Page 106 of The Summer that Changed Everything
With a sniff, she finally climbed out of bed, went to washher face and pulled on a simple white jersey pool dress before joining him in the kitchen.
“I’m sorry,” he said when he saw her.
She offered him a sad smile. “I know that, too.”
“I wish I could stay—to be with you but also to continue helping with your father’s case. I’ve actually started to believe he’s innocent, Lucy. I can’t explain his DNA under Tony Matteo’s fingernails, but except for that, everything seems to point somewhere else when you really look at it.”
“Thank you for keeping an open mind about that. I wish you could stay, too, for that reason... and many others.”
He walked over, pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on her head, and they remained in that embrace, taking solace in it, for several minutes.
“Do you think Houston called Christina? Had her... had her reach out to you to put some pressure on you to return?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“I hate that your family’s getting in the way again,” she admitted when he let her go. “But I know this isn’t about them.”
“I hate it, too. But you’re right. Thisisn’tabout them. Whether Houston encouraged Christina to try to drag me back or not, she claims she’s developed preeclampsia. I guess that’s pretty dangerous for the baby, and I can’t make her go through it alone, not if I plan to try to make our marriage work in the end.”
At least she knew why he was leaving. Preeclampsia. She didn’t know what it was, but it sounded bad. “I hope everything’s okay.”
He shot her a sad look before going to put the pans in the sink.
She slid onto the stool where he’d put a plate of bacon, eggs and hash browns. “You’ve created quite a feast.”
“I’ve been up for hours.”
She’d been sleeping so soundly she hadn’t realized that. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Because I like watching you sleep.”
She didn’t want this to be any harder on him than it had to be. “It’ll be okay,” she said. “I’llbe okay.”
“I’m afraid to leave you.” He gestured around them. “We still don’t know who broke in here.”
“And we probably won’t, not unless we can get a hit on the DNA. Everything hinges on that—even Aurora’s murder, because if my father didn’t kill the Matteos, chances are pretty good he didn’t kill her, either.”
“We know he didn’t kill Aurora. Darren saw him clear across town when she was being murdered.”
She took her first bite. The food was probably good, but she couldn’t really taste it, so she just stirred it around her plate.
“I wish I could say I’ll stay in touch,” he said. “But my marriage will never work if I don’t let go.”
“I understand.”
“I’ll continue to pay Friedman for as long as you need him, though. He can let me know when he’s done all he can.”
She put down her fork and picked up her coffee mug. “Okay.”
While she sat at the table, pretending to eat, he went into the bedroom and packed. He came out a few minutes later, dragging his suitcase. “I figure it’ll be harder if we draw this out, so I’m just going to go.”
She nodded. “I—” She cleared her throat. “I wish you every happiness. Sincerely.”
Dropping his head, he stood silent for several seconds as he stared at his feet. Then he muttered something like “son of a bitch” and walked out.
Lucy sat like a statue, listening as he started the Land Rover and backed out of the drive. His engine dimmed as he drove away. Then silence fell and stretched for... she didn’t know how long.
Eventually, she got up, leaving her food where it was, and crawled back into bed.
