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Lara raised her hand in denial. “I’m good, thanks.”
Laurie smiled and returned to the kitchen. Lara glanced around her, wishing someone else occupied the giant table filled with a variety of pastries and breakfast items. She’d left the bedroom when Troy was in the shower.
Sharing a bed with him hadn’t been ideal. She’d used pillows to create a barrier between them, but even in the dark when he was sound asleep, she’d struggled to do the same. His presence so near, the way his body indented the bed with each small move, his aroma with notes of wood and bamboo wafting around her. It was too much.
She hadn’t been this turned on for a while… she touched her lips.
Sighing, she reached for the blueberries and picked some for her plate. “Might as well comfort myself with food,” she muttered.
“Good morning,” said a female voice behind her. Quickly, Michelle pulled a chair and sat across from her.
“Morning,” she said.
The housekeeper returned and greeted Michelle, bringing her some coffee then returning to the kitchen.
Lara tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. To think she’d been complaining about being by herself a moment ago…
Michelle drank some coffee, then said, “I’m sorry about last night. I could tell you didn’t know.”
“That’s okay. Troy and I talked, so we’re good,” Lara said, picking a piece of toast and lathering some butter on it.
“They have a delicious prosciutto,” Michelle said. “I’ll get you some.”
“No need. I’m a vegetarian,” she said. She’d given up meat ten years prior, much to her mother’s surprise.
“Oh, all right,” Michelle said. “You and Troy couldn’t be more different. He’s a big red meat fan.”
Lara leaned in, watching the other woman. Why would Michelle say something like that? She regarded her, watching how delicately she cut a croissant. Did she still want Troy? As much as Lara wanted to ask her, she knew that wasn’t her place. “I hope the sudden news of our marriage wasn’t too much for his family.”
Michelle sat back on her chair. “We were all surprised… but his parents are excited too. They’ve been telling him to get serious and commit to someone for a while.”
“I understand.”
“Yeah.” Michelle shrugged.
Don’t ask, a voice inside her warned. Don’t ask, it alerted her again. Yet Lara’s pulse spiked, anticipation tightening her stomach. “Are you okay with us getting married?”
Michelle straightened her shoulders. “Of course. I’m married myself. I’d recommend it for the most part.” She pursed her lips, and a sad emotion flickered in her eyes.
Lara almost reached out for her and gave her a hug. Then, it hit her. Michelle was in love with Troy. Her sixth sense poked at her, making her internally shudder. How could she not have seen it before? Of course Michelle had either felt before or still experienced now some deep emotions for Troy.
“I got these just out of the oven,” the housekeeper said, bringing them some biscottis.
Michelle turned to the woman, and soon, Troy’s parents joined them. The subject shifted between current events and life in Italy. Lara asked questions to engage and hopefully dispel the simmering tension from earlier. She almost felt like a surveillance camera looking in. A sense of pity overcame her.
Poor Michelle. She’d made a mistake, and no doubt paid for it. Her marriage certainly had suffered. And in the end, she’d ended up without the man she loved.
I hope that won’t be me. When it came to Troy, her heart would have to stay closed. It wasn’t like he was asking for it, anyway.
* * *
Troy swam another lap. The sun was setting in the background, and the internal lights of the pool lit up, warning he’d been home earlier than usual.
They had been married for a week and settled into a routine. Lara worked all kinds of odd hours, and when she got home, she retreated to her room or asked to use the home office. They seldom ate together, and usually when one woke up, the other had already left.
This routine shouldn’t bother him. Anyone in his position would enjoy not having to deal with the inconveniences of a relationship in which partners lived together. In fact, he kept telling himself, this arrangement was perfect by all counts.
She didn’t expect anything from him—attention, companionship, nothing. Probably didn’t want it, particularly after what she found out about him sleeping with his in-law. Any man in his position would be relieved his freedom was still intact.
