I'm Not Charlotte Lucas(56)

And I didn’t know what to do about it.





Chapter Twenty-Two


I let myself into Vera’s room, and my heart constricted. She was such a small woman to begin with. Now, wrapped in her floral robe and propped up in the massive bed, she looked dwarfish. I had to remind myself that it was just a broken leg. She wasn’t ill.

“How are you feeling?”

“Hungry, of course,” she said, her voice tired but her eyes bright. “I told your mother that Liam would take care of me just fine, but you know how she is.”

“She insisted on making lasagna.”

“Yes, she insisted.” Vera lifted her hands in surrender. “I’m not complaining. But you do so much already—”

“Enough of that.” I came around the bed and set the tray on the plush chair beside the French doors. “I didn’t do anything here except plate the food and carry it upstairs. Let me help prop you up.”

“I can take care of myself, darling.”

“You broke your leg,” I reminded her. “Anyone would need help after breaking a leg.”

Vera gave a soft huff. “Maybe you ought to remind Liam and your mom of that. One would believe I have suffered a terrible setback and now have one foot hovering in a nursing home. I’m certain they think I’m putting all caution to the wind and desperately hanging on to this house.”

“Are you?”

Scoffing, she rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I’m entirely well. Anyone can break a leg. It isn’t a sign of my decrepit bones growing too brittle.”

I raised my eyebrows behind her back, leaning over to pull another large, down pillow behind her, to prop her up enough to eat.

“I just don’t want everyone to panic unnecessarily. I don’t want this to inadvertently keep Liam here,” she said softly, accepting the tray.

My body froze, but she didn’t seem to notice as she arranged her silverware to her satisfaction before laying the napkin across her lap.

“Keep him here, like in your house?”

“Keep him in Bellmead. If Spike is accepted into the University of Southern California, I’m certain Liam will want to move down there to be closer to him. It just makes more sense.”

“Because he cares for Spike?”

“Because Liam’s office is in LA.”

“Oh, yeah.” Liam had been down in SoCal for a week because of business—“What about the office he’s building up here though?”

“He could sell it,” she said with an easy lift to her shoulders, cutting a proper bite from the lasagna.

I didn’t like what I was hearing. It was exactly the opposite of what I wanted to hear. The tall, hot, blue-eyed man downstairs who’d been texting me for the last few weeks and just cornered me against the counter downstairs until I thought my heart would beat out of my chest, the one I was sure was way out of my league, who dated movie stars and smelled like his cologne came straight from Paris—which it did—would possibly leave next year to live in Southern California?

Then yes, when the man had almost kissed me earlier, he most certainly was asking for a friends-with-benefits relationship. He had to be.

“How’s dinner?” Liam asked.

I tried not to jump too much, but he’d startled me, and now his handsome, easy smile was watching me from the doorway. I fidgeted, stepping away from Vera’s bedside to organize her spotless dresser. The woman employed a cleaning lady twice a week and had hardly any clutter to begin with. All I was doing was shifting the angle of her porcelain dancing figurine to give my gaze something to settle on that wasn’t Liam’s biceps.

“It’s lovely. Have you eaten?” Vera asked, reaching for the water Liam had brought up. “I’m certain Charlie’s mother sent enough food to feed an army.”

I couldn’t help but glance at him then, and we shared a smile.

“I thought so,” Vera said, unconcerned. “Why don’t you go eat while it’s warm.”

“Charlie, care to join me?”

Were they working together now? This felt far too much like a Hallmark movie and entirely too contrived. “That’s okay. I’m going to bring a plate up here.”

“There’s only the one seat,” Vera said, lifting her eyebrows. She held my gaze firmly. “You don’t want to be rude to my grandson, do you? You wouldn’t make him eat alone.”

Now it really felt like a Hallmark movie. And for that reason alone, I was going to resist.

I opened my mouth to do so when Liam brushed past me to give his grandmother the glass of water. He winked at me, and I chuckled. “What else can I bring you, Vera? Want to play Scrabble when you’re done eating?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said. “But first, go eat.”

“But I’d really rather—”

“Charlie.” She lifted her eyebrows, piercing me with her beady stare.

My hands went up in surrender. “Fine, I’m going.” It wouldn’t take long to scarf a portion of lasagna, and I could be back upstairs safe with Vera shortly.

When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I halted. I could see Vera’s little breakfast nook from where I stood, two plates set out, already full of food, and a single candle burning between them. When Liam followed me down the stairs and paused just beside me, his hands slung casually in his pockets, I wanted to turn and hug him, but I just stared at the simple dinner table, complete with glasses of ice water and folded napkins under the silverware.