"Do you know if Cordelia is coming to the island?" Grayson asked Andrew, assuming he would know the whereabouts of the oldest Thorpe sister. Last he knew, Cordelia moved to London as well. But maybe he was wrong.
Andrew's brow puckered in confusion...
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Money bred money.
Simple facts.
But there were always exceptions to the rule.
And Charlotte Grace Vendivere-Thorpe was that exception. Though she was born into a world of money, luxury and high end products didn't faze Charlotte. Her humbleness both surprised and charmed everyone she met.
Grayson knew that every presumption he adhered to in his head about the monster that Charlotte had turned into couldn't be true the second the raven haired beauty emerged from the threshold of her home. In pretty bare feet, Charlotte dazzled all three of the Mitchell's with her gorgeous smile, stunning Vendivere green eyes, and electrifying soul. Every kind and beautiful thing about Charlotte's heart and personality made her glow from the inside out. Her cheeks radiated a luminous blush as she bounced down the stairs on her tiptoes, surveying the Mitchell's from afar. The nearer she grew, the more Grayson could see that she openly and wholeheartedly planned to envelope his family with all of the warmth in her heart, no reservations or hesitations.
Grayson wished he could look away, but he couldn't stop watching the way her raven black hair softly curled around her face, accenting her sharp cheekbones, and the way she held herself. Charlotte wasn't an adolescent teenage girl anymore. The youngest Thorpe daughter had grown into a striking young woman, full of vivacity and brilliance.
Though Camilla surely stepped out of first class off of their international flight wearing exactly what she was dressed in now - always presentable no matter the hour or moment - Charlotte poised herself with relaxed elegance. A neat white cotton shirt tucked into designer frayed jean shorts drew attention to her subtle early summer golden skin. Though the sun shown above, a brisk ocean drift danced through her hair and caused the edges of her oversized vintage shirt with the sleeves rolled up to flap in the breeze.
Growing up with a family like the Thorpes, full of grace, elegance, and lineages of attractive genes, Grayson knew he was lucky to simply be friends with Charlotte. The older the got and the more Charlotte developed into a young lady, he saw the jealous looks he received from other boys who vied for her attention. Even when idiot boys started to steal her heart, Charlotte always returned to him, offering him her world class smile, promising to love him forever as the boy who was and always would be her best friend.
The evil monster he created in his head that he called "Charlotte" after she ditched him and their friendship, no goodbyes or promises to keep in touch, faded into the fuzzy background as he - unwillingly - reacquainted himself with the raven-haired green-eyed exquisite creature that was Charlotte Grace.
His mother was the first person to break his trance. "Charlotte, you are so...stunning!"
Glancing from his mother back to Charlotte, Grayson discovered that Charlotte had eyes for only him, ignoring Layne entirely, as she crossed the stone path, opened her arms, and embraced him. Her familiar scent enveloped him entirely as her arms encircled his neck and she buried herself deep into his neck how she always used to. Because he felt he had to, Grayson wrapped his arms around her and breathed her in. He recollected a million other hugs he shared with Charlotte over his lifetime and none of them felt as good as this one. Forgetting they had company, he sighed from deep within his chest and closed his eyes. "Grayson," she breathed into him, completely relaxing, trusting he would hold her up. And he did.
