“Welcome back, Mr. Statham.” The valet caught my keys as soon as I pulled up to the building.
“Thank you, Mr. Reese.” I helped Claire out of the car. “Could you keep it on the bottom level?”
“Of course.”
I pulled Claire close to me as we stepped onto the elevator, watching her face pale in the reflection of the doors. When we reached my place, I led her over to a sofa and sat next to her.
“Talk to me...Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m just having a bad day.” She forced a smile. “Do you have any movies here? We should watch—”
I cupped her face in my hands. “If you and I are going to work, you’re going to have to open up to me...If this was strictly physical or if I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t be concerned, but I do care. You can trust me.”
“So, you don’t have any movies here?”
“We’re not watching any movies. You’re going to tell me why you’re upset. You completely changed once I mentioned Pittsburgh Rivers and I want to know why. You can sit here and be silent for as long as you want, but we’re not leaving this room until you tell me.”
She leaned back against the couch and shut her eyes.
Fair enough... I tapped my phone and prepared to order dinner, but she turned to face me.
“My ex-husband proposed to me at Heinz Field,” she said. “He knew one of the physical trainers that worked for the football team and he let us in after hours. I thought we were going there to take a private tour, but he walked me out to the fifty yard line and proposed to me...It was so romantic. He even managed to get the scoreboard to read ‘Will you marry me?’ in bright yellow lights. I just knew that he was the one after that...until fourteen years later when I found out that he and my best friend had been having an affair and she was pregnant by him...Everything that I thought was beautiful about my life in Pittsburgh became ugly after that.”
I suddenly felt guilty for suggesting that restaurant, for thinking it would stir up good memories and conversation.
“I don’t think about it as much as I used to, but there are still little reminders here or there and I just...”
“You just what?” I pulled her closer.
“I still can’t believe it on some days...My best friend and my husband? The two people I trusted the most?” She sighed. “She and I used to take a road trip to New York every year to celebrate her birthday. We always did the same thing: Times Square, a Broadway play, and a night on the town...”
“The last time we went there together, she was three months pregnant and I was buying her all these cute little baby clothes because I was so happy for her...I can’t help but think how sick of a person she really was—to celebrate her birthday with me, knowing that my husband’s child was growing inside of her...How f**king disgusting is that?”
She leaned against me. “When I asked my husband why he did it—why he would even think to cheat on me with my best friend, he said there’d always been something between the two of them. He said he’d had feelings for her since the first day they met, but he thought being with me was the safe and secure choice...Then, one night while they were drinking—at my house ironically, one thing led to another and...And after years of suppressing their feelings, they just couldn’t deny it anymore...Isn’t that the stupidest shit you’ve ever heard?”
I didn’t say anything. I just gently rubbed her back.
“They had another little girl last year...They’ve traveled all around the world together and done all the things I thought he and I would be doing together at this point...He even took her to the Panama Canal, where we were supposed to go...He said he would take me sailing there for our fifteenth anniversary, but we never made it because...because...” She stopped and shook her head.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you, Claire...”
I expected her to say more, to cry even, but she simply buried her head in my chest and drifted into a deep sleep.
I felt Claire nuzzling my chest and set my phone down.
“What time is it?” she murmured.
“Nine fifteen. Are you hungry? Would you like to get something to eat?”
“No. I’m okay.” She moved out of my lap. “You can take me home now.”
I don’t think so...
“What do you normally do when you’re upset? What makes you feel better?”
“Home Depot...Or more recently, sex with you.”
I laughed. “The home improvement store? Why?”
“I can’t explain it. One step inside that store and I just...All my problems go away for a while. I get lost in the paint swatches, the tiles, the bathroom fixtures, and—everything.”
“Would you like to go there now?”
“It closed at nine o’ clock...” She frowned.
“That’s not what I asked you.”
“Yes...If it were possible, right now would be a perfect time to go.”