She rolled over, taking the sweatshirt with her, and finally felt a calm wash over her. Graham was there, with her. Her eyes shot open, and she sat straight up in bed. They were an hour from each other—on nights he closed early, he could drive down to her. In her mind, this made perfect sense, and they wouldn’t have to wait until the weekends to see each other. Rennie flopped back onto her pillow with a cheesy grin on her face and saw visions of her and Graham growing old together. Rennie could easily be happy in Cape Harbor, but what about her job? Opening a private practice made sense, but how many people were looking for a divorce in Cape Harbor or Skagit Valley? Those small towns with low populations wouldn’t yield enough of a client base to support a staff and salary. She needed to stop thinking. Her thoughts weren’t doing her any favors.
By the time her alarm went off, she was exhausted. The sleepy-time tea didn’t do the trick, and her mind never shut off long enough to let her fall asleep. She started her morning routine, never missing a step, and replaced an existing part of her morning by sending Graham a text, which he would see when he woke up. Having responsibilities sucks. Let’s run away together.
She stood in front of her closet and looked over her clothes. There wasn’t a single thing she wanted to wear in there. She wanted to be comfortable in jeans, but Lex Davey would have a fit if she showed up to work looking like it was Saturday. She pulled out a navy-blue suit with white pinstripes. The ensemble was one of her favorites. Rennie hung it on the hook by her closet and went to her dresser, opened a drawer, and found a picture of Theo. She picked it up, studied it, and waited for the tears to come. They didn’t. She stared at it with disgust. He was nothing to her.
Next to her dresser sat a wastebasket. Rennie dropped the photo into it and then looked around her room. There were other images of Theo, some with her in them. She didn’t bother to take them out of the frames as she collected them. Each one made its way into the garbage, frame and all. There wasn’t a satisfying crunch of glass shattering. She wasn’t screaming. She was simply cleaning up what didn’t belong in her apartment anymore.
From room to room, she collected things belonging to Theo. Some items were personal, some just random things that had accumulated over time, and she set them all on her coffee table. She’d box those and send them to his work. She didn’t care if she was outing him or not—at this point, he deserved whatever came his way. By the time she was done, she had worked up a sweat and an appetite, and she still had to go to work. Rennie went back to her dresser and pulled out a new package of nylons and worked her legs into them. She finished dressing and felt lighter and much better about the day. Maybe she just needed to totally eradicate Theo from her life before her day could start.
Rennie drove to her office, parked in her usual spot, and took the elevator to her floor. When she arrived on her floor, she smiled at Ester and asked her to follow her to her office. Once inside, she shut the door.
“How was your Christmas?” she asked her assistant.
“It was good. I tried calling you.”
Rennie waved her new phone in the air. “New number.”
“What? Why?”
“Theo and I broke up. Long story short, he’s a cad. He’s married, and I’ve been playing mistress for over a year without knowing it. I expect him to call or show up—if he does, put him through, but after today, I never want to see or speak to him.”
“Wow.” Ester stood there, speechless for a moment. “He seemed so genuine.”
Rennie laughed. “You’re telling me. So, anything I should know?” she asked as she sat down.
“No, it was pretty quiet. Donna spent a day stomping around because you weren’t here, but there’s a rumor floating around among the admins.”
“Ooh, what is it?”
Ester leaned forward, despite being in a private office, and whispered, “We’re pretty sure Donna and Lex are having an affair.”
The rumor or news, whatever it might be, broke Rennie’s heart. Donna was married, and Rennie liked her husband. And after what happened between her and Theo, she had no respect for anyone who cheated on their spouse.
“Shameful,” Rennie muttered. She excused Ester and turned on her computer. Her emails came in one by one, dinging with each new notification. She shut the volume off, having grown tired of hearing the noise, and watched as each one loaded. About half were from Theo, and Rennie deleted every single one of them.
Late last night after Rennie spoke to Graham, she relented and downloaded her contacts to her new phone. As much as she wanted to start over, there were numbers she needed in there. She picked up her phone and called Walter to check in.
“Walter here.”
“Walter, it’s Rennie Wallace. I’m calling from a new phone number. How are you? How was your New Year?”
“Fabulous. My Lois kissed me at midnight, which is all I could ask for. How was yours?”
“Ah, that’s very sweet of her. Mine was perfect; thanks for asking. How’s the case coming?”
“In my professional opinion, which you do not hire me for, I can tell you this family doesn’t have a case against your friend.”
Rennie adjusted in her chair so she could take notes. “Tell me what you have.”
“I spoke to her friends and asked where they got the booze. At first, they said the bar, but after some prodding, I got one to tell me the truth. The father of the driver supplied the teens with the alcohol, and it is his idea to pin this on the bar. Apparently, he thinks no one will care if a small-town establishment goes under.”
“Does he know the Chamberlains?”
“He’s their delivery driver for the distribution company they use.”
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me, Walter.”
“Wish I was. The family is in financial trouble after the accident. Insurance won’t pay because they’re claiming their daughter is a victim, so until the lawsuit is settled, they’re barely scraping by.”
“Were you able to find out how they know Donna?”
“One of the other kids in the car—Donna is his grandma’s neighbor.”
“So random. Let me know what else you find. Thanks, Walter.”
They hung up, and Rennie sat there and stared at her notes. She hated this side of the law, the side where anyone could file a lawsuit and threaten someone’s livelihood without cause. It bothered her greatly.
The intercom buzzed, and Rennie’s heart dropped to the floor, bounced up, and lodged in her throat. “Yes,” she answered, shaken. She wasn’t ready for the confrontation.
“Ms. Wallace,” Ester said as professionally as she could. “Mr. Wright is here to see you.”
Rennie took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and counted to ten and then counted again. “Send him in.” She hung up and straightened in her chair. She would be strong and in control.
Theo waltzed into her office, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. An ensemble she had never seen before. She expected her heart to lurch, a desire to feel his arms wrapped around her, but she didn’t. She felt nothing.
“Renee—”
She held her hand up. “If you want to talk, you can sit. Do not come any closer.”
He did as he was told and sat across from her. Theo stared everywhere but at her. She sighed and tapped her fingers on her desk.