The Best Laid Plans (12 page)

It was Charlie who drew back first. That’s when Emma realized there was no more music playing and they were the only ones left on the dance floor. Her cheeks burned as the crowd clapped for them.

What had she done? Without a second thought, she dashed out of the ballroom and skipped the elevators, opting for the wide center staircase. She flew down the steps like Cinderella at midnight. She moved so fast it didn’t even feel as if she was touching the ground.

When she got to the lobby, she made a beeline for the exit, but Charlie was hot on her heels. He snagged her arm and pulled her to a stop.

“Slow down, Nightingale. There’s no fire.”

He was wrong. There was a huge, raging fire inside her that burned for him and needed to be extinguished immediately. She could not fall in love with Charlie. No matter how dashing and charismatic he was.

“They had to know we were wedding crashers when we made a scene like that,” she said to cover up her true feelings.

“I don’t think anyone cared who we were. I think they all thought we were cute.”

Cute.
She and Charlie were a cute couple that couldn’t be a couple. “Well, sorry for freaking out. I’m going to grab my own cab and head home.” She started for the revolving doors again.

“You don’t want to share one?” He sounded dejected. It was worse than when he overheard her ask Dr. Spencer on a date.

“I don’t think we should,” she admitted.

“Why not?” His eyes implored her to tell him the truth. But that was something she couldn’t do.

Because I kissed you. Worse, I liked it.
“We’re friends, Charlie.”

“Friends share cabs all the time, Nightingale,” he argued.

“True, but friends don’t make out on the dance floor at a wedding they weren’t invited to. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m not interested in you that way.” The lie sounded better than she expected. She would have believed it herself if she didn’t know the truth.

Charlie’s face fell, but he quickly tried to cover it up. “I took advantage of your competitive spirit. We’ll just forget the whole kiss part happened.”

“Good.” Emma’s face had to be the same color as her dress. There was no way she was ever going to be able to forget that kiss. She’d think about that kiss when she was old and gray.

“Share a cab ride with me,” he pressed.

Emma relented. Blowing him off would only make him think the kiss was a bigger deal than she wanted him to. She needed him to think it didn’t bother or affect her half as much as it really did. The last thing she needed was for Charlie to believe he had a chance. If he tried any harder to get her to like him, she might just crumble. And who knew what kind of disaster would strike.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“S
HE
KISSED
ME
.”

He wasn’t going to tell anyone, but when Becca called, Charlie couldn’t stop himself. She asked what was up and that was the only thing he could think to say.

He was sprawled out on his couch, daydreaming about what it would be like if he got a second kiss from Emma instead of doing the laundry that was beginning to overflow into all the rooms of his condo. Tidiness had never been his thing. Being the baby of the family had its perks. Everyone took care of you. Until you moved out and lived on your own, of course.

“Who kissed you? And when did this kissing occur because if you have someone there kissing you right now, I am going to hang up and let you get back to that.”

“It was last night and it was my Nightingale, the woman I’m crazy about but who picked the doctor over me.”

“Why did she kiss you if she picked the doctor?”

That was the million-dollar question. Why had Emma kissed him? She couldn’t have been seriously competing with little old Marjorie. She’d kissed him for the same reason he’d kissed her back. They had chemistry. He felt it whenever they were together, but last night, it was undeniable.

“I think she likes me but doesn’t want to like me.”

“That makes no sense.”

She was right, it didn’t. Emma’s attraction to Dr. Perfect made sense. He was good-looking. He had a medical degree, so he was probably smart. He might not be wealthy now, but he probably would be once he paid off his student loans. There were a bunch of reasons she should choose the doc over Charlie.

“I don’t understand it, I only know she kissed me and I wish I had never stopped kissing her back.” He heard Becca heave a sigh. “Don’t say it,” he implored, knowing she was about to tell him how sad that was.

“I won’t say it. You already know what I would say if you’d let me.”

He was asking for heartbreak. He knew it. His sister knew it. Wanting someone who didn’t want you back was a waste of time. Except
she
kissed
him.
A silver-lining kind of guy couldn’t deny that tiny sliver of hope.

“Okay, let’s forget about the kissing,” he said, knowing he would fail miserably. “What’s up with you?”

“Mandy wants to do a family photo on the Friday we all get in to give to Dad as a gift. She told me to call you and tell you to dress nice.”

“Why is it that every phone call I get is either to tell me something someone else said or to ask me to tell someone else something? Why can’t anyone talk to the person they need to talk to themselves?”

“Because our family is nuts. Just come as your casual self and bring something dapper for the picture.”

“Fine, but I’m not wearing a suit. If I wanted to wear a suit, I would have gone into accounting or banking.” Charlie owned one suit and wore it to weddings and funerals, that was it.

Becca laughed on the other end of the line. “I know, little brother. She wants me to wear a dress, but do you hear me complaining?”

That reminded him of his adventures last night—before the kiss. “Remember getting dressed up and crashing weddings together when you lived here?”

“Oh my gosh, I totally forgot about that. I can’t believe we used to do that.”

“I crashed a good one last night.”

“You didn’t!”

“That’s where I was when she kissed me.” The memory of Emma’s lips pressed against his came flooding back. He wasn’t going to be able to stop thinking about it any more than he could stop himself from breathing.

“Charlie,” Becca moaned. “Please be careful.”

“Aren’t you the one who said I should keep my heart open?”

“But don’t hand it over to someone who plans on breaking it.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. “Gotta go. I’ll be careful and I’ll dress nice for Dad’s party. Talk to you later, Snow Bum.”

“Later, baby bro.”

Charlie hoisted himself off the couch and pulled open the door. It could only be one person. “Groomzilla.”

“Stop calling me that,” Max said, pushing his way into Charlie’s condo. “I need your advice.”

Surprised and curious what kind of wisdom he could possibly impart to Max, Charlie followed him into the living room. “Is this about the wedding?”

“Not really. Let’s hope there’s still going to be a wedding.” Max plopped down on Charlie’s couch and hung his head.

That didn’t sound good. “What’s happened?”

“So, Kendall and I finally had the conversation about where we’re going to live after the wedding. I assumed we would find our own place, a house that’s hers and mine. She, on the other hand, thought I was going to move in with her. She doesn’t want to look for a new place. She loves her house.”

Charlie didn’t see the problem. “Her place is nice, in a good location, there’s plenty of room for when Aidan visits. What more could you want?”

“It’s also owned by
him
.”

Him
was Max’s “father”; they used that term loosely. Max didn’t really get along with his dear old dad. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the guy had abandoned him and his mom before he was even born and raised another family instead. A family that included Kendall’s first husband, the half brother Max never knew existed. That counted as a very good reason to hold a grudge.

“I didn’t realize.”

“Kendall could never afford that place here in Lincoln Park on what she makes. Trevor left her with a ton of debt when he died. He had a thing for fancy cars but forgot he didn’t make as much in the military as his old man made playing in the stock market.”

Charlie couldn’t imagine the resentment Max had built up over his entire lifetime, but he knew that it was crazy to let something like a name on a deed ruin the best thing that had ever happened to him.

“You’ve got to think this through,” Charlie said, taking a seat next to his friend. “Does it really matter who owns the house?”

“Yes,” Max said surely. “I will not live in his house. I can’t do it.”

“Did you tell Special K that?”

Max’s head fell back down into his hands. “I sort of said I’d rather stay single than live in a house owned by Paul Montgomery.”

Charlie cringed. “Something tells me that didn’t go over too well.”

“She said that could be arranged.” He lifted his head. “You don’t think she really meant that, do you?”

Charlie shook his head. “I think you need to figure out what’s most important here. Maybe there’s a compromise. Like you live there until you find somewhere else that makes you both happy. Or maybe you and Special K buy the house from Bad Daddy.”

Max perked up at that idea. “Buy it from him? That’s not a bad idea. I’d have to crunch some numbers. I wouldn’t want him to give it to us, but he’d probably sell to us for a better price than anyone else in the area.”

“There you go. Keep thinking positive.”

Max slapped Charlie’s thigh. “Thanks a lot, man.”

“Anytime, Groomzilla,” Charlie replied, earning him a grimace. “Hey, you should be happy to be called that. It means you’re still getting married.”

“True. I heard there were some other snags in the wedding plans that have nothing to do with my stupid mouth or ridiculous family baggage. Lucy told Kendall that Emma was freaking out, but when Kendall called her this morning, she seemed fine about it all.”

Charlie internally patted himself on the back for that one. He had effectively talked Emma off the ledge. “I may have had something to do with that. I took her out last night to get some perspective.”

Max smirked and leaned back. “Well, well, well. She didn’t mention that when she talked to Kendall. You two went out, like on a date?”

“You could say that. I mean, she did kiss me at the end of the night.”

Max’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “She
what
? I’m so confused. I thought she only dated doctors. Maybe paramedics make the cut.”

“What do you mean she
only
dates doctors, like as a rule?”

“I don’t know. I guess Emma’s had her whole life planned out since she was a kid. She does not deter from her plan, ever. Kendall said everything has always worked out exactly how she planned it. Always. Marrying a doctor is supposedly part of the plan.”

Now Charlie was the one slack-jawed. “You have to be kidding.”

Max shook his head. “Kendall set me straight after I told you Em didn’t have a serious boyfriend. I was informed there was a plan and it had to be followed.”

This was not what Charlie wanted to hear. Not only did she have plenty of reasons to choose Dr. Perfect over him, she’d dreamed of marrying a doctor since she was a little girl. Charlie needed to find a way to convince her he was worth ditching her plan for.

“Well, she kissed me. That couldn’t have been part of the plan, but she did it. Maybe I just need to work on her a little bit.”

“I don’t know,” Max said, standing to go. “It sounds complicated. Maybe don’t push her too hard until after my wedding.”

“You don’t need any more snags, huh?”

“No, I’m hoping for smooth sailing from here on out. Right after I make things right with Kendall. Thanks again for talking things out with me.”

“Thanks for the heads-up about the plan.”

“Don’t you dare tell Emma I told you. That could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

Charlie didn’t want to mess up this wedding. He wouldn’t do that to Max and Kendall, and it certainly wouldn’t get him into Emma’s good graces. There was no way he could risk the progress he had made. “The secret’s safe with me.”

* * *

B
ACK
AT
THE
fire station, Charlie noticed a different vibe. Alvarez was out since his injuries were severe enough to earn him some medical leave. Luckily, he was expected to make a full recovery. Jones and his new girlfriend, Kelly, had visited him at the hospital. The word around the station was that Alvarez told Kelly she would never find a better guy than Jones and she’d better treat him right. Sounded to Charlie like they were all going to be one big happy family when everyone was back on duty.

Pete was also missing today because he was heading up to the Dells for the family vacation he’d originally planned to take over the Fourth. He had promised to drop off some of Gianna’s meatballs before they left town. It was nice of him not to leave them high and dry. Without Pete, Lieutenant Keller usually did the cooking, and that meant cold cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and sticky spaghetti covered in sauce from a jar for dinner.

Charlie and Serena had to spend most of the morning in training. Working for the fire department was never as exciting as they made it seem on television or in the movies. Most days were spent hanging out in between non-life-threatening calls and cleaning and restocking the ambulance.

A call came in after lunch for a confused woman in a local clothing store. Turned out she was diabetic and her blood sugar had dropped to a dangerous level. They quickly transported her to the hospital, where Charlie was on the lookout for Emma. She was nowhere to be seen. Charlie heeded Max’s warning and decided not to ask for her.

Pete and a green minivan full of his overly excited family were outside the station when they returned. Charlie went over to say hi to Gianna, Tinker Bell and his favorite Jumping Bean. The girls were ready to go to the Waterpark Capital of the World, and older brother Sean swore he was going to go on every waterslide at the resort, no matter how death-defying it was.

Pete jumped back in the driver’s seat and waved off all the thanks for bringing them decent food to eat later. He was a real stomach saver.

“How’s that sweetheart Emma doing?” Gianna asked before they pulled away.

“She’s good. Real good.”

“Real good, huh?” Pete leaned forward to get a better look at Charlie.

Charlie narrowed his eyes at his nosy friend. “I’m never telling you anything again. Go have fun with your family.”

Pete waved out the window as he drove off.

Charlie and Serena cleaned up the ambulance and barely got it restocked before another call came in, this time for a motor vehicle accident. The crew geared up and drove off. As they approached the scene, Charlie felt his stomach drop. A green minivan lay broken and upside down in the middle of the street. A monstrous pickup truck with a shattered windshield and smashed-in front end sat idle in the intersection, as well.

“Pete,” Serena gasped.

An overwhelming fear for the family’s safety sent Charlie flying out of the ambulance. He reached the wreckage before any of the firefighters. All the air bags had, thankfully, deployed in the minivan. Gianna was alert but unable to undo her seat belt. Mia was behind Gianna and crying, but looked to be in okay shape. Sean was in the back and already had his seat belt off. He was the only one right side up. He crouched down and held Eva’s hand, even though the little girl was unresponsive. Pete was also unconscious.

Lieutenant Keller pulled Charlie back. “Let us do our job, then you can do yours.”

Stepping aside was the hardest thing Charlie had ever had to do. Mia’s cries were breaking his heart. The sirens and street sounds were nothing but white noise. The little girl’s pain was all Charlie could hear. There was shattered glass scattered all over the road. Cars were lined up in every direction, unable to get through the intersection. Some people had exited their cars to gawk or talk to the police about what they had seen. The smell of gasoline was thick in the air and made Charlie nauseous.

Serena dropped his jump bag at his feet and asked for his help getting the rest of the equipment. Pete and Eva were in the most critical condition. They were going to need the most care, and Charlie was going to see to it that they got nothing but his best.

The guys from the station worked with fierce determination to save the entire family. They extracted Gianna, Mia and Sean. Serena passed them off to the second ambulance crew on the scene, knowing Charlie wasn’t going to leave here without Pete or Eva in the back of their bus.

The strained, bent metal frame of the van creaked in protest as Keller and his men tried to free Pete and Eva from the wreckage. They called over Charlie and Serena. Pete was awake but in bad shape.