“Just tell me how we can work around this impasse.”
“We can’t.” Her stark reply took her by surprise, but once she had said it, she realized it was true. She couldn’t continue to see him like this. She felt a sense of relief that she had finally faced the decision. “Michael, I’m really sorry. It’s difficult for me right now. It isn’t easy to get away. Maybe we shouldn’t plan on getting together anymore.”
“That is unacceptable, Winter.”
“Michael, we’ve been seeing each other nearly every day. I can’t do it anymore.” She paced the carpet, tightening her fingers on the sides of the cell. “I don’t see why this is such a problem. Just…let it go.”
“It’s a problem because I want to see you!”
“Michael, you told me in the beginning, when we started this thing, that you’d only want to see me once or twice a week!” she said, her voice rising. “It’s a lot more than that now!”
There was another silence, one fraught with tension. She knew he was still on the line, but she couldn’t hear anything.
“You’re right. I did say that. But things changed.”
“Well, I’d like to change it back,” she snapped. “I want to go back to our original agreement or call it off completely.”
Her fingers were so tight on the phone that they began to cramp while she waited for him to say something. His reply was slow in coming. When he spoke, she could hear the reluctance, underlaid by annoyance, in his voice. “All right. You win. We’ll revert back to our original agreement. I’m not happy about it.”
Cathy was staggered. She didn’t know what to say. He thought that she had laid down an ultimatum, when all she had been thinking about was severing their affair. She closed her eyes as relief washed through her again but for quite another reason. “I’ll miss you, Michael,” she said quietly.
“I’m counting on it.” There was no mistaking the suppressed anger in his tone. “Look, I’ll call you later in the week.”
“Okay.” Cathy shut the cell and returned Winter’s phone to her purse. She stood still, purse still in her hands, while she frowned over her thoughts. Nothing had actually been resolved. Michael had conceded, very reluctantly, to honor the terms of their original agreement, but that probably wouldn’t last. Michael was highly sexual. She couldn’t believe that he would be satisfied with going back to the way things had been before. For that matter, she didn’t know whether she could. She had gotten used to frequent and very-good sex.
Cathy sighed because she could foresee more confrontations, more frustration. It might be better if she called him right back and told him that she had reconsidered and just wanted to end it after all. That would be cleaner and probably easier in the long term. She would not compromise her time with Chloe.
The reasons to keep the affair going, dependable transportation and getting the bills paid, still existed. If worse came to worst, and she and Michael split up, the Lexus would have to go back. That would hit her first and the hardest. Cathy worried at her lower lip with her teeth. Maybe she could save back some of Winter’s money for two or three months. Then she wouldn’t be caught at a complete stand. She would start asking around now if someone knew of a decent used car. As for the bills, well, those would be with her for a very, very long time, late fees and all.
Chapter Eighteen
The following week, Winter was able to meet Michael for an early dinner at a casual family-style restaurant, and she had dressed accordingly. Michael’s appreciative glance slid over her soft clinging sea-blue sweater and her skinny black jeans. “You look nice.” His palm settled warmly in the small of her back as they made their way to a table.