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“I totally agree with you,” he said. “I wasn’t planning on having us record any group counseling sessions. But I do want to record our private sessions with them, and any one-on-one conversations we have with either of them.”
She nodded, accepting his response. “I suppose we’ll just use our phones?”
“Better,” he said. “I have some devices for us to wear.” Keeping one hand on the wheel, he reached into the back of the car and grabbed his leather messenger bag. He placed it in Ainsley’s lap. “You’ll find a flat white box inside,” he said.
She hesitated a second, then opened the bag and began to rummage inside. A faint tingle tickled the base of his spine. Seeing Ainsley riffle through his bag felt intimate somehow, though there was really nothing personal inside. The contents were all work-related. If it had been any other person, he would have worried about breaking attorney-client privilege. But he trusted Ainsley and knew she wouldn’t examine anything other than the box he’d described.
A few seconds later she withdrew the item in question. “Is this it?”
“That’s the one.”
She opened the lid and he glanced over to see her press her lips together in a thin line. “More jewelry,” she said flatly.
He winced, wishing there had been another option. “I know,” he said, his tone apologetic. “But it was my only option.”
“It’s fine,” she said. She studied the necklace, one brow lifted. “Not really my style, but that’s all right.”
“Believe it or not, that was the best one.” Santiago shook his head as he recalled the truly garish pieces he’d seen while searching the internet for something for Ainsley to wear.
She pulled the pendant from the box and clasped the chain around her neck. The silver locket hung just above the neckline of her shirt, perfectly positioned to capture the activity around her. The scrollwork design on the front of the pendant was a bit ostentatious, but it did a good job of disguising the small opening for the camera lens.
“If anyone asks, you can tell them it’s a family heirloom,” he suggested.
“That works,” she said. “It does have an old-fashioned look to it.”
“It’s touch activated,” he told her. “You just have to slide your finger over the surface of the locket to start recording.”
“That seems easy enough,” she said. She fiddled with it for a few seconds, then placed her hands in her lap again.
“So what’s our story?”
He frowned, not entirely sure what she was asking. “Pardon?”
“You know. Why are we there? Why is our marriage in trouble? We’ve got to have a good reason for wanting to split up.”
“Oh.” He’d sent her an email earlier with some options for their cover story. Now it seemed they needed to decide what they were going to say.
“I work too much,” he said. “No time for the relationship.”
She laughed. The sound was unexpected, and it made him smile. “What? Doesn’t that sound convincing?”
“Oh, completely,” Ainsley said, humor in her voice. “But what about me? Is there any reason you’re unhappy with me?”
No, he thought automatically. But he shrugged. “You work a lot, too?” he suggested.
“I think we can do better than that,” she said. She was silent a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet. “Maybe we should tell the truth.”
“What do you mean?” In some ways, they were being honest. He’d broken up with her so he could pursue his career. He truly was a workaholic—he wouldn’t have to pretend to play that part.
“We can tell them that you want biological children. I can’t give them to you.”
His heart cracked at her words. “Ainsley, no. That’s not the reason.”
“Are you sure?” she whispered.
“No,” he said firmly. Taking a chance, he reached over and took her hand in his. “You know that’s not why I left...before.”
She turned to look out the window so he couldn’t see her face, but didn’t speak. A sense of urgency gripped him, desperation clawing at the edges of his thoughts. Did she really think he’d broken up with her because they couldn’t have children together? Had she spent the last five years believing she was somehow to blame for his actions?
