Chapter One
Her job was to be Tony Stark's private secretary. She had taken over for Pepper Potts as the other woman progressed further into the company. To be completely honest, it was less secretary and more babysitting. Scratch that, all Charlie did was babysit. And the look Sergeant Colonel James Rhodes was currently giving her, she had failed her job. He was trying to present the Apogees Award to Tony… who was nowhere to be seen.
Both of them knew exactly where he was. But Charlie refused to go find him. Not now at least. She leaned back in her seat as Obadiah Stane, Tony's right hand, moved to the stage. He took the award from Rhodes, who left the stage and sat down next to Charlie as Obadiah began his speech.
"Thought you were on duty, Charlie," he said, nudging her shoulder.
"Not right now. You know how he is." He clicked his tongue as they both tuned into Obadiah.
"This beautiful," he was saying. "Thank you. Thank you all very much. Well, I'm not Tony Stark. But if I were Tony, I would tell you how honored I feel and what a joy it is to receive this very prestigious award… Tony, you know… the best thing about Tony is also the worst thing. He's always working."
Wrong. He wasn't working. Obadiah knew this firsthand. So did Rhodes and Charlie. The two shared a look as Obadiah walked off the stage. He handed the award to Charlie, speaking with a voice full of disappointment.
"You know where to find him."
Charlie threw back her head, staring up at the impossibly high ceilings. She wasn't particularly happy with the idea of tracking down Tony, who would certainly be at the game tables. He would have an entourage of attractive women hanging off his arm and if she attempted to speak with him, someone could once again mistake her as one of girls. The idea wasn't thrilling as of right now.
Rhodes stood, holding out his arm to her. She took it, slipping her arm into the crook of his. He took the award, juggling it in one hand as Charlie pulled out her phone. It was filled with texts from the best thing in her life. She giggled at a picture of her daughter making a silly face at the camera. She showed it to Rhodes, and he grinned.
"She's getting so big," he remarked. "Just turned four."
"Running you around?"
"She knows how to tire me out, that's for sure?"
"Ah, probably not as badly as Tony, eh?"
"No one is as bad as Tony."
The two shared a laugh until they caught sight of the man himself. He was rolling dice, an arm wrapped around a woman's shoulders.
"You are unbelievable," Rhodes complained, stepping up beside them.
"Oh, no! Did they rope you into this?" Tony asked, pretending to care.
"Nobody roped me into anything!"
"I'm so sorry."
"They told me that if I presented you with an award, you'd be deeply honored."
"Of course, I'd be deeply honored. And it's you, that's great. So, when do we do it?"
Upset, Rhodes prosaically threw the award into Tony's arms.
"That was easy. I'm so sorry."
"Yeah, it's okay." Tony smiled, then promptly deposited the award into Charlie's arms. She frowned at him, trying to keep it from falling on the ground.
Used to their disapproval, Tony continued playing the game. He rattled a pair of dice in his hand, looking to the brunette beside him.
"Give a little something-something." With a sensual smile, the woman blew on the dice. He smirked at her before looking to Charlie. "Okay, your turn."
"No." He frowned at her before turning to Rhodes.
"Find. You."
"I don't blow on another man's dice," Rhodes deadpanned.
"Come on, Honey Bear!"
"I don't blow on another man's dice!"
Angrily, Rhodes showed Tony's hand away, causing the billionaire to drop the dice onto the table.
'There it is," Tony called out. "Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes rolls! And…" The dice came up snake eyes.
"That's what happens," Rhodes muttered.
"Worse things have happened," Tony shrugged.
"Yes, they have," interjected Charlie. "Tony, it's time to go. I'd like to be home before two am if possible."
She ushered them towards the entrance of the casino, Tony's bodyguard, Happy Hogan, following. Rhodes followed him down to the cars, pulling a door open for Charlie. She glanced over at Tony.
"Tomorrow, don't be late."
"Yeah, you can count on it." She rolled her eyes, climbing into the car as Rhodes shut the door.
As Rhodes climbed into the car, Charlie pulled out her phone, shooting a text to her babysitter. The girl knew Charlie would be home late, but Charlie still wanted to remind her.
"Airport?" she asked.
"ETA, twenty minutes," he said. His hand went to the stereo, turning on the classical station, much to her amusement.
It was nearly three-thirty in the morning when Charlie pushed open the door to her house. Her babysitter looked up from her book, smiling.
"Good very early morning, Ms. Tremblay."
"Hey, Violet. Thank you so much."
"You are so welcome." Violet stood with a stretch. Charlie handed her a check that she had written on the plane. "Will you need me tomorrow?" Violet asked.
"She'll be with Jared this next week. But thank you."
"Awesome. Call me if you need me, Ms. Tremblay."
"Thank you, Violet."
Shutting the door behind Violet, Charlie called out to the automated system that Tony had installed recently.
"Good Morning, Jarvis." The British voice of the AI was quiet as Charlie made her way through the house towards the nursery.
"Good morning, Ms. Tremblay. Did you have a good trip?"
"Tedious as always. How does the weather look tomorrow?"
"Sunny in Afghanistan, Ma'am."
"Many thanks. Length of flight?"
"Thirteen hours, no stops."
"Thanks again. Good night, Jarvis. Please set my alarm for five o'clock."
"Of course. Goodnight, Ms. Tremblay."
Pushing the door to the nursery open, Charlie walked inside and stopped beside Avery's bed. Her daughter was sleeping peacefully, her hair sprayed out on her pillow. Charlie brushed a few stray curls out of Avery's face, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Thankfully she'd get to spend time with her in the morning before leaving for the airport.
When she left the room, she kept the door slightly cracked so she could hear if Avery had a nightmare. The four-year-old rarely had them, but sometimes, after Charlie had been gone for a while, it would happen when she got back.
She fell asleep on the couch, awaking when she heard the pitter-patter of small feet and her alarm. She opened her eyes, blinking sleep away. Avery grinned at her, holding up the remote.
"It's Saturday," she said.
"Yes, of course," Charlie said. She sat up, yawning when she saw the clock flashing six. "Come here, bug." Avery launched herself into Charlie's lap.
"Good morning, Ms. Tremblay," came Jarvis' voice. "The time is five o'clock. Mr. The weather is seventy degrees. Mr. Harrison will be arriving at six-thirty, and your ride to the airport will be here sharply at six-forty-five."
"Thank you, Jarvis."
Hearing the word airport, Avery's face turned up in a pout.
"Do you have to go to work today?"
"Sorry baby. But you'll have fun with Daddy, won't you?" A small muttered was all the answer Charlie got. She kissed the top of Avery's head.
"I gotta go shower. You'll be fine out here?" Her daughter nodded as Charlie turned on the TV. "Whatcha wanna watch?"
"Cinderella!" Avery chirped.
"Again?"
"Cinderella's my favorite!" Charlie shrugged; you couldn't argue with that logic.
Making sure Avery was comfortable on the couch, Charlie moved to her bedroom. She glanced at the perfectly made bed and tried to remember the last time she slept in the room. Probably not since the divorce.
"Jarvis, can you start the shower?"
"Yes, Ms. Tremblay."
"Thank you." Grabbing clothes from the closet, Charlie ducked into the bathroom. She kept the door cracked to listen for Avery, only hearing the small voices of Disney mice.
God, the shower was a sweet relief. She should've showered last night. Would have been far more enjoyable than having the stink and sweat of Vegas still on her. A phone buzzed through the room and Charlie turned off the shower as she told Jarvis to answer it.
"What's up?" she questioned.
"Hey, Charlie… can you swing by Tony's place on the way the airport?"
"Rhodey—"
"I'll owe you one, Charlie. Please."
"Fine."
Dressing quickly, Charlie wrapped her hair up in a towel and she walked into the living room.
"Breakfast?" she asked, watching as Cinderella's magical midnight came to an end.
"Waffles?"
"It is Saturday."
In the kitchen, Charlie popped two toaster waffles into the toaster as she poured a cup of coffee. She had just placed the waffles on a plate when the doorbell rang. She glanced at the clock. It was only six-ten.
"Jarvis?"
"Mr. Harrison is at the door."
"He's early," she grumbled. He wasn't too early, but early none the less. "Avery, come eat."
"Coming!"
Making her way to the front door, Charlie pulled the towel off her head, allowing her semi-dried hair to fall around her shoulders. She opened the door, hand settling on her hip. "You're early," she said.
"Don't remember?" Jared questioned.
"I've got to be in LA by seven."
Vaguely Charlie remembered something like that.
"She's not dressed yet."
"Get home late or something?" Charlie moved aside, letting him into the house.
"Or something." She led him into the kitchen where Avery was shoving pieces of waffle into her mouth."Smaller bites," Charlie cautioned. She glanced over at Jared. "Want a cup of coffee."
"No thanks. Hey, Avery."
"Hi Daddy!"
"You finished eating?"
"Yep!"
"Hurry and get dressed, I've got a meeting." Avery grinned, sliding off her chair. She rushed to her bedroom, the door slamming behind her.
"Don't forget your bag!" Charlie yelled after her.
"Don't yell at her, Charlotte."
"She's halfway across the house and the doors are thick, Jared. She's fine."
He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Where were you last night? I called and Violet answered. It was nearly ten."
"Why'd you call?" she shot back. "Avery goes to bed at eight."
"It's the weekend. You let her stay up late with movies."
"Jared…"
"Where were you?"
"Working, where else?"
"Stark's got you working late now?"
"I've always worked late. Yesterday he had an award show in Vegas." Jared's nose turned up.
"He's got you leaving the state?"
"Yes. Almost weekly… for the past six years!"
"Are you fighting?"
The question made the two adults freeze, looking down at their daughter. She had changed into a bright pink dress with purple shoes. She had a neon green clip in her hair that was hastily brushed through.
"We're not fighting," Charlie said. "We're just having a bit of a disagreement."
"Oh… is that like fighting?"
"No," Charlie promised. "Daddy and I weren't fighting."
"Okay!" Avery ran over, throwing herself into Charlie's arms. "I'm gonna miss you!"
"I'm going to miss you too, Bug. Be good for Daddy, yeah?"
"Yes ma'am!"
Squeezing her tight once more, Charlie released her, letting her take Jared's hand. "
I'll be in Afghanistan today and tomorrow," Charlie murmured to Jared. "You probably won't be able to get ahold of me."
"Okay." He headed for the door, pausing momentarily to glance back at her. "Oh, and uh, Happy Birthday."
When the door shut behind the two, Charlie released a sigh. She couldn't stand Jared. Not anymore. She leaned her head down, rubbing at her eyes. She was exhausted, but her day was just getting started. She glanced down at the jeans and t-shirt she had put on after her shower. Now that Avery was gone, there was no need to wear something so casual. She went back to her bedroom, pulling out a knee-length green dress with black heals. She sat at the vanity, running a brush through her hair as she blow-dried it.
Half an hour later, Jarvis' voice echoed through the apartment.
"Mr. Hogan will be here in ten minutes, Ms. Tremblay."
"Thank you." Stepping out of the bedroom, Charlie grabbed her coffee cup, filling it once more. She chugged it down, then grabbed her purse. She stepped outside and basked in the Malibu sunlight as a black car drove up.
The driver, Happy Hogan, hurried out to open the door for her.
"Thanks, Happy."
"Any time, Charlie. Airport?"
"No. The estate." Happy glanced up at her from his mirror.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm supposed to pick up Tony."
"What?"
"I know! My exact reaction." He shook his head.
"He brought a woman over. You'll have to kick her out."
"Fine. All part of the job description." She yawned as he pulled onto the road.
"Sounds good, Charlie. Happy Birthday, by the way."
"Thanks."
"There's a gift from Ms. Potts back there."
She noticed the tiny, wrapped gold box. She smiled at her birthday-buddy's thoughtfulness. She tried to remember if she had sent a gift and scrunched up her nose when she remembered the necklace. She opened the box and sighed at the simple gold bracelet inside. It had small diamonds embedded in it. A simple and thoughtful gift from Pepper. She sent the woman a quick text before settling in for the short car ride.
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