The Words We Leave Unspoken(70)

I hear a knock on the hotel room door and scurry across the plush carpeting, hoping it’s Charley at the door.

I find John and Grey in the hallway wearing only their black pants and white dress shirts, their ties and suit jackets missing.

“Any luck?” John asks as they step into the room.

“No, nothing. She’s not answering her phone,” I say. I glance at Grey, armed with an apology at the concern etched into his brow.

He holds his phone up, showing me the screen. I stare at it, dumbfounded, until I recognize the map of downtown with a flashing red dot, pinpointing Charley’s location.

I look up at Grey then, my mind full of mixed thoughts. Relief that we have found Charley at last, but disappointment that Grey has the ability to track my sister like a lost dog.

The disappointment must have won over the expression on my face because Grey shrugs and says a bit defensively, “You do realize that your sister loses her phone more than anyone I’ve ever known.”

A small smile forms on my lips as I realize that Grey’s tracking app has nothing to do with trust and everything to do with Charley’s absentmindedness. I snag the phone from his hand and try to make sense of the address. She is somewhere close to the hotel, but nowhere with a distinguishable landmark.

I step away, slip on my heels and grab my purse.

“Where do you think you’re going?” John asks.

“To get my sister,” I say with my chin up, stepping around both of them toward the door with Grey’s phone still clutched tightly in my palm.

Grey grabs my arm gently, holding me back from the door. “Whoa, don’t you think I should be the one to go?”

I turn to look at him and say as lightly as possible, “No offense, but I’ve talked her off way more ledges than you. I’m going.”

John clasps his hand on Grey’s shoulder. “She’s right, man. Let Gwen go find her.”

I pause while Grey releases my arm and then add, “Don’t worry. She probably just needed some air. We’ll be back in time, you’ll see.”

Grey reaches into his pocket and hands me a valet ticket. “Here, take my car.” I take the ticket from his hand and rush out of the room, trying to ignore the look on his face. The look that says what my heart fears.

As I wait for the valet to bring Grey’s car around, I send out a silent wish. I wish for this to be some crazy misunderstanding with a very logical explanation. Like maybe Charley ran out to pick up a last minute gift for Grey. Or maybe she had a sudden craving for Mexican food from a street vendor downtown.

I slip behind the wheel of Grey’s sporty car, feeling cramped in the small space, a strange feeling in comparison to my oversized SUV. I follow the signal from Grey’s phone as it leads me south along the waterfront, deeper into the city. I pull the car over on a rundown street, beneath the freeway. A yellow cab is parked nearby and I can see Charley in the backseat. She turns and spots Grey’s car and I watch the initial shock register on her face. A moment later, she is walking toward me wearing a long, white terrycloth robe with the hotel’s logo on the breast pocket and flip-flops. She climbs into the passenger seat, closes the door and lets out a loud breath through her mouth.

“What are you doing here, Charley?” I ask, clicking the door locks in place as I take in our sketchy surroundings. Her eyes are scanning a crowd of homeless men and women that are lurking a few yards away.

“I just wanted to see him,” she says. And immediately it hits me. She came here to find our father. My eyes instantly settle on each face in the distance, frantically searching the crowd for him. I don’t see anyone I recognize, but it’s been so long. Would I know him? Would I recognize his face after all these years?

“You’re not running away, are you?” I ask, needing to know what’s going on in her head. “Because Grey loves you so much, Charley. It’ll break his heart if you don’t go through with it.”

She turns to look at me and I can see the tears pooled in her eyes.

“He’s not here,” she says. “I just thought if I saw him again, I would know what to do.”

“What do you mean, Charley? Are you having second thoughts? I thought you wanted to marry Grey? I thought that you were finally ready?”

“I was ready. I mean... I am ready. But I just don’t know... I don’t know if I can do this.” She turns away from me, scanning the crowd again.

I take a deep breath and twist my body in the small seat until I’m facing her side of the car. “Charley, Grey loves you. He’s not going anywhere. I know that you’re scared but he’s been waiting for you, waiting to marry you for five years. Trust me. Trust in Grey.”

“I’m pregnant,” she blurts out as she faces me again. As soon as the words leave her lips, her tears slip down her cheeks.

I’m stunned but elated all in the same breath. “Oh, sweetie,” I gasp, reaching out for her and drawing her into my arms. “That’s a good thing.”

“I’m scared, Gwen. I’m so afraid that I’m going to screw this up,” she mumbles against my shoulder. “I don’t think I can be somebody’s mother.”

I pull back and grip her shoulders. “Look at me,” I say and she looks up at me with sad, puppy dog eyes and swollen lips. “You’re going to be an amazing mom. And you’re not alone. You have Grey. And you have me. And you have Mom. You have a full support system.” Tears are pouring down her cheeks and she closes her eyes. I gently shake her. “Look at me, Charley. You are not him. You are nothing like him.”