Marissa checks her watch at a little after 3:30 P.M. Matthew would have picked up Bennett by now, and they’re probably on their way to whatever it is they decided to do. Maybe they’ll get ice cream or go to the zoo again.
Even though Marissa came in late, she’s tempted to leave early. She can order something yummy from DoorDash for dinner and set out Monopoly or Scattergories, so everything is waiting for her two guys when they walk through the door. It would mean giving Polly free rein of Coco, but by now Polly has surely seen every square inch of the shop.
Still, Marissa plans to take the store’s laptop with her. She finishes tracking down a special order and checking out a new handbag company based out of Austin, then begins packing up just as her cell phone rings. She expects it to be Avery, since they’ve been playing phone tag today, but Matthew’s photo flashes on the screen.
“Hey, babe,” he says when she answers. Marissa can tell she’s on speakerphone; she hears Bennett giggling in the background. “We’ve got a little surprise for you.”
“Oh, really?” Marissa’s voice sounds tight and strained, so she makes an effort to lighten it. “What are you two cooking up?”
“You’re going to the spa!” Bennett shouts.
“The spa?” Marissa echoes.
“We booked you a massage at the Red Door,” Matthew confirms. “Can you get there in thirty minutes?”
Marissa can’t disappoint them, not when they’re so clearly excited. “Oh my gosh, that sounds amazing!”
“Dad just bought me that Blaster Faster rocket. The one that goes up seventy-five feet!” Bennett’s voice is pure joy. “We’re going to Candy Cane City to launch it.”
“Take a video?” Marissa asks. “I’d love to see.”
“Yep. And let’s just order in dinner when you come home,” Matthew tells her. “Make it a lazy night.”
“Love you both!” Marissa cries, but she can’t tell if they hear her before Matthew disconnects the call.
Marissa tucks her cell phone into her bag and reaches for her light spring coat. She knows it’s ridiculous to complain about getting a massage, but she feels a deep tug toward her family right now. She only wants to be with Matthew and Bennett; it’s a longing that is imbued with urgency.
So much has happened lately. It’s natural that she is nervous and jittery, she tells herself.
But it’s more than that.
She’s scared.
Marissa closes her eyes and conjures an image of Bennett’s smiling face: his wide blue eyes, the freckles that dance across his nose, his gap-toothed smile. Her son isn’t in danger; he’s going to a public park on a sunny afternoon, where there will doubtless be other kids and parents and nannies.
Besides, Matthew would never let anything happen to Bennett, Marissa tells herself. With that thought, she finally exhales.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
AVERY
BY THE TIME THE SUN begins to set, I still haven’t reached Marissa. She didn’t show up at Coco this morning—I didn’t even get a glimpse of Ray—which made going there a complete waste of time.
“Yeah, she texted me to say she was coming in late. You should have told me you were planning to come by, I could have saved you the trip,” Polly had said with a bit of an edge, as if she was happy I’d been inconvenienced.
When Marissa did call me back, I had my hands full, literally, consoling Romeo while the vet administered his shot, and I couldn’t pick up, so she left a message simply saying she was sorry we’d missed each other. But she didn’t provide the name I’d requested.
Then I received an urgent text from a client who’d had an altercation with his new boss, and I spent the next hour talking him down. When I finally got the chance to phone Marissa back, her voice mail came on, and a moment later she texted, With a customer. Sorry!
I can understand why Marissa would rather not text or email the name of the guy to me—a paper trail could come back to haunt her if Matthew has access to her accounts—but there’s no reason why she couldn’t have left the information on my voice mail, as I specifically instructed.
But she hasn’t.
Now it’s early evening, and I’ve got a few minutes before my last appointment of the day: a new client who told me she is grappling with an enormous betrayal, which is likely another case of infidelity.
I reach for my phone again. My call goes straight to voice mail, as if Marissa has turned off her cell.
It feels a little too convenient that her mysterious lover has been out of town all week, and suddenly Marissa seems to be avoiding me.