Over the course of the next few weeks, Charles and Liza fell into a steady, comfortable routine. Now that most of the people in their lives knew about the relationship, the drama had subsided and the two of them had the opportunity to enjoy themselves without the worry.
The last 3 weeks of May passed quickly, what with Liza helping Caitlin move home from Vassar. She had secured a summer internship at MOMA, working with the summer programs and camps for kids. A week before classes ended she had come to the loft to have dinner with her mom, Maggie and Charles, and had announced that she was finally declaring a major – education, with a minor in art and culture. She had applied for the internship a few months back and the museum had accepted her. She would be living with 3 other interns in a small apartment supplied by the museum. Liza was thrilled to have Caitlin in the city with her rather than her working at David's dentist office in Jersey.
Charles was also busy securing plans for Bianca and Nicole for the summer. They had both come home from school one day in early May with packets from the school full of suggestions for summer programs and camps. It was overwhelming. He had shown up at Liza's apartment the next night, at a loss for what to do. He admitted, somewhat ashamed, that Pauline had always taken care of their summer plans. Liza had taken pity on him, poured them some wine, and sat down to go through the piles of pamphlets. Charles had watched her, sitting at the kitchen island in shorts and a tank top, hair in a messy bun and reading glasses perched on her nose, and had fallen even more in love with her. He hadn't thought that was possible. She had suggested a couple of programs for the girls – a two-week horse camp in Westchester and one of the July art programs at MOMA that Caitlin would be assisting with.
Liza had only been able to spend a few nights and afternoons with Bianca and Nicole so far. She had met them with Charles at Central Park one afternoon, spending a few hours flying kites and having a picnic on the grass. He had also had to go out of town for work for two days, so she had stayed at the brownstone with them. They hadn't officially announced their relationship to the girls, and Liza was pretty sure they still thought she was the "best babysitter ever" as Bianca had referred to her. Charles had kept the PDA to a minimum around the girls, opting for cheek kisses and discreet hand holding. She knew he was trying to ease them into have a new "mom" figure in their life and he didn't want to confuse them. She loved that he was so considerate of his children's feelings, but part of her was getting frustrated that they were still keeping their relationship under the radar. She wanted to hold hands with him everywhere, wanted to wake up at the brownstone and make the girls breakfast.
Work was as busy as ever. Liza and Kelsey were busy with promoting the Emily Burns labradoodle book, which had turned into a sleeper hit that Charles had announced was doing wonders for Empirical's bottom line. He had also hired a new editor, Zane Anders, to replace a retiring editor. Liza thought that Zane, an overly confident 28-year-old, was too smug, too pretty for his own good. He had jumped ship from a rival publishing house, Rivington, bringing a small handful of authors with him.
Kelsey had confided in Liza that she had been having an ongoing "thing" with Zane, and that she had even tried to poach one of his authors before he had jumped ship to Empirical. Liza thought that Kelsey would benefit from a little less "benefiting", as her relationship with Colin had just fallen apart a week before meeting Zane, but Liza held her tongue. It wasn't her place to judge. Kelsey had also reported to her that Josh had started dating Clare, the Irish bartender that Liza had introduced him to. Liza was happy to hear that he was moving on and not bothering her or Charles anymore. Kelsey wanted to approach the idea of Josh doing a coloring book for millennial of his tattoo designs, but wanted to wait a bit before bringing it to both Charles and Josh. Liza thought it was a great idea, even if she didn't relish the thought of her ex and her boyfriend working in close proximity to each other. But they were all adults, weren't they?
Liza got up early on the first Monday in June. She had crept out of her bed to get ready, trying not to wake Charles. He had dropped the girls off at their horse camp yesterday and spent the night at Liza's. She smiled as she stood in front of the mirror, remembering the night before. She was feeling things she had never felt before when she was with Charles. Before she had been with him, she never would have imagined that the buttoned up business man would have been so sexual, so primal. Her whole body ached, but in a good way. CrossFit had nothing on a few hours in bed with Charles Brooks.
She heard a rustling behind her as she put her earrings in and saw him rise out of bed in the reflection of the mirror. He was naked except for his black briefs as he came up behind her and put his hands on her hips.
She grins as she feels him come up behind her. "Good Morning, handsome." He smiles slowly and leans down to kiss her neck, but winces, putting his hand up to his neck. She turns, concerned, when she see's the look of pain on his face. "Are you okay?" She asks, reaching up to lightly touch his chest.
"Uh, we gotta talk about your bed." Charles murmurs, turning his head slightly to test his range of motion.
"What's wrong with my bed?" Liza asks, laughing lightly.
"It's um, it's somewhat child sized." Liza giggled. "No, it's cozy."
Charles grinned at her, "Yeah, well my neck says differently."
Liza smiled up at him, her eyes lighting up. "I know why your neck is sore. And thank you."
"You're welcome." He said huskily, leaning down to kiss her with his hand still bracing his neck. "But we need to get you a new bed. Preferably one where my feet don't hang off the end." She tilted her head up to kiss him, nipping playfully at his bottom lip. "I'll get right on that, Mr., but right now we both need to get to work."
Charles flopped back on the bed. "I know. I have a meeting with Kelsey and Zane and Lachlan Flynn, the mystery author Zane brought over from Rivington. Kelsey wants him to do a book for Millennial, and Zane is pushing back on that." Liza sighed and leaned down to slip on her heels. "Good luck with that. Those two bicker worse than teenagers."
Charles sat up, resting his elbows on the bed. "Is there something going on there that I should know about?" Liza rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I don't even know anymore. There was, but I don't know if there's anything going on right now. They're both too competitive for their own good."
"Good to know. What are you doing today?"
"Kelsey is having me go to Pitchfest today. She didn't want to waste the day sitting there listening to half baked book ideas, so she's sending me instead."
Charles shrugged as he got up and pulled his suit out of the garment bag hanging on the back of Liza's bedroom door. "Hey, you never know, you might find the next big book of the summer there, but," he added, smirking as he headed to take a shower, "Don't hold your breath."
By midafternoon Liza was silently cursing Kelsey for sticking this event on her. So far she had heard story pitches that made the Empirical slush pile look like a stack of Pulitzer prize winners. She was about ready to call it quits at 3:00 when a pretty blonde woman slid into the seat in front of her, a bound set of pages clutched in her hand.
"Hi, you're Liza, right? Millennial Print?" Liza put her phone down as the women spoke.
"Yes, hi."
The woman shifted in her seat and Liza could tell she was a little nervous. "So, I don't know how this works. Do I just….?"
"Just tell me about your idea. Just jump right in."
"Okay, um, well, my book is kind of like "Primates of Park Avenue" meets Nora Ephron's 'Heartburn'".
"You had me at heartburn." The woman laughed nervously.
"Well, I guess it's kind of Creative Writing 101, you know? Write what you know. I got married pretty quick after college, had kids, did the things you think you're meant to do. My husband is a businessman, and I sort of stepped back and let him steer the ship, which moored us on the Upper East Side, and, whoa, was I out of my depths. Pickups, drop offs, hosting and attending galas and charity events. I suddenly had no time to work, to write. I just lost sight of who I was, as a writer, as a woman, you know? It sounds so selfish and ungrateful, but married life just stifled me. I needed a break. A marriage vacation."
Liza was intrigued by this woman, by this book. "I totally get it. It sounds promising."
"But is it too heavy for your imprint? I mean, I read about you guys in EW's 29 under 29, so I know you generally skew younger. Would it be more of an Empirical book?"
Liza paused for a moment. "You know, actually, I think it could appeal to millennial readers as a cautionary tale you know, understand what marriage is, go in with eyes wide open."
"Oh, I love that take. Look, here's the first chapter. I have written the whole book, but it's a work in progress. If you read that and you're interested, my email is inside the front cover. It's a work in progress, but I'd be happy to send you the rest if you like what you read."
"Thank you so much, I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"It's Pau, Paula. Paula Turner." She reached out and shook Liza's hand. It's so nice to meet you, Liza."
Liza watched the woman walk away. Maybe she had found something at Pitchfest, after all. She spent the last hour of the event sitting at her table, flying through the chapter that Paula had given her. It was very well written. Her prose was literary grade, but it was witty and relatable. She pulled out her tablet and typed out a quick email to Paula. I just finished the first chapter, and I'd love to see some more. Can you meet me tonight? I'd love to talk some more and see the rest.
She also typed out a text to Charles. Lucked out at Pitchfest. I think I've got a winner. First chapter of her book is fantastic. Hopefully meeting her in a bit to get the rest of her chapters. Book is already written. Can I come over later?
She started to pack up her things and head out. Her phone vibrated again, and she saw the reply from Charles. Glad to hear it wasn't a total waste. And yes, definitely. Stay over tonight. Her phone vibrated again with an email from Paula, suggesting that they meet at a coffeeshop in Soho in an hour. This was turning out to be a pretty good day.
Liza bounded up the steps to the brownstone a few hours later. She had just come from meeting Paula. They had talked for almost two hours. Liza liked her. She was smart, funny, witty and humble. She could see them becoming friends. Liza had skimmed some of the pages with her and had been happy to see that the quality of the writing was consistent. If they decided to publish it, they could easily have it ready for mid-summer release. Liza suggested that Paula come in on Thursday morning to meet with the rest of the team. That would give Charles, Kelsey and Diana to read at least a few chapters and get an idea of how to move forward. She had agreed, though Liza had noticed that she seemed a little squirrely. Probably just nerves, Liza thought, not thinking much of it.
Charles opened the door before she could knock. He had already changed out of his work clothes and looked like he had just gotten out of the shower. His hair was still a little damp, and he wore a black t shirt and jeans. He leaned in the doorway, barefoot, and Liza thought he looked absolutely delicious. He pulled her into the house before she could say anything and kissed her as he kicked the door shut. He backed her up against the wall, one leg between hers. Liza moaned into his mouth and pushed her hips up against his. God, she thought, as his hands slid down her body, would they ever tire of this? Their love and desire for each other was insatiable.
They stayed like that for a moment before Liza pried herself away from him. "As much as I would love to continue that, I'm famished, and I need to get out of these shoes. I tried texting you when I left the coffeeshop to see if you wanted me to pick up dinner, but I never heard back."
Charles took her bag from her and set it down on the floor, walking over to the bar cart to pour them each a drink. "Yeah, I forgot my cell phone at the office. Someone should be running it over soon. Diana was still there when I called from here, and said she'd have a messenger run it over. Here," he said, handing her a drink, "How about I order something while you go change? Or we could just go upstairs and work up an appetite and then eat." He grinned suggestively. Liza laughed, settling into his lap in one of the chairs in the foyer.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" She leaned down and kissed him before whispering into his ear, "Order a pizza." She bounced up, swallowing the rest of her drink. She leaned over him in the chair again, kissing him deeply before pulling away and climbing upstairs. That woman, Charles thought, as he reached over and grabbed the cordless landline, will be the death of me.
Charles was polishing off his scotch, waiting for Liza, when the doorbell rang. His phone, he thought. It was sad how connected he was to that phone, but with children, it was necessary. If something happened to Bianca and Nicole, he needed that phone. He swung the door open and was surprised to see Diana standing in his doorway, not a messenger.
"Diana! I thought you were sending someone to drop off my phone. You didn't have to come all the way up here." She smiled tightly and stepped into the entryway without waiting for an invitation.
"Like I would trust one of those idiots with our CEO's phone. Besides, since Richard and I broke up, it's not like I have anything to go home to. I'm in no rush." She said it briskly, but in a way that made Charles uneasy. He hoped she wasn't looking for an invitation to stay. She reached into her bag and pulled his phone out handing it to him. As he took it from her, he heard a door upstairs close and grimaced. Diana tilted her head, and he knew she had heard it too.
"I thought your girls were at camp upstate?" She stared at him, expectantly.
"Hey, babe, is that the pizza? I'm starved." Liza froze halfway down the stairs as she saw the scene at the bottom. No, no, this is not happening, she thought.
Diana looked slowly from Charles up to the stairs, where her assistant stood, barefoot, in shorts and what looked like one of Charles's shirts. Her eyes traveled over the scene in front of her. Two empty glasses of scotch sitting on an end table, one stained with lipstick. A pair of black heels tossed carelessly by the door. And Liza's work bag, leaning against the archway. She turned her head slowly back to Charles, incredulous.
"Diana, please let me explain." Charles slid the phone into his pocket and reached out to take Diana by the shoulder, to guide her to a chair. But she stepped back, her face unreadable, and put her hands up as if to push him away.
"No need. I know exactly what is going on here. I expected better of you. Of both of you." She glared at Liza. "Sleeping with an assistant, Charles, really? You know, I thought you were different. But you're just like the rest of them, aren't you? Always looking to trade up for a newer model." She said scornfully, before turning to Liza. "And you, I don't even know what to say to you. I've always known you were a little boy crazy, but sleeping with your boss to get ahead, really, Liza? You should be ashamed of yourselves. Both of you." She turned to leave, her head spinning at the sight she had just taken in.
"Diana, wait!" She had almost made it to the door when Liza called out. She heard her scurry down the stairs and across the hall. She could hear the pain in Liza's voice, and that was the only reason she stopped. She would never admit it to anyone, but she cared deeply for Liza. Liza stopped a few feet away, standing next to Charles. "Please let us explain. It's not what it looks like, I can promise you that. Just hear us out."
"Please, Diana," Charles added, as he slid an arm around Liza's shoulders. "Just stay and let us explain. Look, we ordered a pizza and it should be here any minute. Have dinner with us?"
Diana sighed deeply. All she wanted to do was storm out, but she knew that she should hear Charles out. He was still her boss, and she considered him a friend. "Fine. But get me a glass of wine, Liza. I think I'm going to be needing it."
Liza scurried into the kitchen and busied herself with pouring 3 glasses of wine as her mind raced. This was not how this was supposed to happen, she thought. We had finally come up with plan. She was going to sit down with Diana at work and tell her about her age, and then she and Charles would tell her about their relationship, together. A united front.
"Hey, you okay?" Charles stepped into the kitchen, balancing a pizza box in his hand. His face reflected hers, full of concern.
"Yeah, yeah. Just thrown for a loop, I guess. Of course, this happens right after we had finally decided on how to tell her. Now I've just got to tell her everything." Charles leaned past her to pull some plates out of a cupboard. "I know, but at least she knows now. I've known Diana for a long time. I think once we explain everything, rationally, she'll accept it. She's just dramatic. Let's get in there before she changes her mind." Liza picked up the glasses and turned to walk back to the dining room. "At least one good thing will come out of this."
"What's that?"
"I'll get to see Diana eat a slice of pizza. That's never happened before." Charles laughed, and followed Liza back out to face the music.
"So," Diana started, once Liza had dispersed wine and napkins, "one of you better start explaining."
Liza took a sip of wine. "Before we start talking about this," she gestured between her and Charles, "there is something else I need to tell you Diana."
"What else could there possibly be?" Diana leaned back in her chair; her arms crossed.
"I'm not in my twenties. I'm 40, not 26." She watched as Diana reached over and picked up her wine glass, draining it, and reached over for the open bottle to fill it up again.
"Why?"
"The long and short of it is, I quit my job in publishing in my twenties after I got married and had a daughter. I found out almost two years ago that my husband was cheating on me and had drained our savings. I had to sell our house, and I moved to Brooklyn to stay with my best friend, Maggie. I tried to get a job in publishing again, but when people saw that I was 40, no one wanted to hire me. So, I lied about my age when I applied for the job as your assistant."
Diana nodded and took a bite of pizza, chewing slowly. She turned to Charles. "How long have you known?"
"About 2 months. Listen, Diana, I'm sure you're upset. I was too, when Liza told me. But her age is just one miniscule detail. There is so much more to Liza, and for me, it doesn't change how I feel about her. She's amazing. You know that, even if you won't admit it." He reached up and put his hand on top of Liza's on the table.
"Who else knows?"
"At work? Kelsey and Charles. Cheryl Sussman from Plaza – I worked with her at Random House. And the author of The Deciding Decade. I was one of her case studies. Besides that, Josh, Maggie and Lauren."
"And my attorney, Bob. You've met him Diana." She nodded, processing everything that she was hearing. "We're not denying that this is complicated. But we're trying to figure it out."
"Okay. I'm not mad, Liza. I'm disappointed that you felt like you couldn't come to me with this earlier."
"Diana, I wanted to, so many times. I tried to tell you both, so many times, but something always got in the way. I know that sounds like a lame excuse, but it's the truth."
"If you were anyone else, Liza, I would be insistent that you be fired. But I can admit that you have become an important part of the team. It might be awhile before I can fully trust you again, but your job is safe."
"Thank you so much Diana. You have no idea how much it means to me that you are supportive of me. I appreciate it so much. I appreciate you so much."
"Pull yourself together, Liza. Groveling is not attractive. Now," she waved her hand between Liza and Charles, "when did this happen?"
Charles took this one. "Officially, it's been just over a month. But there have been feelings for a while. Honestly, since the moment I met her, Diana. We're in love, we're happy."
She nodded, finishing the rest of her wine and standing up. "Well, this has been an interesting night. I have a lot to think about. I'll see you both at work tomorrow." And as abruptly as she had come in, she left, leaving Liza and Charles sitting at table. They looked at each other and started laughing.
"Well, that went better than I thought it would!" Liza stood to clear the table, and Charles joined her.
"I agree. I thought she was going to ask me to fire you! That would have been awkward." They chuckled and loaded the dishwasher together. They both felt the weight lifted off of their shoulders.
"I have an idea on how we can work things out so we can officially go public, at work too, but I'm not going to tell you until I run through it with Bob. I think it'll work though." Charles leaned in to kiss her. "I can't wait until I can finally hold your hand in the office. And in the street. Everywhere. The way that he has wanted to do for as long as he can remember."
Liza wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers gently through his hair. "I would love that. I love you, Charles."
"I love you too, Liza." He nuzzled her neck, kissing her, his teeth grazing the skin. She shivered.
"Hey, before we get too distracted, I want to show you something." He kept kissing her as she pulled away, reaching for her bag, which was sitting on the counter behind her. She pulled the first chapter of the book she had found this afternoon out and pushed it between them. "You need to read this. It's the first chapter of the book I found at Pitchfest. I think we should publish this. I think we need to."
Charles pulled back and took the bound pages from her. His eyes darkened and the smile fell from his face as his eyes slid over the cover, the author's name.
"P. Turner. What did she look like?"
"Why?" Charles tossed the pages onto the counter and walked over to a cabinet in the corner. He pulled out a framed picture and walked back, pushing the frame into Liza's hand.
"How do you have a picture with Paula?"
Charles signed and stepped back, rubbing his hand over his face. "Because I was married to her. Your new author is Pauline. My wife."