Chapter 18 Heartbreaker
HEARTbrEAKER
Summer
Last night, after spotting Thad and I together, Olivia naturally had a lot of questions.
I met her for breakfast at the diner on Main Street to put her at ease.
As soon as we sat down across from each other on the shabby seats, she wasted no time getting down to business.
Her most pressing question was to ask when I’d started taking drugs.
I laughed at her, and this reaction for my former boss seemed to be all the answer she needed.
Quickly, I clarified, “I’m not using drugs.”
The woman studied me intently through narrowed eyes. “That’s what all addicts say. When you told me about working with him, fine; but, Summer, the Fitzgeralds are monsters. You know that better than anyone.”
A switch flipped inside me when she called them monsters.
My toes curled, and my shoulders tensed as I went on the defensive.
What do you mean, monster? Monster was a stretch.
Thaddeus made a horrible mistake, and I, more than anyone, had the right to be upset, but he wasn’t thoroughly bad.
He’d always possessed a compassionate side. It was just buried deeply for a while.
As the prickly feeling grew, I had to remind myself that Olivia knew Thaddeus only after he’d made headlines for hurting my dad.
She’d never seen any of the gentle or kind glimpses I’d gotten from him.
I doubted whether even Mimi had seen anything close to that.
Even with our marriage being forced, it will hold a lot more water than theirs.
“Olivia, don’t be dramatic. He’s not a monster. He made one mistake.”
Her jaw fell open, and she lifted a hand to my forehead to check if I was unwell.
I swatted Olivia’s hand away. This was the second time she’d looked at me as if I’d lost my mind.
Maybe it was out of character, but our situation had dramatically changed since he was released.
For all the deadbeats that were roaming the planet, I was lucky to end up with someone who clearly showed an interest in our child’s future.
But he murdered your father, a voice in my head echoed.
This marriage would look insane to most people.
Was I losing the plot agreeing to this? So much for that proud stand you took before.
My forehead wasn’t hot, but my conscience was in a battle.
I was sitting here defending the man I’d spent years attacking.
Well, he was the father of my child and future husband, so I might as well get used to it.
I have to put my emotions aside for the sake of the child.
Yes, I was doing this because a broken family was the last burden I wanted to put on a newborn once they entered the world.
I spent the rest of breakfast explaining everything to Olivia, and while I managed to convince her I hadn’t lost my mind, she had no confidence that there would ever be a happy ending in my future if I went down this path.
I’d expected that and didn’t need her or anyone else’s confidence. What she didn’t understand was Thad and I meant till death do us part. Even without ever taking the vows. Both of us had always planned a future with the other. It was never going to be any other way.
After my breakfast with Olivia, I hurried to work.
I was twenty minutes late, so everyone would be in the conference room already, my empty seat signaling my lateness.
I hurried through security to the elevator and pressed the button.
It wasn’t until the doors closed that I noticed the guard hadn’t made me walk through the metal detector.
Before I could think more about it, the elevator opened.
I tossed my purse and jacket on my desk, took the file, and rushed to the conference room.
Taking a few deep breaths outside, I pushed the door and found one of my coworkers mid-sentence.
“Sorry. I’m sorry,” I said, with my body half bent, hurrying to my seat.
She looked annoyed but didn’t say anything.
“Continue,” Thad said, then squinted at me.
My phone vibrated.
Thad
I see you’re already taking advantage of carrying the boss’s baby.
A gasp escaped me, and I quickly lifted a hand to cover my mouth.
“Summer, now that you’re here, you can tell us about the permits and regulatory compliance updates.”
I opened my folder and began to explain that things were looking good.
As I spoke, my eyes landed on Thad. To think I once used the word monster to describe him.
He was gorgeous. Nobody that gorgeous could possibly be a monster.
As he sat across the long desk, I admired him.
Whatever was in Thad’s DNA, Fitzgerald needed to bottle and sell.
Women would pay lots of money for their skin to look like they’d just had a facial every day.
He probably washed it with only shower gel too.
Then there were his eyes. Hmmm, I’d never seen better eyes than his.
They seem to help this dim room sparkle.
I couldn’t stop staring, but I didn’t want the change in our relationship to become public yet, so I eventually tore my eyes away.
Somebody else started talking, and I took a second to compose myself.
Another message from Thad popped up on my screen:
You look good today. Definitely glowing.
I pressed my mouth firmly together, but it was no use. I broke into a smile. Thad had been showering me with compliments these days. He said it was all the things he’d wanted to say but denied himself, so there was no stopping him now.
“Summer, did you hear my question?” someone asked.
Erm . . . nope.
Thankfully, Thad repeated it. “Yes, Summer, when will you visit the town planning department to get those copies?”
“They will be delivered within the hour.”
Thankfully, my part of the meeting was over.
Thad
Where were you? Should I be jealous?
What do you want to eat for lunch?
I know you’re seeing these.
Did you wear that dress because you know it’s my favorite color?
Or just what it does to me?
I narrowed my eyes at Thad and crossed both arms across my chest. He was obviously bored. When I saw him pick up the phone again, I shook my head.
What do you think of the name Dracula if it’s a girl?
I wasn’t planning to name my child after a Halloween movie character, no matter how much I loved the holiday.
How about Michael or Freddy if it’s a boy?
That wasn’t a surprise. Those were two of his favorite movies. I shook my head discreetly. Well, I thought I did.
“Summer, is something the matter?”
I looked up to find the entire room looking at me. “Huh?”
“You shook your head. Do you have a problem with what I just said?” the man asked.
My eyes darted toward Thad, keeping them wide and pleading so that he’d save me.
“Yes, Summer, why were you shaking your head? What was said that you don’t agree with?” he asked in an authoritative tone.
Where was the professionalism when he was distracting me throughout the whole meeting?
“I slept badly on my neck. I was just stretching it.”
All eyes in the room stared at me. Finally, Thad jumped in. “This meeting is getting redundant. Let’s end here.”
He stood and left the room, the others following. Thank goodness that was over. I could strangle that man, but not in a way that would hurt him. Olivia was right; it was like night and day with the two of us.
The Starlight building project was getting underway, with the new units attached for families in need, and I felt more passionate now about helping the project to the finish line.
Initially, Thad planned to dedicate about ten percent of the units to low-income families.
I managed to talk him into raising that number to twenty.
Who said I couldn’t do any good away from my legal aid career?
A mug being placed on my desk interrupted my thoughts.
“Drink up,” Thad said.
Nervously, I scanned the surrounding cubicles: empty. He was looking at a computer, and she was chatting on the phone. Everyone was distracted. Which was a good thing, since I knew they’d all want an explanation as to why the boss was now making me a personal cup of tea.
“Can you not make it so obvious?”
Scratching the back of his neck, Thad looked like he was trying to solve a puzzle, so I helped him.
“People will suspect that we’re . . . you know . . .” I whispered.
He shrugged. “Were we keeping it a secret?”
Well. Not really. But I wasn’t ready to explain to all of Tarrytown that I wasn’t taking illicit drugs or in need of a psych ward visit.
I was about to say just that when John Fitzgerald appeared behind us.
“Well, I guess the announcement isn’t really needed,” he said loudly, gathering stares.
Thad lifted both palms and stepped back as if the matter was out of his hands now. I scowled at him, and he winked.
“I made a mistake a few weeks back announcing the engagement of my son to the wrong person. Well, the heart wants what it does. Let me clarify. Thaddeus will marry Summer Cohen.”
There was a lot of whispering. Plastering a smile on my face, I looked around and, as expected, all eyes were on me. Some of my coworkers’ mouths fell open. Others lost the color from their faces.
“Well, now that’s over with, let’s get back to work,” Mr. Fitzgerald said.
Was he serious? The man would never change.
John turned and took a step but then froze and pivoted around in my direction. “Oh, Summer . . . Welcome back to our lives.”
Thad’s full-bellied laugh filled the office. “Back? She never left.”
We all looked at him, and I lifted my tea and sipped.
I was happy when Thad and I left work early. Half my coworkers thought I was a home-wrecker who’d ruined Melissa’s happy ending. The others, who might’ve known the history between us, looked at me strangely. Did they think I’d lost my mind, marrying a man who’d killed my dad?
We ended up in town, walking along Main Street. As Thad said, the residents were going to have to get used to seeing us eventually.
“Greek?” Thad asked.