like we have a lot to talk about. We’re squashed in here, in what appears to be,” he looked around the room, “your teenage self’s bedroom. I’d like to take a walk, so we can have a long talk and sort out our differences. If you still want me to go at the end of that, I’ll leave. I promise.”

“You’re on. It sounds like it’s the only way I can get you to go. Give me a minute,” she said as she stepped into the bathroom. Charlotte glanced at him as she turned around to shut the door and saw him drop his head into his hands.

***

Emerging a few minutes later, Charlotte was fresh-faced with her hair brushed and her teeth cleaned. While she’d performed those small acts of grooming, she’d cringed that it had been several days since she’d cleaned her teeth; she’d barely been out of bed since the day he’d sent the text messages. Charlotte crossed her fingers that she wouldn’t have such a negative reaction after this visit. Deep inside, she worried she might never recover from today.

Leading the way out the back door, she took him toward the creek that flowed at the rear of her parents’ property. She knew every corner of these grounds, having played here every day as a child. They could walk for an hour before they’d hit any fences and need to turn around.

This is where I wanted to bring him to experience the laid-back Aussie lifestyle. Too bad he ruined it before we could come.

“Well, Jack?” she said after he’d been silent for several minutes. “Speak.”

“Are there any snakes out here?”

“That’s the first thing you have to say?” She sighed and continued, “Of course there are snakes, it’s summer. Don’t worry; you’re wearing rock star boots. Snakes can’t bite through those.”