Charlie Foxtrot (Book 2 of Love is War Series)

Chapter 1

"Fuck, I hate shopping with a passion." Clay glanced over the racks at Nordstrom and gave up. He wanted to get Muse something special for their first Christmas together, but he didn't know what. Fashion usually wasn't her thing, but he'd seen her eyeing a clothing catalog of some sort the week before. He thought that maybe she'd become enamored with this season's fashions for some reason.

He should probably start paying more attention to her foibles and idiosyncrasies.

Right now, he was with his best friend and assistant, Jim Lavezzo, on Christmas Eve, trying to buy his wife something special. He'd gotten her a few things already for Christmas, but he wanted something that would really dazzle her. They were only briefly married, and there was nothing he knew of off the top of his head that would knock her socks off. She loved singing and dancing and acting, and he'd mulled over his options for weeks beforehand prior to running out of time. Now he was desperate and irritated and had enlisted the help of his friend to try and figure out what he could get Muse for Christmas.

Jim was nonplussed and scanned a couple of racks before popping his head back up at his friend. "What about a trip to New York City to see the musicals there? She's a theater geek, so why not wow her that way? You can't get better than Broadway. The real shit—not this National Tour crap you see like roaming gypsies in tap shoes. She will love you forever, not that she already doesn't." He wanted to add, why, I will never know. His friend had a good heart, better than he'd ever known, but he was difficult and crass and sometimes tested his limits. He had to admit, though, Clay had gotten better over the past 7 months, and that was all due to the fiery little half-Latina he'd take as a wife.

"Jim, that's brilliant!" Clay sounded as ecstatic as a man of his repose could. He was usually droll and reticent in tone, if not a downright bully at times when at work. That too was getting better with time and some effort on his part. "You know what Muse's father told me? He said he'd brought her mother to New York for their honeymoon. She loved it, and when they came home, she found out she was pregnant."

"With Muse or with her brother?" Jim asked as he inspected a soft sweater he thought was made of Merino wool. Softer than cashmere, it was a pretty dark blue that would have gone well with Muse's tanned skin. He hadn't gotten her a gift yet either, so he continued on a different tack. "What's Muse's sweater size?"

"Medium," Clay informed him offhandedly. "She has a larger than normal chest for her waist size, so she'd rather not have it too tight up top." He paused before shrugging. "TMI, maybe." Jim grinned when Clay answered his question. "Drew is older than Muse by a few years, and they don't have any other children. Speaking of that, I'm actually enjoying having a brother. I always wanted one as a child."

Of course, he was talking about his half-brother, Michael, whom he'd found out about the previous summer. Michael was his housekeeper Mary's son and his father's illegitimate child. It was like a soap opera, but they'd all made the best of it that they could.

Though he'd tried to convince Michael to come work for him in the tech department at CBC, his brother refused. He liked having the leniency of a private contractor's schedule, and he could pick and choose his clients instead of taking orders from someone above him. It was how Clay would have wanted it too, so he couldn't fault him.

"I'm glad, Clay, truly. Siblings can be great, at times. I love my sister, but I've known her for so long, I sometimes picture a Dexter-type situation where I have a kill room covered in plastic sheeting. She can be a bit much at times, being all mother hen with me."

Clay grinned, because he'd met Jim's sister a few times, and the woman was a worrywart if there ever was one. If Muse was like that with him, he'd probably have an embolism, so he knew it irritated Jim more than he let on. His friend was just like him in some ways, only more mild-mannered. "Luckily she lives on the east coast of Florida and not the west. She'd be driving both of us nuts then."