His Girl Charlotte

29

"How was yesterday?" Janice asks me. I set my dirty pancake plate in the sink for her.

"Good, Israel is getting locked up for 37  years and Charlotte doesn't hate me." I lean my body weight on the countertop behind me. "I decided that I was trying to buy her things to make her feel comfortable around me. I wanted to make this feel like her home."

"But she loved you and you knew that. What more did you have to prove to her?" She frowns.

"I don't know, Janice. I've never cared for anyone like I cared about her. I didn't know what to do about her. Ever."

"She suffered badly from the trauma done to her. She needed to recoup." She pats my chest, "She called this place her home."

She did? Janice gives me a knowing smile and wink.

"I want to see her. Hopefully she can visit soon." She says.

"Yeah. Hopefully." I mumble.

"My boy!" My moms voice chirps from the dining room. Her brown hair is actually down for once instead of up in some tight updo that always looks so uncomfortable. She is wearing a long blue dress and lipstick that may just be a little bit too red.

"Mother, I didn't even hear the elevator." I greet her with arms wide open.

"I am here to see you. What have you been up too?" She asks me.

"Well I went to court yesterday." I turn on my heel.

"You what?" She sounds breathless. "Is someone trying to sue you? Did something terrible happen?"

I sit down on a chair. "Remember Charlotte?"

She looks at me with a blank stare.

"My assistant." Well, old assistant now.

"Oh, yes. She had almost gotten shot at the party. Oh dear, I remember." She shakes her head at the awful memory. I can't believe I almost forgot about that.

"The guy who tried to shoot her actually got put into prison for 37 years." I say and she looks taken aback.

"That is some good news, I will say. Where is that girl anyway?" She asks.

"Umm, I'm not sure. Why?" I ask. The way she is looking at me, I know something is on her mind. I cross my arms infront of me.

My moms hand reaches out to my cheek and tilts her head to the side.

"She's the one who got kidnapped? Your brother told me." She says. "I don't know if I like that you're put in the middle of all this."

Why would James tell her? I feel my anger already growing inside of me.

"I'm in no danger, don't worry." I assure her. She kisses my forehead like the mother she is and touches my cheek with her cold hand.

"Are you sure she isn't here?" She stares into my eyes. She fucking knows.

"Is this why you came here? Because James told you everything?" I gently move her hand away from my face. I feel so mad but I try to contain it.

"Look, my handsome boy. You are the most admired, richest and eligible bachelor male on the West Coast. This girl that you care for so much— she's damaged. She has too be! Look at all that she's been through." She gives me a look of sympathy. I hate that look.

"She has some things to overcome, of course she does! But she's not involved with that guy anymore. She hasn't been involved with him for months now. Israel was a psychopath and now he's in prison." I stand up, annoyed.

"I want to see her room." She puts her hands on her hips. Did she not even listen to what I just said?

"She doesn't live here anymore." I tell her.

"Michael John Maddox, show me her room." She pierces her lips together in stubbornness. I huff as I begin walking to Charlottes old room. Why does she come here just to give me her opinion? I love my mom and I don't want to say her opinion doesn't matter but she doesn't know Charlotte. When I open the bedroom door I Mom shakes her head at me.

"You have it all designed for her?" She sounds shocked. She walks to the closet. Fuck. When she gets a good look of all the clothes I see the way her body stiffens, she is mad.

"You bought this— this problematic childlike girl all of this! Michael!" She scolds me.

"Problematic childlike girl?" I repeat her slowly, angrily. "She's none of those things."

"She's too young for you." Her voice is quiet, something she does when she's mad.

"She's only six years younger." I tell her but I realize I'm wasting my time. "You need to stop scolding me. I'm a grown ass man and I can talk too whoever I'd like and spend my money however I want to. You don't even need to worry, infact. She doesn't live here anymore and she doesn't work for me. If we are done here and you got all the answers to your intruding questions, the door is open." I finish strong and watch her eyes widen. I can't tell if she feel hurt or mad, but I decide she feels both. I feel bad but how dare she?

"I expect to see you next week in Paris for your fathers birthday. If you bring that young girl, I won't promise that she will have a good time." She says, walking out of Charlottes room. I don't try to chase after her, I just walk towards the window and stare out of Portland. I wait for the elevator to ding, and when it does, I know she left.