Chapter 8 #2
“What kind of stuff? And what the hell’s wrong with Joe?”
“Did you say something to him?”
“I said hello. That was it. Next thing I know, I’m on my ass with a broken nose that hurts like a mother.” Under each eye was the start of what would no doubt be colorful shiners—the least of what he deserved. “What’d I ever do to him?”
Since Janey couldn’t very well answer that question, she said nothing. He didn’t seem to notice as he continued to rant.
“You didn’t tell me what ‘things’ you had to take care of that kept you from calling me back for three days.”
He sounded sulky and petulant. Did she dare remind him of the many times over their years together that she’d waited sometimes a week for a return call from him while he was doing who knows what with other women?
As she studied him, she decided it wasn’t worth the bother of the argument. What did it matter now?
“We need to talk—”
“Where’s your ring?”
Her brain froze on the image of the buxom blonde riding him hard.
“What the hell is going on here, Janey?”
“It’s over,” she said softly. Thirteen years of her life. Gone. Done. Over. And she had absolutely nothing to show for them.
“What is?”
“We are.”
“What are you—”
“I saw you.”
His eyebrows knitted with confusion, which apparently pained him. Tears flooded his eyes, but Janey wasn’t naive enough to think they were for her. Not anymore. “You saw me? Where?”
Janey felt like she was floating above herself, looking down at someone who looked like her and sounded like her but wasn’t her at all. “In bed.”
“You’re talking in riddles,” he said, exasperated. “When did you see me in bed?”
“I came to your apartment on our anniversary to surprise you, but the surprise was on me. You should really lock your doors when you’re ‘entertaining.’”
All the remaining color drained from his face when he finally got what she was telling him. “You don’t understand.”
“You’re goddamned right I don’t.” Janey gave herself credit for keeping her voice down when she really wanted to shriek and rail and punch him until he hurt as much as she did. “And guess what? I really don’t want to understand.”
“Wait. Janey, listen—”
“There’s nothing you can say and nothing you can ever do to get the image of you having sex with another woman out of my head.”
“It’s not what you think.”
Janey laughed when she wanted to cry. “You’re probably going to tell me you were conducting medical research or some other lame story that you’ll expect me to believe.”
“It only happened once.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I swear to God!”
“Don’t swear to God and then lie to my face. You’ll go to hell.”
He touched his wounded face and winced. “Already there.”
“You don’t know hell!” She no longer cared about keeping her voice down. “You didn’t have to see me writhing around in bed with another guy!”
“You don’t get it, Janey. Work is so stressful, I miss you so much, and there’s this other thing going on. . . I just needed to take the edge off.”
She stared at him, incredulous. “I offered to move to Boston so I could ‘take the edge off’ anytime you wanted, but you said I should stay on the island. At least now I know why you were so anxious to keep me tucked away where I couldn’t ‘surprise’ you anytime I needed to take the edge off.”
“Janey—”
“You’ve made a fool of me and a mockery of all the years I spent waiting for you. I was always faithful to you.”
“She means nothing to me. You’re the one I love. I’ve always loved you, and you know that.”
Images of Joe making sweet love to her chose that moment to pop into her overworked brain.
“If you really loved me, you wouldn’t have ‘taken the edge off’ with other women while you were engaged to me.
” Deciding she wanted nothing to remind her of all the years she’d spent so foolishly devoted to him, Janey dug the ring out of her bag.
She dropped it on the bed and took one last long look at the man she’d loved all her life.
“Don’t get any ideas about pressing charges against Joe.
You’re lucky he only broke your nose. He and Mac were quite prepared to kill you after they heard what you’d done.
I told them you weren’t worth the trouble.
Turns out I was right about that. Have a nice life. ”
Turning, she battled her way through the curtain to the hallway, where Maddie leaned against the wall looking embarrassed to have overheard the exchange.
“Janey!” David called. “Wait!”
“Get me out of here,” she muttered to Maddie. Her legs suddenly felt like spaghetti, and Janey wasn’t sure they’d support her weight for much longer. “Please just get me out of here.”
“I’ve got you.” As Maddie put an arm around her and hustled her through the waiting room, Janey felt every eye in the place on her. She and David hadn’t been quiet. News of their broken engagement was probably already burning up the island phone lines.
“Oh, God, my parents,” Janey whispered. “They should hear this from me, not the gossips.”
“I’ll take you to them. Just hang in there. The worst part is over.”
“How’d I do?”
“Better than I would have. You held yourself together and got through it with your dignity intact.”
That might be true, Janey thought, but hearing him casually confess to being unfaithful had broken what was left of her heart.