I nod and he leaves, but I didn’t miss the relief on his face at the interruption.
“What was that all about,” Charlotte asks, perching on the desk the way she has done since we were toddlers and she had pigtails.
“I was about to find out, I think, when you interrupted.”
“Oh,” she winces. “I’m sorry. I was passing and heard you talking to Alex, so figured it was okay to interrupt. You know patience has never been my best quality.”
Rolling my eyes, I grin.
She frowns, narrowing her eyes. “Why do I get the feeling you’re about to start on me about something?”
“Probably because I am. You let Alex escape so it’s your turn.” I pause and then go for it, “Whose the guy, Charlotte?”
Her smile slips along with her color and tears fill her eyes. “Tanner Jackson,” she whispers as I pick her up and sit her on my lap. She chuckles, but lets her head fall to my shoulder.
“Why didn’t you come to me?” I’m unable to keep the hurt out of my voice even though I try. “I’m you’re twin. The one who you can tell anything to without being judged.”
Her tears fall at my words. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t need an apology, sis. What I need is for you to tell me what this guy did to you, and where I can find him.”
She shakes her head and moves away from me. Grabbing tissues, she dabs at her face. “He didn’t do anything to me, other than made me fall in love with him.” She sniffles. “He told me that he’d broken off his engagement. Once he went home something must have happened because he was engaged again. I went with him with my eyes open knowing that it would only be one night…except the connection between us was off the charts.”
She sits on the sofa so I join her and take her hand. “Tell me.” I’m guessing there’s more.
“We exchanged numbers and chatted on a daily basis until everything just suddenly stopped. I’ve still messaged him daily...only once a day. He reads them but doesn’t reply…I didn’t know it was possible to miss someone after spending only one night with them.”
My mind wanders to Brooke and I know how I felt about her after only a few hours. “Anything is possible, and I wish I knew what to tell you…wait a minute, Tanner Jackson? He was at Sirena and Garrett’s wedding, right?”
Charlotte nods. “Yes. That’s where it all started. I know I need to let go and stop messaging him, but it’s habit and I’m not sure I can.” Silence follows and then she asks, “If it was you and Brooke in this situation, what would you do?”
“That’s easy. I’d turn up on her doorstep and tell her I loved her.”
She blinks and stares at me, and that’s when I realize my mistake. “Charlotte, look, are you sure he’d broken the engagement before that night?”
“He told me that his life was screwed up and about the engagement being off. He did say that no matter what happened between us, all it could ever be was one night.” Tears pop into her eyes again. “What we shared was real. I know what I felt between us.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to suggest this,” I brush my hand through my hair, “but I really do think that you need to just turn up at his front door. You need to know whether or not there’s any chance for you. You can’t move on unless you do, and you’ll always wonder. Maybe his life isn’t as happy it should be.”
“Why didn’t I talk to you first?” She slides to the side and rests her head on my shoulder so I put my arm around her shoulders.
“Because I’m your brother and don’t even want to imagine you getting up to anything with a guy.”
She giggles. “So when do I get to meet Brooke?”
“Everyone know?”
“Probably. I know that Mom is excited and can’t wait to meet her. So make sure you take her to the house soon. Call first though.” She shudders. “I turned up unannounced the other day and Dad’s shirt was missing and Mom tried to quickly straighten her clothes. She’d forgotten to do up her blouse.”
I groan and laugh at the embarrassment I can imagine Charlotte suffering. “What did you do?”
“I went bright red and got the hell out of there. I shouted over my shoulder that I’d call next time.” She shudders. “I love that our parents are still crazy about each other, but geez, I have no wish to ever see them, you know?”
Chuckling, she elbows me in the side. “Your turn.”
I frown. “I don’t have any secrets.”
“Oh yes, you do! You know what’s going on with Alex. He isn’t sick, is he?” She tugs her bottom lip between her teeth.