Shatter Me Read Free

I know that he is busy and worried about me . Almost immediately he sends me a return text. Have a good summer. Love you !
                  “Charles is really excited to meet you.” My mother has recovered from her pout and is ready to talk to me once more. “ And his sons are so dreamy. If I were a few years younger I might have been tempted to go after the oldest one. But you know how I favor older men.”
                  Yes, I d o know. In fact her last husband had been several years older than Charles Winthrop. And if this husband was anything like the last one then I was going to hop on the first flight out to Dubai and tell my mother what she could do with her dirty older men!
                  But I don’t tell her any of that as we continue our trip. We keep up an easy flow of conversation. Most of which is about school, my new step-brothers and the party that Mindy is going to be having in a few weeks. My mother loves to throw a good party.
                  Finally we arrive at the Winthrop estate and I get my first real look at the place. The drive up to the house is two miles and the house is as big as a hotel, all grey stoned and old money elegance. It is so incredibly beautiful that I don’t take in anything else at first. But after a few moments I notice the stables in the distance, and the small man-made lake further off.
                  The chauffeur pulls to a stop in front of the house and rushes to open my door. I offer him a small smile as I let him help me out. “Thank you.” He inclines his head but is otherwise stiffly formal.
                  My mother is already out on the other side and in the arms of her new husband. I take my time moving around the side of the car. When Mindy pulls back from Charles at last they are both wearing ‘ take me now ’ expressions and I have to force myself not to make a gaging noise.
                  Charles is giving me a once over, but in more of a father like way rather than the way Mindy’s last husband use to do. I let out a small relieved sigh. Thank goodness she didn’t marry another dirty old man!
                  “So this is Kari!” Charles grins and offers me his hand. He has big, long fingered hands I notice as I put mine in his. “It is wonderful to finally meet my lovely step-daughter.”
                  I smile, because it is hard not smile at Charles. He might b e a shark in the business world but he appeared to be quite charming and good natured in private. “So you must be Charlie.”
                  His brow wrinkle s for half a second before he thr ows his head back and roar s with laughter. “Sunshine, no one has called me Charlie since I was in grade school…But you…Yeah, I’ll let you.”
                  I shrug my shoulders. “Wouldn’t have mattered if you did or not.” I wink at him as I follow my mother up the steps and into the house while he and the driver work on getting my many bags inside.
                  “I see it is going to be a fun filled summer already.” He chuckle s .
                  “Fun’s my middle name, Charlie.” I call over my shoulder. “Didn’t my mother explain that?”
                  He was still chuckling as I step into the foyer and catch my breath. The place was just…WOW! I take in the long winding stair case that leads up to the vast landing of the second floor, dark cherry wood that is gleaming. Black and white tile is under my feet, and in a checker board pattern that I favor immediately. The tiles lead down a hallway that has several doors on either side.
                  I follow my mother and we end up in a huge entertainment room. A sixty inch flat screen is hanging on the far wall where several sofas and loves seats are placed before it facing each other. A large coffee table sits between them. I drop down