Charlotte shot out of her seat. “Don’t you dare—”
“I’m too smart for that—thanks to you and Rick.” She hugged Charlotte tight. “You’re a good friend.”
“Ditto.” She squeezed Beth back.
A knock sounded at the door and Charlotte ran to get it.
Samson stood outside, his graying hair damp and a stack of letters in his hands. “Don’t you get your mail?” he muttered. “Leave things outside and they’ll blow away or get wet in the rain. Here.” He shoved his hand out and waved a stack of letters in her face.
“Thanks, Sam.” She took the letters out of his hand and dug into her pocket for the money she remembered shoving in there this morning. “You know I never would have remembered to get those on my own.” She held out her hand, crumpled bills in her fist. “Can you drop a bottle of soda off here if you get a chance, and keep the change, okay?”
He grumbled but took the money, a flash of gratitude in his dark eyes. “Anything else you can’t remember to do yourself?” he asked.
She swallowed a laugh. “Stop by Monday morning. I’ll have a package or two you can drop off at the post office for me.” She’d be finished packaging some panties among other things for her customers by then.
As a special part of her service, Charlotte liked to surprise customers with their special orders when she finished them early, instead of calling and having them come to the shop to pick up their order. “How does that sound?” she asked Sam.
“Like you’re lazy. I’ll see you then.”
Charlotte grinned and locked the door again behind him. The poor, misunderstood man. She shook her head, then began sorting through the mail when the phone rang. “I’ll get it,” she called out to Beth.
She grabbed the receiver. “Charlotte’s Attic, Charlotte speaking.”
“It’s Roman.”
His deep voice wrapped her in warmth and her insides twisted with longing. “Hi, there.”
“Hi, yourself. How’s it going?” he asked.
“I had an incredibly busy day. You should have seen the lines outside the shop.”
“I did. Couldn’t miss them. But I did miss you.” His voice dropped a husky octave.
Tremors of awareness rippled through her. “I’m easily found.”
“Can you imagine the headlines if I actually walked through the front door of your shop?”
She bit down on her lower lip. If her shop had been the beneficiary of today’s headlines, Roman had probably suffered in reverse. “That bad?”
“Let me put it to you this way. I’ve been accused of cross-dressing by Chase’s secretary, called a potentially convicted felon by my own mother, and more than one woman waved a pair of those panties you’re so fond of my way.”
“Oh, no.” Charlotte lowered herself into a chair, her stomach in knots over the thought of other women propositioning Roman.
“What’s wrong?” Beth came up from behind her.
Charlotte waved a hand to halt further conversation. “It’s Roman,” she mouthed and placed a fingertip over her lips.
Beth grinned and settled in to wait.
“Was it that bad?” Charlotte asked him.
“Bad enough that I was thinking of getting out of town for the rest of the weekend.”
Disappointment filled her and she realized how much she’d been looking forward to seeing him. Spending time with him. Consummating their relationship. She trembled at the prospect, her body reacting to the mere thought.
“The weekend’s over tomorrow night,” she reminded him.
“But can you imagine how much we can do together in twenty-four hours?”
“We?” She gripped the phone harder in her hand.
“Well, we don’t live in a thriving metropolis, but I wanted to take you somewhere nice.”
A warmth rushed through her, a heat that had nothing to do with sexual awareness. Oh, that was there too, but the caring in his voice struck her by surprise—in the heart. “What did you have in mind?”
“I was considering the Falls.” The town’s one restaurant with a dress code, Charlotte thought.
“But can you imagine eating while women are slipping panties into my jacket pocket?”
She laughed. “Don’t tell me they tried that too.”
“Not yet.”
“Your ego astounds me.” She caught Beth’s eager glance and swiveled her chair around so she didn’t have to see her. “You’re asking me—”
“To go away with me. One night, one day. You and me. What do you say?” he asked.
“A date?”
“More than that and you know it.”
Charlotte sucked in a deep breath. They’d been leaning toward this for a while now. She’d already rationalized why she’d allow herself to get involved in an affair. Because being with Roman seemed the only way to get over him. If she were lucky, she’d discover he had too many bad habits to count. If not, at least she’d store memories for the future. She’d never again look back and regret the road not taken.
“He’s asking you out. What are you waiting for? Say yes,” Beth said from behind her.
Charlotte glanced over her shoulder. “Shut up.”
“Not the answer I expected.”
“Sorry. I wasn’t talking to you.” She waved Beth away with one hand. “Yes. I say yes,” she said before she could change her mind.
Beth let out a whoop of glee,
“I’ll make sure it’s a time you never forget,” he said in that sexy, compelling voice.
And Charlotte believed him. She knew for certain that when this weekend was over, she’d never again wonder what she’d missed since her teenage rejection of him.
She would, however, keep in mind this was a short-term affair. And Roman was her interim guy.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Roman picked Charlotte up on time. He drove her to the outskirts of town before pulling over to the side of the road and reaching into the glove compartment for a silk scarf. He dangled it in front of her.
“What’s that for?” Charlotte eyed the scarf, intrigued.
“I don’t want you to see my surprise before I’m ready.”
Anticipation kicked in to high gear. “I love surprises.”
Roman’s deep laugh wrapped around her in the confines of his small rental car. “Is that a note of appreciation I hear in your voice?”