The Brother's Estate

The Third Brother Part 2

They settled into the sofa in their nightwear, both with face masks on from their spa night together. Maria's icy hair was tied up into a high, messy bun, whilst Charlotte let her famous curls hang loose and free.

"This film is shit," Maria said.

Charlotte nodded in agreement and went back to the main menu of the streaming app. "Totally. What do you wanna watch?"

"I don't know. Something dark. Scary. I'm in the mood for something violent," Maria laughed as she pulled a face at her friend. Charlotte shook her head with a smile as she passed the remote over to her friend and walked into the kitchen, tightening the belt on her fluffy white robe. She looked in the cabinet for something more refreshing to drink than tea, and pulled out a bottle of vodka.

"Fancy a vodka lemonade, Maria?"

"Sure," her friend yelled out loudly.

Charlotte set about making them both drinks and then hurried back into the lounge, where she could hear screaming on the television. "Trust you to put something like this on."

"A little murder and violence is fine."

She handed the glass to her friend and sat back down. "I'm gonna take this mask off, my face is getting itchy." She stood up again, almost as quickly as she'd just sat down, and went upstairs to her bathroom. Since she'd moved in, she'd made sure to decorate everything to her liking. The white and blue bathroom was accented by the marble counter tops, and the walls were all white marble. She turned the tap on and then started to peel it off, and threw the remnants into the bin before she decided to wash the little bits off from her skin. The water was ice cold and made her flinch as the first drops splashed against her face.

When she was clean, she turned back around and turned the light off, making her way back to her bedroom. She untied her robe and then heard something outside her house which caused her to hurry to the window. It was a car. A matte black luxury car with red decals. A car that she'd seen outside the Thornton's estate. She quickly pulled on a t-shirt and her shorts and ran downstairs.

"Maria, I think Jack is here."

"Why's he here? I thought we were having a night to ourselves." She lazily paused the movie and turned around. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, at all, I think it's Jack, I saw that car outside his house the other day."

"What car?"

Charlotte laughed and put her hands to her head. "It's a fuckin' expensive car, I don't know what it is!"

Maria jumped up and looked out of the kitchen window. She started to laugh as she saw it pulling into her drive. "Well, doesn't that make your car look out of place? I'm going to get this mask off. Hide me!"

Maria, always the drama queen, was one to believe that first impressions meant everything. And if it truly was Jack there unannounced, then she wanted to make sure she looked okay. Charlotte looked at her reflection in the microwave for a minute, straightening out the strands of hair that had gotten wet as she washed her face and then buried her head in her hands. Why was he there? What was he doing? Oh, she had no idea, but she was turning red.

Maria bounded back down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Is he here? What's he doing? Why hasn't he got out, yet?"

Charlotte studied the car for a moment, trying to see if it was Jack. The windows were tinted and she struggled to make out anything that was inside bar from a dull light.

"I don't know what he's doing but that car right there was definitely at Jack's the other day, I swear." Maria bounced around, and laughed more. "Why're you laughing?"

"I get to meet your boyfriend!"

"He's not my boyfriend," Charlotte sighed as she stood up properly. "But do I look okay, anyway?"

Maria gave her a thumbs up and then there was a knock at the door. Charlotte swallowed hard as she felt a peculiar sensation go from her throat into her stomach. All sorts of thoughts ran through her head, including the notion that once Jack saw Maria, he'd decide to go after her, instead of Charlotte.

As she got to the door, she froze. It was exactly the same as it had been the first time she'd met Jack. Despite the odd sensation in her body, she opened the door. Her smile was instantly wiped away as she realised it was not who they'd anticipated. It was someone who, despite similar features, was not him.

"Charlotte, right?" His voice was deep and smooth like an aged wine.

"Ah, yes... yes, and you are?" She had an inkling as to who it might be. She examined his face; smooth skin was marred by dark stubble against his carved features, and anyone could be forgiven for thinking it was Jack. His hair was long and slick, in a similar style to Ali's, but it was jet back.

"Joshua Thornton, you can call me Josh." His eyes were an electric blue, which contrasted the deep, tanned shade of his skin and the darkness of his hair. Two narrow lines marred his forehead — a sure sign of his age, but Charlotte knew that he couldn't be older than thirty. He held his hand out and she took it, shaking it gently. His grip was solid, and every inch of her melted as he stared at her for a moment. "I heard that Jack was trying to take you out, I think he said in the week. I've been away to Prague, so I haven't had the chance to meet you myself."

Maria popped up from behind her. "Hi, Joshua. I'm Maria." Josh let go of Charlotte's hand and held it out to her friend, but his gaze remained on her.

"Nice to meet you, Maria." His eyes wandered to Maria for just a moment before he was fixed on Charlotte once more.

"I can't stay," he said as he looked at the black and rose gold watch on his wrist. "But I am eager to sit and chat with you over dinner," he said, firmly. "I'll see you around." He turned and got back in his car, without waiting for a response from either of the girls. Charlotte's mouth was still slightly open as she closed the door and stared at her friend. Just as quickly as he'd arrived, he'd left. Despite anticipating answers from her meeting with the elusive Joshua, she was left with more questions than she started with, and she was unsure of how to raise the issue with Jack.

"What just happened?"

"Oh, he is cute. Looks like your boy, don't he?"

"He does, but... what just happened?" Charlotte's mouth curved upwards into a grin. Joshua Thornton. The third, and final, brother. All of them looked perfect to her, they were gods in their own right. All three of them.

They went back to the lounge and slouched down without a care in the world.

As the film drew to a close, Maria turned to face Charlotte. "So, what is it you do for work, now? I mean, back then you were working for that accountancy firm, but what is it you're doing now? You said you were burning through all of your savings, but do you do anything? Or just looking for a job?"

"Yeah, I'm not working. Not even freelancing, which... well, yeah, that was an idea that came to me. Finding a job is just so fuckin' hard here! I don't know why, but I gotta get a job soon. I think I'll be good for three more months before I've completely blew through my savings account and all my credit cards."

Maria ran her slender fingers through her white hair. "I don't suppose that your boyfriend would assist you in any way? I mean... look at where they live. I'm sure he could put you up."

"Don't be stupid, Maria." Charlotte rolled her eyes and leaned back, her mind immediately back on Jack. "Don't be stupid."