The Gin Lovers by Jamie Brenner

Author:Jamie Brenner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

Chapter 15

“YOU HAVE A visitor in the parlor, Mrs. Delacorte,” Rafferty said. His usually professional demeanor was punctuated by small smile as he took in her new appearance.

Charlotte glanced at herself in the hallway mirror. She’d finally done it: After seeing Rona at Jake’s, she hadn’t wanted to go home. With Mae no longer at the house, she couldn’t stand the thought of being alone. Charlotte decided to go to the one place she was guaranteed she could spend an hour surrounded by company: the beauty parlor. And she told the girl at the salon, Anne Marie, who’d been styling her hair since her engagement to William, to cut it all off. “Like Louise Brooks,” Charlotte had said.

She barely recognized herself, with her new jaw-length bob and bangs just skimming her eyebrows. And since she knew she had no doubt lost her appetite for good, she would soon be so skinny, and with her new hair and figure, she would look like a proper flapper. All that would be missing was mirth in her eyes. But that was lost to her now, too.

“Who’s the visitor?” she said, shrugging off her light jacket. Rafferty took it from her.

“More book donations,” he said.

Charlotte stifled a groan. She wished she had told everyone to deliver books directly to the Fifty-seventh Street mansion. But it was too difficult to make sure someone was there to receive them now that Geraldine’s staff had been cut. Maybe everything should go to Amelia’s now that she’d staged her coup.

She looked in the mirror one more time. Even in her miserable state, she had to admit the haircut did something magical with the lines of her face—her cheekbones were somehow more prominent, the curve of her jaw accentuated and dramatic, and her eyes seemed to have doubled in size.

It was a shame that Jake would never see her like this.

She kept playing the encounter with Rona over and over in her mind. Charlotte was certain she was not jumping to conclusions: There was no mistaking the look in Rona’s eye, the way she shooed her out the door. And why else would she be there first thing in the morning?

Had she missed something the night Jake took her to the King Club? When he was up on stage, had a glance been exchanged between them? No—if something had been going on with Rona, Jake would not have brought Charlotte there. As much as she hated him at that moment, she had to admit he would not have willingly put the two women together in a room under those circumstances.

Charlotte wished she could talk to Mae. After she attended to the book donation, she’d call Amelia’s house. That woman could hardly justify not putting Mae on the phone. She wasn’t a prisoner, for heaven’s sake.

She opened the door to the parlor, and stopped abruptly.

“You need to leave,” she said.

Jake stood from a chair, and walked to her with great deliberation. He closed the parlor doors.

“You look beautiful,” he said, his eyes taking her in from head to toe.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.