Concern lowered his brow as he followed her. “Your grandma in Maine… is that the one who’s been acting strange?” Charlotte still had three living grandmothers, and he’d yet to be invited to meet any of them. They went inside, and he was on her heels as she climbed the stairs to their bedroom.
“Yes. Moving big sums of money, changing investments that have been unchanged for decades, making unprecedented business decisions. My mom’s afraid it’s dementia. If she’s right, Grams isn’t mentally fit enough to marry anyone.”
“Is it possible this guy is influencing her financial decisions? Maybe even taking some for himself?”
“That’s what she’s afraid of.” She bent down and pulled a suitcase out from beneath their antique brass bed.
“Wait, you’re going up there now?” he asked.
“I have to.” She turned and opened her underwear drawer, tossing several pairs into the open suitcase.
“But there’s a damn Nor’easter, Charlotte. You can’t get to coastal Maine right now unless there’s some kind of emergency. Just wait until the weather clears up.”
“I’m going now.” She turned to her closet and pulled a heavy sweater from a hanger. “My mom’s losing her shit, she’s so worried.”
“Then why can’t your mom go?”
She gestured wildly. “They’re infucking Japan, Leo! Andthis guy could be a con artist, an escaped convict, anything.” She walked briskly down the hall. “Do you listen to anything I say?”
He winced, knowing he deserved her snide remark. He’d had a lot on his mind lately with HERO Force, and the stress was beginning to have an effect on him. “Sorry.”
Charlotte glared at him, but let it go. “Grams is important to me, okay? If this guy’s after her money, we have to protect her.”
He shrugged, thinking he was an idiot for what he was about to say, then said it anyway. “Or maybe she’s in love.”
She pointed her finger at him. “Don’t you fucking start with me now.”
“I wasn’t sayinganythingabout the two of us.”
“Everything you say is about the two of us.”
Frustration had him flexing his arms. He needed her to stay here so they could work this out, not fly off to Maine with some ridiculously overblown concern for her grandmother. He chastised himself for the thought. Clearly, she was worried, as was her mother. If he had half a brain, he’d support her right now.
One side of his mouth hitched into a grin. He reached for a duffel bag on the top shelf of his closet. “I’ll come with you.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Doesn’t she live on some little island? You have no idea what you’re walking into. You’re absolutely right. This guy would be a madman, or a con artist. It could be dangerous.”
“I’m perfectly capable of handling myself.”
“Let me help you.”
“Damn it, Leo, no!”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Why the fuck not?”
She stopped and turned to him, pointing outside. “Wereyou even here for the conversation we just had? I need a break from you. Maybe more than a break.”
His chest seemed to fold in on itself, the pain of what she was saying threatening to crush him before he pushed it away just as firmly. If he could get on that plane with her, he would have time. Their world had been torn apart in less than an hour. Surely a few days together would allow him to fix it. “You’re being stubborn. What if you need me? What if your connecting flight is canceled and you can’t get to the island because of the weather? You hate driving in snow. Let me help.”
She blew out air and set her hands on her hips.
He took a step closer. “You know I’d do anything for your family.” She was ready to cave. He could feel it, and even as the flush of victory crested, about to wash over him, he saw how he’d strong-armed her, how he’d failed to listen to what she wanted. His pleasure waned at the realization.
I’ll work on it.
If you let me stay, I’ll do better, I promise.
