Page 34 of The Hidden Daughter (The Lost Daughters #7)
‘I think you’ve managed to impress my mother,’ Charlotte’s grandmother said, to which Charlotte’s father chuckled. ‘And take my word for it when I say that’s not easy to do.’
They all laughed, but Charlotte noticed Daniel walking towards them then, flanked by a very well-dressed couple, and he was rapidly gesturing for them to join him. Their conversation with her family would have to wait for another time.
‘Unfortunately, I think we’re needed,’ Charlotte said, bending down to tuck Amalie’s blanket more tightly around her knees, before giving her grandmother a quick hug and her father a kiss on the cheek as Harrison said goodbye and shook her father’s hand.
‘Thank you all for coming, though, it means so much to me to have you here.’
‘We wouldn’t have missed it for the world,’ her grandmother said, with the little cough that always managed to give Charlotte a burst of anxiety. ‘It’s nice to see you in your element and be able to support you.’
‘We’re both very proud of you, Lotte,’ her dad said, and she was almost certain she saw tears shining in his eyes. ‘More than I’m sure you could ever realise.’
‘I’ll see you all soon. Enjoy the champagne, and don’t forget to try the nibbles!’
She made her way quickly over to join Harrison and Daniel, or as quickly as she could go in the towering heels she was wearing, pausing only to look at a plate of canapés carried by a waiter dressed all in white.
She’d spent hours creating the menu, and then checked in constantly throughout the day on her chefs to oversee everything, and she was very happy with how it had all turned out.
She’d wanted to give a teaser to the menu on offer in the restaurant, with subtle flavours and plenty of gorgeous seafood, hoping all of the guests at the opening would be eager to come back for more.
‘This is Charlotte, our executive chef,’ Daniel said when she joined them. ‘Charlotte, this is Max and Chrissy, they’re my most important investment partners.’
‘It’s a pleasure to meet you both,’ she said, shaking their hands. ‘I hope you’re having a wonderful evening.’
‘Well, the champagne is excellent, the food is unparalleled, and the hotel is magnificent,’ Max said. ‘It doesn’t get any better than this.’
‘It helps when you have one of the best architects on board to design for you,’ Daniel said. ‘And we were very happy to lure Charlotte back to Norway. She’s already proving to be a fantastic asset to our team here, so I really can claim to have the best people in the business working for me.’
‘Harrison, are you staying on in Oslo to work on any other projects, or are you heading back to London after this?’ Chrissy asked. ‘I’m interested in what other work you’re generating.’
‘I’ll be heading back to London eventually, but I’m rather fond of Oslo now, so it’s going to be hard to leave,’ he said, laughing as he spoke.
But the way his eyes darted to Charlotte when he paused made her wonder what he was actually thinking.
They hadn’t discussed what came next, how they’d make long distance work or whether this was just a light-hearted romance that would last as long as it would last. It wasn’t exactly far to travel between the two countries, but Charlotte didn’t want to be presumptuous.
‘But if you know of anyone needing an architect locally for a commercial space…’
Daniel grinned. ‘Perhaps I’ll have to propose another project just to keep Harrison here. After all, I am responsible for you two meeting, am I right?’
Charlotte knew her cheeks had turned a deep shade of pink from how much they were burning, and when she glanced at Harrison, he looked as embarrassed as she did.
They hadn’t talked to anyone about their romantic relationship, other than in front of his friends when they’d been on their little holiday, although clearly they hadn’t been discreet enough if Daniel had figured it out.
‘You two are a couple?’ Chrissy asked. ‘What a talented pair you are.’
‘We, ah—’ Charlotte looked to Harrison for help, but he didn’t give her any. ‘More champagne!’ she said, reaching for the full glasses being passed around on silver trays.
Thankfully her diversion seemed to work, and she quietly excused herself, relieved when Harrison followed so that she didn’t have to walk through the crowd alone. Her cheeks were only just starting to go back to a normal temperature.
‘Well, that was awkward.’
‘Did you tell Daniel about us?’ Harrison asked.
‘No! Of course I didn’t, but I imagine he guessed from the amount of time we’ve been spending together,’ Charlotte replied. She reached out to him, catching his hand. ‘I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable, but I haven’t said anything to him or anyone else.’
She tried not to look hurt when he pulled his hand away, sliding it into his pocket instead. They’d spent days in each other’s company, not to mention intimately, which made his rebuff all the worse—this wasn’t like him keeping a distance when they first met.
‘Harrison, we can keep this just between us if you want to,’ she said. ‘No one else needs to know what’s happening with us, but we can’t help it if they guess.’
He softened then; she could see it in his face and the way his shoulders dropped from where he’d had them bunched up. It was as if his whole body suddenly relaxed.
‘Sorry, it’s just…’ He sighed and reached for her hand this time, giving it a squeeze. ‘I wasn’t expecting to be introduced as a couple. It took me by surprise, because I honestly hadn’t thought about anyone seeing us like that. I’m sorry.’
‘I understand. You have nothing to apologise for.’
Charlotte braved a smile, wishing that she didn’t feel so unsure of herself even though she’d just told him that she understood.
He spent his entire adult years being introduced as a couple with his wife, of course this is weird for him.
But even though they’d arrived together, walked together through the room, shoulders brushing, talking to the other guests and swilling champagne, she had the strangest feeling that something had suddenly shifted between them.
That the closeness they’d shared as little as fifteen minutes earlier had disappeared, only to be replaced with something that she wasn’t quite sure how to describe.
She watched Harrison’s face as he spoke to a guest about the design, his expressions bringing his features to life as he talked about his process in creating the hotel, and she knew then why it had hurt so much before when he’d pulled away from her.
I’m in love with him. I barely even know the man, yet somehow I’ve fallen head over heels in love.
And she had no idea what to do about it, or how to stop her heart from beating double time at the realisation.
‘Well, that was a night,’ Charlotte said, flopping down onto the bed an hour later and kicking off her stilettos. She wasn’t used to wearing heels, and certainly not for so many hours straight.
Harrison sat on the edge beside her as she lay back, looking as relieved as she felt that they’d finally been able to escape the crowd.
They’d waited until her family had gone, and until Daniel had seemingly introduced them to everyone in the room, and then they’d slid away separately and met at the lifts.
Now, they were in Harrison’s hotel room for the night, and Charlotte was thinking that it felt as if she was lying on a cloud, the bed was so soft and comfortable.
In fact, if she’d just closed her eyes, she imagined that she could have fallen asleep fully dressed and not stirred until morning, she was so tired.
‘I’ve never been so pleased to get back to my hotel room,’ Harrison said, taking off his jacket and tie. ‘I can’t believe how many people were down there, or how many hands I shook in the space of a few hours.’
‘Everyone wanted their chance to meet the famous architect,’ she teased, reaching out to him. ‘Daniel was so proud of you, it was written all over his face whenever he introduced you to someone new. I hope you know what a wonderful success this project has been—everyone loves it.’
He looked back at her and smiled, and she took her chance to stand up so that she could step out of her dress.
Harrison’s hands were warm against her skin, and she leaned back into him, her back bare, feeling his breath against her.
Something had shifted between them tonight, but now that they were alone, they’d slipped straight back into the easy way they’d always been together.
And for that she was grateful—she’d had the strangest feeling earlier that Harrison was pulling away from her, that something had changed the way he felt about her.
But now, it felt like they’d gone back to their normal, relaxed in each other’s company.
Charlotte slowly turned then, dropping her dress and standing only in her underwear in front of him. She stroked her fingers through Harrison’s hair as his hands settled on her waist, staring down with eyes that seemed to see straight to her soul.
There were so many things she wanted to say, things she could have said, but she chose to push him backwards instead and lower herself over him. She pressed her lips to his in a kiss that quickly became deeper and more urgent, wanting to show him how she felt instead of having to try to explain it.
I love you. They were the words she most wanted to say, words that had been stuck in her throat ever since she’d realised how she truly felt about him earlier in the night, but by the time she felt brave enough to say them, she suddenly had other things on her mind.
In the morning. I can wait and tell him in the morning. Nothing will change between now and then.
Not to mention that Harrison’s hands skimming over her skin soon made her forget everything, and she was even more grateful that they’d chosen to leave the party early.