Epilogue 02 #3
I agreed. I was exhausted. I let him take over and he’s taken care of everything ever since.
I know he told Cecily eventually. My daughter… I don’t think she’ll ever see me as her mother again. But over time, we’ve had a few tentative meetings.
I attended their wedding, but I didn’t sit in the front row and I didn’t stay for the reception.
I didn’t feel like I deserved to. I met the twins when they were just a few months old, and since then, I’ve received holiday cards with pictures of their little family.
We talk on the phone occasionally, on specific dates.
And honestly, that’s already more than I deserve. I failed my daughter in more ways than I can count.
I stand, smoothing down my skirt. “Well, I’ve stayed long enough,” I say, looking at Philip. “I have somewhere to be.”
As expected, he starts making a series of garbled sounds.
“What is it, darling?” I ask, dragging out the word. “Do you want me to stay a little longer? Keep you company?”
I tilt my head. “I’m sorry, I can’t. I need to make the most of your retirement money—and all those investments you made—while I still can. You know what they say… bad weeds never die. I might just go before you do.”
I squeeze his shoulders. “Try not to choke on your soup later, alright?”
I walk out of the room, his weak whimpers trailing behind me, and ask the nurse to check on him in case he needs anything.
When I step outside, I take in the Victorian house Alex bought, the one I moved into after leaving my sister’s place. It’s enormous, and fully adapted for Philip’s needs.
I walk down the front steps and get into my sister’s car. She barely gives me time to buckle my seatbelt before shifting into drive.
“Ready to win some money and maybe meet yourself a handsome man today?”
I laugh, like I always do. “We both know you ladies are going to lose to me. And you can keep the handsome man, as always.”
“One of these days, I’ll change your mind.”
I shake my head. If there’s one thing I’m happy to keep my distance from, it’s men. Philip alone was more than enough for a lifetime.
But Emma never gets tired of teasing me. Ever since her husband passed, she’s been living life to the fullest, always saying Greg wouldn’t want her to stop.
As for me, I’m not putting my life on hold. I just finally realized I can be perfectly happy on my own.
As soon as we arrive at Regina’s estate—the millionaire widow hosting today’s game—Emma makes a beeline for the bar. I head straight for the card room to pick the table where I’ll be sitting today.
The Modern American Canasta games happen once a week, almost always at Regina’s house, though sometimes at a hotel. I’ve learned I’m actually very good at the game, and I usually walk away with a decent amount of money.
“I hear you’re the one who cleans everyone out by the end of the night,” a deep voice says behind me.
I turn to find a man who looks to be in his late fifties. He’s tall, with light brown skin, dressed in a tailored navy suit, his sharp hazel eyes watching me with a trace of amusement.
I raise an eyebrow. “And who told you that?” I ask.
That makes him laugh. He tilts his head toward the bar, where my sister is standing, watching us with a smile as she lifts a glass of what I’m fairly sure is orange juice with a generous pour of vodka.
I shake my head. “Whatever she told you was probably an exaggeration.”
“So you’re not that good at the game?”
“No,” I say, then add, “I’m the best one here.”
He laughs, and something about it sends a faint prickle across my skin.
“Luke Thompson,” he says, extending his hand.
“Ellen,” I reply simply, placing my hand in his. He gives it a gentle squeeze, his thumb brushing lightly over the back of my hand before he lets go.
He keeps his eyes on me, and I look away, continuing my slow walk through the room.
When I notice he’s following me, I say, “You do know Regina keeps these games women-only, right?”
I hear him chuckle. “Yes, I’m aware. I’m one of her lawyers. I was on my way out when you and your sister arrived, and I figured I should come say hello. Regina said I could stay and watch you ladies play, if I wanted to. See if you’re as good as they say.”
I straighten my posture.
“You’re wasting your time,” I say, meeting his gaze.
His eyes drop to my hands wrapped around my purse. I know exactly what he’s looking for, and I also know he won’t find it. I stopped wearing my engagement ring and wedding band a year after we moved to Houston.
Without another word, I choose a table and take a seat, motioning for Emma and waiting for her to join me.
“How about this,” Luke says, pulling out a chair on the other side of the table. “I’ll stay at the bar and watch you play. If you win, I’ll take you out to dinner at your favorite restaurant in town.”
I narrow my eyes. “You’ve already been told I always win. So where’s the bet in that? And I’m perfectly capable of going to a restaurant on my own.”
“Of course you are. But I make excellent company. You’ll agree with me after I take you out to dinner.”
Before I can respond, he stands and heads back to the bar.
It isn’t long before the game starts, and I quickly lose myself in the laughter and the hands we play. But that lingering sense of being watched never quite goes away.
When I glance up, Luke is still there, watching me intently. I drop my gaze back to the game in front of me.
He’d better get comfortable waiting, I think to myself, just as I win another round.