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“You’re in a strange mood,” Matt commented after a pause.
“These are strange times.”
“Yes, they are.” Another pause. “It wasn’t me, Chloe. I swear on my life, I’m not the one who made those calls on Saturday night. I was nowhere near the house. I would never hurt you. You have to know that.”
“You have a gun.”
“What?”
“The kids told me. For God’s sake, it’s bad enough you bought a gun, but what were you thinking, showing it to them, letting them hold it?”
“I was thinking that they might like to see a genuine antique from the Civil War that some clients gave me as a thank-you for finding them the house of their dreams,” he explained, appearing genuinely flustered. “What? You honestly think I’d let them anywhere near a real gun?”
“I’m sorry,” Chloe apologized, equally flustered. What was the matter with her?
“Look,” he began. “I don’t blame you for thinking the worst of me. I know how disappointed you are. I know how angry you are. And you have every right to be. I’ve been a fool. I’ve done things that have hurt you deeply, caused you to lose faith in me, in us, in our marriage. But I love you, Chloe, and I swear, if you give me another chance—just one more chance, that’s all I’m asking—if you give me one more chance, I’ll do everything in my power to make it up to you. I’ll be the best, most faithful husband any woman could ask for. You just have to trust me. I promise I won’t let you down.”
Chloe shook her head, her eyes filling with unwanted tears. How she wanted to believe him! “I really wish I could.”
“Youcan.”
“How? How can I trust you, when every time you leave the house for a showing at night or on the weekend, I’m going to be wondering if that’s where you really are? When every time you call to say you’re working late, I’m going to be asking myself what you’re really doing? When every time you tell me you’re with a client, I’m going to wonder who she really is?”
“Because I’ll do whatever it takes, whatever you want, to prove it to you. I’ll let you check my phone every night, I’ll give you the password to my computer…Whatever I have to do to regain your trust, I’ll do it.”
“You’d do that?”
“I’ll do anything.”
“Okay.” Chloe sank back in her chair, spotting the pretty, raven-haired waitress Matt had been talking to earlier at the far end of the room. “Let me see your phone.”
“What?”
“You said you’d let me check your phone. I’d like to see it now.”
“I don’t see what this will prove,” Matt said, removing his cellphone from his pocket.
“Open it to Contacts.”
“This is silly, Chloe. It’s mostly just business associates.”
“Are you going to show it to me or not?”
Matt shrugged. “Fine. Have it your way.” He pressed in his password and opened the phone to Contacts, then handed it across the table to Chloe. “I really don’t see what this is going to prove.”
She quickly scanned the long list of mostly female names. “Excuse me,” she suddenly called out, lowering the phone and waving to the raven-haired waitress.
“Would you like to see your menus?” the waitress asked, approaching.
“In a minute,” Chloe said. “First, I was just wondering…you look so familiar. Do you mind if I ask your name?”
“It’s Avery.”
And there it was, just like that—the final kick in the head.
“Avery Reid?”
“Yes.” Avery cocked her head to one side, letting her long, straight hair fall across one shoulder. “Have we met?”
