3.04

Liza gave Diana a puzzled look. "Is there a problem with the opera tickets?"

"No. I want you to have them. Take your boyfriend or... whatever it is you're doing now, I can't keep track. Enjoy the opera."

Apparently Diana had planned out Liza's entire evening so she could...supervise a construction issue at her building.

Whatever, Liza wasn't about to give up a chance to wear the kind of evening gown Diana would wear and go to the opera.

On her trip home, Liza thought about what she would've said to convince Josh to go with her, if they were still together. She imagined he would wrinkle his nose and show zero interest until she tempted him with how stunning her outfit would be.

She sighed, still feeling a little bruised. She knew it was better that he had broken things off with her now rather than later, but his words still stung. She only wished she had been honest with herself and done it sooner, before he had gotten hurt.

In the meantime, she still had at least one go-to pal who she knew would be thrilled to dress up and live like the 1% for the evening.

"The opera? Hell yes I'll go with you!" Maggie exclaimed when Liza pulled out the tickets. "I have just the outfit — I've been waiting for an excuse to wear it."

Maggie may have been a modern, eclectic artist, but she harbored a deep love for all things classical music. Liza was grateful to have someone in her life to get nerdy with about things like opera. All Liza needed was someone to get deep into literature with and she would be set. Kelsey loved books and had a keen eye for talent and stories, but her desire to get involved with books outside of work was minimal at best. And Liza didn't blame her — with all the other things that were available to her versus when Liza had been 26, it was inevitable. But Kelsey was whip smart and had the utmost respect for the value of books and literature, which was all that mattered.

Sometimes, though, Liza craved intellectual stimulation she couldn't currently find within her friend group. Her friends all offered her a variety of wonderful things, but there always seemed to be one itch they couldn't scratch, and Liza couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

Maggie wolf-whistled at her when she came out of her room. "Look at you! In that getup, even I am wondering if you're 26."

Liza let out a small chuckle. "Me? The way you look, I'll be surprised if you end up coming home with me. The opera LGBTQ community will be eating their hearts out."

Maggie offered Liza her arm. "Shall we?"

Liza linked their arms. "We shall."

When they arrived at the theatre, Liza was in awe of their surroundings. She hadn't been to the opera in well over a decade, and her memory of it simply did not do it justice.

She and Maggie joked about how the other side lives while they sipped champagne.

"Tastes so much better when it's free," Maggie said, clinking her glass to Liza's.

"I'll drink to that."

Liza had just taken a sip when she heard someone call out, "Liza!"

Liza looked around, curious. Who could she possibly —

Suddenly, she felt an impact somewhere near her middle, causing her to nearly slosh champagne onto the floor. When she regained her balance, a wide smile broke out on her face. "Bianca! I'm so glad to see you. Where's your—"

Another thump around her waist answered that question. "Nicole! What a great surprise to see you both. How are my favorite sisters?"

The girls pulled away from her, grinning from ear to ear. "Daddy brought us to the opera!" Bianca said excitedly.

"He said the opera is for big girls, so we are trying to show him that we are," Nicole said seriously.

Liza nodded. "Of course. You are big girls. Baby girls would not be allowed to stay up so late."

"Big girls also don't dart away from their father in a crowd," someone said not too far behind her.

Maggie's jaw almost dropped. "Wait, isn't that your boss?" she whispered.

Liza gave her a small nod. "Yeah."

"He looks even better in person. Damn, you go girl."

Liza tried not to let a blush rise in her cheeks as she turned to face Charles.

Charles smiled warmly at her. "Liza."

"Charles, hi."

"Hi. Wow, um. I... I didn't know you were going to be here. This is such a surprise." Charles fiddled with his tie for a moment. Was he nervous? No. He couldn't be.

"Diana gave me tickets," Liza clarified.

"Oh, that's great. Surprising, but great."

Liza laughed. "She had something to take care of at home and didn't want perfectly good opera tickets to go to waste."

"Of course, we wouldn't want that."

The energy between them was electric, so intense Liza could practically feel it thrumming.

Maggie cleared her throat and Liza remembered to breathe. "Oh, god, I'm sorry. How rude of me. Charles, this is my best friend/roommate/life saver Maggie Amato."

Maggie shook his hand. "Charmed. I've heard a lot about you, Charles. It's nice to finally put a face with the, uh, name," she said with a wink.

Liza couldn't stop the pink from reaching her cheeks. Leave it to Maggie to make a reference to the Empiriconda at this exact moment.

Charles blushed a little, too. "It's nice to meet you as well. I feel like I've heard a little bit here and there about Liza's mysterious older roommate."

Maggie turned toward Liza with a smirk and quirked an eyebrow at her. "Older, huh?"

Liza ignored her and focused on the girls. "And look at your lovely escorts! How lucky are you to have these two girls on your arm. Maggie, these are Charles's daughters, Nicole and Bianca."

Maggie stuck her hand out to shake their hands as well, which delighted them. "If you can believe it, girls, I think I've heard more about you than your dear old dad here. Liza loved to talk about her adventures in babysitting."

"Liza is the best babysitter!" Bianca exclaimed.

Nicole nodded in agreement. "She is our favorite. We wish she could always be our babysitter."

Liza gathered them both in a hug. "I love being your babysitter. Maybe we can play with Polly Pocket again soon? I've been wondering how she is doing."

"I think that could be arranged," Charles said, his heart an absolute puddle watching Liza love on his girls.

They need that, he thought sadly. It's something they have been missing.

In his brief relationship with Radha, the girls had never quite clicked with her. He knew it might have happened over time, but with Liza, it had been almost instantaneous. Nicole took a little more time to warm up to her than Bianca, but the difference was about 25 minutes. His girls utterly adored Liza.

And he was starting to realize just how much he did as well.

The lights above them flickered.

Maggie placed her champagne flute on a nearby tray. "Almost showtime. We better find out seats."

"Bye, Liza!" Nicole waved.

"Will we see you after?" Bianca asked with puppy dog eyes.

Liza glanced over at Charles, who gave her a small shrug, as if to say, It's up to you.

"I will definitely see you after. I want to hear all the big girl thoughts about the performance."

They all parted ways, Charles and his girls taking the stairs to their box seats, while Liza and Maggie headed toward their mezzanine level seats. Liza looked up as they walked toward the entrance just as Charles was looking down. They locked eyes for just a moment before continuing on their way, and even in that brief glance, Liza could feel the butterflies in her stomach going mad.

"Hot single dad with well-mannered children? I think I'm starting to understand," Maggie teased. "Not to mention he likes opera. And I assume he's a book nerd, too? I feel like you would have to be to run a publishing company. What other boxes does he check for you?"

Liza's cheeks were burning and her butterflies showed no signs of settling down. Luckily, the lights dimmed and saved her from answering Maggie's question.

Because the truth was, he checked all her boxes, even the ones she hadn't realized needed checking.

She would never wish an ugly divorce on anyone, but Charles could understand that — the breakup of a marriage that you didn't see coming.

He was learning how to parent on his own, just as she had while David worked long hours (or maybe wasn't working, she had realized). Granted, Charles had a lot more resources than she had, but it still was no easy thing to be a dad raising two young girls alone. Liza felt grateful that she only had Caitlin to worry about, and that she was practically grown when the divorce happened.

Liza's heart twinged at the thought of Caitlin with Nicole and Bianca. Caitlin always seemed perfectly content to be an only child, but Liza knew she would be a phenomenal big sister.

Liza startled at her thought process. Why was she thinking about Caitlin being a sister to them? She wasn't even dating Charles, let alone married to him. How had she let her thoughts get so off track?

Because you're falling in love with him, a little voice in the back of her mind told her.

He doesn't know my real age. He doesn't know about Caitlin.

So tell him.

Her internal dialogue was interrupted by the start of the overture. Had they really just sat down? Liza felt like it had been much longer, and did her best to stay focused on the performance.

It was an utter failure.

By the time intermission rolled around, Liza was almost ready to call it a night. But remembering her promise to Nicole and Bianca, she decided to visit the restroom and get some air during the break.

She splashed cold water on her face, careful not to fudge up her eye makeup, and after she took a few deep breaths, she reapplied her lipstick.

She tried in vain to zip her dress the rest of the way. She had managed to get it about halfway up before the limberness of an accomplished yogi or gymnast would be required. She let her hair fall across her back, hoping it would cover most of what was still exposed enough for her to reach Maggie for help.

She rounded the corner quickly and ran smack into someone.

"I'm so sorry!" She looked up.

Charles.

"Funny running into you here," he joked.

He had dropped his program, so Liza bent over to retrieve it. "Sorry about that I—"

"Is your..." Charles gave her a puzzled look. "Do you need help with your dress?"

Liza felt both relief and panic course through her. Yes, she did need help with her dress. No, she did not want him to touch her bare skin because once he did, she would never un-feel it.

But she didn't have much choice. Charles was not a stranger, and his aid would be preferable to the zipper falling and giving everyone a show

"Um, sure. That would be great."

Liza turned her back to him and pulled her hair across her shoulder, the cool air of the theatre giving her a slight chill.

But it was Charles gently placing a hand at the small of her back that gave her goosebumps. She couldn't control the slight shiver that overtook her.

"Sorry, um. Just a little cold," she explained as he zipped her up.

He didn't reply, intensely focused on the task in front of him.

In reality, Charles was trying his best to breathe evenly and maintain his composure. The feeling of her warm skin under his hand, her beautiful, long neck exposed right in front of him...it took all of his strength to keep his cool.

He cleared his throat and placed a hand on her shoulder. "All fixed."

She flicked her hair back behind her and turned to face him slowly. The scent of her just added to his struggle.

"Thank you," Liza said quietly, looking up at him.

People milled around them, thinking nothing of the two people near the restroom standing just a few inches apart. But Liza and Charles hardly noticed, the entire world fading around them.

Before the pull could get any stronger, Liza blurted, "I'm 40!"

Charles pulled back slightly, but didn't step away from her. "You're...what?"

Liza took a deep breath. "I'm 40. I'm not 26. I lied to get a job because nobody would hire someone my age. My ex-husband cheated and gambled away all of our money. My daughter had tuition due. So I improvised."

Charles didn't respond, so she continued, "I worked in publishing a bit before and after my daughter was born. But after my mom passed, it became nearly impossible to work and take care of a toddler. So I left my job. I will never regret that time with my daughter, but I'll always regret not finding my way back to publishing sooner. I'm sorry for lying. I hope you can understand and don't hate me because I —" she stopped herself. She couldn't admit her feelings like this — like they were blackmail or a bargaining tool. "Anyway, the point is, I'm still me. Everything you know about me is true and real. There's just some extra."

She gave him a pleading look, but he remained silent, his face unreadable.

"Please say something. Anything. Or storm away angrily. Just...please do something. I can't take the silence."

Charles didn't know what to think. On one hand, this 40-year-old was a co-founder and integral part of a millennial-based imprint. She had told a couple of white lies to cover up her age. She had hid the truth from him for over a year.

But on the other hand, she took a huge risk to protect her daughter, to make sure her daughter's future was safe. Part of what made her so valuable to Millennial — and Empirical and even Diana — was her wisdom and maturity. She did what she had to do to survive and give her daughter the world. And she had come clean to him. She wasn't a 26-year-old assistant. He wished she had done it sooner, but he understood why she hadn't. Why she had waited until...

How could he be mad at that?

He gave her a small smile. "Well, that explains the older roommate. Explains a lot of things, actually."

Liza's eyes grew wide, her expression bewildered. "You're...you're not mad?"

Charles shrugged. "How could I be? We do crazy things for our kids."

Liza's eyes glossed over, filling with tears. "I...are you sure? Josh..." She didn't elaborate. Josh had been furious with her. He had felt betrayed.

And Liza was realizing that his feelings were valid, but his lingering anger and lack of trust in her afterward just showed how different their life experiences — and ultimately the two of them — were. Josh didn't have children, so he wouldn't — couldn't — fully understand why she did what she did. He didn't have a past like she did because he was still so young. He had his own experiences, sure, but there was something to be said for the experiences you have between ages 20 to 30 versus 30 to 40. One day, Liza hoped, he would have children and finally understand.

But Charles understood completely. She imagined if she had waited longer to tell him he might have reacted differently, but ultimately, she knew he would get it. Because of his own life experiences and because there was just something special about the connection they shared. Deep down she knew he wouldn't just throw that away. And he knew it, too.

Charles took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It's a shock, of course. It will take some getting used to, but honestly...I'm relieved."

"You are?"

Charles nodded. "I am. Because now that I know you're 40, I don't have to beat myself up over wanting to kiss you. I don't have to feel like a cliche for falling in love with a much younger woman."

Liza sucked in a sharp breath. "Oh."

Charles pulled her closer to him. "Is that alright?"

Liza nodded. "I'm...I've been falling in love with you, too. That's why I wanted to tell you the truth."

"I would like to hear more about all of this sometime, to hear about your daughter. But right now..." He moved so that their lips were only centimeters apart. "Now I just want to kiss you. May I?"

Liza grinned at him. "You better."

The last kiss they had shared had nearly knocked her off her feet, and she hadn't had time to really respond. This kiss made that one seem like a chaste peck, and Liza fully invested in her reciprocation.

It started off innocently enough, just a couple of adults sharing a moment. But it quickly turned heated, and lucky for them, the hallways had cleared out as the end of intermission neared.

Charles gracefully moved so that her back was against the nearby wall, and she pulled him even closer. He broke away from her lips to place delicate kisses on her neck and collar bone, setting every nerve ending she had ablaze.

Liza angled her head so that he would kiss her once more, and he was more than happy to oblige. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt like this — if she had ever felt like this.

Then the lights flickered, giving any remaining stragglers their cue to return to their seats. They separated themselves, breathing heavily.

"Um, I guess we should get back to our seats," Liza said.

"You go ahead. I need, um, just a minute," Charles replied, blushing.

Liza couldn't help but giggle. "Sorry about that."

"I'm not."

The intensity of his gaze gave her goosebumps all over again.

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered, "My place later?"

He grinned broadly. "As soon as I get the girls to sleep."

Afterward, with one girl conked out on his shoulder and one rubbing her eyes at his side, Charles watched Liza kiss Bianca's head and smooth her hair down before she said goodbye to Nicole. He felt like his heart grew three sizes. When she had said her farewells, Charles placed a kiss on her temple. "I'll see you soon."

"I'm counting on it."

Nicole, witnessing this scene, went from sleepy-eyed to fully alert in record time.

"Daddy!" Liza heard her squeal as they walked away. "Did you kiss Liza? Does that mean she will be coming over more? Will she make us pancakes?"

Charles looked back at her, his eyes twinkling, and said, "I hope so."

And Liza knew.

That's where her future was. That's the life she wanted.

To spend the day at Empirical with the man she loved, to come home to him — with him — and have dinner with his daughters. To read them bedtime stories and tuck them in. To stay up late reading for fun or for work with him in his study. To take the girls to visit Caitlin at Vassar. To watch Caitlin be a big sister and role model for Nicole and Bianca. To watch them all grow to love and trust each other. To lie in bed at night knowing that the person next to her loved her just as much as she loved him.

She saw all of that in his eyes in that moment. She could feel all of that in his gaze.

And she couldn't wait to get started.