Rewired (The Progress Series) (5 page)

Only after three hours’ sleep did Jesse wake, his eyes wide open from another storm and another dream. But this one was brand new.

Charlie was in a white wedding dress, barefoot. He watched her walk down the aisle toward him; white rows of chairs were chained together with strings of daisies. With a burst of flutters in his stomach, he smiled at the twinkle in her blue eyes as she smiled back at him with a wink, biting her bottom lip.

As she slowly approached the altar, she took one last glance at him as the man to his right offered his hand to her. She accepted with a flush. It was at that point in the dream that he realized she had taken Sam’s hand instead of his.

He sprang from his bed and set his feet down in a puddle of watery carpet as the rain poured down outside. The window had been left open all night and there was significant damage to the wall below it.

After taking care of his morning routine in the bathroom, he leaned in to the mirror and wiped away the steam with his fist. Staring at the gray of his eyes, restlessness stared back at him as he splashed his face with cold water.

I am not screwing this up again.

Charlie is mine.

“Good morning, two-OH-nine,” Roxanne said lustfully, letting her eyes sweep across him as he entered Charlie’s office.

Ha!
I love that woman.

Charlie’s head darted upward to Roxanne and her eyes shifted to Jesse’s as she quickly ended her phone conversation. After hanging up the receiver, she stood and straightened her black pencil skirt, watching him with firm expectancy.

“Good morning, Jes—er, Mr. Anders. What can we do for you today?”

“I…uh…” Clearing his throat, he passed Roxanne’s desk—giving her his signature smile—and walked to Charlie. “I have a maintenance request.”

Charlie’s shoulders fell. “Oh, okay.” She sat back down, brought up a different screen on her computer, and began typing. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, not much. I’m just on my way to work,” he said.

“I meant with your apartment. The maintenance request?”

“Oh, right.” He sat down across from her. “I left my window open during the storm last night and a lot of water got in. The wall is soaked, and the windowsill was pretty rotted out as it was. I’m not sure what you want to do about it, but that storm was pretty bad. I wouldn’t doubt if there was water damage inside the wall, maybe even down to the first floor.”

Charlie clicked the keyboard, typing in the details of his request. After hitting the Print button, she looked up. “Anything else, Mr. Anders?”

His lips parted and he stared at Charlie’s mouth, trying to calm his unsteady breathing.

“Yeah, I…” He paused and swallowed, his eyes panning the room. “Hey, Roxy,” he called behind him.

“Yes?” Roxanne stood, giving Jesse her full attention.

“Could you pour me a cup of that coffee you guys have in the lobby? I don’t think I’ll be able to make it through a full day’s work without it,” he said, laying that Jesse charm on thick. Roxanne seemed happy to oblige his request and stepped eagerly into the lobby to fetch him a cup.

Once alone, he leaned across the desk and lowered his voice. “I need…” He paused, trying not to sound so eager. “I’d like to see you soon. Tonight, if that’s okay. I’m not too late, am I?”

Rubbing her lips together and straightening her posture, she replied, “Too late?” She shook her head, dismissing her own question. “You know the deal.”

“Yes, I know the deal.” He nodded slowly, a chill prickling through him.

Her eyebrows lifted, asking a silent question.

His voice cracked. “Promise me, then.” His eyes softened.

“Promise you what?” she whispered, confused.

Clearing his throat, he continued. “Promise me you’ll stay with me if I start taking them.” The corners of his mouth flickered down for a moment. “I mean…” He stalled. Unsure of what to do with his hands, he folded them together and leaned into her. “Say you’ll stay with me, forever.”

Her eyes closed and her head eased to the side. She leaned in closer, their faces mere inches apart, and took a deep breath. Licking her lips to delay her inevitable words, a small divot appeared on her brow. “I’ll stay until you ask me to leave.”

Holy shit.

Dumbstruck and without words, Jess couldn’t believe he’d heard her correctly. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t blink. He couldn’t see. His fingertips went numb until he brought his mind back to reality.

This doesn’t make any sense.
He shook his head.
She must have a plan now. But so do I. Within a few weeks she’ll forget all about what’s-his-name, and she’ll be mine. She must’ve never really loved him if she’s willing to let go of him so easily. Which means she never got over me. I knew it. I knew she said she loved me.

“What would you be too late for?” Charlie asked suddenly.

“Here you go, Jesse! How are you enjoying your new apartment?” asked Roxanne, setting the cup of coffee on Charlie’s desk.

“It’s great, Roxy. I think I’m really gonna like it here.” He winked and rose from his seat.

I can’t believe it. I don’t think I could stop smiling right now even if I tried.

“Thanks again, Charlie.” After grabbing the cup of coffee off the desk, Jesse gave Roxanne a strong one-armed hug and a bubbly, bursting kiss on her cheek, unable to control his excitement.

“Oh, one more question, Ms. Johnson…” He turned back to face her. She snickered at his formal salutation.

“Yes, Mr. Anders?” She chewed the inside of her cheek.

“When
is
your birthday?” he asked, a flicker of amusement in his tone.

She tried to conceal her smile by covering her mouth with her hand. “July second.”

He nodded his way out the door, pondering what gift to give her.

*

My girl, my Charlie. I’ve got her. She’s mine now.

He couldn’t stop himself from coming back to this thought twenty times an hour. As work at the golf course blurred by, he found himself punching out for the day before he could even recall what he had accomplished. It was his most productive day since he had started.

On the way home, he stopped by the grocery store and picked out the brightest bouquet of white daisies he could find and a rotisserie chicken he planned to share with Charlie when she got there.

As
six o’clock was approaching, he scrambled to clean his apartment, set up the plates and silverware on the kitchen island, and took a shower before she arrived.

Shit, do the knives go on the left or the right of the plate? Oh, fuck it! It’s not like she’s gonna notice anyway; I just want everything to be perfect.

Listen to me!
He shook his head and laughed, setting down the roll of paper towels.
Over a girl. This is so perfectly irritating.

A short time later, he heard a knock on his door. Emptying the air from his lungs, he paused before turning the knob.

“Hey.” His shoulders softened when he saw Charlie’s face.

“Hey.”

“Come in.” He opened the door wider and allowed her to step inside. “I bought a chicken,” he said awkwardly.

Oh my god, did I just say that?

With her sarcasm in abundance, she replied, “Will this require butchering and de-feathering? Or did you purchase said chicken for ritualistic purposes?” She winked, retrieving something from her purse.

“Ha ha ha,” he laughed, battling his amusement. “Hungry?”

“Not really, but I’ll eat anyway.” She shrugged, checking the screen of her phone.

He nodded. “Here, um… I don’t really have any chairs, but I set the table.”

Trying not to reveal how pleased he was with himself, he motioned for her to stand next to him at the island.

She walked over smiling, and a soft giggle escaped. “The flowers are beautiful. Thank you,” she said, leaning over to smell them. “But why don’t we sit on the floor. It might be easier to eat.”

Her eyes drifted past his shoulders as she focused on the four orange pill containers sitting on the kitchen counter. Jesse looked over his shoulder to see what had caught her attention, and he nodded.

“You’ll have to watch me for a bit.”

“What?” she asked, regaining her focus on him.

“Those.” He gestured over his shoulder. “They can get tricky for the first few weeks.”

She gave him a firm nod. “Yeah, I’ve heard that,” she said softly.

Jesse carried the black plastic container that held the rotisserie chicken to the carpet in the living room, along with utensils. He turned and held out a fork. “Here,” he said.

Setting her phone down on the island, she smiled.

“You know, I still need your number,” he said.

“Right. Sorry. Here.” She dug out an old receipt from her purse and jotted it down. Approaching him on the floor, she held out her hand and offered it to him.

“Good. I don’t want to see you staring at that phone again tonight. Leave work at work. Tonight, you’re mine,” he said, stuffing the receipt in his pocket.

Her reaction was less than reassuring as a sudden crash of thunder shook the apartment building. She jumped and crushed her hand to her chest. “Jeez, that was loud,” she said, taking a deep breath.

“Scaredy-cat.”

As the rain beat down heavily, Charlie and Jess sat enjoying the picnic in the middle of the floor. After a few bites, Charlie piped up with a sudden thought. “Did you close your bedroom window?”

Chewing on a mouthful of chicken, Jesse hopped up and ran into his room, wiping his greasy fingers on his jeans. The blinds were clattering against the window frame and water had begun puddling on the sill.

“Dammit!” He slammed the window shut as Charlie grabbed a fresh towel from the bathroom. She set the towel down to soak up the water, stifling her laughter.

The soft flashes of lightning in the distance caught her profile, her pale complexion and small smile glowing intermittently.
She’s real. She’s here. She’s really here. I’ve wanted this moment, dreamed about this moment for over a year. And I’ve finally broken her down. She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever—

“Ooh, Mark’s gonna kill you—” She stopped as Jesse pulled her hair behind her ear, interrupting her.

He laughed briefly and lingered in his gaze. “Who’s Mark?” he whispered.

She swallowed and whispered back. “The maintenance guy that fixed your drywall this afternoon.”

So delicate. Almost angelic.

Wearing a tender smile, Jesse leaned in and inhaled deeply through his nose as he closed his eyes. As he opened them, Charlie’s lips were softly resting on his. And just as quickly as she came to kiss him, she pulled away shyly. It was the smallest, most innocent kiss he’d ever received; one without lust or confidence. It was almost as though a child had done it.

His head tilted to the side. “What was that for?”

His question hovered idly in the air for a few seconds before another crash of thunder came roaring through. She flinched and looked in the direction of the hallway. “Was that my phone?”

He smirked and let out a sharp laugh. “Enough with the phone already. Who are you expecting a call from, anyway?”

For the smallest second, Jess could not only see her guilt, but he felt it. It jounced between them long enough for him to catch. The corner of her mouth turned down slightly and the frown that Charlie was so obviously trying to disguise was now replaced with a nervous smile.

His ears started ringing and he felt a slashing wave of sorrow pierce his heart. Bringing his fingertips up to his scalp, he scraped his nails against his skin, feeling the frustration pique.

Shit.
His jaw shuddered.

Fuckin’ Sam.

Running to the kitchen, Jesse found her phone resting on the island. He picked it up and began scrolling through her last few messages before she caught up to him.

“Put it down, Jess. You have no right…” She went to grab it from his hands, but at the last second he jerked his arm off to the side with a threatening glare.

“I have no right to what? Make sure you’re not still talking to him?”

Her spine perked up and she crossed her arms over her chest. “Give it to me. I’m
not
talking to him.”

“But you’re hopeful,” he said, continuing to hold the phone out of her reach. “I can fucking
see
it in your eyes.”

“Oh fuck it. I don’t even know why you’re still here with me anyway,” she said, eyeing her phone in his hand. “You really need to stop acting like an overbearing gorilla and start talking to me, or this is never going to happen.”

The thunder continued to crash as the storm quickly approached the city. A sneer soured Jesse’s upper lip as Charlie waited for the thunder to subside.