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“I’m aware of that. You’ve made your opinion of my mental health well-known. I appreciate your concern for my welfare, but we are no longer a couple and we are no longer in business together. You are under no obligation to worry about me. You can go home now.”
“Are you serious? It’s late. I’m not driving that old highway out of town at this hour.”
“Theo—”
He exhaled heavily. “I came here because I was concerned about you, but I also want to talk business with you.”
“Of course you had a business reason for making the trip. That explains everything. I always knew you were ambitious. It was one of the things I admired about you. But I’m amazed to find out your need for success is strong enough to make you overcome your fear of me.”
Theo’s eyes narrowed with sudden rage. He lowered his voice another notch. “I am not afraid of you.”
“Yes, you are, and we both know it’s because of what happened the day I caught you and Vera in the supply closet.”
“Can you blame me? You went off the deep end that day and overreacted.”
Pallas gave him a steely smile. “And scared the shit out of you.”
“Damn it, Pallas, I’ve got a lot at stake here. After the way you walked out on me in the middle of a major project, you owe me.”
“No, I don’t owe you, but tell me why you’re here so that I can say no and then go upstairs and get some sleep. As you are aware, I’ve had a rather difficult day. What is this business you want to discuss?”
Theo leaned forward, fiercely determined now. “The kind of business that could make a lot of money for both of us. The kind that can get us featured in the big trade magazines.”
“No offense, but how did you manage to land a project like that?”
Theo held up a hand. “I’ll explain, but first let me buy you a drink.”
“No thanks.”
“We used to be friends,” he said.
“You said you loved me. We talked about marriage. We were sleeping together. I’ve got news for you—that is not a friendship.”
“Looking back, you could say our relationship was a case of partners with benefits,” he said.
“Don’t you dare rewrite our history,” she hissed. “I won’t let you do that. The only thing that matters is that I trusted you and you not only concluded I was delusional, you cheated on me.”
“Don’t blame me for what happened to us,” Theo shot back in low tones. “You are the one who blew up our relationship, and you know it. You changed, Pallas. Admit it. After your episode of amnesia you developed an obsession with the paranormal. You decided you had some sort of psychic talent. Just look at you. You’re abandoning what could have been a great career in order to work on a podcast that pretends to investigate cold cases. Do you have any idea how bizarre that sounds?”
“If I’m so weird why are you sitting here in a bar in Carnelian trying to get me to work on a commission with you?”
“Look, I realize our personal relationship is complicated.”
“No, it’s not complicated—it’s over.”
“Fine,” he said. “It’s over. That doesn’t mean we can’t do business together.”
“Actually, it does mean that.”
“I know you need the money just as much as I do,” Theo said. “Neither of us can afford to turn down this commission.”
“Is that right? Aren’t you the one who told me that interior designers were a dime a dozen?”
“I was angry. Listen to me, Pallas. I know you haven’t worked much lately, and there’s no money in the podcast, right?”
“So?”
“So hear me out,” Theo said. “Please.”
