Текст книги "Mid-Life Love"

Автор книги: Whitney Gracia Williams

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Текущая страница: 20 (всего у книги 26 страниц)

Chapter 24

Jonathan

“Ahhhhh...” Claire reached up and grabbed fistfuls of my hair.

I bent down and kissed her neck, thrusting myself deeper and deeper inside of her. “You’re all I can think about...I can’t concentrate on anything but you...” I breathed heavily. I caressed her breasts and briefly covered her mouth with mine, reveling in the feel of her soft lips. “Tell me you feel the same way...”

“I...I...” Her hands moved from my head to my back, and she dug her nails into my bare skin. She tried to slow the tempo by grabbing onto my waist, but I pinned her arms above her head.

I took one of her nipples into my mouth, teasingly biting it as I sped up my thrusts. “Tell me.” I bit down on it harder. “Tell me right now...”

“I...Yes...Yes...” She shut her eyes and her body writhed underneath mine, climaxing at the exact same second as me. She shook for several seconds, and I let myself slowly fall on top of her.

We lay entwined for what felt like forever—gazing into each other’s eyes, smiling every few seconds, laughing at nothing at all.

After we’d checked out of the Ritz Carlton this morning, I’d decided to give her a tour of another one of my yachts—one of the ones I hadn’t sailed in a while. The tour only lasted two minutes though; we never made it past the bedroom.

“Am I hurting you?” I felt her trying to move her shoulder.

“A little.” She laughed and I rolled off of her.

I pulled her into my arms so we were face to face and sighed. “What are you thinking about now?”

“Nothing...”

“Your eyes give you away all the time.” I smiled. “That’s how I know when you’re lying to me.”

“I can talk to you about anything, right?”

“Of course you can.” I kissed her. “I don’t want any boundaries between us.”

She nodded and lay there silently, not saying another word.

“That wasn’t a question that led into another question?” I tried to read her eyes.

She laughed. “Not really...I just wanted to know.”

“Hmmm. Would you mind going to dinner with me and my mom next weekend?”

“You two are on good terms now?” She raised her eyebrow.

“I don’t know...I walked out on our last therapy session, so I wouldn’t necessarily say good terms...”

“You don’t think you can have dinner without arguing with her?”

Not unless you’re there...“I would just feel more comfortable if you came with me. That’s all.”

She smiled and moved closer to me. “Okay. I’ll come.”

“If you fuck this dinner up, I will never forgive you.” I drove my car into the turnaround and looked over at my mother. “Do you understand me?”

“What are you talking about, Jonathan? And watch how you talk to me. I’m still your mother... How can I possibly mess up a dinner?”

“You’ve messed up everything else in my life. I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

She looked hurt. “You’re never going to forgive me for the past are you? Are you ever going to get over it?”

I didn’t answer her. I waited for the valet to walk up to my window and handed him the keys. “Let’s go.”

The last few therapy sessions we’d had were nothing like the ones we had before; they were brutal. I’d walked out on her three times because I refused to buy into her “I don’t really remember that happening” bullshit. I felt like she was copping out and not being completely honest. The only reason I even agreed to a dinner with her was because the therapist said we needed to try something new.

In fact, I almost called the dinner off until Claire encouraged me to go through with it. She thought I needed to give my mother a second chance since this was the longest she’d ever been clean.

I walked over to my mother’s side and helped her out of the car. I linked her arm in mine and walked inside the restaurant.

“Mr. Statham,” the hostess said, “your other guest has already arrived. Shall I take you to the table first or to the gallery room?”

“The table.”

“Right this way.” She led us onto an elevator and up to the top level. She walked us past a packed room of patrons and into an empty room with one table in the center of the floor.

My eyes quickly veered towards Claire. She was standing near the windows in a dark gray gown that perfectly accentuated her sexy curves. She must have heard us enter, because she immediately turned around and smiled at me.

I walked over to the table and pulled out her chair. “You look stunning tonight.” I kissed the nape of her neck.

“Thank you...”  She sat down.

“I agree.” My mother nodded as I pulled out her chair next. “You’re a vision, sweetheart.”

“Thank you very much, Mrs. Statham.”

A waiter came over and cleared his throat. “Good evening ladies, Mr. Statham. Would you like to start off with our signature wine for the night, or would like to order something more unique?”

“My date and I will be having the signature wine. Mrs. Statham,” I said as I looked at my mother, “will be having your best juice.” I caught her rolling her eyes.

“Very well sir.” He sauntered off.

I was about to strike up a conversation, but a different waiter came over and set down our drinks—just that quickly. He politely went over the chef’s menu for the night and made suggestions, practically ordering the food for us.

When he walked away, I cleared my throat. “How was your day today, mother?”

“It was pretty good...They let me run the shop by myself. They’re going to let me choose the new treatments for the windows tomorrow. I already know what kind I want to get.”

“What type is that?” Claire asked.

“Woven bamboo shades. One of our customers told me that they would make the place look more authentic, so I think I’m going to take the advice.”

“Yellow or brown?” Claire raised her eyebrow.

“Brown.” My mother sipped her juice. “The walls in the shop are all painted in earth tones so it’ll match better.”

I put my arm around Claire’s shoulders. “I guess I need to start paying attention to those HGTV shows...”

“That makes two of us.” My mother shook her head. “So Claire, what do you do at Statham Industries?”

“I’m a marketing director. I oversee the slogans and artwork for promotional campaigns.”

“Did you do any work for the sPhone blue? Those commercials are beyond beautiful.”

I smiled. “She did.” I listened as my mother talked about her inability to work anything my company produced, as she and Claire talked about their favorite books; I’d somehow forgotten that my mother was a huge literature fan before she got hooked on drugs.

The waiters discreetly refilled our glasses and brought out the courses one by one.

I was in the middle of tasting the chef’s mushroom risotto when I noticed Claire scrolling away on her phone. “Who are you texting?”

“Ashley and Caroline...I swear they think every time I go out is an opportunity to borrow my car...I’m just going to give in and buy them separate cars for their birthday. They do deserve it...”

“I’ll help you pick the cars out.” I squeezed her hand. And I’ll buy them...

“You have daughters?” My mother smiled. She seemed like she was actually trying to make this dinner go smoothly. “How old are they?”

“They’re sixteen...”

“Wow, twins? I have a friend in my therapy group with twins. She swears they’re a handful, but I think it’s because they’re fraternal. A boy and a girl going through puberty at the same time? That’s got to be rough.”

We all laughed.

The hostess from downstairs walked over to our table. “Excuse me,” she said. “I don’t mean to interrupt your dinner, but the gallery room is only going to be open for one more hour. Would you like to take a tour now? In keeping with the artist’s vision, the women start on one side of the gallery and the men start on the other. It enhances the experience.”

“I’d love to.” My mother stood up. “What about you, Claire?”

“Yeah, it sounds great. I’ll come right after I finish my dessert.” She smiled.

“Do you want me to wait for you?”

“No, you don’t have to.” Claire shook her head. “I’ll be down in five minutes max.”

My mom looked at me with a glance that said “I’m really trying here...” and I smiled at her. I was shocked at how well she’d behaved herself tonight; I didn’t think things could have gone any better.

As the hostess escorted my mom downstairs, I looked over at Claire. “Thank you so much for coming, tonight. It really means a lot to me.”

“You’re more than welcome. I think you two are going to be okay in the long run.”

“Let’s hope so. Hurry up and finish your dessert. I want us to see the gallery.”

“It’s not like we can see it together. The hostess just said—”

“I don’t give a damn about what enhances the experience...” I brought her head close to mine and whispered in her ear. “Part of the exhibit is a pitch black room and I’m going to experience that with you.”

I moved Claire’s dress back over her shoulders and gave her one last kiss. We walked through the rest of the exhibit hand in hand—leaning on one another, discussing what we did and didn’t like.

Once we reached the last piece, a huge plastic “X” covered in polka dots and graffiti, I spotted my mother by the doors.

She walked over and reached for Claire’s hand. “It was a pleasure getting to know you better tonight, honey. Maybe next week we could all do it again?”

Claire shook her hand and nodded. “Definitely. That’d be great.”

“Greg is going to take me home, Jonathan. I texted him while we were eating dinner. I figured you and Claire may want to spend more time together tonight.”

Who is this woman and where the hell is my real mother?

“Thank you.” I gave her a hug and whispered, “Thank you so much. I’m sorry for what I said earlier in the car.” I let her go and watched her walk outside to the town car.

As soon as the car pulled off, I pulled Claire into my arms and kissed her like my life depended on it—holding her body tightly against mine, slipping my tongue deeper into her mouth each time she moaned. “Come home with me tonight.”

Chapter 25

Claire

I was breaking up with Jonathan. Today.

I couldn’t take this shit anymore. It was way too much and I was tired of crying about it alone. I needed to end this affair for my own sanity—for my health. I knew that he and I were bound to break up down the line anyway, so as amazing as our relationship had been, it was time to cut him off.

He had no idea what I’d been going through over the past few weeks, and I wasn’t going to tell him. He’d put the pieces together with time, and by then he’d have hopefully found someone who was a much better match.

I’d been contemplating this for a while, but once I cried myself to sleep last night while lying in his arms, I knew that letting him go was what I needed to do.

I didn’t eat lunch with him this afternoon, and I answered all of his sweet random texts with a “We’re still really busy down here, but I promise I’ll come see you later.” I didn’t bother opening any of the notes on his latest flower and chocolate deliveries either; I didn’t want to back out of this.

I waited until the end of the workday, rehearsing my speech over and over, bracing myself for his reaction. As soon as my clock struck six and the “Goodbye Jonathan” alarm on my cell phone sounded, I took the elevator up to his office.

“Good afternoon.” I stopped at his secretary’s desk and cleared my throat. “Is Mr. Statham available right now?”

“Miss Gracen,” she said, smiling, “you know as well as I do that he’s always available for you.”

My heart sank. “I know, but is he busy with another client? I don’t want to interrupt anything important...”

“Oh, no. Not at all. His last appointment ended over an hour ago.” She picked up her phone. “Mr. Statham? Miss Gracen is here to see you.” She motioned for me to head inside.

I exhaled and shut my eyes before twisting the doorknob. Stay focused and make it quick... Don’t make a scene and don’t cry. Whatever you do, don’t cry...

The moment I stepped inside, he swept me into his arms and kissed me. “You’re the best part of my day.” He carried me over to his desk and set me down. “Are you alright? You look sick...”

I think we need to break up. I think we need to break up. Say it! “I’m fine.”

“Hmmm.” He walked over to his cabinet and grabbed a bottle of water. He handed it to me and put his hand on my forehead like he was checking for a fever. “You sure you’re okay?”

I nodded.

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a rectangular jewelry box. “I meant to give it to you yesterday, but the board meeting lasted forever and I forgot all about it. I want you to open it with me later.”

“I can’t accept this...”

He rolled his eyes and placed it into my purse. He moved behind his desk and started packing his briefcase. “Are we still on for dinner tonight? Ashley and Caroline mentioned wanting to make apple pie together so—”

“I think we should break up.”

His head shot up. “What?”

I felt a lump rising up my throat and forced it back down. “I don’t want to be with you anymore...” I swallowed and tried to keep my tears at bay.

I thought he was going to say something—anything, but there was only silence. Deafening silence.

He narrowed his eyes and strolled over to me, making me step back against a wall. “Is this some type of joke?” He hissed. “Because it better be...”

“It’s not a joke.” My voice was a whisper. “I can’t do this to myself anymore...”

“What? Where the fuck is this coming from?”

I ignored his question. I started reciting the speech I’d written earlier. “I think it’s best if you and I go our separate ways, Jonathan. I know it may be hard for you to understand why right now, but we weren’t going to make it too much longer anyway. I’m grateful for everything you’ve—”

“Stop talking.” He pressed his chest against mine and looked directly into my eyes, forcing my body to react against my will. “You’re not making any sense and you know it...”

He placed a firm hand at the small of my back and used his other hand to run his fingers through my hair. He whispered, “You’re just having a rough day...Let me fix it.”

I almost leaned in and kissed him, almost gave in to the warmth that was coursing through my veins, but I jerked my head to the side and pushed him away.

He stared at me for a long time—half confused, half aroused, and I knew I was going to have to go with the worst possible approach if I really wanted to end this.

“Claire...” He sighed. “I’m not sure what happened to you today, but you seem out of it. Whatever it is, let me know so I can make it better...Go sit on the couch so we can—”

“I. Don’t. Want. You. Anymore. What part of that don’t you understand, Jonathan? How many times do you need me to repeat it?”

His eyes darkened and he took a step forward. “Is this your attempt to initiate angry sex? Because I’m seconds away from fucking some sense into you.”

“It’s. Over.” I felt my heart breaking, but I kept going. “You and I don’t belong together and I’m tired of pretending like we do. As much as I’d love to continue this fucking fantasy, I need to get back to reality. And my reality doesn’t include you. The past months were fun, but I’m done with this and I’m done with you.” I made a beeline for the door and twisted the doorknob, but he grabbed me by my shoulders and spun me around.

His eyes were blazing with fury, but he kept his voice soft. “I’m going to give you one more chance to tell me where the fuck this is coming from.”

“I just told you where...”

“Bullshit, Claire. We were in bed twelve hours ago and you weren’t raving like a damn lunatic then. I want the truth.” He paused, and then he lowered his voice. “Just tell me what’s going on...Have you met someone else?”

“What? No. I—”

“Then what’s the problem? And what makes you think I’m going to just let you go? You think you’re going to walk out that door and I’m not going to follow you?”

“Jonathan, please lis—”

“You won’t make it down the hall.”

I knew I wasn’t making any sense, but I had to do this in any way that I could. “What we have is impossible...I think you’ve known that from the beginning because—”

“No. I haven’t. I—”

“Let me finish...” I felt him clasping my hands in his and I almost broke down. “As crazy as this may sound, the feelings I have for you are feelings that I’ve never felt for anyone else—not even my ex-husband...” I jerked my head away as he leaned in to kiss me. “But I recently realized that...It’s hard for me to explain but—”

“Try me.”

My voice cracked. “I knew from the moment that I started dating you that this was going to end very badly for me.”

“It doesn’t have to end at all.”

“It doesn’t have to continue either. I don’t want to—”

He forced his lips onto mine and kissed me until I couldn’t breathe, murmuring against my mouth. “I love you, Claire...And I need you...Stop acting like this...”

I broke away, panting, making him look more confused than ever.

“This is only the second serious relationship I’ve been in throughout my entire life and I think that’s part of the problem...When I was married to Ryan, he used to—”

“Your ex-husband is an asshole who never fucking deserved you.” His face turned red. “Don’t you dare compare me to him.”

“My point was that—”

“That you don’t want to be happy.” He dropped my hands. “That me loving you doesn’t matter because you don’t love me. And I was okay with that, because I could wait. Because I know you’re stubborn and everything in your world is black or white, right or wrong, appropriate or inappropriate. Fine. I get that. But you must not have been paying attention to how things operate in my world, because you’re out of your damn mind if you think that weak ass excuse you just gave me justifies a break up.”

He brushed a hand against my cheek and softened his tone. “I’ll be at your house at seven tonight. After dinner, you and I can have a real discussion about what’s been going on with you. Whatever it is, we can—”

“I thought you said you’d do anything to make me happy.”

“I did. And I meant that.” He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. “Whatever you want me to—”

“Let me go. And don’t follow me.”

He sucked in a breath and clenched his jaw. “No.”

“That’s what I want...” I murmured, not sure if he’d even heard me.

“If you had any idea what I felt for you... If you could feel exactly how much you mean to me...” He paused and I saw the veins in his neck begin to swell. “You wouldn’t dare ask me to do that...”

I stared at him for several seconds, wanting to say “You’re right...Let’s just forget this ever happened and make love to each other,” but I couldn’t do it.

“You letting me go and leaving me alone would make me happy.” I rushed the words out of mouth, trying not to notice the pained expression on his face. My bottom lip was quivering, and even though I’d been trying my hardest to hold back tears, I felt a few of them slipping down my cheeks.

“Is that what you really want?” His heartbroken eyes stared into mine and his voice sounded hoarse. “For us to be over? Just like that?”

“Yes.”

He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled. For the first time since I’d known him, he didn’t look like he was calm and in control; he looked completely powerless.

He reached around me and twisted the doorknob, slowly pulling the door open, looking at me like I’d just crushed his soul. “Bye.”

“I’m so sorry, Jonathan...I just think that—”

“Bye.”

I swallowed. I turned away from him and rushed down the hall, onto an open elevator. I pressed “lobby” and prayed that the doors would shut as soon as possible, that he wouldn’t follow me and squeeze in at the last moment.

He didn’t.

I was free.

Chapter 25.5

Claire

Eight weeks ago...

I walked into Dutchman’s, a small gift shop on the eastern docks, and followed Ashley and Caroline around. They’d insisted on coming with me to help pick out a birthday present for Jonathan, even though they hadn’t met him yet.

We’d been shopping up and down the pier all day, but we hadn’t had much luck.

“If you would let us meet whoever this guy is, this would be a whole lot easier.” Ashley picked up a plastic fish and smiled. “Does he like fish?”

“A hundred boxes of sardines, maybe?” Caroline shrugged.

Ugh...“I’ll take a look around...” I walked towards the back of the store and stopped once I caught a view of the ocean from the windows.

“Breathtaking isn’t it?” An older brunette stood next to me and smiled. She was dressed in an all-white suit that perfectly complemented her thin frame, and her hair was neatly swept into a high bun. Her eyes were stark blue with light wisps of gray, and they looked slightly familiar for some reason.

“Very...” I said. “What do you do when it rains though?” I noticed that the window was broken and the coverings desperately needed to be replaced.

“Well, we’re getting a brand new window next week, but as far as the coverings go...I don’t know. We still want people to see the view, rain or shine.”

“You should get bamboo shades—not the yellow ones because they’ll fade after six months. Get the brown ones with the smooth finish; it’ll look more authentic and bring out the earth tones in this room.”

Her eyes sparkled and she reached out to shake my hand. “I’m Denise.”

“Claire.”

“Well Claire, I was thinking more along the lines of the basic, plastic white blinds because they’re dirt cheap, but I’ll keep that in mind if this place ever makes a profit.” She laughed. “May I help you with something?”

“I’m looking for a birthday gift for someone I’m dating and I’m not sure what to get him...”

“I take it that this man loves yachts?”

I nodded.

“Come over here to the front then, honey.” She led me to the counter. “Now, there are many things you could get a man who loves yachts, but if he knows his stuff, you have to get it right. How serious are you two?”

I blushed. “I don’t know... I—”

“So, pretty serious.” She smiled. “I have just the thing for that.” She disappeared into a side room for several minutes and came back with a pretty brown box, sliding it to me. “This is what you want.”

“Mini metal anchors?”

She burst into laughter. “No, dear. These are sea hooks. They symbolize that you’re in it for the long haul, that you are—figuratively speaking, anchoring his ship. You get them personalized however you want, and if he knows his yachts like he’s supposed to, he’ll have the hooks welded onto his ship’s real anchor. This will be perfect.”

I rummaged through the box of hooks and pulled out a few golden ones, running my hands along their pointy ends. “I’ll take them.”

“You’ll take what?” “What are those things, mom?” “You’re getting your boyfriend toy anchors?” “What type of guy is this?”

Denise shook her head. “There’s a logic behind it girls, I promise. How would you like them personalized, Claire?”

“Well...How about my name on the bottom of the hooks and his name on the side corners?”

“Sounds great.” She took a pen from behind her ear and wrote on a pad. “And what is your boyfriend’s name?”

“Jonathan.”

“Oh! I have a son named Jonathan. It’s a great name!” She laughed. “Write down your number so I can call you when they’re ready, okay? And trust me, he’ll love them.”

Six weeks ago

I stepped off the elevator and walked over to Jonathan’s secretary. “Good afternoon, Angela. Is Mr. Statham available?”

She looked at me with a “Why are you even asking me that” expression and picked up her phone. “Mr. Statham? I have...” She rolled her eyes. “It’s Miss Gracen, sir...Right away. You can go in now, Miss Gracen.”

“Thank you.”

I smoothed my navy blue dress and opened the door, slowly walking inside. As soon as Jonathan’s eyes met mine, I smiled and felt butterflies fluttering around in my stomach.

“Good afternoon.” He walked over and kissed me on the cheek. “You look amazing...” He led me over to the older brunette I’d seen weeks ago at Dutchman’s. “This is my mother, Denise Statham. And mother, this is—”

“Claire.” She smiled and reached out for my hand.

I was about to say, ‘It’s nice seeing you again,’ but she said, “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” I guessed he’d told her about me and she probably didn’t remember me ever being in her shop.

“You’re absolutely gorgeous...” she said. “Jonathan’s very lucky to have you.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Statham.”

“I’ll see you next week, son.” She hugged Jonathan and walked out of the office.

As soon as he heard the ping of the elevator, he pulled me into his arms. “Is something wrong? Are you sick? It must be something fatal if you came up here during the hours when people might actually see you.”

I rolled my eyes. “We just wrapped up the sTablet so Mr. Barnes is letting us go home early. My phone died so I figured I’d come tell you that before you thought I was ignoring you.”

“Good decision. I would take you out to lunch to celebrate, but I’m booked with meetings until six. Dinner? There’s a new bistro down at—”

“Mr. Statham? I hate to bother you again, but Miss Griffin is here with an emergency.” Angela’s voice came over the intercom. “She says it can’t wait another second.”

He sighed and stepped back. “Wait here. Don’t go anywhere.” He pulled out a chair for me and walked out of the room.

I leaned back in the chair and shut my eyes. I was thrilled to be done with the strenuous sTablet campaign and I couldn’t wait to move on to something much easier: the sPhone red.

I stretched my legs out and heard the jangling of keys. I opened my eyes and saw Denise walking back into the room.

“I’m sorry, Jonathan. I forgot my—” She stopped. “Where’s Jonathan?”

“He left for an emergency.”

“Hmmm.” She walked over to the couch and picked up a pair of glasses. “Tell me something, Claire...How old are you?”

“Forty...”

Her eyes widened and she tilted her head to the side. “Well, now I know the true meaning of ‘looks can be deceiving’...Is my Jonathan the Jonathan you bought those sea hooks for?”

Clearly... “Yes.”

“Well, between me and you, I wouldn’t waste my time giving those to him. They don’t stand for short-term relationships.”

“Excuse me?”

She sighed. “When his friend Vanessa told me that his girlfriend was a forty year old with two kids I didn’t believe it...I thought to myself, ‘No, Jonathan would never date someone who was that much older than him. He knows better.’ I even wondered what I would say to this woman if I ever had the chance to meet her... And I think my exact words were fuck off.”

What? My mind went blank.

“Whatever is going on between the two of you isn’t going to last another season and you know it.” She hissed. “What young, attractive billionaire wants to live his life with an aging woman and her two teenaged kids? In what world is that happily ever after possible?”

I wasn’t sure what it was about this woman, but she was scaring the living shit out of me and I couldn’t come up with anything to say.

“I’ve seen this all before, Claire.” She narrowed her icy blue eyes at me. “Divorced woman with kids wants to start her life over and decides to go for the younger man this time around. The rehab center is full of those types...The older woman thinks it’s exciting and new; that she’s one of the lucky ones and it’ll last forever, but it won’t—especially not with someone like Jonathan. He’s used to dating supermodels and actresses who are younger than him, not thirsty cougars who want to trick him into thinking he’s in love so they can get his money.”

“Mrs. Statham, I’m not—”

“And before you think otherwise about the way this so-called “relationship” you two have is going to end, let me help you figure it out: He’ll probably never meet your daughters because he’s only into you for sex. Or if he has met them, it was only to put on a show and act like he cares when he really doesn’t. But, oh...What’s this?” She gave me a sarcastic frown. “He hasn’t met them has he?”

My poker face was failing me. I could feel a look of sadness sliding onto my cheeks.

She smiled. “Hasn’t even asked to, huh? Poor cougar Claire...That’s actually not shocking at all, but it must be quite disheartening for you. Truth hurts, doesn’t it?”

“Mrs. Statham—”

“Us middle-aged people don’t have to call each other by our formal titles, Claire. You should be calling me Denise. Then again, you shouldn’t really be around in the first place, so—”

“I don’t think antagonizing me will get you any closer to Jonathan.” I said as firmly as I could.

“You’re right. Getting rid of you will.”

I rolled my eyes. I was going to tell Jonathan about this little encounter as soon as he walked back into the room.

Denise shook her head and turned away, but then she spun back around. “By the way, if you even think about telling him about this—if you repeat any of what I said to you, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

“Do your worst.” My personality was finally re-surfacing.

She laughed. “Don’t underestimate me, Claire. You’d be amazed at what types of people end up in rehab: Former judges, celebrities, and my favorite—ousted news reporters who are always looking for the right story to get their jobs back.”

“You don’t have anything on me.”

“I don’t. But there’s someone on the company board here who does. You must have really pissed her off because she’s been crafting this little story for a while...Remember, it doesn’t have to be true, it just has to look true. So, think about that before you open your mouth. In the meantime, figure out a quick way—a two week way, to break up with my gullible son before I do it for you.” She slid her glasses over her eyes and walked out of the room.

I sat back in my chair and thought long and hard about what she could possibly have on me. I’d never been arrested, never been to rehab, never done anything that would scare me if it was brought to the light.

“I’m so sorry about that.” Jonathan walked back into the room. He pulled me out of my chair and smiled. “What was I saying before?”

“Dinner...” I murmured. I wasn’t going to go. I needed to use tonight to think about what his mother had said to me, to make sure she didn’t have anything that could hurt me. I figured I’d use the same “time with my daughters” line since he always bought that.

“Right. There’s a new restaurant down at Fisherman’s Wharf and I’d love to—”

“Rain check? I promised the girls that I would make pasta tonight. Maybe we can—”

“I like pasta.”

“Oh. Well, I’ll bring the leftovers to work tomorrow. Do you want me to pack parmesan cheese with—”

“I can’t come over and have dinner with you and your family?”

What? “Um...”