“HOW’S IT going with the project?” Pax asks me a few days later.
I pick at my sushi. “It’s getting there.”
“I heard you got a basketball player to host a signing at Mr. Kimoko’s location. He was pleased about that. I think. The man doesn’t smile, so it’s hard to tell…”
“That’s great,” I say absently.
Pax knocks her fist on the table to get my attention. “Hey, is something going on?”
I glance up. Meet her concerned brown eyes. Shake my head. “No.”
“You just seem…” She lifts a hand. Manicured fingers grapple at the air as she searches for the right term. “Troubled. Aren’t you happy you’re doing so well?”
“I wish I could take all the credit, but I’m not doing much. Jerrison is the one who’s been working hard on this project. He got the celebrities lined up for me.”
“Well, he’s doing a great job.” Pax grins and tosses her curly hair over her shoulder. “Our stocks are higher than they’ve ever been.”
“He’s been a great help professionally.” “Why do I sense there’s a ‘but’ coming?”
I suck in a deep breath. Late afternoon sunshine bounces on the deck. Vines sprawl across the wooden fence. Flowers bloom between the slats, peppering the green with vibrant color.
“Doc told me to treat Jerrison like a stranger and I’m trying to do that. I really am, but he’s making it so hard.”
“Why?” She tilts her head.
I think through the past three days. Jerrison amped up his flirting. Big time. He loses no opportunity to tell me how beautiful I am and how much he can’t wait to see me again.
His wooing skills have stepped up too. Every morning, I’m met with a bouquet of flowers, a box of my favorite chocolates, or a platter of breakfast. Just yesterday, he stunned me with brand-new boxing gloves.
But the flattery and the gifts didn’t move me. I was largely unimpressed. Until I caught him sleeping in his office. My proposals were scattered around him. He was clutching one of my reports in his hands.
His assistant told me he’s been going door-to-door, advocating on my behalf and selling the project like his life depends on it.
That’s an effort I’ve never seen from my husband before. Doc was right. Even though Jerrison hasn’t been this attentive in years, I recognized it when I saw it.
He’s losing sleep for me and begging other agencies on my behalf.
More than chocolate or flowers, he’s giving me blood, sweat and tears.
I can’t resist that. There’s something about a man fighting for a woman that makes me want to lose my clothes and find out how much of him I can inhale.
“Oh, I know that look.” Pax’s eyes hold a wicked glint and it has nothing to do with the sunshine. “You have a crush.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not seeing anyone.”
“I didn’t mean on someone else.” She pulls out her purse and sets money on the table. “I’m talking about your husband.”
Pushing her money away, I grab my credit card. “Keep talking nonsense and I’ll change my mind about picking up this tab.”
“Admit it.” Pax laughs. “You like him.”
“I married him.” The chair legs scrape against the deck when I stand. My cheeks are getting hot and there’s a strange, bubbly sensation in the pit of my stomach.
“So? Do you know how many women don’t even like their husbands anymore? It’s okay to admit that you’re having butterflies.”
“I am not,” I insist. “Jerrison still hasn’t admitted to his extra-marital relationships. He hasn’t apologized for them. He hasn’t proven that it’s over.” I drag all the anger that I can. Suck it out of my bones and hold them up to present them to Pax. See? I’m not falling for him that easily. I’m still
the leader. I’m still in control. “He could be chasing me around in the morning and falling into that woman’s arms at night.”
Pax’s carefree expression shifts to a thoughtful one. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking about that.”
“I know it’s because you mean well and you want us to get back together.”
“That’s not true.” Pax rubs my back. “I want you to be happy, Harriet. And I thought… well, I thought that meant you and your husband falling in love again.”
Pax’s words cling to me when I head to work. While I take inventory at the bakery. While I drive back to my apartment. They reveal the cloak of fear that I hadn’t realized I’d been carrying around with me.
Jerrison is doing all the right things, but it’s so… sudden. Too sudden to be believable.
Just a few days ago, his mistress was visiting him at the office. He hasn’t apologized for it. Hasn’t even explained it. Though it burns me to pretend I’ve forgotten about it, I’ve played clueless.
Doc stressed that I should be quietly observing Jerrison, not screaming and making demands. The actions he takes when I’ve thrown a tantrum don’t count anyway. Watch his efforts, Harriet. That will tell you where his interest lies.
I’ve been waiting for Jerrison to bring it up first, but he hasn’t. Not once. Even if he’s helping me out in the business, how can I trust him with my heart?
I don’t want to go back to the Harriet who accepted her husband’s disrespect and opened her mouth for more. I look back on all I put up with and it angers me.
I could have demanded better. Could have demanded we go back to dating had I known that path was available.
But I didn’t have the courage to move on it even after Doc showed me the way. Instead, I let my husband walk all over me until I cracked.
My thoughts rush while I open my apartment door. The moment I walk in, a weird smell assaults me. Concerned, I flip on the light and gasp in horror. My living room is flooding like a hurricane zone.
There’s water creeping over the rug. It’s gotten into the documents I worked on last night. Pages crinkle and dissolve in the crawling waves. I rush to pick them up, flicking them back and forth.
What happened in here? Shucking my shoes, I wade into the kitchen and glare at the cabinet door that’s completely soaked through.
The leak is coming from there.
My first call is to the building manager. Turns out, he’s not even in the country right now. I’m on my own.
After changing into comfortable clothes, I work on drying my floors. Later, I’ll look up a couple videos and figure out how to turn off the water source.
In the middle of mopping, my phone rings. It’s Jerrison.
I debate ignoring it, but I’m eager for a break. Plopping into a chair, I answer sharply. “What?”
“Hey.” He pauses. “Are you okay? You sound… out of breath.”
I’m still annoyed about my building manager, so I jump on the chance to vent. “I have to mop my floors because a pipe is leaking in my house.”
“Do you need some help?” “Mopping?”
“Fixing your pipe.” His voice crackles with amusement. “But I can help you mop too.”
“I…” A sudden bout of shyness falls over me. “I’m sure you’re busy.” “Nothing on my schedule is more important than you, Harriet,” he says
softly.
My heart flutters so hard I’m amazed it stays in my chest. “Can you fix a pipe?” I ask. Jerrison has never been the type to tinker with broken things. “Maybe you can just recommend a professional.”
“I’ll send a professional over tomorrow, but for now, I’ll see what I can do.”
The butterflies in my stomach scare me. “I can handle this myself.” “Not a chance.” He sounds firm. “Even if it takes forever, I’ll make sure
I fix what’s broken. I promise.”
My breath stalls. Is he… talking about the pipe or about us?