3.01
He looked both pleased and bashful, Liza noticed. Charles Brooks was on the verge of blushing because of her.
"I would love to clear the air. If you're amenable, meet me at The Carlyle, tonight at 9:00. If you show up, great, and if you don't, that's completely fine. It will be like it never happened."
Before Liza could respond, Charles was pulled away.
I don't want to pretend it never happened, she wanted to tell him. I want to do it again.
She felt jittery for the rest of the day, a mixture of nerves and excitement. She felt high off the possibility of what might come next.
It had been tough, being broken up with Josh, but she knew deep down it was the right thing.
"He's a grown up. We talk about books," she told Maggie that evening.
Maggie scoffed at her, but Liza knew there was more to a relationship than just sex or chemistry. Sure they played an important role, but you couldn't build a stable, lasting foundation on them. As enjoyable as sex with Josh had been, Liza craved intellectual stimulation as well as physical. She loved talking about books and literature. She loved reading and was perfectly content to spend her weekend with her nose in a book, sharing her space with another person while they did the same.
She felt that kind of connection with Charles, and it wasn't hard to imagine what kind of life they could have together. She tried to refrain from thinking so far into the future, but it seemed to come so organically when it came to him, and the thought of it brought a small smile to her face.
Regardless, she at least owed it to him to talk things through. Since he still knew her as a 26-year-old assistant, he undoubtedly had some concerns. But could she tell him the truth? Millennial was thriving and she was being noticed. What would the repercussions be if she came clean now? Maybe this was the perfect time to ask.
When she arrived, she spotted him through the window, and had just made her way inside when two familiar figures approached him.
Liza felt panic rising up in her. Bob and Julia? What were the odds? How was it possible that, in one of the largest cities in the world, these people knew each other?
She was frozen in place, unsure what to do. One of the staff was approaching her and she had no plan. Should she bail? Could she bail?
"Miss? Can I help you?"
Liza nearly told him she was just leaving, but instead she moved more into the shadows and turned her back to Charles. "No, thank you. I'm fine, just checking if my friend has already arrived."
The staff member nodded and walked in the other direction. Liza tried as best she could to blend in without making it look like she was trying to blend in.
She bit her lip, thinking through all of her options. She didn't want to risk being exposed — she wanted to tell him the truth herself if it came to it — but she didn't want to stand him up.
She hadn't realized until this moment how badly she wanted to come tonight, and how much she wanted to find a way to tell him the truth.
Coming to a decision, she sent him a quick text.
Running late — sorry. On my way.
She peeked over her shoulder to gauge his reaction. He stopped talking to his friends and pulled out his phone. He frowned slightly and typed back.
Everything ok?
Liza felt her heart surge with affection. He was hoping she would come. He had said it would be fine no matter what, but he wanted her to show up.
She sent him a reply.
Definitely. Just had a late start. See you soon :)
She couldn't help but add a smiley at the end — she wanted to assure him she was coming and that she was happy to be coming. She cast a glance in his direction once more.
This time when he pulled out his phone, the shy smile that lit up his features was enough to nearly take her breath away. It took all of her self-control not to rush over to him and put his mind at ease.
Luckily, Bob and Julia seemed to be saying their goodbyes. Liza watched them make their way toward the exit, making sure to walk outside their line of sight as she walked over to Charles.
He was sitting with his back to her, fiddling with his drink. She almost hated to end this moment, where she could just take him in. But she knew she would look like a stalker if she stared at him from behind for too long, so she slipped onto the stool next to him and placed a hand on his arm.
"Hi."
He looked genuinely surprised. "Hi. I, uh, wasn't sure if you would make it."
"I told you I was on my way."
"I know, I just...I thought you might change your mind."
Liza reached for his hand and gave it a light squeeze. "You don't need to worry about that."
She let her hand linger there, curious about how he would respond, and just to know what it felt like.
Again, he seemed surprised, but this time he quickly followed it with a smile, and placed his other hand on top of hers.
It was electric. All they were doing was touching hands and it set all of Liza's nerve endings ablaze. Charles must have felt it, too, because she heard him, ever so quietly, take a shaky breath.
He gently removed his hand and straightened his jacket. "Would you like to join me at a table? I think we can talk easier that way."
Liza nodded, and he stood, offering her his hand once more. She took it and didn't let go.
They walked hand in hand to a table in the far corner, partially hidden from view. He pulled out her chair before taking his own seat.
"I'm glad you came," he said quietly.
"Me, too. Honestly..." she hesitated, not sure if she was ready to break the beautiful spell between them. "I wasn't sure if I would. Not because of you, but because of me. There's...there's a lot you don't know."
"Well, we're here to talk, right? Clear the air? You can say as much or as little as you'd like."
Be careful what you wish for, Liza thought. She so badly wanted to spill the entire story. She wanted a clean slate. She wanted there to be no secrets.
She wanted to be with him.
Charles seemed to sense her inner turmoil. "Why don't we get some drinks first?"
She smiled gratefully. "That would be perfect. Thank you."
He already seemed to read her so well. All of his instructs when it came to her were right on the money...all except for her lie.
She took a few sips of her drink, trying to decide the best course of action. There was no good way to tell someone you had lied to them, but she wanted to make sure he understood why.
"So, um, how do you know Bob and Julia?"
Charles gave her a puzzled look. "Bob is my lawyer and one of my closest friends. We've known each other since college. How do you know them?" He realized that could have sounded accusatory or judgmental, so he added, "Not that you couldn't know them, I just thought we would've been introduced before now if we were mutual acquaintances."
Liza gave him a reassuring smile, then took a deep breath and swallowed. "We haven't known each other that long. I only met them because...well, you must know their daughter, Rose."
Charles nodded slowly, confusion written all over his face.
Liza continued, bracing herself. "Rose goes to Vassar, and she's roommates with my daughter, Caitlin. And before you do the math and add to your confusion, let me just say this: I'm not 26."
Confusion quickly turned into shock. "What are you saying?"
Liza inhaled deeply once more. "I'm not 26. I'm a 40-year-old divorcée with a daughter who is nearly 19. I lied about my age to get a job in publishing."
And she launched into the story of how her lie came to be. Charles said nothing, but he listened intently until she had finished.
"I'm so sorry I lied to you, Charles. I didn't think I'd...that you...I just never expected you, when I planned this out. I didn't even really expect to get this far. But I didn't want to talk about our kiss without being honest first. I'm so sorry."
Charles still remained silent. Liza wished he would glare or yell or get up and leave; any reaction was preferable to absolute silence.
He took a long swig of his scotch before he broke the tension. "Have you heard the story of why my wife left?"
Now it was Liza's turn to be shocked; this was not a reaction or conversation she had anticipated. "Um, no I don't think I have."
Charles set his glass down and leaned forward in his seat, clasping his hands in front of him and letting his arms rest on the table. "She said she needed a break. To find herself. She felt suffocated by her life, living in my world, always having to play supportive wife. She said she lost sight of who she was and didn't want to give up any more of herself. So she was leaving. No details other than knowing she would be safe. And that was that."
He took another drink. "I, of course, was blindsided. But I probably shouldn't have been. I probably did take her for granted. I probably didn't give her enough attention as just Pauline rather than as my wife or a mom. But if I had known what she was feeling, I could've tried to do something about it. I thought maybe we were just hitting a rough patch. Maybe I should've said something. But I didn't know. She didn't tell me. We used to talk about things. I'm not sure when it stopped. But how can I fix something of which I am unaware? And how can we fix things if she disappears for months?"
He shook his head. "She wasn't honest with me, so I couldn't even try to make things right. If she needed space from me, I can understand it, if it would really help her. But...I can't understand leaving our girls. How can I forgive her for that?"
Liza could feel his hurt like it was her own. David had betrayed her, but he had never, and would never, hurt Caitlin. "I'm so sorry, Charles," she said quietly.
He looked up at her. "You lied to me. To everyone at Empirical. To everyone affiliated with Millennial."
"I know but—"
"But at least you told the truth before it was too late. Before someone got hurt."
Liz was stunned. "What?"
Charles flagged down a waiter to bring them some water. He took a long drink before he continued. "You could've kept lying. I'm sure it would've been easier for you. You could've stayed at home tonight. You could've stayed at the mall. But you didn't. You made a different choice because you know what you want and what you deserve, and you know sometimes that means making hard choices and having difficult conversations."
"So...you're not mad?"
Charles shook his head. "I'm not angry. I'm a little rattled, and I need some time to process it all, but I'm not mad. How could I be?"
"What do you mean?"
To Liza's amazement, he reached for her hand and smiled at her. "Because you took a huge risk to take care of your daughter. You were willing to make a huge sacrifice so she could have a good life. I can't be mad about that, especially after Pauline sacrificed her daughters instead."
Liza's eyes felt prickly with tears. "Thank you," she whispered.
Charles squeezed her hand reassuringly. "We'll figure this out. At work, I mean. We can take care of the logistics."
Liza wiped a budding tear from her eye. "What about...this. Us."
Charles stood, his hand still gripping hers. "Come with me."
She stood alongside him, taking his arm. He led her to the exit and hailed a cab.
Liza felt a slight pang of panic. "What are you doing?"
Charles smiled at her, his eyes twinkling. "I thought you might like to see one of my favorite places."
They climbed into the cab and arrived relatively quickly at their destination. Which was too bad, Liza thought, because she had really been enjoying sitting so close to him, and his hand on her knee.
"What is this place?" she asked him, awestruck, after he paid the driver.
"The sea glass carousel. Would you like to try it?"
Liza beamed, feeling thrilled at the sight of this mysterious place she had never seen before. "I would love to."
The wattage of his smile could've powered the entirety of New York City. "There's one other thing I'd like to do before we go."
Liza quirked an eyebrow at him. "What's that?"
He lowered his face to hers so that their lips were just an inch apart. He waited for just one second, prolonging the tension between them. "This."
Liza had thought the kiss at the mall was a firework show. But compared to what was happening now, that seemed like a mere flint stone spark. This was exhilarating and magical and all the things they write about in romance novels. And this time, Liza got to kiss him back with equal fervor.
When they pulled apart at last, their foreheads were touching.
"Honesty?" Liza breathed.
"Honesty."
She smiled at him. "I think I'm a little bit in love with you already."
He grinned back. "I think I'm a little bit in love with you, too."
He offered her his hand once more, and the two of them practically skipped to the carousel.
A year later, that's where he proposed.
And she said yes.