find what she was looking for. She went back almost two years to what looked like the beginnings of their flirtation. Her stomach was sour and there was a bitter taste in her mouth as she read random sentences from those early interactions.
She supposed there were business reasons to text someone’s personal phone, but those seemed rare. You texted with a business colleague if you wanted to become her friend, or her lover.
It looked like things stayed at the flirtation stage for a long time, probably six months. But it was clear they had slept together a year and a half ago. A year and a half ago. Right when she’d moved to Dallas. Marina started having an affair…a real affair…not just sex…just after they’d agreed on their rules.
Her heart pounded and she wondered if she might actually pass out. Colors swirled behind her tightly closed eyes, and she bent over putting her head between her knees.
Getting up, she held onto the desk for a few minutes to steady herself, then went into the kitchen and opened a beer. The tiny bubbles tickled her throat, and the sensation of the ice cold liquid distracted her for a few seconds.
She chugged the entire bottle, wishing briefly that she could tolerate Scotch. Once her nerves settled down, she steeled herself to go back into the office and finish her grim task.
She saw quite a few entreaties from Angela begging Marina to be discreet. She also saw a piece of a frantic interaction where Marina was trying to convince Angela that their affair wasn’t going to harm her relationship with Regan. Marina had been the one pushing it. This was all coming from her. Lying, cheating, scum Marina.
Her brain was racing. What to do? Leave now and be gone when she got home? Or stay and talk? The mere thought of that made her stomach turn. Putting her mind on hold was what she needed. Getting into project mode, she went about finishing the routine task of transferring information from one computer to the other by rote. It took her a few hours, and she spent much of that time trying to decide what to do, even though she was desperate to stop the mental clamor. She was so confused, so buffeted by images of Marina’s lying face that she knew she needed some time before she did anything permanent. Rash decisions were never good ones, so she packed up her computer and a few days worth of clothes, then left a brief note for Marina saying she had to go home to deal with a family matter.
Once she was out of the apartment, Callie felt a little better. The air seemed cooler and fresher, and her head cleared somewhat. While she sat in her car, she used her phone to check prices and availability of flights to Phoenix. Because it was last-minute, prices were very high, but she didn’t want to drive for fifteen hours. She made a reservation and hoped she wouldn’t be at the airport all night long because of the rain and wind. Nonetheless, the airport was a better place than her home because Marina wasn’t at the airport.
Chapter Six
Callie waited until she was assured a seat on the last flight of the day to Phoenix before she made a call. She could have chosen her mom or either of her sisters, but she called Terri. They’d known each other for almost twenty years, and there was no one who understood her better, or judged her less. And from where she stood, nothing was more important.
*
At midnight, Terri was faithfully waiting at the arrivals level of the Phoenix airport. She reached across the car and flung the door open as Callie approached. As soon as Callie slid into the car, Terri said, “Do you want to talk about it now, or wait until we get home?”
“I guess now,” Callie said quietly. “There’s a lot I haven’t told you.”
“I figured as much.” Terri gave her a fond smile. “I know you like to keep problems to yourself until you figure them out.”
“I do. But I can’t figure this one out alone.”
*
Because of her frequently changing schedule, Terri had
She supposed there were business reasons to text someone’s personal phone, but those seemed rare. You texted with a business colleague if you wanted to become her friend, or her lover.
It looked like things stayed at the flirtation stage for a long time, probably six months. But it was clear they had slept together a year and a half ago. A year and a half ago. Right when she’d moved to Dallas. Marina started having an affair…a real affair…not just sex…just after they’d agreed on their rules.
Her heart pounded and she wondered if she might actually pass out. Colors swirled behind her tightly closed eyes, and she bent over putting her head between her knees.
Getting up, she held onto the desk for a few minutes to steady herself, then went into the kitchen and opened a beer. The tiny bubbles tickled her throat, and the sensation of the ice cold liquid distracted her for a few seconds.
She chugged the entire bottle, wishing briefly that she could tolerate Scotch. Once her nerves settled down, she steeled herself to go back into the office and finish her grim task.
She saw quite a few entreaties from Angela begging Marina to be discreet. She also saw a piece of a frantic interaction where Marina was trying to convince Angela that their affair wasn’t going to harm her relationship with Regan. Marina had been the one pushing it. This was all coming from her. Lying, cheating, scum Marina.
Her brain was racing. What to do? Leave now and be gone when she got home? Or stay and talk? The mere thought of that made her stomach turn. Putting her mind on hold was what she needed. Getting into project mode, she went about finishing the routine task of transferring information from one computer to the other by rote. It took her a few hours, and she spent much of that time trying to decide what to do, even though she was desperate to stop the mental clamor. She was so confused, so buffeted by images of Marina’s lying face that she knew she needed some time before she did anything permanent. Rash decisions were never good ones, so she packed up her computer and a few days worth of clothes, then left a brief note for Marina saying she had to go home to deal with a family matter.
Once she was out of the apartment, Callie felt a little better. The air seemed cooler and fresher, and her head cleared somewhat. While she sat in her car, she used her phone to check prices and availability of flights to Phoenix. Because it was last-minute, prices were very high, but she didn’t want to drive for fifteen hours. She made a reservation and hoped she wouldn’t be at the airport all night long because of the rain and wind. Nonetheless, the airport was a better place than her home because Marina wasn’t at the airport.
Chapter Six
Callie waited until she was assured a seat on the last flight of the day to Phoenix before she made a call. She could have chosen her mom or either of her sisters, but she called Terri. They’d known each other for almost twenty years, and there was no one who understood her better, or judged her less. And from where she stood, nothing was more important.
*
At midnight, Terri was faithfully waiting at the arrivals level of the Phoenix airport. She reached across the car and flung the door open as Callie approached. As soon as Callie slid into the car, Terri said, “Do you want to talk about it now, or wait until we get home?”
“I guess now,” Callie said quietly. “There’s a lot I haven’t told you.”
“I figured as much.” Terri gave her a fond smile. “I know you like to keep problems to yourself until you figure them out.”
“I do. But I can’t figure this one out alone.”
*
Because of her frequently changing schedule, Terri had
Similar Books
