Ch24 - Talia

Talia was slowly stirring the aromatic sauce when she heard a soft knock at the front door. Instinctively, she knew it would be Charlie, but couldn't trust herself to believe the obvious. Would she always be so suspicious? Sadly, she resigned to the fact she would be looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life, terrified of being found. Of being caught. What would happen to her if she were? She could never allow anyone to know the secret she suppressed. Ever.

You're being silly! she reasoned to herself. Everyone thinks you're dead!

She stepped out of the kitchen and glanced toward the porch. Charlie stood there as expected, the late afternoon sunshine casting a warm glow around him.

He's so handsome, she thought, shocked by her own admittance. Pushing her unease aside, Talia smiled and waved him in.

"I brought Winston with me," he called out before entering. "I hope you don't mind."

"The more the merrier," she laughed, anxious to become better acquainted with the Labrador. She had always loved dogs, but Steven loathed them — she knew he harbored a secret fear. Dogs didn't seem to like him, either. Whenever Steven was in the presence of a canine, they always growled and bared their teeth viciously, as if in attack mode.

Such smart animals, she mused.

Winston walked into the house and happily trotted over to Talia, his yellow tail wagging behind him. She bent down and scratched him behind the ears, making his rear-end wiggle vigorously.

"You are so pretty!" she whispered to him. "Such a pretty boy!" He lapped at her face with his long tongue, causing her to giggle out loud.

"Hey now," Charlie playfully scolded. "He's a man's man. You're gonna give him a complex calling him 'pretty' like that. He might start to think he's too cute to go hunting."

Talia laughed. "But he is! He's absolutely gorgeous."

"He knows that and I know that, but we like to call him handsome. And rugged. Not unlike his owner," Charlie joked.

Talia rolled her eyes playfully and went to the sink to wash her hands. Returning to the spaghetti sauce, she asked with a sideways glance. "So, you and Winston hunt?"

"Sure do."

"What is there to hunt around here?" she asked, curiously.

Charlie ran a hand through his hair and sat at the table, with Winston settling in at his feet. "Plenty. Mostly I hunt duck, deer and wild boar. And Winston here is an excellent huntsman, especially when it comes to the waterfowl. He's a true retriever — don't let his looks fool you. I couldn't ask for a more efficient hunting partner."

"Really?" she asked, stirring the meat sauce. "That's pretty impressive. Was it difficult to train him?"

Charlie shook his head. "It wasn't too hard. A lot of it's instinct. Winston comes from a strong hunting and champion background."

At the sound of his name, Winston's large brown eyes looked up toward his master and he gave his tail a thump.

"How old is he?" Talia asked, looking over at him.

Charlie's face clouded over momentarily, as if his mind was raking over an unpleasant memory. Then, he smiled and glanced back at her, "He's about two and a half."

It happened so quickly, had she imagined the troubled expression?

Ms. Wilson had told her that Charlie's wife passed away two years ago. She wondered now if Winston had been hers. She didn't press the issue, instead she changed the subject.

"I hope you're hungry, I've made a lot of food! Looks like I'll be eating spaghetti for the next two weeks."

"Can I help you with anything?"

"Do you mind getting the plates out? I'm sure you know where they are," she said, giving him a grateful smile.

Obediently, Charlie stood to retrieve the dishes from the cupboard, as Talia strained the pasta over the sink. She turned away just as he moved from the counter and they gently collided. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and she quickly looked down at the floor.

"I'm sorry," she stammered, her heart pounding in her chest. Could he hear it?

"No, It's my fault. I should have been more careful." 

Talia glanced back up at Charlie and noticed that he looked a little flustered himself.

"Here — I'll take those," she offered, setting down the pasta and lifting the plates from his hands. "Why don't you have a seat, I'll take care of the rest. I'm going to get myself another beer, can I get you one?"

"I'll get them, you have your hands full."

She felt his eyes on her as she set the plates on the table, but she refused to look up from her task. "There's also a salad in the fridge if you don't mind getting that out, as well."

"Wow, salad, too? You've gone all out for a dinner you were going to eat on your own," Charlie observed, opening the refrigerator and retrieving the items. He set the salad on the counter and opened each beer, placing them on the table.

"Honestly, it's sort of a celebratory meal," she confessed with a small smile.

He sat back down. "What are we celebrating?" 

"A lot of things," Talia answered with a sigh. "My new house. My new job. My new ride," she added with a grin. "Plus, I just received an amazing housewarming present from my next door neighbor."

"Oh, yeah?" Charlie questioned, playing along. "He sounds like an awesome guy."

"Well, I'll have to let you know - the jury's still out on that one," she teased. "But so far I have to admit, he seems pretty decent."

Placing the spaghetti filled dinner plates and bowls of salad on the table, she smiled sheepishly. "Thank you for staying."

"Thanks for inviting me." Charlie stood up from his seat and pulled a chair out for Talia before settled down again.

Talia's stomach did a slow flip flop. How long had it been since she had been in the company of an honest-to-goodness gentleman? It was such a treat from what she was accustomed to.

They sat for a few moments, quietly picking at their meals.

"So, what part of Michigan?" Charlie finally asked.

"Excuse me?"

"What part of Michigan are you from?"

"Oh, of course." Talia smiled nervously. "Ann Arbor."

He focused on her with surprising intensity. "The winters are rough there, you say?" His brown eyes were bright with curiosity.

"Um...yes. It can get pretty cold. And snowy. This past winter was brutal." Hadn't she read that somewhere? Or maybe she saw it on the news...

"Yeah, I remember the Great Lakes Region got hit pretty hard."

She nodded, but said nothing. She didn't want to speak too in depth about it. She was so worried she would get her facts confused, and then what? Talia had no intention of blowing her cover. Charlie already seemed to be watching her with skepticism. Or was she just being paranoid? She needed to change the subject.

"So, have you always lived here?" she asked, realizing her mistake as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

A cold sweat crept over her. What are you thinking?! 

Charlie looked away. "No," he responded, taking a deep breath. When he turned back to look at her, she could see he was upset. "You mean my mother didn't tell you?"

Talia felt her face flush at her error, and she wasn't sure how she should respond. So she did what she did best — she kept quiet.

"I moved to Atlanta after college. Followed my college sweetheart," Charlie explained with a small, ironic smile, but kept his eyes averted. "She was offered her dream job as a kindergarten teacher in Georgia, where she grew up. We married a year later."

Charlie's gaze fell onto his plate and he began toying with his fork. He was quiet for a moment and Talia wondered if he was going to continue. The tension in the air was thick and the room was deafeningly quiet, making Talia feel dizzy with trepidation. She could have kicked herself for having asked such a stupid question. And when everything was going so well between them!

"Emily and I were married for two years. It was the happiest time of my life." He looked back with a sad smile. "She was the love of my life."

He paused again for a moment, and Talia thought she saw his lower lip quiver slightly. It was so painful watching him struggle — too painful. She'd wanted to tell him to stop talking, but just as she was about to open her mouth, he went on.

"One evening, she was driving home from work and was hit by a drunk driver. A fifteen year old kid without a license. Can you believe that?" he asked with a bitter laugh. "She was killed instantly."

Talia watched him reminisce with a lump in her throat. He looked completely broken. "I'm so sorry, Charlie," she offered quietly. She didn't know if she was apologizing for asking the question in the first place or for the nightmare he went through. She felt sick about both, but wasn't sure if he'd even heard her admission.

"You know what the really messed up part is?" he asked. It seemed more of a rhetorical question than anything else. "After she died, I found out she'd been two months pregnant." He shook his head sadly, and continued. "She had always wanted to be a mom. Emily loved kids, and was damn good with them, too. She would have made a wonderful mother. Our baby would have been —" Charlie broke off mid sentence.

Without thinking, Talia reached her hand across the table and covered his. "Charlie, I am so sorry. Please don't be sad," she begged. Suddenly, sitting there in her kitchen with him felt wrong. Charlie was still mourning his wife. She felt tears well in her eyes and she fought to keep them from spilling over.

He glanced down at her hand and she quickly drew it away, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Talia. I didn't mean to dump all of this on you."

"Please, don't apologize. I don't mind. It must have been very difficult for you."

He nodded his head, "I didn't realize anything could hurt so much. Not only losing Emily, but the baby, too. We'd been trying. I can't help but wonder if she knew she'd been pregnant..."

"I don't know what to say." Talia swallowed hard.

"You don't have to say anything."

They sat in silence for awhile, slowly picking at their meals but not eating. The pit in Talia's stomach felt vast and she was desperate to lighten the mood - the mood she had accidentally created. Suddenly, she blurted out, "Would you like to go for a walk with me?"

Charlie looked up at her, a relieved expression covering his face. He pushed his plate away. "That sounds like an excellent idea."

They stood up from the table, placing their half eaten dinner dishes in the sink, and walked out the front door. Winston followed happily after them.

Talia didn't know if spending more time alone with Charlie was good idea or not, but she felt responsible for inadvertently forcing him to relive the tragedy. They needed a change of scenery, and quick.

I need to watch my step, Talia thought warily. She knew she was walking into dangerous territory.

Charlie still belonged to Emily.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hello and thank you for reading The Secret! So tell me, do think that Talia is just the distraction that Charlie needs right now, or is she in over her head?

Don't forget to leave me a vote/comment if you liked this chapter!

Please join me this Wednesday for another chapter featuring Charlie. And thanks again for your reads, votes and comments - you helped my story reach it's highest ranks this week, #5 in Action and #7 in Mystery/Thriller. From the bottom of my heart - thank you! :)