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So she waited.
And he turned to Melinda and said, “You shouldn’t have done that.”
The tears came then. “Oh, but, Rafe, really. Why not? I love you. Always. All those years ago, I kept waiting. For you to say you wanted more. You never did. And I only wanted a chance, that’s all. I only wanted—”
“Stop.” He said it coldly. “I don’t want to hear it. Neither does my wife. Whatever there was between you and me has been over for ten years.”
“No. No, don’t say that. You cared. You used to care. And I know you only married her because of the—”
“Do. Not. Say. It. Don’t even think it. You’re wrong.” He said it strongly, firmly. Genny felt marginally better—even if it wasn’t true. He had married her for the baby’s sake after all.
Melinda let out another sad little cry. “Oh, but I...I only thought if I kissed you, you would remember how it was between us, you would—”
He silenced her with a hard chop of his hand through the space between them. And then he said, very gently, “I want you to go and get your things together. I want you to leave this house. And I want you never to come back.”
“But how can I do that? Brooke won’t understand. She knows nothing about—”
“Brooke will understand completely. I will explain it to her.”
“Oh, my God...” Melinda covered her face and sobbed into her hands.
It was awful. Genny wanted to scratch the woman’s eyes out and then cut off her head. At the same time, she couldn’t help feeling just a little bit sorry for her.
The disorienting swirl of mixed emotions made her stomach churn. She swallowed bile. Fisting her hands, pressing her fingernails into her palms as hard as she could, she used the pain to distract her from the urge to be sick right there in front of her husband and the woman who had just grabbed him and kissed him.
Melinda cried harder, great, gulping sobs.
Rafe tried again. “Melinda. Get control of yourself. You have to—”
Genny couldn’t take it anymore. “Rafe.” He turned to her. He looked furious—and in way over his head. She said, “You’d better let me help her.”
He swore then. A very bad word. “Don’t be absurd. This is not your problem.”
It wouldn’t be if only you’d listened to me. “What are you going to do, pick her up bodily and carry her to her car? No. Let me help. Please.”
He drew in a slow breath—and then he stepped aside.
Genny went to the other woman and took her by the shoulders. Softly, she coaxed, “Melinda. Come on, now. You know that it’s time to go.”
With a cry of pure heartbreak, Melinda surged up and fell against Genny. It was not a fun moment and reminded Genny sharply of Fiona on that awful night weeks ago.
Genny gritted her teeth and wrapped her arms around the other woman. “All right. Come on, now. Let’s get you upstairs....”
Rafe followed after her as she led Melinda, sobbing all the way, up the back stairs to her room.
Genny pushed the door open and coaxed her in and over to the bed. “Come on. It’s all right. Sit down....”
With a moan, Melinda dropped to the bed. Genny found the tissues and handed them over. Melinda dabbed at her streaming eyes, blew her nose—and went on crying.
“What now?” Rafe asked from the doorway.
“Oh, Rafe. Look at her. We can’t kick her out tonight. It’s just too cruel.”
He looked like he wanted to put his fist through a wall, but he held it together. “What do you suggest?”
Genny sat next to Melinda and put her arm across her shoulders. Melinda sagged against her. “Listen,” Genny said softly. “Melinda, are you listening?”
“Mmm-hmm?” A sad little squeak of acknowledgment.
“You’re not going anywhere tonight. Go to bed. Try to sleep. In the morning, after breakfast, you’ll make your excuses to Brooke and you’ll go.”
“Oh, God...”
“It’s up to you what you tell her. I would suggest honesty.”
A horrified cry. “No!”
“It’s your call. Whatever you say to Brooke, please don’t come back to this house, or we’ll have to tell Rafe’s sister and grandmother why, exactly, it is that Rafe and I don’t want you here.”
* * *
“I’m just going to tell you exactly what happened tonight,” Rafe said when they were alone in their sitting room.
She didn’t really want to hear it, didn’t have to hear it. “I believe you, Rafe. I know you didn’t encourage her.” She knew he’d done nothing wrong—well, beyond being a thickheaded, know-it-all man. “I’m not blaming you.”
