Don't Let Us Go

Small World After All

Opening the door, Olivia was happy to see one person, confused to see another.

"Oh my goodness, Charles?" Olivia starred stunned at her friend from Portland that she lost communication with a few years back. "What are you doing here?"

"Olivia?" Charles starred at the curly haired brunette in confusion."This is your house?"

"No, my parents' house." Olivia corrected him, glancing between her acquaintance and the party planner, Beatrice. "Wait, what are you doing with my party planner? Did you guys arrive together?"

"I'm working for Spencer James now. This is the party planner I arranged for his daughter's birthday party." Charles explained as Olivia shook Beatrice's hand. "Wait, so you and Spencer.... "

"Spencer and I have a daughter together." Olivia revealed, "Did you not see any of the press releases we did a little over a month ago?"

"I only arrived in New York about two weeks ago. I was on a freelance job in Britain for three months." Charles explained, following Olivia inside the house with Beatrice in tow.

"Everyone, the party planner and Spencer's new publicist are here!" Olivia announced as her family left the dining room to join them in the foyer.

Spencer shook the party planner's hand before greeting his new publicist. "Is everything set for the meeting with the investors at the new location?"

"Yes, I took care of it. They will meet us there tomorrow afternoon." Charles answered him back.

Spencer glanced between Olivia and Charles, feeling something was off. "You good, babe?"

"Yeah, but baby, didn't you say your new publicist's name was Charlie?" Olivia asked.

"Oh, my bad? I've been getting it mixed up since we met last week. But, yeah, this is Charles." Spencer corrected himself, believing he was making an introduction between the two of them.

"No, Mr. James, I already know Olivia...Ms.Baker." Charles tried to stay formal. "We worked together back in Portland for a short time before I made a job change."

"You two know each other?" Spencer inquired, confused at the chances of him hiring someone Olivia already knew.

"A long time ago," Olivia assured him that it wasn't anything to think too deeply on. "We did a few columns together. And even went out once or twice. Nothing serious."

Spencer nodded, absorbing the new information, wondering if he could catch a break. Now, he needed to worry about this new publicist of his making a move on his woman or bearing a grudge against him.

Sensing the ever-growing tension, Charlie felt the need to put himself on blast to save his new job. "It's been so long ago, I barely even remember it," He stressed. "It worked out for all of us."

"How so?" Olivia prompted an explanation.

"If it weren't for Mr. James being in need of a need publicist, I would not have flew out to New York and met my potential future girlfriend." Charles happily declared, dramatizing the one stand he had his first week in New York.

"Really?" Spencer huffed suspiciously, trying to sniff out a lie.

"Yeah, great girl. She's drop-dead, beautiful, smart, and highly opinionated." Charles recalled from the night he spent in the bar celebrating his job when he ran into the sour beauty. She talked his head about some guy who broke her heart, and Charles talked his way into her bed. "Yep, we hit it off right off the back. In fact, when we go back to New York, I'd be happy to introduce her to you, Mr. James." Charles bluffed so well that Spencer couldn't sense his exaggeration.

"She sounds great, I'd love to meet her." Olivia voiced, trying to break whatever male tension was building between the two of them. "How about you fly her out for the party on Friday?"

"Friday? For your daughter's party? Um, so sudden. I'm afraid she might have plans." Charles panicked.

"Don't be ridiculous. Like you said, you guys hit things off really well." Spencer smiled, pleased with the idea. If this woman was real, it meant Charles wasn't a threat. If he was making her up, then Spencer would cut all ties and find another publicist with no ties to him or Olivia. "I will even pay for her ticket to L.A.; first class. No woman would turn down a free, first-class ticket to L.A."

"Oh... okay." Chales stumbled over his words nervously, wondering if the woman he met that night would even answer his call. "I will call and let her know then."

"Good, you do that while we get started on the party arrangements." Spencer insisted, patting Charles on the back before guiding Olivia and her parents back to the dining room with the party planner behind them.

Staying behind, Charles swiped through his phone in search of his one-nighter's phone number. Sighing once he finally found her name, he dialed her number, hoping she'd answer.

"Hello, who is this?" She snarked from her end.

"Hey, remember me, Charles? We met at the bar in Manhattan a few weeks back." Charles choked up.

"What about it?" She retorted, growing irritable.

"Well, I had a lot of fun and wondered if you would be interested in joining me on a work vacation?" Charles tried to make it sound nice.

"I am not some escort you call to impress any of your corporate buddies. Wrong number." She prepared to hang up, but he interjected.

"I know, but it's an all expenses paid trip to Los Angeles. When we first met before we...you know..you seemed pretty upset. I thought the chance to get out of the city would do you pretty well." Charles tried to sway her decision without sounding too desperate.

"Los Angeles, huh? I do have some friends down there that I needed to see." She began to take the option into consideration. "Fine. Email me the ticket with the flight information, and I will join you soon."

Releasing a sigh of relief, Charles nodded, "Will do."

The line went dead before he could get in another word, but he hoped that this would be enough to save his job working for Spencer James.

(Author Note: Charles is played by Taquan Richmond. If you don't know who he is, his book is on top.)