Again, she hesitates to answer, so I add, “It’s okay, Ava. The man is very persuasive.”
“I was going to stay mad at him, but then he told me about how Theo slept with his girlfriend right after they broke up. He was heartbroken because he still loved Maia. He made me see why he was so insistent about keeping you a secret.”
I toss the dress on the bed and head for the bathroom to freshen up my makeup. “No worries. As I said, Marius is very persuasive.”
“That really happened, though. Eleanor told me she heard the two of them in the game room the day Marius found out what Theo did, and she told me Marius sounded devastated.”
Normally, I’d ask Ava how hearing something like that about Theo makes her feel, but I can hear in her voice how sad she sounds simply telling me about it. She always did have a huge blind spot when it came to that particular King brother.
“Okay. I’m not angry you’re being nice to the man I love, Ava. He’s not a bad man. He just made some mistakes. In fact, I’m happy you’re back to being one of his biggest fans. I don’t know what I’d do if my best friend hated my husband.”
“Oh, good! So you’ll be leaving soon to come up here? I want to make sure the food we’re making will be nice and hot.”
I check the time on my phone. 6:22. I’m going to have to leave in the next few minutes if I want to reach the King estate on time.
“Let me go so I’ll be there by just after seven, assuming I don’t hit traffic. I’m sorry I might be late. Work was a bear, and it took forever to get back home. I swear everyone and their brother was in the city today.”
“It’s okay. Just get here as soon as you can. I’ll keep everything waiting for you. See you soon, Eden!”
The call ends, so I set my phone on the vanity and get busy redoing my makeup. When I finish, I tip my head down and then stand up to give my hair some body. Just about ready for whatever awaits me tonight, I smile at myself in the mirror.
“Ready to forgive that husband of yours?” I ask my reflection, but I’ve known the answer for days.
Of course, I am.
After getting my dress and my favorite necklace on, I look in the mirror one last time and grab my purse before walking downstairs. As much as I love this penthouse apartment, I wish we lived closer to Ava and Matthias. Maybe I’ll mention that to Marius after the party tonight.
Just as I reach the kitchen, the doorman calls from the main floor. I answer it, even though I really don’t have time to spare right now.
“Mrs. King, a woman named Samantha is down here. She said you’d know her. She’d like to come up and see you.”
He drops his voice to barely a whisper and continues. “She seems upset. I think she may have been crying. May I send her up?”
For a few seconds, I silently debate whether or not I should make time for Sam. I’m in a hurry, but she was sweet and I’d hate to abandon her if something happened. I haven’t had a chance to mention the whole situation to Marius yet, so I should talk to her.
I’m sure Ava and everyone else will be fine with me being a few minutes late.
“Sure, Ernest. Send her up. Thank you.”
“My pleasure, ma’am.”
I don’t have to wait long before the elevator doors open and Sam steps out. I can immediately see her eyes are red rimmed like she’s been crying for a while. I don’t know how I might be able to help, but the least I can do is listen if she wants to talk.
Sam hurries over to me, sniffling. “Thank you for letting me come up.” When she notices I’m dressed and ready to leave, she adds, “I’m interrupting. I’ll leave. I shouldn’t have come here. You’re a busy woman. I’m sorry for bothering you.”
She turns to walk back toward the elevator before I can say a word, so I reach out and grab her hand to stop her. “No, it’s fine. My friends know I’ll be a little late. I can talk for a few minutes. What’s wrong?”
Without turning around, she says in the saddest voice I’ve ever heard, “I texted Marius about if I have a job or not, and he never got back to me. I think he’s ghosting me, and I don’t know why.”
The poor thing. That husband of mine can be such a piece of work. What is he doing that he’s too busy to answer a text from this girl?
“Oh, honey, I’m sure he’s just being his absentminded self again. He gets like that sometimes. You know how he is.”
Every word of that is a lie. Marius King never forgets anything. It’s actually one of his most impressive personality traits. He’s attentive to details occasionally to a fault, almost as if he’s single-minded. If he’s not answering her texts, she’s right. He’s avoiding her.
Sam turns around and sniffles again, wiping her tears away. “Do you really think so? He’s never been like this. Every other time I’ve texted him about a shoot or anything else, he’s always answered within a few minutes. I was sure he was ghosting me.”
I slip my arm around her shoulders and gently guide her into the kitchen. “Men do silly things. You just have to roll with the punches. At least that’s how I handle things like this. I didn’t get a chance to speak to Marius yet, but when I do, I know you’ll hear from him and things will be back to normal. I’m sure of it.”