A pause.
“Yes, of course.”
She was lying. I knew it instantly. It was the rhythm of her words. Like she was reciting something instead of speaking naturally.
“I’m very sorry about yesterday,” she continued. “I behaved abruptly and unprofessionally.”
The kids had gathered around me completely now, listening with huge eyes.
I moved toward the den for privacy. They followed anyway.
“Winnie, what’s going on?”
Another pause. “I had some difficulties involving the mixing of my personal and professional worlds.”
What the hell did that even mean? “Who was that guy?”
She sighed softly. “It’s a complicated matter.”
“Complicated how?”
“I do not think discussing it would be productive.”
My stomach tightened harder. Something was deeply wrong here.
“Winnie,” I said quietly, “if you need help?—”
“I do not.”
Her response was too fast, too automatic. And underneath it all, I detected a hint of fear. The kids exchanged looks. CJ’s face was as close as it could possibly be to mine as he strained to listen to the conversation.
I gripped the phone tighter. “You don’t sound like yourself.”
A shaky exhale came through the line. “Remember, a twist is only as good as its setup.”
CJ’s head whipped up. “Wait a minute.”
I held up a hand automatically to quiet him because right now I was hanging onto every word she said like it mattered more than oxygen.
“I know this is abrupt,” Winnie continued carefully. “I don’t want you to feel as though you were being set up.”
“What does that mean?”
Another silence stretched. I could practically hear her struggling to say whatever came next.
Finally, she responded. “I would like to have dinner with you and the children tonight.”
My heart stuttered. “Dinner?”
“Yes. I owe you all an apology for the abrupt termination of my employment.”
Employment.God, I hated hearing that word coming from her.
“And…” She hesitated. “I would also like to introduce you to my better half.”
Everything inside me dropped. Like an elevator cable snapping.
Better half.The phrase echoed unpleasantly around my skull. The man from yesterday flashed instantly through my mind. He was tall and creepy as hell.
