Page 32 of The Guest Cottage
And then he had his best friend . . . who’d made the ultimate sacrifice. Cort lived with that guilt every single day. It was his burden, though, not hers, and he wanted to keep her talking about herself.
Getting to know Marlow better, seeing what made her tick, enthralled him. “Seems to me that marriage should be give and take, and both people might have to change now and then to make it work.”
“That’s what I thought, too. Only I didn’t change in good ways. That’s why, after everything that’s happened, I’m most disappointed in myself.”
Marlow set a high bar. From what he’d seen so far, she excelled at everything.
Except a happy marriage.
For her, that’d be a tough loss. “He sounds infantile and obnoxious, and you sound rightfully reactive, but none of that was humiliating.”
“Yes, well, the worst part was the night I tried to seduce my own husband. What a fool I was.”
Cort tensed. He hadn’t known Marlow that long, and yet it bothered him to know she’d put herself out there for a jerk who didn’t deserve it. She deserved someone who would see her for the bright light she was.
“I changed my hair,” she explained, “but it was a style I liked.”
“The way it is now?”
“Pretty much, minus the bedhead tangles.”
“I like the look.” He liked everything about her. “Go on.”
For only a moment, she appeared sidetracked by his compliment. He saw the moment she decided to let it go, choosing to finish her explanation instead. “I chose a sexy dress and heels—which I didn’t like, because it felt like I was trying too hard, which, clearly, I was. I waited at home for him, with a romantic night all planned.”
Picturing that, Cort almost felt sorry for the man who’d thrown it all away. “Didn’t go well?”
Her laugh held no humor. “What an understatement. He was four hours late. I tried calling him a few times, but the calls went directly to voice mail. When he finally got home, I was in the kitchen drinking a little too much wine. He assumed I’d be in bed and was surprised to see me, but mostly he was confrontational because he knew he was busted.”
His chest tightened at the wounded look on her face. His muscles tightened, too. Resisting her was getting harder by the minute. Holding her seemed as important as his next breath.
Marlow looked away from him. “He laughed at me, at my hair and my dress, asking if I was making some feeble attempt to keep him.” As she spoke, her voice got quieter until she nearly whispered. “He told me not to bother, that he’d already had better and wasn’t looking for round two, at least not right then.”
Fury gripped Cort. “What an asshole.”
She shifted her gaze to his. “He told me I could try again the next day, that he might be willing by then. Instead, I went into the bedroom and packed. He heckled me the whole time, saying a lot of vicious things. I could tell he wanted a fight, or at least a strong reaction.” Again, her chin lifted. “I didn’t let him see me cry.”
“Good for you,” he replied with feeling.
“First thing the next morning, I filed for divorce. He didn’t expect that, and he tried an immediate turnaround, saying he’d been drunk, that I’d surprised him. None of that mattered to me. It was over, and I knew it. Every day since then, right up until he crashed his car and died, it was a battle.”
Which had only obligated her further, Cort knew. “Stupid men say and do stupid things.” And sometimes those stupid men needed their asses kicked. “I hope you didn’t put any stock in his insults.”
“Maybe a little.”
He sat forward. “Your hair is incredible.”
“It’s plain old brown.”
“Not even close. It reminds me of a fawn. Golden brown and soft, with subtle reddish highlights.” Color tinged her cheeks, but she said nothing. “Gorgeous eyes, too.”
“I’m tempted to say they’re also plain brown.”
“And I’m tempted to convince you otherwise.” So damn tempted. “If you stay in Bramble, I probably will.”
Her lips twitched. “You probably will convince me?”
“Or at least try. And since you were concerned that I’d misinterpret your comment, let me be clear that you can interpret what I’m saying any way you want. Odds are, you’ll be right.” With that laid out there, he waited to see what she’d say or do.
