Chapter Five

CHARLOTTE COULD FEEL her soul drooping bit by bit the closer she got to the gym. Twenty years ago, working out had a purpose. Land had been paranoid about her safety, and because she didn"t want him distracted while on a job, she had given him her word that she would always stay fit enough to jump out of the window if she had to.

But that was then, and this was now. Even Land"s old boss, who was even more paranoid than her husband, had assured Charlotte that she had nothing to worry about. Land"s enemies were all six feet under, and since she was free to live her days in peace...

Do I really still have to go to the gym, Land? At this point in my life, the only thing I"ll need to jump out of is the bathtub.

She waited for her husband to answer, but no words from the other side came, and her lips twitched. Silence might mean yes with most people, but with Land, it had always been the opposite.

Gym it is then, Charlotte thought with a sigh, and so she forced herself to march inside despite her heavy heart.

"Good morning, Mrs. Carmichaels." Tony"s extra cheerful tone made Charlotte feel extra tired, and she couldn"t help making a face as she handed over her ID.

"You"re looking grumpy as always," Tony commented as he tapped the scanner with her ID.

"Hmph."

Tony simply grinned as he gave Charlotte her ID back, but as she walked away, she heard Tony call out, "Smiles are supposed to help you get into Heaven. Just sayin"!"

Grr. Charlotte fantasized about strangling the gym receptionist as she felt other members look curiously her way. Tony knew how much she hated drawing attention to herself, and Charlotte vowed to get back at him one way or another.

After dumping her stuff in the locker, Charlotte bought herself a sandwich and a bottle of juice from the gym"s snack bar. Warm-ups might be how most people started their workouts, but for Charlotte and her friend, a pre-exercise workout was the only thing that could put them in the mood for self-torture.

The building"s rooftop was exclusive for All Out Fitness users, and while it had a garden-like feel with its orchid-embellished trellises and rose-covered arbors, it also reminded Charlotte of school cafeteria segregation, with the way a certain group of kids occupied a section each.

Singles in their twenties typically flirted on their bar stools by the counter while couches in the center were for anyone fifty and up. For everyone else it was either the benches on one side or the row of crescent-shaped booths on the other, and it was in the latter that Charlotte eventually found her friend sitting alone.

Charlotte couldn"t believe her eyes as she joined Addison in her booth and saw what the other woman was having for lunch. "What"s that?"

"Diet food," Addison said flatly. "I"ve just started today. You get four meals delivered every morning, and each meal is 1,500 calories—-"

Charlotte cleared her throat. "What I meant was, why are you suddenly on a diet?" She had known the other woman since their college years. At that time, Charlotte had been the third-year student assigned to give freshman Addison O"Donnell a campus tour, and back then, Addison was a slender, vivacious brunette who had turned heads wherever she went. It was only when the other woman had started working (or perhaps overworking was the correct term) that Addison had started stress-eating and gradually gaining weight.

"Kendrick—-"

Charlotte"s face turned expressionless as soon as she heard Addison refer to her boyfriend of eight years.

"And I—-"

But it was all Addison managed to get out, with another voice abruptly cutting her off.

"What the hell"s that?"

Jared Westland stopped by their booth, his near-black eyes narrowed at Addison"s packed meal. The billionaire had moved to San Antonio two years ago, and aside from being the tall, dark, and handsome type, Miami"s gossip sites were also full of news of his sexual conquests. These had Charlotte and Addison feeling rather iffy with him at the start, and it was only when they had gotten to know him better, and Jared had made absolutely zero attempts at flirting with either of them, that the two women had eventually relaxed and gotten used to his company.

"Diet food," Addison said yet again, but this time in a growl that made Charlotte quickly hide a smile. Addison was usually sweet-tempered, but there had always been something about Jared that often set her off.

"What for?" Jared asked, and Charlotte couldn"t help nodding. Before today, Addison had always told them she was too busy and stressed to care about losing weight.

"Kendrick—-"

Charlotte and the billionaire exchanged looks, both of them being aware of their secret and mutual dislike for Addison"s plus one.

"—-and I broke up."

Or make that minus one, a stunned Charlotte found herself thinking.

"Move," Jared commanded, and after a moment"s hesitation, Addison scooted inside to make space for the billionaire.

"Tell us what happened," Jared went on ordering, "and don"t leave anything out."

The nerve of that guy, Charlotte silently fumed as she listened to her friend talk about her breakup. Kendrick had leeched off Addison for years, and now that he finally had his first taste of commercial success as an artist, how big of a jerk could he be that the first thing he"d do was dump his girlfriend for someone he barely knew?

"I took a good look at myself in the mirror after he left," Addison said with a scowl, "and I hated what I saw. I"ve completely let myself go, and that"s totally on me. I made work my priority since I was the only one earning for both of us. I stopped caring about myself, and all I could think about was giving him what he needed. I wanted to do everything I could so he"d be successful, and well..." Addison took a stick of carrot from her paper plate and started munching on it. "Lesson learned, obviously. From now on, it"s all about me, myself, and I."

"I"m so sorry, Addie." It was all Charlotte could say after everything her friend had shared. "I want to say I wish this had never happened, but..." Charlotte took a deep breath before admitting the truth. "I"ve never really liked him, you know? I"ve always thought you deserved better than him."

Addison was shaking her head. "Do you know? My parents said the same thing, too. It seems like everyone—-"

Charlotte saw her friend"s eyes widen upon seeing the way Jared"s lip curled.

"Don"t tell me you also—-"

"I"ve always thought he was a pretentious little prick," Jared said grimly.

Addison shook her head again. "I can"t believe I was the only one who didn"t see the changes in him."

"You had a lucky escape," Charlotte said firmly.

"I guess..." Addison forced a smile. "Anyway, enough about me. I almost forgot to tell you that I bumped into Lukas yesterday."

Charlotte frowned. "Lukas as in...Lukas Tsaldaris?"

"None other," Addison confirmed with a noticeably sly smile. "He asked for your number, and I gave it."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "I strongly doubt it"s what you think."

"Oh, so it did occur to you then."

"Because it is written all over your face," Charlotte retorted. "And I"m telling you, it"s not what you think. He probably just wants my help via Heart"s Match. That"s the only reason people are asking for my number these days."

"If he does, maybe it"s because he wants to marry...you."

Charlotte groaned, but this only made her friend laugh.

"Oh, c"mon. Char. Everyone in school knew he had the hots for you. The only reason he never made a move was because everyone also knew you were head over heels for Landon."

"I still am," Charlotte said simply, "and I always will be."

"We"ll see. Lukas has only gotten way, way hotter over the years, you know."

Charlotte noticed Jared frowning at the way Addison described the other man. Hm. There seemed to be something there—-