Charlie's Last Stand Read online

  CHARLIE'S LAST STAND

  By Isabelle Flynn

  Copyright © 2013 by Isabelle Flynn

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the publisher

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Copyright © 2013 by Isabelle Flynn

  This is a work of fiction. Characters, settings, names and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination and bear no resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, places or settings, and/or occurrences. Any incidences of resemblance are purely coincidental.

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CHAPTER ONE

  “No. No. No. Not today.” The flannel sheet flew up as she kicked it off her legs. Charlie stumbled out of bed and shoved the hair out of her face. The clock had to be wrong. She'd been up at two and then four to make sure she didn't oversleep.

  This was going to be her day. HER DAY! Being late wasn't a part of the plan. Her outfit was laid out, her makeup waiting on the bathroom counter. She had agonized over the dress, the makeup for longer than a month, willing the right moment to come up. The black dress, perfume, lipstick and mascara were her battle gear for a winner-takes-all campaign to get Dr. Christopher Ainsworth's attention.

  Chris was going to drool. Today, he would be taking notice and by the end of tonight, she’d have a date. An actual date that involved more than a quick bite to eat at the pizza place down the road from their office or some stuffy charity event.

  Chris was the full package. Sweet and thoughtful, he'd been there for her when she needed him the most. He was also hot. Fit and sexy, he still somehow managed to keep his ego in check and stay oblivious to the constant flirting and innuendos she'd witnessed through the years. Lately, it had become harder to remember she had no claim to Chris. He was free to date any one of the women attempting to seize his attention.

  She dropped her lucky llama pajamas on to the tile floor and jumped into the shower before feeling the temperature. It was cold. Very, very cold. Her brother and his family had used all of the hot water. A downside of living in someone else's house. Huddled in the corner, she soaped up while working up the nerve to rinse in the icy water. This was not the start to the day she had planned out the night before.

  She finished in record time. The mirror was clear, one benefit of taking the frigid shower. It only took a few minutes to smooth on moisturizer and foundation. Slipping on her new black panties, she tried not to think about how much she paid for the little scrap of lace. The outfit was a not-so-small chunk out of her savings but what were a few more weeks at her brother’s when she’d finally have Chris Ainsworth all to herself. It’d be worth it. She just knew the dress, the makeup, the new attitude would get her exactly what she wanted.

  And, if it didn't, she had her answer. It was time to move on.

  She ran out of the bathroom to check the time. 8:30. A surge of adrenaline had her speeding up. She was supposed to be at the office at eight. Chris usually arrived in the next few minutes. What would he think when he didn't see her car in the lot? When he had to use his own keys to unlock the door? They began accepting patients at nine. Diane wouldn't be there until five minutes before to boot up her computer and turn the phones on.

  She imagined Chris's response to the short black dress. She never wore dresses or skirts or shorts to work. It was always business casual. Pressed pants with perfectly practical and completely boring blouses. He had to notice her today. The neckline of the dress scooped down, giving her new sculpting bra a chance to showcase the cleavage she tended to hide. She slipped on a cashmere black cardigan to keep her modesty while the office was open for patients. She had planned on arriving on time, slipping her sweater off, and waiting for the fifteen minutes of alone time they spent chatting each morning. Maybe he would finally see her as more than just his best friend's sister and the buttoned up woman who ran his office.

  She threw her leather satchel over her shoulder and took one last look in the mirror before leaving her bedroom. She entered the kitchen to grab a travel cup of coffee on her way out but her brother's appearance at the breakfast table stopped her. He should have left fifteen minutes ago and Will never deviated from his schedule.

  “You're late.”

  Leave it to her brother to point out the obvious. “I know.”

  “I was going to call you anyhow. Can you watch the kids tonight? Beth bailed on us and we have reservations at La Cocina for dinner.”

  “I can't.” She never said no to her brother. Ever. He and her sister-in-law had taken her in after the divorce. They supplied a happy place to land, and she provided free babysitting. It was a mutually satisfying relationship that had worked well in the last year.

  So it was no surprise that her brother's eyes bugged out and he stopped in the middle of reaching for his cup of coffee. “Why?”

  “I have plans.” She pulled a mug from the cupboard and poured the last of the carafe. She didn't need to look at her brother to know exactly the kind of face he was pulling. Wide brown eyes, mouth open in disbelief. Little Charlie was ready to date again.

  “Oh, well, I'm sure Diane won't mind coming over here tonight.”

  Diane? “What are you talking about?”

  Her brother took the last drink from his coffee cup and stood. “Your plans for tonight. Sue and I don't care if you want to have Diane over to ring in the New Year. I'm sure you girls can wait until after bedtime to start the margaritas.”

  “Girls?” Of course. Why would she have an actual date with an actual guy on New Year's Eve? She sloshed a little too much creamer into the mug and slammed the top on. “I don't have plans with Diane. I'm sorry about the kids. Can you do dinner on another night?”

  “No, we can't. It's New Year's, Charlie.” He reached for his newspaper and rolled it up. “Are you saying you have a date?”

  This was the tricky part. Technically she did not have an actual date planned for the evening...but she would before the day was out. She was sure of it. She didn't look at her brother. There was no lying if he pulled that big brother stare down on her. “Sorry. I hope you can get things worked out before tonight.”

  She rushed out of the house, leaving her brother behind to figure it out for himself.

  ****

  Only a few more hours and Chris could call the year a complete success. Not only did he open his own practice but it was thriving, with far more patients than he needed to maintain a one-man shop. As long as today went well, this would go down in the books as one great year.

  He arrived at the office at his usual time but the door was locked. It took several attempts using the different keys on his keychain before finding the right one. He was just turning the lights on when patients arrived behind him.

  He stumbled over a greeting he hoped was suitably pleasant and welcoming and rushed to the front desk to see if Charlie had left him a note. Nothing. She was never late. In the year since they opened the office, he couldn't even remember one instance of her not being there when he walked in the door. It was one more sign that something was wrong. He’d been getting more and more concerned about her lately. She hadn't seemed like herself in weeks and now not showing up on time. It had to mean something.

  He was about to call her cell when Diane stomped her way into reception.

  She came to an abrupt stop when she spotted him behind the front desk. “Where's Charlie?”

  “She's late. Can you call her to see i
f everything's okay?” He stood and relinquished her seat.

  “What do you mean she's late? She's never late...and Doc, did you let these people in here early?” She whispered the last through her teeth in an attempt to keep the five women and children from hearing them.

  He shrugged. “What was I supposed to tell them?”

  “That we're closed.” She shook her head. “You don't see patients for another thirty minutes. What am I supposed to do with them until then?” Diane placed her hands at her hips and just looked at him.

  “It's okay. I'll start early. Just check them in and I’ll be ready.” He grabbed the paper bag from the desk. The one that contained two coffees, a black, no sugar for him, and a pumpkin spice latte, complete with whipped cream and cinnamon for Charlie. He had hoped to catch some time alone with her, work out some of the issues that had been popping up lately and find out what was making her so unhappy. He looked back at the waiting room that continued to fill up and pushed back his hair. It was going to be a long day.

  His cell phone vibrated from his hip and he walked into his office before answering. “Will, where's Charlie?”

  “On her way. Dude, you didn't tell me you already made plans with her.”

  “What are you talking about?” He took the cover off his coffee and cringed when a few hot drops splashed his hand.

  “Your date with Charlie?”

  “You've lost me. I thought we were watching the kids for you.”

  “I thought so too, but I asked her and she said she had a date.” There was silence over the line as they both figured it out on their own.

  “Charlie has a real date?” He could hear his friend drop the phone and then wrestle it back into his grip. “Oops. Oh, well, I assumed her date was with you.”

  “It isn't. Maybe she just meant she has plans with Diane.”

  “Nope. She said it wasn’t. So I guess she's ready to date again.” Will dropped the phone again. “Listen, I've got to run but I'll catch up with you.”

  “Right. Okay. I'll...uh...talk to you later.” He clicked end on the phone and stared at it for a few minutes. Charlie, his Charlie was dating again. How did he miss his chance?

  Months of watching and waiting for nothing. He looked at the coffee cup still in the bag. All along, he’d been searching for ways to show her they were perfect together outside of work. His plan had been to convince her that he had nothing better to do than to help her watch Will's kids. Once they got the kids in bed, he'd pull out some romantic movie he'd rented at lunch. Maybe he'd get her to curl up against his side, his goal was one kiss. If he got his lips on hers, maybe, just maybe he could show her that there was more between them than patient files and medical codes, her brother and their friendship.

  “Doc, you're up in Room Five.” Diane called through his office door.

  He was just pulling the patient's folder from the pocket beside the door when Charlie walked in from reception.

  He noticed pieces of her rather than the full picture. The length of her tight black dress, inches above her knee, was just shy of being decent for work. His eyes lingered at her bare thighs until moving up over her hips, her waist, and then stopped again at the fit of the little black sweater she wore. He did a double take. Everything was covered and yet he was mesmerized by her breasts.

  Damn, Charlie was stacked. He always knew she had a hot body but she'd done a good job of keeping it covered since she started working for him. She usually wore baggy, old lady suits that didn’t give him a glimpse of the body beneath. Her long blond hair, fell in soft waves around her face. No tight bun or slicked back ponytail today. He gritted his teeth at the thought that she was already prepared for her date that night.

  “Sorry. I'm late.” She passed him and the sweet scent of pastry enveloped him. Warm vanilla and sugar, Charlie's signature scent. He stepped forward, his body no longer completely under his control. He wanted to take a bite out of her.

  She sucked in a breath and her dark blue eyes settled on his before looking down at the file in his hand. “Is something wrong?”

  He forced himself to move away and searched for something to say but he couldn’t stop from looking over her again. “Where is your coat?”

  Her red cheeks darkened. “I forgot it at home, Dad.”

  She started to pass him but he wasn't ready to let her go just yet. “What’s with the dress? Going to a funeral today?”

  “A funeral?” Her eyebrows creased.

  “You're wearing all black.” He was cursing himself as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

  She peered down at the dress. “No funeral.” She spun away from him and entered her office without another word.

  ****

  A funeral? He thought she was going to a funeral in the sexiest dress she could find. So the dress was still appropriate for work but it was tight and black and short. Didn't that count for anything? Her office door clicked shut and she banged her head against it. Shoot. Today was already turning out to be a failure. She bounced her head against the door a second before a knock sounded from the other side.

  Diane voice carried through the thin wood. “Charlie, what are you doing in there, girl?” She didn't wait for an invite. As soon as the door was open, she pushed in and looked over Charlie’s entire ensemble. “That is your sexy vixen outfit?” Diane shook her head as she wiggled her hand back and forth. “I knew I should have gone with you.”

  “Thanks a lot. The clerk at the department store said it would knock his socks off.”

  “First of all, in which department were you shopping? It's nice and you look great but it might take a bit more for the clueless doctor to take notice.”

  Charlie walked around her friend and dropped her bag on the desk. “You haven't seen it with the sweater off.”

  “Okay...so take the sweater off.”

  She hesitated until Diane reached out to unbutton it herself. She whacked her hand away and started releasing the little mother of pearl buttons. She pulled it off and tossed it on top of her bag before looking up for Di's reaction.

  “Now, you're talking.” She swiped the cashmere away and put it behind her back. “Why were you late? He looked like he didn't know what to do without you.”

  Charlie reached for the sweater but Diane stepped back before she could grab it. “I slept through my alarm and it took me longer to get ready than usual. Was he surprised?”

  “Like a lost little puppy. He relies too much on you. So what's the next step in your plan to win the doctor’s endless love?”

  She hadn't thought any further than getting him alone in the morning. “I don't know.”

  “Well, that little hussy doctor is sure to stop by at some point this morning. Yesterday he had me write down an appointment for her around lunchtime. You better make your move before she does.” Diane walked to the office door and was about to open it when she stopped. “I'm keeping the sweater. You don't need it.”

  “He asked me if I was going to a funeral because I'm in black.”

  Diane tsked. “Have you thought what you'll do if this doesn't work? You know, there's nothing wrong with the direct approach. Forget about the dress and the plan to woo him, ask the man out or better yet, just plant your lips on his.”

  Her already unsettled stomach churned. The thought of approaching Chris with her feelings without knowing his was just too risky. And what if he didn't return them? She'd be stuck unemployed. Heaven knew there was no chance of continuing to work for him. She’d drown in unrequited love, brother-less, because Will was more likely to disown her than stop inviting his best friend over for football on Sundays.

  Nope, this had to work. She had the cleavage and a little secret weapon she'd been holding on to for just this type of occasion. She'd get her man, by hook or by crook.

  “I have a plan B and it might be fool proof.”

  “A plan B? Does that involve taking off the dress and walking around the office naked?”

  “No nudity required. Just some
cheesecake...”

  Di tapped her fingers on her chin. “So you're going to go through the stomach. Not a bad maneuver.” She gave Charlie one last look over before turning the doorknob. “And you still have the direct approach to fall back on. You can always surprise him in his office after hours and ask for a private exam.”

  “Very funny.” She grabbed a stress ball off her desk and tossed it at Diane.

  She dodged it and opened the door. “Good luck.” She walked through and shut it with a soft click.

  Charlie looked down on her neckline. She couldn't go out there in front of patients with that much skin showing. It wasn't professional. She called out for Di but it was too late.

  She followed after her, intent on getting the sweater and a little decency back. She opened the office door and almost walked right into the man himself. His eyes drifted to the bare skin of her neckline before he walked around her and into her office.

  She followed him in and stood in the open doorway. “Is there something wrong?”

  He reached back and shut the door behind her. His arm didn't move from its place beside her head. “Yes.”

  He was going to kiss her. Finally, she'd feel his soft lips against hers. He leaned in but stopped a mere breath away from her. “What are you wearing?” His crystal blue eyes looked deeply into hers.

  “A dress.”

  “You don't wear dresses.” He gazed down on her as if she’d come to work in a polka dot covered cow suit.

  She resisted the instinct to cross her arms and cover up, even though there was more exasperation than lust in his perusal. Didn't the man even know she was a girl? She was afraid to move, aware that his body was only inches from hers. They seemed to breathe in sync. Every breath she took brought her that much closer to him. “I am today.”

  “Today?” He stepped back abruptly, taking all of the air in the room with him.

  She lifted her hands to cool her heated cheeks.

  His eyes narrowed in on the gesture. “Are you getting sick? Maybe you should cancel your date for tonight?”