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Her tentative optimism only filled me with more anxiety. I’d spent the entire night lying in bed, wondering that same thing.
“Then what? I’ve ruined his entire life and destroyed the only reason he wanted this marriage in the first place.”
She pursed her lips, fiddling with the handle of the coffee mug. “Did you ever consider that’s not the reason he wanted the marriage in the first place?”
“Of course I have,” I scoffed. “You think I hadn’t considered that he just pitied me?”
“That wasn’t what I meant,” Thea said softly. “Don’t you think at least he should be involved in the decision?”
I turned my head away from her earnest stare and shook my head. “He’s given me everything: a home, a chance at a career, a dog. I can’t thank him by torpedoing his entire life or even giving him the opportunity to destroy his entire life. I can’t do that to him.”
“Okay,” she said, leaning across the table and rubbing my forearm. “If that’s what you think is best, I’m with you. One hundred percent.”
The tears flooded my eyes all over again. Before a single one could drop, Thea had her arms around me, running her fingers through my hair.
* * *
Trashcan yipped from his crate. I hurried inside, eager to let him out. Andy had left the house as immaculate as if he’d never stepped inside. I opened the back door, and Trashcan frolicked out into the yard. I shut the door behind him.
Andy left a neat pile of mail on the counter. I thumbed through it, setting aside the junk mail when a blue piece of paper with Andy’s handwriting beside the coffee maker caught my eye. I set down the mail, hesitating to pick up the note.
Nora,
I love you. I’ll do anything to fix this.
Andy
I closed my eyes, chest squeezing tight and my fingers searching for my phone before I stopped myself. I folded the note into quarters, holding it over the trash for a spiteful moment before tucking it into my pocket.
CHAPTER30
Andy
I ranon a treadmill in an empty gym, sweat falling off my forehead and soaking through my shirt. I increased the incline, legs aching. A hard rock song blared through my earphones, an eighties glam band my father listened to when I was a kid. The memory of sitting next to him in the car temporarily offloaded Nora from my brain, but not for long.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I checked my watch for the caller.
Nora.
I slowed the treadmill to a stop, reducing the incline until it sat flat on the ground.
“Hey,” I said, answering the phone with a strangled and almost squeaky voice.
“Hey,” Nora answered, her voice low and sultry. She wasn’t trying to be sultry, but she was just the same. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I pressed my fist against my side and extended my other arm over my head. “I’m fine. Just testing out the equipment.”
More accurately, I couldn’t stand sitting in the empty office for another minute. During the day, I had new employees and trainers to keep me busy. After turning down an after-work drink, I had only my thoughts and more work than I could accomplish in the next few days to keep my mind occupied. So, I ignored all responsibilities and attempted to clear my mind with a workout.
“You could have let me go to voicemail.”
I would rather have severed my leg than let her go to voicemail again. She’d conveniently called at just the wrong time every day that week. I’d skeptically wondered if she wasn’t checking my calendar to make sure Iwasin a meeting before calling.
Tonight, she’d risked calling after seven. I didn’t quite know what to make of that. Maybe she wanted me to answer. Maybe she finally wanted to talk.
“I think you’ve been dodging my calls,” I said, metering my breath.
“You caught me.”
