Cars still lined Lily Pond Lane when he returned, and the gate to the driveway was wide open. He hardly knew anyone at the party and wondered again how Charlie and his sisters had allowed it to get so out of control.
He stalked through the front door, past the few guests lounging on the couches. At the top of the stairs, Will threw open his bedroom door and slammed it shut, finally letting out a long breath.
After a minute his pulse slowed, and he made his way to the balcony doors. His room was on the quieter side of the house, so when he walked outside, all he could hear was the dull thump of the bass mingling with the waves crashing in the distance. He took another deep breath, willing his body to finally relax. Then he paused. There was someone out there with him.
He turned, and as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized it was Charlie, slumped against the wall with an unopened bottle of tequila in his hand.
“What are you doing?” Will asked.
“Debating if I should pick up an old habit,” Charlie mumbled.
Charlie had never been a heavy drinker—he could barely get through two beers without passing out. The only time Will had seen him touch tequila was in college after he broke up with his high school girlfriend. After two shots, Charlie spent the rest of the night with his head over the toilet.
“Where’s Jane?” Will asked.
“Downstairs.”
“So why are you up here?”
“I needed some space.”
Will leaned against the railing, waiting for him to continue.
After a long moment, Charlie finally did. “I told her I loved her.”
Will tried not to react, steeling his expression so as not to give away the fact that he had predicted this course of events the second they’d met Jane Bennet. The only real question now was how bad the inevitable fallout would be.
“And?”
“She left,” Charlie said quietly, staring up at the dark sky.
Will blinked. “What?”
“We were sitting on the beach, talking. I told her I wanted to take her away for a weekend, someplace romantic. In my head, that was where I was going to tell her I loved her. Make it special, you know? Then the fireworks started and it was perfect. So I said it, right then. I said I love you and she just… stared at me. Then she stood up, said she had to go to the bathroom, and left.”
A bit of tension released from Will’s muscles. This was new. He had expected that Charlie’s proclamations of love would be returned, followed by the usual requests for support, ones that would quickly evolve from emotional to financial. But this… this was a surprise. Almost a relief.
“I know what you’re thinking, Will,” Charlie continued. “But I promise you, I have never felt like this about anyone. Not even close.”
“All right. Then what do you need?”
“I don’t know,” Charlie replied. Somewhere on the other side of the yard, the DJ switched tracks and the bassline became deeper, more frenetic. Charlie groaned, his head falling forward. “I need to think, and I can’t do it here.”
Will nodded. “I’ll get rid of the DJ. Shut down the party.”
“No, I meanhere. East Hampton. If she doesn’t feel the same way, I can’t…” Charlie looked up at him. “What should I do?”
Will knew what his friend was really asking:Help me out of this mess.
Like most people in his life, Charlie was all too aware of Will’s unique ability to compartmentalize almost every situation and see things clearly and objectively. Remaining in control at all times was a trait that defined him; an innate skill that had been honed after his parents’ death. It was why the people he loved relied on him to fix problems that anyone else would find too overwhelming. He had done it for Charlie before, and he was ready and willing to do it again.
“You said it yourself. You need space,” Will stated. “We’ll head back to the city tomorrow.”
Charlie exhaled, the tension in his brows subsiding. “I just need a couple of weeks.”
Will nodded, even as his mind rebuffed the idea. Charlie had fallen hard for Jane Bennet. It would take him a lot longer than a couple of weeks to get over it.
“Thanks, Will,” Charlie continued.
