Hate Notes

My grandmother was really pushing it.

Jared Johansen was one of London’s most notorious bachelors; Iris knew that when she decided to pawn him off on Blondie. This was entirely about getting me worked up and had nothing to do with his suitability for Charlotte.

Jared was a commodities broker by day and a playboy by night. With a penchant for fast cars and even faster women, there was no way he was going to let an opportunity to sack a beauty like Charlotte pass. One look at her striking, curious eyes and killer body, and he’d quickly see her as the perfect summer catch. My only hope was that she could see through his façade.

It had been a few years since he’d last visited the United States, but Jared was more than capable of finding his way around New York City. Iris was playing games, trying to once again light a fire under my ass when it came to Charlotte. But I refused to play along.

During the afternoon that Jared arrived, I kept a low profile the entire time he and Charlotte were gallivanting around. And by low profile, I mean following Charlotte’s social media for a virtual map of their whereabouts, which included stops at the Museum of Modern Art’s Pottery Exhibit and Magnolia Bakery for cupcakes.

I hated that I cared, that I was attracted to her. I hated that she made me feel more alive than I had in a long time. But most of all, I hated the fact that Charlotte was probably still better off with that philandering cousin of mine than she would be with me. That hurt to admit. But it was the truth. He’d be able to give her towheaded little children and the life she deserved someday.

As much as I wished I could skip the party, the Eastwood/Locklear summer event wasn’t something I could just blow off. Believe me, I searched for a way out of it, but bailing was kind of hard when you owned the company. I was not only expected to be there and smiling but also to give a speech and pass out employee appreciation awards later in the evening. My grandmother had delegated the latter task to me a few years ago because, in her words, I was the best speaker in the family. It was the one night of the year that I schmoozed with my employees, and that made for one mentally exhausting evening. Add Charlotte and Jared to the mix, and I was definitely eager for the night to be over before it even started.

I lingered in the upstairs master bedroom of my family’s estate for as long as possible, looking down on the festivities. Five gigantic tents were spread about the massive front lawn while a jazz band played live music. Guests mingled at sunset while waiters passed out hors d’oeuvres. Fiddling with my watch, I gave myself a mental kick in the ass and ventured downstairs to face the music.

Charlotte and Jared were at the bar. She was playing with the thin red straw in her cosmo. Jared was using the loud music as an excuse to lean in to her ear while talking. I knew that trick. It was just an excuse to get close to her. He was practically sucking her ear off with every word.

Turning a blind eye, I walked past them and over to a group of employees to make small talk.

After finishing my obligatory speech, I kept moving around the lawn, making the rounds so that I could get to that point where I could just drink without having to worry about talking to anyone else. Every time my eyes would wander over to Charlotte, I’d notice that she was looking right at me. In fact, she didn’t seem very into whatever Jared was saying at all.

Max interrupted my thoughts when he snuck up behind me. “Goldilocks looks bored as fuck.” He handed me a vodka on the rocks.

“Well, she’s not exactly eating up the bullshit porridge Jared is trying to feed her, thankfully.”

“What was Grandmother thinking anyway—sending her out with him today?”

I squinted at my brother. “I’m surprised you even know what’s going on around here. I haven’t seen you in days.”

“I follow her on Insta,” he said.

“I should’ve known.”

“Anyway, it pisses me off.”

I suddenly wanted to punch him. “I didn’t realize you had such a vested interest in Charlotte.”

“I wouldn’t mind getting to know her better.” He must have seen the anger in my eyes. “Why do you look like you’re ready to kill me right now?”

“What are you talking about?”

“As soon as I said I was interested in her, your face did a one-eighty. Is there something you want to tell me?”

“I shouldn’t have to remind you about our nonfraternization policy,” I said, downing the vodka.

“We don’t have a nonfraternization policy.”

“We do now.”

With a smug grin, I handed him my glass and promptly walked away before he could push me any further into an awkward conversation in which I forbade him from going near Charlotte without a rational explanation. My feelings were complex, and Max was beginning to figure out my interest in her. That was a subject I didn’t want to have to get into with him, especially when Charlotte wasn’t someone I could seriously pursue.

It was apparent I was going in the wrong direction because Charlotte was making her way toward me.

“Eastwood, is it just my imagination, or have you said hello to everyone here tonight but me?”

I hadn’t realized my actions were so obvious. “You tell me, since you’ve been watching me all night.”

“Hello, by the way,” she said.

“Hi.” Clearing my throat, I said, “How was your day?”

“Busy.”

“Yeah? Stuffing your face with cupcakes can be pretty tiring.”

“How do you know about that?” She snapped her fingers. “Ah . . . you were on my Instagram page.”

“Well, it’s public, unlike—oh, I don’t know—sifting through someone’s personal files.”

Charlotte laughed. “You’re a stalker.”

“Takes one to know one, I suppose.”

Jared interrupted us. “Cousin! Good to see you.”

With his blond hair, blue eyes, and tall stature, Jared was decent-looking. I wished that weren’t the case.

“Jared.” I spoke through gritted teeth. “Long time no see. How’s your trip so far?”

“Brilliant. Charlotte here took real good care of me today.”

You wish.

Jared turned to her, practically undressing her with his eyes. “Let’s dance, shall we?”

Pissed off, I started to walk away. “I’ll let you two be.”

She placed her hand on my arm to stop me. “Wait. You said we were going to discuss that business thing.”

Is she winking at me?

Charlotte Darling was apparently trying to use me to get out of dancing with Jared. That pleased me despite understanding that feeling that way would be to my own detriment.

I decided to fuck with her. “Oh yes. Project Squirrel. That’s right. We were going to meet about that.”

Jared looked perplexed. “A business meeting now?”

Charlotte wasted no time elaborating. “Just something we need to discuss before tomorrow. Do you mind?”

“Not at all. Iris has been fancying another dance with me anyway. I’ll catch you in a bit, Charl.”

When Jared was out of earshot, she looked at me. “I hate when he calls me ‘Charl.’ Thank you for going along with that. I just needed to get away from him for a bit. I suspect he thinks something’s going to happen between us just because I’ve been nice to him, but he’s sorely mistaken. I don’t want to insult your grandmother, but I don’t date guys whose nails are better manicured than mine. Not to mention, all he does is talk about his cars and his gigantic garage back in England. I couldn’t care less.”

And just like that, Charlotte went up another notch on the respectometer.

Pausing to really take her in, I inhaled deeply to squelch the ache in my chest. Charlotte looked simply breathtaking under the outdoor lighting and starry night sky. She was wearing a pale-pink dress that was not too much darker than her skin. With her hair up, she reminded me of a ballet dancer—with a belly-dancer body. That dress did nothing to hide Charlotte’s killer curves.

I should’ve just walked away. Instead, my eyes fell to her cleavage before the words exited my mouth. “Can I get you another drink?”

“I would love one.”

“I’ll be right back.”

I flashed a mischievous grin that stayed glued to my face the entire walk to the bar.

However, my smile quickly faded upon the sight of a familiar face walking toward me, the same one who’d happened to rip my heart out two years earlier. All the energy was suddenly sucked out of me.

Allison.