Chapter Twenty-Eight
Charlotte
Charlotte had been sitting at the desk in her tiny living room, her hand on the mouse, several notebooks spread out in front of her for hours. She had multiple tabs open, flipping between projects to make sure each item that needed to get completed tonight would get an equal amount of attention. She’d even eaten in this spot, realizing she had left a half of a tuna sandwich, two cherry tomatoes, and several pieces of rotini from the pasta salad she’d added to the plate. She was so busy and had forgotten and now the food had been sitting out too long to eat.
Getting up from her desk, she took the plate into the kitchen and dumped it in the trash. She grabbed a diet soda out of the fridge and just as she was returning to the living room, her phone rang.
She looked at the screen and answered, “Emery?”
“Charlotte, you’re awake. Hi. Shit …”
“Shit?”
“I didn’t think you’d answer. I was preparing to leave a message, so I wouldn’t forget what I have to tell you.”
He could have texted a voice memo, but for some reason Charlotte didn’t point that out. Instead, she said, “You’re still working?” She looked at the time. It was almost two in the morning. She couldn’t believe it was that late and that she hadn’t fallen asleep yet. And that Emery was going at it at this hour when he had a wife and two kids at home.
“I haven’t stopped since I basically walked in the door,” he said.
“Me, too.” Charlotte heard the rustling of paper. “What is it that you wanted to tell me?” She was holding a pen and one of the notebooks, ready.
A few seconds passed, and then he laughed. “I’m so tired, I forgot.”
Charlotte laughed, too. She was delirious. She was positive she’d have to redo whatever she touched at this point. Therefore, she needed to focus on things that didn’t challenge her brain, like organizing Emery’s email. “Is it about Boston?” She yawned. “Or the drawings for Ricco’s Cape house? Or …”
More silence until finally, “It’s gone, I have no idea what it was.”
“Happens to me all the time.”
“I’m sorry for calling you so late.”
Before Charlotte went into her bedroom, she set the notebook and pen back on the desk and flipped off the living room light. “Please, it’s my job, I’ll answer any time you call.”
Emery didn’t understand Charlotte yet. He didn’t know that when she gave her commitment, like she had done the other night when having dinner with the mayor, she didn’t go back on her word. Not answering her phone would be going against the promise she made to the Black’s when she accepted their offer of employment.
“I appreciate it,” he replied.
“Of course.” She took a drink of her soda. “Emery, I need you functioning Monday morning, so try to get at least a little sleep this weekend.” She felt the need to remind him because without Emery, this project couldn’t operate, and the builder couldn’t survive without him.
“You better take your own advice.”
Charlotte lifted her tablet off the nightstand, entered her password and began to go through Emery’s emails, filtering the ones he needed to see. It was a task she should have done days ago, but smaller things were slipping through the cracks with their new two-month deadline.
“I’m going right now,” she said.
“If something else comes up or if I remember what I needed to tell you, would it be all right if I called tomorrow? I don’t want to bother you on the weekends, but—”
“You’re no bother, I assure you. Please call anytime.”
“Good night, Charlotte,” he said and hung up.
She set her phone down and pulled the blanket up to her chin, continuing to scroll through the large backlog of messages. She hadn’t gotten through more than a few hundred when a text from Emery came across the screen of her phone.
I see you in my inbox. Go to bed.
Charlotte laughed when she saw she had been caught, but she was happy it had happened. As far as she knew, he had never questioned her dedication to this job. After tonight, she hoped he never would because she didn’t know any other way to show him how committed she was.
She replied with a smile emoji, and then she put down her tablet and she went to bed.