The Manning Grooms (10 page)

“My word of honor. Only…”

“Only what?” His mother looked concerned.

“Nothing, Mom. Don’t worry about it.”

“What is it?” she demanded.

“Well, I was wondering…Once Charlotte and I decide to marry, would you show her how to make fried chicken like yours?”

It wasn’t fair to bother Jason with her problems, but there wasn’t anyone she trusted more, anyone’s opinion she valued as much. Her day at the office had been one of the worst ever. Her boss, Mr. Ward, had been unreasonable and demanding in the past, but his abuse that afternoon had reached an all-time high. He’d shouted at her, called her incompetent, belittled her. And it had been over something that was completely out of her control. A client had left the agency due to a problem with accounting, not anything Charlotte had done, yet she’d taken the brunt of Mr. Ward’s anger. Unfortunately the insurance agency wasn’t large enough to have a Human Resources department, so there was no one to complain to, no recourse to speak of.

It wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last. For three years she’d been employed as an executive assistant at the insurance agency. In the beginning she’d enjoyed her job and thrived on the challenge. Then, six months ago, Mr. Beatty, her original boss, had retired, and she’d found his replacement to be the worst kind of supervisor.

She’d made her decision earlier that afternoon, prepared her letter of resignation and placed it on Mr. Ward’s desk before leaving the office. Although she’d felt confident when she left work, she was vacillating now, uncertain that she’d made the right decision.

It always seemed to be like this. She’d become indignant, decide to leave, and later, after her anger had cooled, she’d change her mind. Mr. Ward would seem
repentant, try to convince her that his outbursts weren’t personal; they were just his way. She’d start to believe him, at least until the next time.

Then it occurred to her.

What kind of woman would allow a man to verbally abuse her like that? What kind of woman allowed herself to be swayed by cheap talk and empty promises? The kind of woman who’d stayed married to Tom Weston for as long as she had, that was who.

She needed a sounding board, someone who’d listen to her frustration and doubts without casting judgment, without anger. Someone whose self-esteem was strong enough to accept her decisions whether she took his advice or not. Someone like Jason Manning.

Jason answered the phone immediately, sounding delighted to hear from her.

“I…I had a crummy day,” she said when he asked. “Do you…would you go for a walk with me?” She considered bringing Higgins, but he was curled up with Carrie on the sofa.

“I’ll be right over.”

As Charlotte left, Carrie was talking on the phone with Brad. She hadn’t told her daughter about quitting her job, although she was sure Carrie would cheer her decision.

“Hello,” Jason said, kissing her lightly on the lips when she stepped out the door.

Charlotte closed her eyes. They joined hands and walked in the direction of the community park several blocks over.

The evening was beautiful. The fragrance of rhododendrons filled the evening air, mingling with the scent of blooming azaleas. Birds chirped and several people were getting a start on their yard work.

“I…did something I’m not positive I should have done,” she said, keeping her eyes lowered.

“Was it illegal?”

The question made her smile. “No.”

“Then why look so grave?”

“Well…”

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

She nodded, grateful they’d arrived at the park. Jason steered her toward an unoccupied bench and they sat down, his hand still holding hers.

“I…I don’t get along with my boss. I’m good at my job—at least I used to be. But now…Mr. Ward makes unreasonable demands and takes out his frustration on whoever’s close at hand. Unfortunately most of the time that’s me.”

“It doesn’t seem like a healthy atmosphere to be working in.”

“It isn’t.” Charlotte wasn’t the only employee who felt unhappy. Cheryl was on the verge of giving her notice, too, and so were a couple of the others. It wouldn’t surprise Charlotte if half the office staff left with her.

“Then you should quit.”

He made it sound so straightforward.

“I’ve never been a quitter. It’s one of the reasons the divorce was so difficult for me. I—” She stopped
abruptly. She hadn’t meant to drag her marriage into this, lay it out for Jason to examine…yet, perhaps it was time.

“Go on,” he urged.

Charlotte inhaled deeply, gathering her resolve. “I wrote my two-weeks’ notice this afternoon and left it on Mr. Ward’s desk and now…now I’m having second thoughts.”

“Why? Do you want to continue working at the agency?”

“No.”

“Are you afraid you won’t be able to find another job?”

“Not particularly—there’s always a high demand for executive assistants. It’s just…I know what’s going to happen in the morning. Mr. Ward will arrive and read my letter and call me into his office. He’ll apologize the way he always does. He seems to know exactly what to say, and when he’s through with the apology, he’ll offer me a token raise.”

“It’d be nice if he threw in a bouquet of flowers.”

“He might. He has before.”

“Are you going to be swayed by that?”

“No-o.” Her voice trembled and she shut her eyes to hold back the tears that burned. “It’s so much like my marriage.”

“Having to deal with an angry unreasonable man?”

“Yes…but more than that. Mr. Ward treats me the same way Tom did, and I swore…I promised myself I’d never allow another human being to do the things he did
to me. And yet I take it, day after day, and I hate myself for it.”

Jason’s arm was around her now, hugging her close as if he wanted to absorb her pain. She was thankful he wasn’t kissing her; she couldn’t have endured that just then.

“I feel so angry when I let someone manipulate me. I want so badly to believe that things will change…that they’ll get better. But they never do. Sooner or later Mr. Ward will go back to doing exactly what he’s always done…and I’ll realize I’ve let myself be controlled again. I can’t seem to deal with the truth…. I guess it’s easier to deny everything than face the reality. Why is truth so painful?”

Jason waited a few minutes, his arm about her calm and comforting. “Is it your boss you’re talking about or your ex-husband?”

“Both.” Charlotte raised her head and wiped the tears from her eyes before they had a chance to fall. “Tom…had an affair. I knew it for months but…I pretended I didn’t. I made believe we were happy and in love, while doing everything I could to win him back. But it wasn’t enough…Now I know nothing would have been enough.”

Jason didn’t interrupt her with questions; once again she was grateful. The effort not to weep had produced a lump in her throat, and talking was almost painful. She hesitated, head still lowered.

Jason’s mouth brushed her hair. “Your husband was a fool, Charlotte.”

She didn’t respond; she couldn’t. Jason didn’t know the full story, didn’t understand that there’d been a reason Tom had turned to another woman. Any healthy male would have, or so her ex-husband had vehemently assured her time and again.

“I’m stubborn and hardheaded,” she said, her voice cracking. “I don’t know when to let go and…so I hold on, no matter how painful…or damaging.”

“I can’t tell you what to do,” Jason said after a thoughtful moment, “but don’t judge yourself so harshly. Some people know exactly what to say to get what they want. Everyone needs to hear they’re important, that they’re loved and appreciated. But those are only words, and talk is cheap. You got out of your marriage at the right time and—”

“No,” she sobbed, “I didn’t…. I didn’t
want
out of the marriage, don’t you see? It was Tom who asked for the divorce, Tom who forced everything into the open. I would’ve gone on pretending forever if he hadn’t. I won’t do it again. I won’t! I’m quitting my job, Jason. I’m walking out two weeks from now and I won’t look back. I swear to you, I won’t look back.”

There was a message from his mother when he returned to his apartment. His mind was heavy with everything he’d learned about Charlotte’s marriage and he contemplated waiting to return his mother’s call, but she’d sounded so excited.

Sighing, he reached for the phone. His mother answered on the first ring.

“Jason, I’m so glad you called! I have so much to tell you. I talked to Taylor and Christy and they’ve both agreed to come.”

“Come?”

“You can’t imagine what a day I’ve had,” his mother continued, her voice animated. “I called Barbara Johnson, you remember Barbara, my friend who owns the floral shop, don’t you? We went to high school together a thousand years ago.”

“Mom…”

“Let me finish.” With barely a pause to breathe, she went on, “Barbara was the one who got things started. She suggested we contact the yacht club right away and book a date for the reception. They’re booked at least a year in advance. A year, I told myself. I know you, Jason, and when you’re ready to do something, you don’t want to wait an entire year. Barbara was right. The earliest date was August the year after next. I can tell you, I was shocked. I had no idea we’d need to book the reception so early.”

“Reception? What reception?” Jason was starting to get a frightening premonition.

His mother ignored his question. “That’s when I learned there’d been a cancellation in July. This July! I couldn’t believe our luck. Naturally I booked it that very instant. Then I contacted the caterers and, as luck would have it, they agreed to do the dinner, although it’s only three weeks’ notice.
Three weeks,
Jason. Three weeks. It sounds crazy to even attempt something of this magnitude, but we’re going to pull it off without a hitch.”

Jason’s vague premonition was beginning to solidify. “Mom, what are you talking about?” he asked with growing anxiety.

Once again his mother disregarded his question. “That’s when I phoned Taylor and Christy. They both called back to say they’re coming. They’ve already made their plane reservations. Russ is coming, and Mandy, too. Remember Mandy, Russ’s sister? She’s in college now, you know.”

“Coming? To
what,
Mother?” Jason demanded.

“Why, Jason, I’ve spent the day making the arrangements for your wedding to Charlotte. What else would I be talking about, for heaven’s sake?”

“M
other, have you gone stark, raving mad?” Jason had difficulty keeping a rein on his anger. “How can you set a wedding date and hire caterers when I haven’t even
mentioned
it to Charlotte? This is insane.” He rubbed his face, wondering if he’d imagined this entire fiasco.

“Your father warned me you’d be angry, but, Jason, I know you. Once you and Charlotte decide to marry, you won’t want to wait two years.”

“Mom, I don’t suppose it dawned on you that there are other places we could have a wedding reception—
if
we were actually having one. The yacht club isn’t the only venue in this town.”

“Frankly, no, it didn’t occur to me,” his mother returned calmly. “Since we’re just going to have one formal wedding in this family, we’re doing it up big, and the yacht club’s the best alternative.”

Jason could see he was losing ground. “Let me talk to Dad.”

“But, Jason—”

“Mother!”

“All right, just a minute.”

That minute seemed to take an hour. By the time he had his father on the line, Jason was as angry as he’d ever been. The instant he heard Eric pick up the receiver, he shouted, “Has Mother gone crazy? Have you? How could you let things go this far?”

His father chuckled, apparently amused, something Jason most definitely wasn’t. “I agree with you,” his father said breezily, “your mother has gone a little crazy.”

“Dad, listen, I know you and Mom mean well, but I refuse to let you run my life. Scheduling the reception, talking to florists, I can’t believe you’d allow Mom to do all this without talking to me first.”

“Don’t forget, she’s involved Taylor and Christy, as well. That’s when I thought she’d stepped over the line. You haven’t even asked Charlotte to marry you, and Elizabeth’s got your sisters choosing bridesmaids’ dresses. By the way, I don’t suppose she told you about the honeymoon? Two weeks in Hawaii—it’s our wedding gift to you.”

Jason clenched his fist at his side and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. It didn’t work. The situation was absurd. And he was beginning to see that his father was in on this nonsense. “Two weeks in Hawaii…Taylor and Christy choosing bridesmaids’ dresses. You’ve both gone off the deep end.”

“To your mother’s credit, she didn’t intend for this
to happen. It just did. I know you’re upset now, and to be honest, I don’t blame you, but once you get used to the idea, it doesn’t sound so ludicrous.”

Get used to the idea,
Jason mused. He felt like he was in the middle of a nightmare. “You honestly think I should agree to this…this outrageousness?” He could barely speak.

“Answer me this. Are you in love with Charlotte?”

“Yes.” That much was a given—he’d already told his parents so.

“Do you intend to ask her to marry you?”

His dad knew the answer to that, too. “Yes…eventually, in my own time and my own way.”

“If you’re planning to marry the girl anyway, then what’s the problem?”

“I wasn’t going to do it in three weeks!”

“Three weeks, three months, what’s the difference?”

Jason couldn’t believe it. His father was talking pure craziness.

“I realize your mother and I went about this wrong, but after what happened with your brothers and sisters, all I ask is that you cut us a little slack.”

“A little slack,” he snorted. “Marriage is a serious step. A man doesn’t make that kind of decision one minute and march up the aisle the next.”

“I used to feel that way myself, but it’s pretty much what happened with Taylor and Russ, as well as Christy and Cody. They made up their minds, then went right ahead and did it.”

“All right, all right,” Jason muttered, willing to
concede the point. Their weddings were spontaneous, to say the least. Same for Rich and Paul.

“I agree, marriage is a serious step,” his father went on calmly, “but if you’re in love with Charlotte and intend to marry her anyway, I don’t see the harm in your mother getting the ball rolling.”

The ball rolling.
She’d started an avalanche. “Don’t you think Mom’s just a tad premature?”

“Perhaps,” his father agreed amicably enough. “But you can’t really blame her for that. She got caught up in the excitement of the moment. Once she talked to the yacht club, everything sort of fell into place. It makes sense once you analyze it. You’ve been a bachelor a long time, Jason. If you’re as serious about marrying Charlotte as you claim, my advice is, just do it. If you wait, you might talk yourself out of it.”

“Do it,” Jason echoed. “You make marriage sound like taking up an exercise program.” He could see he wasn’t going to make any more headway with his father than he had his mother.

“Think about it, all right? That’s all I ask.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“What?”

“Charlotte might say no.”

His father laughed. “Charlotte’s as much in love with you as you are with her. She’ll marry you in a New York minute and we both know it.”

“But, Dad…”

“Just think about it overnight. That’s all your mother and I are asking. If you decide you’d rather not go
through with this, then phone us in the morning and we’ll put a stop to everything.”

“I don’t need to sleep on this,” Jason argued. “I can tell you right now that I’m not going to agree. I’ve never heard anything more absurd in my life. A wedding in a few weeks! I was thinking more along the lines of two or three years!”

A heavy silence followed his words. “Then you must not be as much in love as your mother and I assumed. Give us a call in the morning,” his father said and hung up the phone.

Jason was too furious to stand still. He paced his living room, jerked his baseball cap off his head and slapped it against his thigh. He tried to smooth out the crease in the bill, realized he couldn’t and tossed the hat on top of the television.

Earlier that evening, he’d been talking to Charlotte about this very thing—people manipulating and controlling others. Well, he wasn’t about to fall prey to it now. Especially not with his parents.

If he allowed his mother to schedule his wedding, there was no telling where she’d stop. The next thing he knew she’d be meddling in
all
his personal affairs. She’d be deciding when it was time for him and Charlotte to have a family.

He drew in a deep, calming breath to clear his head.

His assessment of his mother was unfair, he told himself a few minutes later. His parents hadn’t interfered in his brothers’ or sisters’ marriages. From what he understood, they’d suggested Leah and Paul get
married, but that was common sense. Leah and Paul should have seen it themselves. He knew his parents had debated long and hard about confronting them and had done so reluctantly, after much soul-searching.

But arranging his marriage to Charlotte was an entirely different matter. They’d stepped over the boundary there—although…although he did understand how easy it must have been to get caught up in the heat of the moment. Getting the date at the yacht club had set everything in motion, and before either of his parents were aware of it, they’d planned the whole wedding.

As he recalled from his dinner conversation the day before, Jason had told his mother that Charlotte would welcome her assistance in planning the wedding. She’d done a bit more than suggest what type of flowers to use in the bridal bouquet, however.

No, it was out of the question.

Jason flatly refused to be a pawn. When he was ready to marry Charlotte he’d…

Married. He and Charlotte.

He needed at least a year just to get used to the idea. A man his age didn’t surrender his freedom without plenty of serious thought.

Then he remembered the phenomenon of holding Charlotte in his arms, of loving her, and the simple pleasure he found in spending time with her. He tried to imagine what his life would be like without her and discovered he couldn’t. So his belief that he wasn’t ready flew out the window.

But marriage, he told himself, would take away his freedom. He’d never watch another game on TV again without feeling guilty—a wife would make sure of that. Women nagged and controlled, didn’t they?

Charlotte was a woman, but she wasn’t like the others he’d known. She’d been controlled and manipulated herself; she’d fought against it. Jason couldn’t in all honesty believe she’d try the same tactics on him.

Once again his argument wouldn’t hold.

All right, maybe there were more things to consider besides his freedom. But here, too, he was losing ground. He’d found freedom in Charlotte, freedom to be himself, freedom to look toward the future.

Charlotte wanted children.

Another contentious issue. Children. Carrie had said as much the day she’d stopped by his office to bribe him to take out her mother. If he married Charlotte, he might as well accept that a year or so down the road they’d have a baby.

So? Wasn’t that what he wanted?

He hadn’t thought much about a family until recently. He vividly remembered the sensations that had overwhelmed him the first time he’d seen Charlotte holding Jeremy. Watching her play with his brother’s son had left him breathless. Of course, being hit by a fast-moving Frisbee might have contributed to that.

Okay, so he wanted children. A man didn’t marry a woman without giving the prospect some consideration. Since he was well past thirty, and fast approaching forty, he should start thinking along those lines soon. Char
lotte was nearly thirty-six herself, and he knew it was safer for a woman to give birth before the age of forty.

Which meant he had to throw out his idea of waiting two or three years to get married. If he was serious, and he was, they should do it soon.

But three weeks was
too
soon….

He’d sleep on it, Jason decided, take his father’s advice and give this whole wedding business some thought. But he could say right now, that on general principles alone, he was against it.

An hour later, after tossing and turning and wreaking havoc with his bedsheets, Jason knew. Knew it from the way he couldn’t keep his hands from clenching. Knew it from the way his stomach tensed.

He was going to marry Charlotte Weston. The wedding was already scheduled.

Charlotte didn’t know what was wrong with him. Jason had fidgeted all through dinner, although dinner had been his idea. He’d called her early that morning, before she’d left for work, and invited her out.

The invitation had sounded offhand, spur of the moment. Or that was how he’d apparently intended it to sound. But Charlotte wasn’t fooled. His voice had tensed as though he wasn’t sure she’d say yes—which was ridiculous. Surely he knew how crazy she was about him. Yet, when she assured him she’d be happy to join him for dinner, he hadn’t seemed the least bit relieved.

She’d suggested Mr. Tamales, but he’d disagreed.
Instead he’d chosen a fancy seafood restaurant near the harbor. She’d been looking forward to chicken enchiladas, but certainly wasn’t disappointed with her shrimp Louis.

Charlotte could have sworn, however, that Jason hadn’t eaten more than three bites of his wine-sautéed scallops. “Jason,” she said after a long silence. “Is something bothering you?”

“No,” he replied abruptly.

“You haven’t said a word in the last five minutes. Aren’t you feeling well?”

“My stomach’s in knots.” His reply was quick and short-tempered. He reached for his water glass, emptying ice chips into his mouth, then chewed on them fiercely.

“Do you want to leave?”

His eyes met hers and for an all-too-brief moment the tension eased from around his mouth. “Not yet.”

“Okay,” she said, wondering at his strange mood.

“How did everything go with your boss?” he asked, seeming to want to change the subject.

She’d already told him, but apparently he hadn’t been paying attention. “He’s angry, especially since two other people also gave their notice when they learned I wasn’t changing my mind.”

“Did he try to make staying worth your while?”

Charlotte nodded. “He offered me and the others a raise.” Mr. Ward had called all three of them into his office, smugly claimed he was willing to overlook this small mutiny and offered them each a raise if they’d withdraw their resignations.

“You didn’t take his bride—I mean bribe—did you?”

“No.” Charlotte was still basking in the satisfaction she’d felt when she told Mr. Ward she wasn’t interested in withdrawing her notice. Cheryl and Janice hadn’t changed their minds, either. Mr. Ward had been stunned, but she knew that would soon pass.

Before the end of the two weeks, he’d try every manipulative tactic in the book. When she didn’t give in, he’d try anger, his least effective tool.

She was through with a boss who was so angry and unreasonable. Through with guilt and regret and abuse. She already had a line on another job, although she would’ve enjoyed taking the summer off.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t afford it. As it was, she only had two months’ budget in her savings account, and it had taken her a year to accumulate that much. She called it her “attitude money.” It was a whole lot easier to walk away from her position at the agency, knowing she had some cash to fall back on if she didn’t get a job right away.

“How about dessert?” Jason suggested after the waitress had taken their dinner dishes away.

She shook her head. “No, thanks. I’m stuffed.”

He looked disappointed at her response.

“You go ahead, though,” she urged.

Jason immediately rejected the idea, proving her initial impression wrong. But if he
wasn’t
craving dessert, what did he want? He seemed restless, yet obviously wasn’t inclined to leave.

Whatever was bothering Jason wasn’t trivial, Charlotte realized. Jason Manning wasn’t a man easily unnerved. She wondered if it was something she’d done, something she’d said. She didn’t know what to make of his behavior. Throughout dinner, she’d considered various explanations, none of which seemed all that logical.

The silence between them lingered as they sipped their after-dinner coffee. From the moment he’d picked her up, she’d been surprised that Jason was wearing a suit, the same attractive gray one he’d had on the night of the dance. His brother’s suit. She knew very well that he didn’t dress formally unless it was some important occasion. His entire wardrobe consisted of jeans and T-shirts.