Page 72 of Forbidden Fruit
"Let them. I'm tired of hiding, Becca. I'm not ashamed of us."
"I'm not either, but?—"
"But nothing. Unless you're not ready?"
Another pause, shorter this time. "No, I'm ready. Where should we go?"
"Le Bernardin. Eight o'clock. I'll have flowers sent to the penthouse."
Her laugh warms me from the inside out. "You don't need to send flowers every time we go out, Clive."
"I like sending you flowers." I don't say I enjoy making up for all the times Jack didn't. He forgot all the birthdays and anniversaries, and he dismissed the promotions.
"I should go. I have that Hudson wedding consultation in an hour."
"Go dazzle them with your brilliance. I'll see you tonight."
After we hang up, I call my assistant to make the reservation. Within minutes, my calendar updates with the dinner plans, and I know she's already arranging for the car service and notifying the restaurant of my wine preferences.
I spend the morning in meetings, fielding questions about Jack's abrupt departure with practiced vagueness. "Personal reasons" and "mutual decision" become my mantras. By lunch, the office gossip has moved on to speculation about the Westbridge acquisition.
At three, I get a call from Kay. I consider ignoring it but finally answer on the fourth ring.
"You threatened my son." Her voice is ice-cold, and the Bronx accent she usually hides slips through in her anger.
"I gave him choices," I say smoothly. "After certain financial irregularities came to light."
"Bullshit," Kay hisses. "You're punishing him because of Becca."
I lean back in my chair, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I'm holding Jack accountable for stealing from my company. The fact that he also treated Becca terribly is just an unfortunate character flaw in a long list of them."
"He said you're threatening to press charges. Over what? A few accounting errors?"
I almost laugh. "Half a million dollars isn't an accounting error, Kay. It's theft."
"He would never?—"
"He did. I have proof. If you'd like to see it, I'm happy to have my lawyers show you the documentation."
The line goes quiet for a moment. Despite everything, I feel a twinge of sympathy. No matter how manipulative Kay can be, she loves her son. It's her only redeeming quality.
"What do you want?" she asks, her voice smaller.
"I want Jack to leave Becca alone. Permanently. No drunk calls, no showing up at her office, no manipulating mutual friends to get to her."
"And if he does that, you'll drop everything?"
"If he stays away from Becca and returns the money, yes."
Kay sighs, the sound weary and defeated. "You're really in love with her, aren't you?"
The question catches me off guard. Kay and I rarely discussed emotions during our marriage. It was all status and appearances, never feelings.
"Yes," I say simply. "I am."
"She's half your age, Clive."
"Eighteen years isn't half, and I'm well aware of our age difference." I stand, moving to the window. "Is that all, Kay?"