7. Chapter Seven
~Gabriel~
It had been so late by the time I finally fell asleep that when I woke up, the sun already streamed brightly into my hotel room. I grabbed my phone to check the time, and it opened to the last thing I looked at the night before: that incredible photo of Jen in her bed.
Just like it had the night before, my body immediately responded to the image, and with a groan, I turned the phone off again.
Why had she sent it? She offered no explanation, no message to accompany it, and so I’d been completely unprepared for both the picture and for my reaction to it.
Sure, I’d seen more seductive images of her on her Instagram, but that had been before we spent the evening together. After having dinner with her and talking with her late into the night, she felt much more real to me, and therefore the picture felt more intimate, especially since I knew mere feet separated us when she took it.
Completely inappropriate? Absolutely.
And yet, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it.
Something drew me to her, something I couldn’t fully explain, but no matter how gorgeous or kind or funny she might be, the fact remained that I still had a wife at home. A wife who might be cheating on me, yes, but who also might not be. Innocent until proven guilty, right? Maybe Celine was just going through something she didn’t feel comfortable confiding in me about, and there I was, staring at a sexy photo of another woman I’d just spent the evening with .
And even if she was cheating, it didn’t give me carte blanche to do the same thing.
Even looking at Jen’s photo for as long as I did made me feel dirty, and uncomfortable, and more than a little guilty.
Trying to ignore the heat flowing through my veins, I typed a message and deleted it, and typed a new reply about five times. I didn’t want to encourage Jen any more than I already had, but neither did I want her to feel bad about feeling a connection with me when I felt it too. The first reply sounded too harsh, the next too flirty, and so on until I finally decided on the response I ultimately sent.
She didn’t reply before I went to sleep, and that morning, she still hadn’t sent anything else. The whole thing confused me, but I couldn’t fixate on it. Until I had some answers about Celine and what that meant for our marriage, I shouldn’t be thinking about Jen at all, in any capacity.
“Gabriel!”
Manuel greeted me as soon as I set foot on the main floor after getting ready for the day. He came out from behind the desk, and when I held out my hand, he ignored it, wrapping me into a strong hug instead.
“I’m sorry I missed you yesterday, I got held up.”
“It’s not a problem,” I gasped, trying to get my breath back again after he squeezed it out of me. “Thank you for the wonderful dinner.”
“My pleasure. And I hear you had a lovely companion. Did you bring your beautiful wife with you?”
My stomach twisted, though I couldn’t even say for sure which part of what he said bothered me. “No. Just a friend. I’m here alone.”
His disappointed expression suggested he’d been excited to meet her. “Maybe next time, then. You’re always welcome.”
We chatted for a few more minutes, my eyes constantly flicking to the staircase, wondering if Jen might come down the stairs and what she would say if we ran into each other. However, she didn’t appear, and I convinced myself to see it as a good thing while I made my way out to my car to get my day started properly .
Whenever I travelled these days, I couldn’t completely divorce myself from thoughts of work, so I decided to head to the contemporary arts centre to see what the current exhibitions were like. Having first-hand experience of attractions helped me decide which clients might also enjoy them. The sculpture park and wildlife preserve offered plenty of opportunity to walk off some of my anxious energy, and by the time I finished my visit, I felt a little calmer than before.
I had also worked up an appetite, and the Oxbow Public Market was the obvious choice for lunch. Local producers sold almost every kind of food imaginable at its stalls, and the patio offered a shaded, comfortable place to enjoy whatever I decided to pick up.
Waiting in line at the cheese stall, I spotted her.
Jen had her back to me, but her cascading honey-coloured hair would have stood out anywhere. She chatted with the stall’s owner, her sparkling laugh ringing out as he said something amusing. My feet seemed to root me to the spot as I tried to decide whether I should stay and let her see me or go and pretend I hadn’t seen her. How did we keep ending up in the same places?
Before I could decide, she turned around with her purchase and spotted me. Uncertainty flickered across her face, but only for a moment before she walked over sporting a smile.
“Are you stalking me, or am I stalking you?”
Honestly, I couldn’t be sure. “Seems like we have similar tastes.”
I meant the cheese, but the sentence came out flirtier than I intended.
Jen’s smile tightened as she leaned closer to me. “Well, since you’re here, I owe you an apology for sending that photo last night. I love the room so much and was messing around taking pictures to see if I could find a good angle, and somehow, I sent it to you. I feel like such an idiot.”
That made a lot of sense, actually. More than any other scenario I’d come up with, and I exhaled in relief. “Okay. Good. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the photo looked great but it felt a little…”
“Out of line? Aggressive? Psychotic?” she supplied, her face squeezing into an adorable grimace. “You can say it. ”
“Out of character, actually. You’re quite different online from how you are in person.”
“Yeah. I get that a lot.” She gave me another tight smile before holding up the bag in her hand. “Well, I’m going to finish picking out my lunch. I won’t disturb you anymore.”
Based on her explanation, I didn’t want her to feel bad over a silly mistake. “You’re not disturbing me. I’m here for lunch too, and it makes more sense to eat together rather than at separate tables, pretending we don’t know each other.”
“I suppose,” she agreed, though she didn’t sound fully convinced. “Only if you’re sure you don’t mind.”
“I’m sure. Let me grab something here and we can check out the rest of the market together.”
So much for avoiding her, but as we walked through the market together, exploring the different stalls and chatting to the people who worked there, getting along just as well as we always seemed to, I couldn’t bring myself to be too upset about the way things had turned out.
~Jennifer~
“There’s no way. You’ll choke!”
My eyes went wide as Gabriel lifted a massive chunk of cheese to his mouth. It looked taller than his jaw could stretch, and he just asked me if I thought he could eat it in one bite, claiming to have learned a technique while travelling in northern Africa that would help him survive such a ridiculously foolish attempt .
“And you won’t even enjoy it. That’s high-quality cheese right there,” I added, hoping that might discourage him, and it seemed to work better than my fears over his choking did.
He hesitated, his eyes flicking between the cheese and me. “Will you believe me that I could do it?”
“Fine. Yes. Just don’t make me do the Heimlich on you.” I shook my head at his grin while he broke off a much more reasonably-sized piece and popped it into his mouth. “Why do men always think shoving a lot of something down their throat is impressive? Women in general have more experience with that anyway.”
He almost choked despite my precautions. After coughing a couple of times, he took a swig of the non-alcoholic wine I’d picked out for the two of us to share. “I can’t decide if you’re trying to save my life or trying to kill me.”
“Why does it have to be one or the other?”
Somehow, we’d been sitting out on the patio for over an hour and a half after wandering the market together for thirty minutes before that. Time seemed to fly while talking to him, and neither of us appeared to be in a hurry to move on with our day. Thankfully, when we bumped into each other, he accepted my excuse about the photo I sent him the night before, dispelling any potential awkwardness before it had a chance to take root.
He really did try to see the best in people.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, my phone chimed loudly in my pocket. I’d put it on silent except for messages from two people: my sister, and Sarah, the private investigator. When I pulled it out, Sarah’s name stared back at me.
“What is it?” Gabe asked, clearly reading something in my face that I didn’t quite manage to hide.
“I got a message from Sarah,” I answered truthfully. “I haven’t opened it yet, though. Do you want to know what she says? ”
The lighthearted camaraderie between us seemed to evaporate as he swallowed hard, as if the cheese had gotten stuck somewhere on the way down. “Sure. No point in putting it off, I guess.”
I read it out loud so we were both getting the information at the same time.
Checking in to let you know I’m still on the job but nothing to report so far. Found her car at her sister’s house last night. She left around noon and went back to her own house. No sign of anyone else there. I’ll stick close by and let you know if anything changes.
I blew a breath out as I took that in, trying to ignore any disappointment that might try to push its way into my heart. Looking up, I gave Gabe a forced smile. “Well, that’s good news.”
“It is,” he agreed, though his expression didn’t match his words. He looked almost as conflicted as I felt. “Maybe it’s all in my head.”
“She’s not expecting you back for another twenty-four hours at least,” I reminded him. “Let’s not jump to any conclusions, good or bad, just yet.”
“I suppose that’s smart.” Looking around us, Gabe seemed to realize just how much time had passed. “The afternoon’s going to be gone if we stay much longer, and I’m sure you have other things you’d like to do. I keep monopolizing your time.”
“Only because I let you.” I gave him another smile, warmer that time, but I could tell our moment of connection had ended. His mind had returned to his wife, and I had to respect that. “Will you be stalking me again for supper?”
He laughed as he got to his feet. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Enjoy the rest of your day, Jen.”
“You too.” I watched him walk away, noticing how a few other women glanced his way as he passed them, while Gabe remained oblivious to the attention. In almost every way, he provided a vivid contrast to the men I interacted with on a daily basis .
I hadn’t made any firm plans for the afternoon, but over lunch, Gabe told me about the arts centre he visited that morning, so I headed there next. In the sculpture park, I sat beneath the sunshine in the fresh air and answered a few messages on my phone. Although I’d given myself the weekend off from taking on new clients, I had to keep a few embers burning on some of my tests-in-progress.
After sending a few messages, I put the phone down beside me and let my mind wander. What would Gabe think when I told him the truth about my job? Would he find it dishonest, or would he see how I helped people? I couldn’t be sure how he’d react, but I knew that I had to come clean with him before long. As soon as the situation with Celine settled, I would bite the bullet and confess it all.
Perhaps I wouldn’t have to wait too much longer. While still sitting there, another text from Sarah came in.
We’ve got some activity. Sending pics now.
For the first time, I got an inkling of what the women I worked for must feel when they waited for me to get back to them. Pictures began to come through one-by-one of a car pulling into the driveway of what must be Gabe’s house and a man getting out, glancing around before heading up the front step. When Celine opened the door for him, they seemed to embrace before going inside.
Given everything I knew, nothing I saw surprised me, and after sending Sarah a quick thanks and asking her to stay put to see how long he stayed, I sent Gabe a text.
Looks like I might be interested in stalking you for dinner tonight after all. How about room service in my room at the hotel?
~Gabriel~
I stared at Jennifer’s message for a long time, trying to decide if it marked another of her flip-flop changes of character between her online persona and her in-person self, or whether she had a legitimate reason for asking to see me that evening.
Luckily, a second message came in before I needed to make that determination myself.
There’s something I need to show you.
Though she didn’t say any more than that, I could guess what she meant: the investigator must have sent her something about Celine. Uneasiness churned in my stomach, the bitter sting of my wife’s potential unfaithfulness mingling with the undeniable desire I felt for the woman who had just invited me to her room for the second night in a row.
Pretending my attraction to Jen didn’t exist would be unwise. It needed to be acknowledged so it could be controlled. I had no intention of acting on those feelings, so I needed to be aware of them to avoid doing anything stupid.
As for the ‘thing’ Jen had to show me, it must have been bad news. If it weren’t, she would have just told me, like she did at lunch. Thinking about how it would affect me, she suggested meeting more privately, and I appreciated the consideration.
Her thoughtfulness tipped the scales for me.
Sure. Message me when you’re back and I’ll come over.
Try as I might to enjoy the winery tour I joined before her message came in, my thoughts were anywhere but on the grapes in front of me, and I skipped out before the tastings to head back to the hotel. At the desk, I confirmed the restaurant was fully staffed that evening and that room service wouldn’t be a problem.
“Do you want to order something now?” the man at the desk asked.
“No, thanks. I’m… I’m waiting for someone.”
The stammered response made it sound like a lie, but although he gave me a slightly confused look, the man said nothing else and I quickly retreated up the stairs. Seconds felt like hours as I waited in my room for another message from Jen. Thankfully, she didn’t make me wait too long.
I’m back. Come over whenever you’re ready.
I could have pretended I hadn’t been waiting, but that seemed silly. She must have known I’d be desperate to know what she’d learned, and sure enough, when she opened the door for me a minute later, she didn’t look at all surprised to see me there.
“Come on in. I already placed an order for food, I hope that’s okay?”
“You ordered for me?” It surprised me, but I didn’t mind. Celine never would have gone to the trouble.
“Based on what you ate last night and at lunch, I feel pretty sure you’ll like it,” she promised. “Besides, I didn’t want to waste time since we both know why you’re here.”
We sat back down in the same spot where we’d chatted the night before, but this time, rather than sitting in the armchair, Jen sat on the sofa next to me.
“This is what I received today.”
She handed the phone to me so I could read the message from the investigator myself. It came in just before she texted me that afternoon, so I certainly couldn’t complain she’d held anything back from me. My stomach flipped as I forced myself to open the photos.
The first one didn’t show much, just a car I didn’t recognize pulling into my driveway. In the next one, a man got out of the driver’s side, but the camera saw him from the back, I couldn’t make out any of his features. A moment later, he must have turned back to look at the street, because the next photo showed his face on full display, looking almost directly at the camera, and I let out a muttered curse.
“Are you fucking serious?”
Jen leaned in closer to peer at the photo before her warm hazel eyes looked up at me. “Do you know him?”
“Yeah.” My heart thumped a hard, steady rhythm in my chest as I stared at the photo. “His name is Isaac. I work with him.”
Jen’s chest rose with her inhale. “At the travel agency?”
“Yeah. This is… this can’t… this doesn’t make any sense.” Getting a full sentence out became a struggle as I flipped through the other photos of him going up to the door, Celine opening the door to him, a smile on her face that I hadn’t seen in quite a while, her arms going around his shoulders and his around her waist before they went inside.
It didn’t seem real. I didn’t know how it could be.
“They barely know each other.”
Obviously, that must not be true, and Jen gently pointed that out. “It seems they do.”
My mind spinning, I cast back in my memory for any time the two of them would have spent together. Speaking out loud, I tried to put the pieces together. “He joined the agency last fall. They would have met at the company’s Christmas party. She came into the office a couple of times in January to see me, but that’s…”
I trailed off, the situation becoming clearer to me with each passing second. Celine never came to the office to see me, but in January, she did. Both times, I had important clients there, meetings I had mentioned to her in advance. She assured me she didn’t mind waiting, which, now that I thought about it, should have been a red flag too. Both times, I came out of my meeting to find her at my desk, scrolling on her phone. I assumed she spent the whole time there.
Perhaps she hadn’t. Perhaps she’d come for an entirely different reason.
My mouth dried up as my imagination took over, months of clandestine meetings, all behind my back. In April, Isaac had been booked on a scouting trip to the Seychelles. At the last minute, he had to pull out, and he offered the trip to me instead. I asked Celine if she wanted to go with me, assuming a trip to the island paradise would yield the kind of photos she’d love to share, but the length of the flight put her off. She stayed home, and so did Isaac, while I spent a week on the other side of the world.
How many other things had I missed?
“Is he still there?” I managed to croak out.
Immediately, Jen got to her feet and poured me a glass of water. It helped with the dryness, but not with the nausea roiling around my stomach.
I gulped it down anyway.
“He’s still there,” she answered when my glass had been emptied. “We don’t know what he’s doing there, though. The pictures don’t prove much.”
Maybe not, but nothing else made sense. Any doubts I might have had were completely swept away when I saw the man’s face. The way she’d been pulling away from me seemed obvious, along with the way she kept picking fights.
She’d been done with me for a while. I just hadn’t noticed it.
“You could go home and confront them,” Jen suggested. The words came out quieter than usual, as if she were a lion tamer trying to soothe a distressed animal. “She wouldn’t need to know about the investigator. You could say you simply decided to come home early and see what she has to say.”
I supposed I could. In just over an hour, I could be standing outside that door, ready to surprise them both, but the thought sent an icy chill through my body that made the nausea even worse. “I thought you just ordered supper,” I reminded her weakly.
“Don’t worry about me. You need to do what’s best for you . If there’s ever a time to be selfish in your life, Gabe, this is it.”
I tried to imagine walking in on them, but I suspected that somehow, no matter how much in the wrong she might be, Celine would find a way to make it my fault. Avoiding confrontation seemed easier. Maybe that made me weak, but I honestly didn’t know what to think or feel at that moment.
“Is that what you would do? Try to catch them in the act?”
Jen didn’t answer me directly, giving me a more general response instead. “Some people need to see it with their own eyes. Others require less proof; they just feel it. Neither is right or wrong. You know how you feel, so seeing this, based on everything that’s been going on between you, is that enough for you to know how you want to proceed? Or do you need more?”
Did I know how I wanted to proceed?
Maybe a chance still existed, however small, that Celine wasn’t actually cheating. Maybe Isaac had another reason for being at my house for hours without me there. But when I thought about the way our relationship had deteriorated over the past few months, the feeling I’d gotten when I went to Allie’s and didn’t find Celine there, and the fact that, at the very least, she’d been hiding being friends with Isaac from me, it all added up to one thing.
My wife and the woman I thought I married were two different people.
Maybe she’d never been the woman I loved at all.
Seeing her in bed with Isaac wouldn’t change that. It might cement it, but I didn’t require it to make the decision that I knew I needed to make, the one that I had already made, whether I’d been ready to admit it to myself before then or not.
I didn’t want to be married to Celine anymore.