Chapter 32 Annabelle
Annabelle
Monday morning, Annabelle was still thinking about Anita’s party.
First Juliana’s comment about dreams, and then for the first charade challenge to have been a movie about dreams. She’d asked Anita later how the topics had been chosen.
Anita told her that she’d written up a set for the opposite team, and Phil had written the ones for theirs.
It had been completely coincidental. Annabelle was getting sick of that word.
She was getting dressed when she heard angry stomping on the stairs. The door burst open and James walked in.
“What the hell are these?” He was holding the pack of Marlboro Lights in his hand. His eyes were practically bulging from their sockets.
Annabelle took a deep breath. Why did she feel like a kid being caught by her father? “Why were you looking in my purse?”
“I couldn’t find the ibuprofen and remembered you always carry some. But that’s not the point.” This was ridiculous. “What do they look like?”
He crumpled the pack in his hands. “I-I can’t…I don’t…,” he sputtered. “What are you possibly thinking. Smoking?”
“It’s not a big deal, okay? Only once in a while. I’ve been stressed.”
James walked toward her and put his hands on her shoulders. “This is why I’ve been telling you to make an appointment with someone. Polluting your lungs is not the answer!”
She pushed his hands from her shoulders, putting her own hands up in a conciliatory fashion.
“I know, I know. Okay? I only have one occasionally, it’s not like I’m smoking all day.
And I told you, I’ll call Monica and schedule something.
But you have to stop treating me like a child.
I’m an adult, and what I choose to put into my own body is my business. ”
He sat down on the bed, shaking his head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you. I’m not treating you like a child, but you’re acting like one. I’m a concerned husband who’s watching his wife spiral. Drinking, smoking, letting her dreams influence what she does. Anyone would be worried!”
“Come on! You’re making me sound like a mess! I’m not drinking and smoking all the time! It’s normal to have a glass of wine at a party. And the cigarettes, okay, not great, but give me a break, James. I don’t need this right now.”
He stood up. “Promise me you won’t smoke anymore. Please, Annabelle. If not for me, then for the kids.”
She threw her hands up. “Fine. I won’t smoke anymore. Now if you don’t mind, I have to finish getting dressed and get to work.”
He stood and left without another word. She slammed the door behind him, grabbed a pillow, and screamed into it.
—
Annabelle was still agitated when she got to work but tried her best to put the argument out of her mind and concentrate on the file Riggs had emailed her about their new client. After reviewing everything, she began to make notes and outline a general strategy to discuss at their lunch.
Riggs walked into her office a little before noon. “Ready for lunch?”
“Yes. Is Chase here?”
“No. He’s meeting us at the restaurant. Have you had a chance to look over the file?”
“Of course. His social media presence could use work. He’s got a good following, but he’s not posting enough.
And his website is pretty bare-bones, only links to his podcasts and articles.
If we want people to connect with him, some photos would be good, and maybe behind-the-scenes stuff.
I listened to one of his podcasts, and it was good.
He’s got a great voice, and he’s a compelling storyteller. ”
“Sounds like you’re on the right track.”
They continued their conversation in the elevator and went out to the sidewalk. Since the restaurant was only a few blocks away, they walked.
Riggs opened the door for Annabelle when they reached the restaurant. They were seated at a table.
“He’s meeting us at twelve-thirty. I wanted to make sure we got here first.”
Annabelle glanced at her watch. Great, they had fifteen minutes to sit here before he arrived. She missed Madeline. They ordered drinks—a Diet Coke for her and a club soda for Riggs.
“So how are you settling in?” Annabelle asked.
“Getting there. My wife’s coming this weekend, and we’ll start house-hunting. I’m not loving life in the corporate apartment. We could have stayed with my brother, but he lets his kids rule the roost. So—”
“Where are you looking?”
“Westport, Fairfield areas. How do you like Bayport?”
“We love it, but Westport is great too. If you’re a golfer, you get access to Longshore, which is fabulous.” She didn’t want him living too close to her, and she definitely didn’t want him to join their country club. She’d be seeing him enough at the office.
“I am a golfer. I’d heard about that, and the pool is great for the wife and kids.”
Did he really just say “the wife and kids”?
“How old are your children?”
“Five and three. Girls. I’d like to have a son, but Gina wants to wait a bit. I don’t agree. My philosophy is to get it all over with at once. Sure, it’s a little crazy when they’re small, but then we’ll still be young enough when they’re eighteen and out of the house.”
Was he for real? “That’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one who has to carry the child for nine months and have your body go through all kinds of changes.”
“Gina has easy pregnancies. And it’s not like she has to work or anything. She’s home full time. Sometimes I’d love to trade places with her.”
Annabelle fought with every fiber of her being to find the restraint not to tell him what a complete asshole he was, but what was the point? “Good luck with that.”
She picked up her glass to take a sip and looked up when the front door opened and a man walked toward their table. She watched in shock as he reached them. The glass slipped from her hand and crashed to the floor. The man standing in front of her was the man from her dreams.