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“If you two will excuse us, it’s past Audrey’s bedtime,” I said.
“Don’t be such a baby,” Todd said, looking at his watch. “It’s only nine o’clock.”
“We’re still in that new relationship phase where we have to have sex every couple of hours,” I said. “You old married people probably don’t even remember that, right?” I grinned and swept Audrey up in my arms; I was going to pretend that everything was normal with us, even if it was clear to me that Audrey was about to crack.
“On that note,” Evie said, laughing. “Just remember to get some rest, too! We’re snorkeling the West End reef tomorrow.”
“Good night,” I called jovially. I leaned down to Audrey’s ear. “Smile,” I commanded.
She made her best effort at it. But inside, I could tell her heart was breaking.
* * *
“What happened?” I asked when we were back in the safety of our room. “What on earth did she do to you?”
Audrey was pouring herself a glass of white wine. “I can’t tell you,” she said. Her voice was flat, dead.
I went over and stood next to her. Without asking if I wanted any, she poured me a glass and handed it to me. I had a sip and watched her face, which was drawn and pale underneath the color she’d gotten today on the boat. “You have to tell me. We’re in this together.”
“I can’t be in this anymore,” she said, her voice small and far away. “And your mother said that if I tell you what’s going on, the deal I just made with her is off. And it’s not even a good deal, James. It’s not gonna end well, and I know it.”
She looked defeated. My heart broke for her then, for her and Danielle both, what loving me had done to them. I pulled her to me. “This is on me. I should have known it wasn’t safe…that I wasn’t safe to be with.”
She pulled back and looked at my face. “Stop it. Your mother is a monster. While we’re at it, so is mine. We didn’t make them that way.”
I took her face in my hands. “Please tell me what she said. No matter what, I promise you, I’ll make it better. If she doesn’t want me to know, I’ll pretend I don’t. I’ll deny it till I die. Just tell me.”
“Your mother doesn’t fight fair,” Audrey said. I could see her visibly calming herself down, drinking her wine and taking deep breaths.
“Go on.”
“I told her about the letters. I said that I was going to send them to the Tribune. She didn’t flinch. She wasn’t even surprised,” Audrey said. “She said it was an amateur move. And then she said she’d called my mother, and that she was having her lawyer look into having my mother reinstated as Tommy’s guardian.” She swallowed hard. “She said I didn’t have a legal right to take her off his account at the home in the first place. She’s started paying my mother so that she’ll never go public with the information about me.”
She looked up at me. “I had to promise her that I’d stay away from you, James. And that I wouldn’t even tell you this. She said she’d take Tommy away from me. She’ll make sure that my mother gets total control. And she’ll do it, James. I know she will.”
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Even though she hadn’t moved, I could almost feel her pulling away from me in her voice.
“She won’t do that. I won’t let her.” I wrapped my arms around her. “I’m so sorry, Audrey.”
“No. It’s my fault,” she said, her voice flat. “She told me I didn’t belong. She gave me fair warning.”
“She doesn’t get to win,” I said, holding her to me. “And neither does your mother, Audrey.”
“I don’t know. I don’t see a way out of this.”
“There’s always a way out,” I said, my mind churning. “We have tonight to figure out what it is. Tomorrow, we’re back with the nuclear arms.”
“I’d be happy with a BB gun at this point,” she muttered.
“One of my first business rules is, when it gets scary, stay in and push. That’s not the time to back off. And also—it’s okay to lie. There’s something to be said for saying one thing and doing another.”
“Ethical behavior is pretty much a non-issue for me at this point,” Audrey said, watching my face. “What’re you thinking?”
“I’m thinking,” I said, “that we fuck with her a little.”
Audrey looked at me expectantly, like that wasn’t good enough.
