Saving Charlie

Braxton Greco "Peter, I don't want to wait it out. We need to be proactive, start the project or get rid of the land. I'm sick of dealing with paper work." I told my business partner, Peter Henson. We usually agree on most business dealings but he's dragging his feet on this current arrangement and I'm having to deal with the headache. Stacks of environmental impact reports, and miles and miles of bureaucratic red tape. Permits alone can hold up a property development, why he's stalling on this project is unknown to me and its beyond frustrating. "So, push it to someone else. Let's sit on it for a couple more months." He insists. Giving him an irritated look, I shook my head. "No, I have all the permits in order. We start next month." He gave me a disproving look. "I promised Charlie that we'd help fund the children's cancer wing and they're not breaking ground for another nine months." He explains. Listening to his statement, my mind instantly filled in the rest. "Of course." I nodded. "You don't want to build until we have the market, which will come with the hospital addition." I replied, knowingly. Peter is a philanthropist, but a businessman above all. The tax break we'll get from helping to fund the addition to the hospital is his main concern, his granddaughters happiness a close second. He's a great business partner, even if he's a little taxing on my patience. I'm glad my father introduced me to him. "Charlotte doesn't know about the hotel?" I asked. "Charlie's only concerned about the hospital. You know that," Peter replied fondly. I nodded. "I understand your hesitation, but it's really a matter of resource allocation. We currently have five hotels in various stages of construction. Steven Daniels finishes Tokyo in two weeks. I want to put him on this project right away and not twiddle his thumbs for the next nine months." There's only a brief pause while he pounders what I'm telling him. He knows I'm not asking for permission on this. I'm not even sure why we're talking about it. Time is money and holding onto the plans for this hotel is making us bleed. "Fine, it'll look better to Charlie if we finish the building before the hospital. Get it started, use whomever you need." He encourages. "She'll still have something to say about it." I responded, smiling slightly at the thought of Charlotte scolding him for profiting from the hospital addition. Sick people with families need a hospital and we provide accommodation. It's a lucrative business, but Charlotte would find it sleazy. He grimaces. "She usually does." Charlotte or Charlie, as Peter calls her, is his youngest granddaughter and the only Henson I like, besides Peter. She works as a nurse at the hospital working in the cancer ward. She's been fighting to have a children's cancer wing made and donated most of her modest earnings to families struggling to pay hospital bills. It's a cause close to her heart after her only cousin and best friend, Amelia Henson, died of leukemia fifteen years ago. Peter's only son, Amelia's father, passed away just three months later from a brain aneurysm. I smile thinking of her. You could always ask her out." He chuckles. I narrowed my eyes at him. He knows as well as I do, Charlotte is terrified of me. "She's going to have to move on from that night eventually." He adds, sadly. "I terrify her." I reminded him. "I know that. You're just going to have to show her she doesn't need to fear you." He replies, trying to be helpful. I don't bother responding. If she sees me coming, she runs in the opposite direction. Until six months ago, I hadn't known what caused her reaction, then Peter let it slip that Charlotte had been almost r***d by a former boyfriend. A guy she met at med school. Peter explained that she had avoided all men since that night. It makes sense, except for the fact that I'm not her ex-boyfriend. Nor do I have any interest in hurting her. "We're having lunch together. Why don't you come?" "Making her uncomfortable isn't exactly fun for me." I grumble. "Like I said, she needs to see you're not Byron. You don't help your cause by staring at her all the time. Maybe if you looked at her a little less,...heated. She wouldn't be so uncomfortable," he points out. "Heated?" I ask, amused. "Yes, heated." He replies, disgusted. "I don't look at her like that." I said, dismissing his allegation. "You do." He argues. " It's nauseating." I grit my teeth. I don't like knowing I show my feelings for her to anyone. I nod. "I want her." "I know that! Tell her." He yells, exasperated. "I'm not getting any younger. I could die any day and I want to see her settled." I scoff. The man has the best nurse taking care of him. Charlotte makes sure he doesn't miss his med's and even plans his meals. "I'm serious. I expect you to take care of her when I can't." He states, pointing at me for emphasis. Peter is the only person I would ever let speak to me this way. I looked at him seriously. "I know what I'm doing." I lied. "I want her, but it doesn't change the facts. Unless you plan on dragging her down the aisle yourself, it's a waiting game." "You're not trying hard enough," he accuses. "What do you suggest? Handcuffing her to me?" I asked, feeling my frustration over the situation rise. "If you wanted her badly enough, you would." He retorts. I groan. I can't help but get a little angry when she refuses to talk to me. I'm sure she notices it. For that, I'll give her as much time as she needs to get used to being around me. I've been to dinners and events knowing she'd be there and I always get the cold shoulder. Even with the cold reception, I still stand next to her at parties, making sure no men approach her. Hell, I even make Ben, our security detail here at the office call or text me when she enters the building. It's been over a year and still my presence spooks her. There was a time I liked being an intimidating man. It does have its advantages. Now, it's a burden. My phone buzzes with a text message telling me Charlotte has checked in at reception.