“Had to work.” He leaned forward, trying to catch her eye after she turned away. “Aren’t you overwhelmed enough with three of us?”
She bit her lip. “I don’t know yet,” she said, looking worried again.
“You’re going to be okay,” he reiterated.
The door opened before she could respond, and Charlotte stepped out. “There you are, Lilly. Jules, I thought you’d be taking a nap.”
“Is that what Sloane’s doing?”
“She was so jet-lagged, she fell right into bed. But she told me to wake her when we go to dinner.”
“You know people eat a lot later here in Italy, don’t you?” he said.
“I didn’t know, but that works well for us. She’ll be able to rest a little longer that way.”
Wanting to give Charlotte some time alone with her newly found sister, he backed away, leaving Lilly at the railing. “I think I’ll lie down for a bit, too,” he said and gave Charlotte a nod of encouragement as he went inside.
chapter 11
Once Julian was gone, Charlotte felt a moment of panic. She didn’t know this girl she was suddenly responsible for—without ever having made the decision to become her guardian. She supposed she could refuse to take Lilly home, but what would happen to her then? How could she abandon this child the way Luca had when he’d dropped her off with all her belongings—as if he couldn’t get rid of her fast enough?
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Lilly murmured with a shrug.
“Why don’t we put on our swimsuits and get into the hot tub?”
Lilly looked startled, as if she’d been expecting a heavy—and potentially heartbreaking—conversation. They needed to have a serious talk at some point, but Charlotte didn’t want to hit her with painful and difficult questions before establishing some kind of rapport, especially since she couldn’t offer any promises that might make the girl feel better—not without the risk of letting her down again later.
Lilly blinked, clearly thrown off balance. “You want to get into the hot tub?”
Charlotte gestured around them. “It’s breezy and cool this afternoon. I think it’d be fun, don’t you?”
She nodded.
“You have a swimsuit?”
“In my suitcase.”
“Perfect. I’ll meet you back here after we change.”
Charlotte smiled to reassure her before leading the way into the house. Lilly had to feel as if she was lost at sea, but Charlotte felt just as lost—completely unsure of her future, especially with her impending divorce. Nothing was turning out as she’d expected, which had to be what Lilly was feeling, too.
She’d just fastened her bikini top when she got a text message from Cliff.
We beat the Cavs. Did you see it?
She’d missed the game. She wouldn’t have watched it even if she hadn’t been on a plane when it was taking place. She doubted she’d ever watch basketball again. That was one of the few positives of her divorce. She would no longer have to stress over a sporting event, whether or not her husband would perform to the best of his ability—and what would happen if he didn’t.
As precarious as her situation with her younger sister was at the moment, at least now she had something in her life that was powerful enough to distract her from the misery of her impending divorce.
Uncertain as to whether she even wanted to reply—she felt sick whenever she thought of Cliff—she tossed her phone on the bed and went into the bathroom to twist her hair up. But just as she was about to leave the room, she went over and grabbed it again.
I’m afraid I missed it, but that’s fabulous news. Way to go.
She was about to ask him if he’d found an attorney and when she should expect divorce papers. She hadn’t consulted an attorney herself, didn’t know the rules of such a process—how much time she’d have to respond, what would happen if she missed that deadline because she was out of the country, how many months it would take before she was officially single again.
But in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to address that issue. It was too upsetting. So she left what she’d said as it was—after all, it was the rah-rah he was looking for—and dropped her phone on the bed again. She didn’t even want it with her, didn’t need any reminders of the life she’d lived before.
