“I don’t have all day, Theo.”
“No, I know you don’t.”
“So, say what you have to say.”
Theo finally made eye contact with Rennie, and that was when she saw the remnants of a black eye. His eyes were also red rimmed and bloodshot. “Who hit you?”
“Angela’s brother.”
“Serves you right.”
He nodded. “Look, I never meant for this to happen. The day I met you, it was like I had met my soul mate. Within seconds of introducing myself, I was smitten. Lost in every part of you.”
“And married,” Rennie interjected.
“Married,” he sighed.
“Did you think I’d never find out?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. Honestly, I hoped she would’ve figured it out that first weekend. I didn’t come home. I gave her some lousy excuse as to why I had to stay in the hotel when I lived twenty minutes from there. When the weekend was over, I expected her to yell and scream, but she didn’t. She said nothing, and it felt so damn exhilarating because I got away with something so horrible. The thing is, I wanted her to find out because I wanted her to leave so you and I could be together, but no matter what I did, she never suspected a thing.”
Rennie herself didn’t have a lot of experience with relationships, having submerged herself in her work, but she’d like to think she would question her husband on why he hadn’t come home from a local convention.
“I had every intention of leaving my wife that first weekend.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Theo sat back in his chair. “The thrill. It was exciting. Living this double life.”
“All while putting me in danger,” she said to him. “While we were together, were you having sex with your wife?”
It took Theo a long moment to answer, and when he did, he barely nodded.
“Unbelievable. Did you ever stop to think what this would do to me? How your actions affect me? My life? My body? How do I know I’m the only one you’ve been with beside her? How do I know she’s not cheating on you? Now, I get why you always used a condom, no matter what I told you about birth control. I figured you were just anal, but after a year of dating, you would think you could trust your partner.” Rennie scoffed and shook her head. “I’m the idiot. I should’ve known something was up earlier.”
“I’m sorry, Renee. I really am.”
“Are you sorry because you got caught? I mean, where would we be right now if your friends hadn’t been at the resort?”
He shrugged. “Not having this conversation,” he told her.
Rennie adjusted in her chair. She was ready for him to walk out but had more questions. “What happened at Thanksgiving? Did you fly to Japan?”
Theo cleared his throat. “My in-laws were in town. I flew here to see you and took the next flight back to Spokane.”
“And Christmas? Did you have any intention of spending it with me?”
He looked down at his hands. “I really had a business trip to San Diego, but . . .” Theo paused and shook his head. “Angela had a lot of family in town.”
There it was in black and white. The man she thought she loved was nothing more than a liar and, worse, a cheater. “Did you ever have any intention of telling me, Theo?”
His eyes met hers, and she could see his answer clear as day. “So, what? You wanted me to move to Spokane and be your mistress? Second wife? I really want to know how this would’ve played out. Would you tell me you were on a business trip like you tell your wife now?”
Theo shook his head. “I don’t know, Renee. I just knew I needed you there.”
“Because you had no intention of leaving your wife. Am I right?”
“I think I would’ve left eventually.”
“But not with me by your side, Theo.”
His hand reached across her desk, searching for hers. “Can I have another chance? Please? I’ll leave Angela and move here. I’ll quit my job. Whatever it takes, Renee. I can’t lose you.”
Rennie shook her head slowly and methodically. “Not in this lifetime. I am not a home-wrecker, yet you’ve made me out to be one. You’re a liar, and I will never trust you. You’re exactly the type of man I look forward to destroying in court. Sad thing is, Washington is a no-fault state, which means spouses can do whatever they want with no recourse. Sickens me, really.”
“We love each other,” he tried to remind her.
“No, Theo. You love the idea of me, the escape, or whatever thrill you got from sneaking around. And the truth is, I fell out of love with you a long time ago.”
“Wh-what?”
“The disconnect I felt—it’s because I wasn’t in love with you, but I hung on because there are things I want out of life, and I thought you’d give them to me. Fool me once, Theo, but that’s the only chance you get. I’d like you to leave now. I’ll send your stuff to the office. There isn’t anything else we need to discuss.”
Theo stared at Rennie, who looked everywhere but at him. She didn’t need one last look to remember him. He would be the vision in her nightmares. When he finally stood to leave, he walked to the door and turned around. “I love you, Renee.” Rennie kept her silence until he walked out of her door. Once again, she counted to ten. She closed her eyes and kept them closed until her intercom chimed.
“Ms. Wallace, there’s a Mr. Chamberlain on the phone.”
Well crap, she knew three of them.
Rennie smiled. “Thanks, Ester.”
“Renee Wallace,” she answered, trying to be as professional as she could.
“Damn, that’s hot,” Graham said into the phone. “Although funny to hear you call yourself Renee.”
Rennie relaxed in her chair. “What are you doing calling me at work?”
Graham chuckled. “Because I wanted to hear the sexy Renee voice.”
And now she giggled. “It’s not sexy.”
“Everything about you is sexy. Listen, I was thinking I drive down to see you on one of my days off this week? I’m going to drive over and see Grady, too, and I’ve decided to hire some help.”
“Krista will appreciate having someone else on staff, and yes. I was thinking the same thing. Just tell me when, Graham.”
“I will. Have a good day, Ren.”
She sighed. “Bye, Graham Cracker.”
Rennie hung up, and her fingers danced on her lips. Her days were going to drag on, especially if he was going to call her first thing each morning. The sexy, raspy growl Graham had when he first woke in the morning was a sound she wanted to capture and play over and over. His voice did things to her. Things that shouldn’t happen at work.
TWENTY-EIGHT
For the first time in as long as Graham could remember, he was excited to visit his brother. It was midweek when Grady’s therapist called and asked Graham if he had time to visit. Without hesitation, Graham agreed. He made the necessary arrangement to switch shifts with Krista and left before the sun rose. The drive from Cape Harbor to Port Angeles was all too familiar by now and seemed to go in a flash. Graham made one stop on his way to see Grady, and that was to pick up his brother’s favorite doughnut, a maple bar. Graham was excited at the thought of having breakfast with his brother.