“Oh?”
“He finds people what they want and delivers it to them.”
“He’s very good at his job,” I said.
“He is. I emailed him this week, told him what I wanted, and within six hours I had this place reserved for us for the entire weekend.”
“He’s a magician,” I said. “Did he procure my gift as well?”
“Heavens no.” He laughed. “I’ll have you know I selected that myself. Stayed up all night to annoy a shop girl at a little boutique I know in Paris.”
“Annoyed her?” I asked, scrunching my nose.
“Yes.” He smiled sheepishly. “I persuaded her to take me on a video shopping spree around the store. She obliged, albeit begrudgingly.” He reached for the bottle of wine and refilled each of our glasses. “She cheered up when she saw what her commission would be, and was almost pleasant by the time I asked her to expedite the package across the pond.”
“I’m so glad.” I laughed, lifting my glass to take a sip.
“Let’s have a toast,” he said, raising his own glass. “To ill-tempered shop girls, express delivery…”
“Rainariums,” I said, “and sauced duck…”
“To the impressive early acquirement of your business degree,” he said.
“Thank you.” I nodded, smiling.
“And to the freedom,” he said, his eyes darkening in the candlelight. “At long last, to be together. And to spend our time as we wish.”
“Yes,” I said, my heart fluttering at his words.
“Jane, I want you to know, you are…you are so very dear to me.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Likewise.”
“And I…I respect you…”
“Okay,” I said, confused. While I was glad to have his respect, this wasn’t exactly the kind of conversation someone had pre-sexy times.
“Before we go any further, tonight, I just think that I should—”
Music cut him off—an urgent refrain of violins that I recognized at once as the theme song for the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz film.
“Speak of the devil,” he said grimly, pulling his phone from his pocket. He silenced it, and set it face down on the table. “Before we go any further, I must burden you with some truth. My hope is that it won’t change anything between us. It certainly doesn’t for me. But I realized today that I don’t get to make that decision for you.”
“Okay, you’re starting to make me nervous now,” I said.
“No, I’m sorry, it’s just—” his phone buzzed and skittered across the table. He caught it just as it fell over the edge. He glanced at the screen, then looked up at me.
“Take it,” I said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He nodded and rose from the table, then exited the French doors into the vast empty dining room beyond. I sipped my wine and watched the rain as it streamed over the windows, a steady rhythm that was both soothing and sad. I stole a glance through the doors and saw him pacing, his shoulders tight, one hand agitating his curls as he spoke. Whoever was on the other end of that phone was definitely not very dear to him.
I stood and began clearing the table, moving our plates to the sideboard, leaving only the candles and our wine glasses. I tend to clean when I’m bugged. Straightening my environment gives me some small measure of control over it. I was bugged right now, and I had a pretty good guess as to why. The only thing I wasn’t certain of, was how bad it was going to be.
The door opened and Thomas walked back in.
“I’ve turned it off completely,” he said. “We won’t be interrupted again.”
“Good. Sit.”
He walked to the table and sat down, and I did the same, reaching across for his hands, lacing my fingers with his.
“I should have told you,” he said, staring at our hands.
“That you’re married?” I said. “Yes, you should have.”
“I’m so sorry.” He stole a glance at me.
“I forgive you,” I said. “Because I assume you’re also about to tell me that you’re getting divorced.”
“We’ve been getting divorced,” he said, nodding. “For close to four years now.”
“My God. Why that long?”
He sighed heavily, pulled his hands from mine and took a deep draught of his wine.
“A number of reasons,” he said as he set his glass down. “The largest being money. My family has a lot of it, and she wants it.”
“Gross,” I said. “Greedy people suck.”
“They do indeed.” He laughed. “I really am sorry, Jane,” he said, placing his hands over mine again. “You deserved to know. My only defense is that I haven’t thought of myself as married for years. I didn’t intend to deceive you.”
“Well…” I sighed dramatically, withdrawing, then sitting back in my chair. “I am pissed.”
“Alright.” He nodded solemnly.
“That woman has seriously damaged the buzz we had going just before she called.” I winked at him.