Who Kissed Charlie Fine?

Chapter 7 (Part Two)

"It's so nice to have everyone together again," Jean said.

"We're not enough for you?" Opal teased.

"Yes, but Charlie and Adesh haven't been back in forever!"

"Who else are we missing tonight?"Charlie asked, seizing an opening.

"Yeah, is Pam coming?"

At Martin's blunt assist, Charlie cracked his knuckles and wondered how his assault trial would play out in court.

"Pam said she would try to come but she's producing a talk show in Leeds and she wasn't sure she could get away," Jean said.

"Oh? Which one?" Charlie asked, only to have the moment hijacked by Calvin.

"How do you know Pam?" he asked Martin, a quizzical look on his face.

"I got the scoop on everyone on the trip up," Martin said. "There's someone called Cherie too I think, isn't there?"

Oh no you don't, thought Charlie, purely as retaliation. "I'm surprised I haven't seen Eric yet. Is he here tonight?" Charlie had already explained to Martin how Eric Saxon and his real estate-wealthy family owned the club and were invested in practically every business in town.

Opal, again with those flashing eyes, looked away for just a moment and then back to Charlie as though convinced to confide a secret. "He has meetings with business partners in Singapore often. He's going to try to be back for the anniversary party."

The mention of Singapore clued Charlie in. "Great. Didn't I hear that he was married to Graham's little sister Mary?"

Though Mary had not mentioned the controlling ex by name, the uncomfortable squirming of all but Adesh confirmed it.

"It's complicated," Opal said.

"They're trying to work it out," Rose added.

"It's always complicated," Adesh laughed, swinging an arm around Charlie's shoulders. "Let me get my wife over here."

"Oh leave her alone!" Opal and Rose groaned while Lennox and Calvin tried not to laugh together.

"You all know nothing about it," Adesh said, searching the crowd with his eyes. He found his wife circling a buffet of finger foods unhappily with a scarcely filled plate. "Sweetie!" he yelled. "Come!"

The woman in a deep purple shirt gave him the dirtiest look. She then snapped something at their three young children - the only children at the party - and began a deliberately slow shuffle over to Adesh and the group. She tossed her waist-length black hair over her shoulder and stared more daggers into her husband.

"She is pee-yissed!" Adesh said through smiling teeth. "Watch this."

His wife's dragging sandals flipped their final flop and a pained half-smile fought its way to her face. His daughters and son, on the other hand smiled genuinely at their old man as they continued dancing goofily and chasing each other around their mother's legs.

"Charlie, this is my wife, Dimple, our daughters Hansa, Keya and our son Das."

"Nice to meet everyone," Charlie said.

Suddenly, Dimple's smile was warm and bright. She reached out her hand, a dozen fine gold bracelets swinging at her wrist, and greeted Charlie with a honeyed voice that imitated sincerity brilliantly. "Hello, Charles. Such a lovely evening meeting Adesh's childhood friends."

Because he assumed that she, like her husband, was a vegetarian, Charlie looked at her sad plate of food and said, "I hope there are enough options for you over there."