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She didn’t utter a word on the way to charity store and back, and he didn’t try to distract her, not even when she dusted and vacuumed. He called the janitor from his firm and asked him to help him move some heavy pieces down the stairs.
Happy to earn a few bucks, Joe arrived twenty minutes later. Together they carried the loathsome desk, the bed, and dresser, and other pieces to the garage, and organized them for the tag sale the next day. Later, Tim cleaned the oven and the fridge. To avoid any last minute problems, he turned on all the appliances to make sure they were in good working condition.
By nine, they were done. After a final inspection, they left the house, Tim following her in his car.
***
At home, Erin waited for Tim in the kitchen. “Do you want to eat? Mom left a vegetable and potato ragout for dinner.”
“Sounds great. I’m starved.” He smiled sheepishly.
She didn’t smile or comment, but took the pot of leftovers and heated it on the stove, then served him. As for her, her throat had squeezed shut since last night. She wouldn’t be able to swallow a bite.
“Aren’t you eating?”
“I’m not hungry.”
He pushed away his plate. “I’m not eating if you’re not.”
“For heaven’s sake.” She huffed and spooned some onto a plate for herself.
He poured two glasses of wine and toasted. “To a profitable garage sale and no-problem signing the papers.”
“Hopefully.” She raised her glass. The garage sale and the house sale had slipped to the bottom of the ladder in terms of priorities and worries.
Tim hadn’t been lying about his hunger. After wolfing his food, he set his fork and knife on his plate and peered at her. “Erin, I can’t absolve or even understand Ben for being deceitful about his money-making job, but now that we’re together, the past is not worth all your tears and grief.”
“There’s more. Much more.” Her jaws clamped together. Would he be as understanding after seeing the pictures? The question stabbed her gut. “You’ll be very upset, too,” she muttered between her teeth, averting her gaze.
“I’ve had my share of deception and survived.”
“This is worse than anything. I don’t want to lose you, Tim.” The thought tore at her insides.
He stood and bent toward her, cupping her face. “I love you, Erin. Nothing can separate us.” He met her lips in a searing kiss.
“All right. Last night, I followed your advice and started deleting data on Ben’s phone.” As their eyes met, her body shivered.
He shot her a penetrating look. “Did you discover some shocking surprise?”
“Shocking and nasty.”
His gaze riveted on her. “Emails?”
“Texts and pictures.” Anger and sadness warred in her mind.
“What was it, Erin?” He spoke in an odd, yet gentle tone, as if he’d already guessed.
She breathed in shallow, quick gasps. “He had an affair for a year or so.”
“What a sleaze. His loss. The jerk didn’t appreciate the precious gem he had at home. Don’t cry, sweetheart. He’s not worth it.”
Erin switched on the phone and clicked on the text with an incriminating picture. “Look at this.”
Her heart hammering, her breathing ragged, Erin held the phone in front of him.
Tim’s eyebrows gathered in a deep scowl, his eyes bulging. “Damn it to hell. Annette? With your Ben?Yourhusband was the scumbag who stole my wife,” he snarled, his fingers raking his hair in nervous strokes.
To hear the disgust in his tone, one would think Erin had set up a blind date for the perpetrators.
