Chapter Forty-Two
Charlotte
Charlotte was sitting at her desk in Emery’s office, neck deep in soil reports for a house he was designing in Cape Cod, when she heard a knock. The door was open, so were all the windows, the papers rustling from the cross-office breeze. When she heard the noise again, she realized it wasn’t coming from outside and she looked up. Her eyes immediately locked with Jesse’s.
“Do you have a minute?”
“Sorry about that,” Charlotte said. “Yes, of course, please come in.” She watched Jesse walk across the room and take a seat on the couch in front of her desk.
“I was hoping we could get everything finalized for Viv’s graduation party along with the details of our trip.”
Charlotte pulled out the notebook she reserved just for Jesse, responsibilities she’d inherited now that she had several months of employment under her belt. She then grabbed a pen and began to read her notes out loud, “Starting with the party, it looks like the mock-ups the florist designed were approved and their invoice has been paid in full. They’ll be here five hours before to set up.” Charlotte attached the most recent photos the florist had sent to a text message and forwarded it to Jesse. When she saw Jesse look at her phone, she added, “I made sure each of your changes were implemented before I gave them the final okay.”
She swiped her finger over the screen, finally glancing up several seconds later. “They look great.”
Charlotte marked that line and moved on to the next item. “The caterer was waiting for the final head count, which I gave to him two days ago. There will be food stations set up outside, one in the kitchen and another in the living room. There will also be three bars, two bartenders behind each one. The final tasting is a week from Tuesday, and he’ll be bringing everything here.” Charlotte went to the bottom of the page, seeing the only thing that was left. “I ordered the whoopie pie cake along with the mini whoopie pies in all the different flavors, including three vegan options, and it will be delivered the morning of.”
“Viv is going to be so thrilled.”
Her voice was so quiet, the sound of it cause Charlotte to glance up.
As a mom, it had to be extremely difficult to watch your first born prepare to go off to college. Charlotte wouldn’t know, she still didn’t even own a plant. But she imagined the challenges a mother would face in that circumstance and how emotional it could be.
And that seemed to be where Jesse was—that emotional place.
Since they had covered all of her notes, Charlotte changed the subject to one she hoped would be a little happier. “Emery said he’d discussed the trip with you and you’re still undecided on where you would like to go.”
According to Emery, the family took a two-week vacation every July. They had traveled all over the world, places as extravagant as Dubai and as remote as a safari in Africa. The kids and Emery made their suggestions, ultimately the location was up to Jesse. She always made the arrangements and surprised them after it was booked.
Jesse had her own notebook, which she was writing notes in as Charlotte read off all the updates. But once Charlotte shifted conversations, Jesse had shut it and was now holding it against her chest. It almost looked like she was hugging it. “He’s pushing for Alaska,” she said.
Charlotte had never been, but she knew people who had gone, and she’d seen pictures and videos from their trips. She also knew how badly Emery wanted to go and how many times he had brought it up to her. Since it didn’t seem like Jesse’s mind was made up, Charlotte felt obligated to try to persuade her. “Alaska is absolutely gorgeous,” she said. “The mountains and wildlife, the peacefulness.” She crossed her legs, getting more comfortable in the chair. “I could look into week-long cruises, maybe one out of Seattle—”
“No.” When Jesse realized how loud she’d spoken, she shook her head and found that gentle tone again. “Boston is where I want to go.”
Out of all the places they still hadn’t traveled to, Charlotte was surprised Jesse had chosen the spot she visited the most, where Viv would be moving to in a few months. But Emery had told Charlotte his wife had a deep love for that city, it was where they had first met, and she tried to go as often as she could.
As Charlotte looked at her, she could see that love. “What day would you like to fly in with the kids?”
“Friday. We’ll stay through the following weekend and fly back to Vermont on Sunday.”
Charlotte looked at her calendar, mapping the logistics of Jesse’s request, factoring in the time she and Emery were scheduled to be in Boston. “It looks like you’ll be meeting Emery there.” She gazed up at his wife to make sure this was all right with her.
“That’s fine.”
Charlotte wrote as she spoke, “I’ll coordinate the plane to pick you and the kids up and take you into Boston whatever time you’d like.” Charlotte paused to scroll to the next month just to confirm. “Unfortunately, your return flight will be without Emery, too, since we’re scheduled to be in Boston at the beginning of that week.”
“Not a problem.” She pushed herself off the couch. “Thanks for your help, Charlotte.” She waved and just as she took a step, her foot wobbled. Her other foot didn’t help steady her at all and she fell onto the ground.
“Jesse …” Charlotte gasped, standing from her chair, rushing over to her.
Charlotte got halfway there before Jesse’s hand went into the air, signaling for Charlotte to stop. Charlotte did, staying perfectly still right where she was, and she watched Jesse catch her breath.
Not a single word was said between the two women.
Eventually, Jesse put her palms on the floor and pushed herself up. “I didn’t eat breakfast.” She sighed, her voice as soft as it was before. “And then I biked six miles and I just forgot to eat when I got home.”
Jesse’s face was flushed, and her hands were shaking, and Charlotte noticed both and said, “How about I make you a Caprese sandwich? Luz picked up some fresh tomatoes this morning from the farmer’s market and they’ll taste delicious between a baguette with some fresh basil and mozzarella.” The guilt was moving into Charlotte’s chest. She could feel it eating a hole straight through to her heart. This feeling came over her every time she was in Jesse’s presence.
She hated it. More than anything.
But that didn’t stop her from thinking about Jesse’s husband—even if she found that thought extremely overwhelming.
Jesse had been fixing her clothes as Charlotte had been speaking, but she stopped and turned toward Charlotte. Charlotte was surprised to see there were tears in Jesse’s eyes and her lips were trembling.
Suddenly, Charlotte didn’t know what to do.
This was her boss’s wife. She wasn’t sure if she should comfort Jesse or pretend she didn’t see the emotion all over her face.
Before Charlotte had time to make a decision, Jesse said, “That’s kind of you to offer but …” She looked toward the door, the movement sending a tear down her cheek. “I have an appointment I need to go to, so I don’t have time for lunch.”
This was the first time Charlotte had seen her cry in their home.
“I have to go,” Jesse said, giving Charlotte a final look.
And then she was gone.
Charlotte glanced back at her monitor, remembering the project she had been working on before Jesse had knocked. Even though the soil reports had to be submitted to the county today, Charlotte couldn’t focus on the numbers that needed to be computed. She couldn’t focus on anything.
Besides Jesse.