decreasing by the day. Because of Miles’s good-natured responses to statements from her that would have resulted in swift and violent reprisals from Blaine.
“You know you don’t bore me, Miles.”
No. He charmed, seduced, challenged, and interested her. But he definitely did not bore her. The last couple of days had been filled with fantastic sex, sure. But she had also laughed with him, played with him, walked, swam, and talked with him. She had fallen in like with him a while ago…but that like was deepening, becoming less tenuous and more substantial.
And that scared her, because she didn’t want to want more from him. This was enough.
But it was starting to feel like too little.
She was relieved that she had committed to spending the afternoon with Lia McGregor today. It would afford her some much needed breathing room. Time to think, regroup, figure out what her next move should be. Being around Miles twenty-four seven was clouding her judgment. She needed to find some clarity, and she could only do that when he wasn’t around to distract her with his body, or his wicked sense of humor, his big sexy brain, and his kind, generous nature.
It was ridiculous how much Miles missed Charity after she left for her lunch with Lia McGregor. He pottered around the house, took Stormy for a walk, and texted his mother and sister. He had also contacted both Hugh and Bryan and badgered them into giving him updates on a couple of contract negotiations he had been working on before getting ill.
But that barely ate into his time without Charity. The house smelled like her. He loved that he could go into any room and find a lingering trace of her subtle perfume.
These last two days had been amazing. And he was already dreading the day he would have to say goodbye to her permanently.
He was sitting in the solarium, his laptop open on the coffee table in front of him and impulsively called up his rarely used Facebook account. He had four friends, his family and Bryan, and a few hundred friend requests. The only pictures of himself on the page were ones added by Hugh and Vicki. Photos he hadn’t even known existed. He glared at one taken of him at that very house, headphones over his ears, while he stood on the dock, hands in his trouser pockets, staring sullenly out at the lake.
He looked like a miserable tosser.
In fact, he looked like a moody bastard in most of their vacation photos. His expressions ranged from mildly exasperated, to bored, to fully pissed off.
Jesus. He was amazed they continued trying to include him in anything. He would have written himself off as a lost cause years ago if the positions had been reversed.
But he wasn’t on Facebook to contemplate his failings as an older brother. He typed the name Charity Cole into the search bar, but all it yielded was a handful of Charity Coles who were decidedly not his Charity.
He tried Blane Cole next. No one who seemed to be the douchebag he was searching for. Then Blaine Cole…more smiling faces. But he didn’t think any of them were the bastard.
He rubbed his chin, absently noting the need for a shave, before minimizing Facebook and opening a Google search page.
He could call his attorney and ask who had recommended Charity for the job, but this search already felt like a major intrusion into her privacy.
This time he went broader with his search parameters, typing in Pastor Blaine and Charity and Cole to see what would come up.
Bingo!
Several news articles, from just over three years ago.
Miles clicked on the top article, Popular Minister Takes Own Life. Below the headline was a wedding picture of a beaming Charity and a good looking arsehole in a tux.
Miles stared at the picture for a long while. She looked so young and happy. Her hair was much shorter. A sleek, chin length bob. Her smile was all sunshine and joy and rainbows. Miles had never seen that particular smile on her. And he wondered if it was gone forever.
A tragic loss if it was. And yet another reason to hate the fucker in the picture next to her. He had violently stolen that joy from her.
Miles scrubbed a hand over his face and took a bracing breath before reading.
Blaine and Charity Davenport.
She had changed her name. Likely reverted back to her maiden name. Who could blame her? She hadn’t wanted to keep anything of his. Not