2.03
Charles smiled warmly at her and Liza couldn't help but blush under his gaze.
"So where's your young man?" he asked. He saw her face fall and immediately regretted putting a damper on her evening.
"Uh, I'm not sure there still is a young man..."
Charles felt his heart leap into his throat and used every ounce of control he possessed to keep from emoting his joy.
Liza continued, "He's been ghosting me."
Charles gave her a quizzical look. "Ghosting you?"
"Yeah it's when someone evaporates into thin air with no explanation."
Charles felt a flicker of fury hearing those words. Who in their right mind would evaporate from this woman's life? He pushed his emotions back down, though, to offer her some comfort. "Oh, I'm sorry."
He wasn't. Well, he was sorry Liza was upset, but not at all sorry this young man was out of the picture. "Can I get you a glass of champagne? It's the very least I can do to celebrate your night."
"Yeah, I'd like that. Thank you."
Charles practically bounced over to the bar, doing his damndest to conceal his delight. He ordered their champagnes and contemplated his next move
Just talk to her, he told himself. You've always been able to talk easily.
He thrummed his fingers nervously on the bar top. Of course they could talk to one another, but how long could he do so without accidentally making a fool of himself?
As he gathered their flutes and turned to make his way back to her, he realized he might be a fool sooner rather than later.
Liza's young man was standing next to her, reaching for her hands. Charles wanted to turn back around and disappear into the crowd, but Liza caught sight of him in the corner of her eye.
He plastered on a calm smile and walked toward her. To his surprise, as he got closer, he saw the young man squeeze Liza's hands, kiss her in the cheek, and walk away. By the time Charles reached her, he was long gone.
"Sorry about that," she apologized, taking the champagne from his outstretched hand. "He just showed up out of the blue."
"There's no need to apologize, Liza. You're allowed to have your boyfriend at your work events."
Liza's brows furrowed. "I know, but it really bothers me that he ghosted me for weeks, then shows up out of nowhere and thinks we can just work things out. I was ready to give up on us."
Charles swallowed thickly. "And now?" He didn't know what possessed him to ask that question, but he needed to know.
"And now...I don't know why I didn't sooner," she said, letting out a sigh of relief and taking a sip of her drink. "Josh is really wonderful and made me really happy. He brought out a whole new side of me I didn't know existed. But...this whole situation was just too much for me. Adults communicate, don't they? That's what two people in a mature relationship do."
Charles wasn't sure if this was rhetorical, so he gave a noncommittal nod for her to continue.
She sighed again. "If I had known what he was thinking the last few weeks, we could've talked about all the things that have been bothering him. But he shows up tonight like nothing happened and we can just move forward without getting into the hard stuff. And what happens the next time we go through something difficult? Will he disappear again? I can't do that. I can't lice that way."
Charles wasn't sure how to respond. He wanted to comfort her, but didn't want it to seem like he was making a move, as much as he wanted to.
Liza took another swig of her drink. "God, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be rambling to my boss about the inner workings and trials of my relationship."
Charles touched her arm lightly. "You don't need to apologize, Liza. I already told you. Perhaps I'm being presumptuous, but I'd like to think I'm your friend as well as your boss?"
Liza relaxed and some of the tension came out of her shoulders. "Yes, I would like to consider you a friend."
Or more, she thought to herself.
Charles raised his glass. "To friendship."
"To friendship."
They clinked glasses and sipped from their flutes. The tension broken, they moved easily into conversation about work and literature, and Charles regaled her with stories of past Empirical galas.
It wasn't until they heard the clunk of dishes that Liza looked at her phone.
"Oh my god, I didn't realize how late it is!"
Time had slipped away from Charles as well. He was glad his daughters were staying with his cousins, or else he would be in full-blown guilty panic mode.
"Can I call you a car?" he asked as they walked to the exit.
"Sure, thank you," she replied with a small shiver.
"Here." Charles shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.
Liza pulled it closer to her and gave him a small grin. "Thank you. I can't help but think of all the times my mom insisted I bring a jacket, despite my protests that I wouldn't need one."
Charles laughed, reminded of all the times he had done the same thing with his daughters. But there was something wistful in Liza's eyes after she said it that had him wondering. "Are you and your mom close?"
The wistfulness in her eyes was replaced by total sadness, and Charles kicked himself again for adding a black mark to her successful evening.
"We were really close, yeah. When I was growing up and when I was grown up. But she died awhile ago. Cancer."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Liza." And this time he meant it. Despite his brain's protests, he touched her arm again and gave it a light squeeze. He let it linger there for a moment, then she pulled him into a hug.
They fit together perfectly. Unconsciously, Charles began moving his hand in comforting circles on her back. He almost stopped, but decided it would be more awkward to stop abruptly than to continue.
When she finally pulled away, she dabbed at her wet eyes. "Sorry about that."
"I think I need to implement a new policy for our friendship — don't ever apologize to me unless you cause a bodily injury."
This garnered a chuckle from her. "Ok I'm sor—um. What I meant to say is I haven't really talked about her in awhile, and never with anyone at work. But even though I'm still sad she's gone, it's also nice to talk with someone about some of the good memories I have with her."
"I'm glad to listen any time. You've inadvertently heard several stories about my father and grandfather because of their proximity to the company. And I understand that feeling. Whenever I look at what we've built at Empirical, especially since we decided to launch Millennial, I think about how proud they would be that we are still in the game and being innovators."
Liza reached for his hand and squeezed it gently. "They would definitely be proud of you."
But she didn't let go.
Charles remained still for a moment before making an adjustment so their fingers could intertwine. Liza put up no resistance, and when he glanced over at her, he could she the blush rising in her cheeks.
Charles reached into his pocket for his phone. He let out a sound of annoyance as he fiddled with an app.
"Everything ok?"
Charles signed and pocketed his phone. "The next available car is over 45 minutes away. There must be an event going on in the city."
Liza swallowed. "Oh."
Charles didn't want to spook Liza or make her feel uncomfortable, but it would be silly of him not to say something. He cleared his throat. "My personal car will be here soon. We can take you wherever you need to go."
"I couldn't ask you to do that. Brooklyn is way out of your way."
"It's not a problem. I have nothing but an empty house waiting for me."
Realizing how that might have sounded, he quickly added, "because my daughters are away. Uh, usually I relieve the babysitter after work events. At a much earlier time, I mean. But they're away with their cousins. Well, really my cousins, but we were as close as siblings, so we refer to them as aunt and uncle, and their kids as cousins." God, he was rambling.
Liza giggled a little at his flustered state. She knew what he had meant, but still enjoyed how hard he was working to make sure it came across as completely innocent.
"I always wished my daughter had cousins," Liza said without thinking. She immediately realized her error and let out a small gasp.
Charles turned to look at her, a quizzical look on his face. "Your daughter?"
Shit, Liza thought. This was not how I intended to let this out.
Instead of trying to come up with another lie, Liza decided to come clean. Perhaps it was the result of an emotional few weeks with Josh, or her long day at work and managing this event, or maybe it was the sparks that were flying like the Fourth of July between her and the man next to her — regardless, Liza was too tired to keep up her ruse any longer.
She took a deep breath. "My daughter. She's 19. Before you do the math and look at me like I'm crazy, let me say this: I'm not 26. I'm 40. I lied about my age to get a job in publishing."
When he didn't respond immediately, she continued. "It isn't anything sinister or a con or anything like that. I left publishing not long after my daughter was born, and when I tried to step back in, nobody wanted to hire a 40-year-old with a 19-year gap in employment. In this day and age, leaving your job to be a mom is akin to becoming a pariah.
"Then when I first met Josh, he thought I was in my 20s, and Maggie, my roommate best friend combo, suggested I use that lie to get a job. And here we are."
There were so many things Charles wanted to ask, but the only thing that came out was, "But why?"
Liza gave him a knowing look. "For my kid. My husband — well, soon-to-be ex-husband — gambled away all of her college tuition and nearly all of our savings. I wasn't going to tell my brilliant and hardworking daughter that college was off the table because her dad is an idiot. So I filed for divorce, sold our house and most of our belongings, and moved to Brooklyn to get a publishing job. Then I paid her tuition."
Though he was utterly shocked and caught off guard by her admission — her lie? Charles couldn't help but feel a rush of sympathy and admiration for her. How brave she was to take such a risk, all so her daughter didn't have to put her dreams on hold.
He realized that he had been silent while lost in his thoughts. "We do crazy things for our kids."
Liza looked up at him, stunned. "You're not mad?"
Charles shrugged. "How could I be? I only hope I could be brave enough to do something like that for my daughters."
Liza's eyes glistened. Charles took a step closer to her and placed his hand on her face, wiped a tear from her cheek. She leaned in closer to him and —
The sudden flash of headlights had them jumping apart.
Charles cleared his throat and swallowed. "Looks like our ride is here." He opened the door and offered her a hand. The jolt of electricity that passed between them could've lit the city.
Liza sucked in a sharp breath as she settled into her seat. She glanced around the car, feeling suddenly grateful that there was a partition between them and the driver.
"We need to make a quick stop in Brooklyn, Mike," Charles said as he shut the door.
"Of course, Mr. Brooks."
Charles scoffed. "Mr. Brooks? Are we pretending we haven't known each other for a decade? That we haven't been to Thanksgivings together?"
Mike grinned. "Just wanted to give your date the high society experience. She's already acting beneath her by hanging around you. There can't possibly be a logical reason for someone as lovely as her to be your date."
Charles thought Liza would correct his mistake identifying her as his date, but she only laughed and said, "I'm a Jersey girl, so I don't know a thing about high society. But I thank you for your flattery"
Mike gave a mock tip of the hat. "Of course, Miss...?"
"Liza. Just Liza."
Mike shifted the car into drive. "As you wish, Liza."
As they pulled away from the venue, Mike glanced back at his friend and Liza. Usually he left the partition down so they two of them could talk sports or books, but tonight, it seemed like his buddy might want some privacy. He pushed the button on the console and the partition quietly eased its way up.
But Charles and Liza hardly noticed. Both of them sat at the far edge of their seats, pretending to look out the tinted windows. They avoided eye contact and shifted in their seats uncomfortably.
Charles broke first.
He turned away from the window and inched himself slightly closer to her.
Liza glanced over at him, then mirrored his actions.
They both moved slightly closer to one another until they were at their seatbelt's limit. They both faced forward now, the backseat humming with tension.
Charles reached out a hand and touched Liza's knee. Her breath hitched slightly and he felt his body grow warm. He loosened his tie with his free hand, and began rubbing her knee gently with the other. Liza placed her hand on top of his, intertwining their fingers once again.
There was a chirp from Charles' pocket. He pulled out his phone and saw a message from Mike.
Didn't want to interrupt, but there's some traffic congestion up ahead. Just wanted to give you a heads up ;)
Charles reddened slightly at the implication of his friend's message, but he also sent up a silent prayer of thanks to the traffic gods. Never in his life had he hoped to be in a standstill.
Until tonight.
He pocketed his phone and cleared his throat. "A bit of a standstill up ahead."
Liza nodded. "So I guess we were right about a city even then, huh?"
Charles nodded mutely.
Could he do this?
Feeling bold, he slowly moved to unbuckle his seatbelt. "Might as well get comfortable," he joked lamely as it disengaged with a click.
"Good idea," Liza replied, unbuckling her own.
They sat in silence for a moment, then both began speaking.
"Liza—"
"Charles—"
They both chuckled lightly.
"You first," Charles told her, scooting toward the middle of the seats.
Liza said nothing, but followed him to the middle, laying her head on his shoulder when they were side to side.
Charles put his arm around her. She sighed contentedly as she nestled into him. She could hear his heart racing, a tempo to match her own. She turned to look up at him, their faces only inches apart.
Can we do this? they both wondered, eyes locked on one another.
Charles spoke first. "Would it be alright if I..." he trailed off, afraid to speak the words.
"If you what?" Liza whispered breathily.
"Can I kiss you?"
Liza nodded.
Slowly, their lips met in a gentle kiss.
It was perfect. Better than either of them had dreamed. And if a simple kiss felt that amazing...
Charles cradled her face in his hands as she shifted to face him more directly. He placed a delicate kiss on her forehead. Then her nose. And as he leaned in to her lips once more, he paused.
"Can I kiss you again?" he uttered huskily, voice barely above a whisper.
"You better," Liza said, and Charles could feel her smile before he saw it.
Each kiss was filled with more tenderness and passion than the last. When they finally pulled apart, Liza rested her forehead against his.
"I didn't want to kiss you goodbye — that was the trouble — I wanted to kiss you good night — and there's a lot of difference," Charles recited softly.
"Kissing and quoting Hemingway? How much better could this night get?"
Charles shifted back to his side of the car. "This is not how I expected this evening to go."
"Me either. But I'm glad it did," Liza replied, smiling shyly at him.
"Thank you for trusting me with your secret. It's safe with me until you're ready."
"Are you sure you're not mad? Josh—" she stopped herself, not wanting her ex to taint the sacred space they now shared.
"He was upset?" Charles asked. Liza nodded. He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "I can understand why it would be upsetting. But I also understand the why, and that resonates with me deeply. I don't want to pass judgment on him or his reaction, but I think perhaps being young and not having children has an effect on how impactful the truth is."
"I hadn't thought of that, actually," Liza admitted. "But you're right. Josh really is a wonderful guy — I mean that — and I'm so grateful to know him. But there are a lot of things about me and my choices he will never understand because of our vastly different life experiences.
"Even if we didn't have an age gap, by the time I was his age, I had been married for years and had a kid about to start kindergarten. And my life changed so much between 26 and 40, in good and bad ways. Who I was at 26 is not who I am at 40. I think Josh deserves a fair chance at experiencing that himself, alongside someone who can go on that journey with him, side by side."
Charles rubbed her knee. "You always seemed so wide beyond your years. Now it all makes sense. I don't know how I didn't realize it before."
"Because I'm so youthful?"
Charles shook his head. "No it's not that," he said with mock seriousness, sending her a playful grin.
Liza batted his hand away, giggling. "Excuse me!" She reached over and flicked his ear.
"Ow! No one has done that to me since college." Charles rubbed his ear and looked over at her.
Her smile was equal parts mischievous and radiant.
I'm in love with her, he realized, fear and excitement flooding through his veins.
"Hate to break up the party kids, but we've arrived," Mike told them, slowly rolling down the partition.
Charles was confused. "We can't possibly be in Brooklyn. Did the traffic clear up?"
Mike gave his friend a sly grin. "Nah, we are on the Upper East Side. The traffic wasn't going anywhere so I took a shortcut."
He winked at Charles as he killed the engine.
Charles felt briefly mortified, but his anxiety dissipated when Liza practically jumped out of the car when Mike opened her door. He quickly followed.
"Have a good night, sir," Mike said, bowing before he returned to the driver's side.
"See you this weekend, Frances." Charles waved at his friend.
Mike gave him a dirty look. "Low blow, Brooks. Low blow." But he waved to them as he pulled away.
"Frances?" Liza asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"That's his first name and he loathes it. Michael is his middle name and he's gone by Mike as long as I can remember."
Liza laughed.
It was like music.
Liza looked up at the brownstone. "So this is where you live?"
Charles nodded. "It's been in my family for generations..." he hesitated. "Would you like to come in?"
Liza beamed at him. "Only if you give me the full tour."
Charles took her hand and led her up the steps.
True to his word, he gave her the full tour.
With their last stop being the bedroom.