Page 5 of Silent Echo

“My gosh. Your pictures don’t do you justice. Has anyone ever told you that you look just like Charlize Theron?”

People had. “That’s nice of you to say.”

“Well, enjoy the party.” She’d given Eli a long look before walking away. At the time, Charlotte had been slightly disquieted, but Eli had never given her a reason to doubt him. Over the years, Charlotte learned that Madison could be intrusive and overly friendly, but left it at that. Now, her suspicions surfaced. Charlotte hadn’t been much of a wife to Eli this past year, and even though no one in their right mind could blame Charlotte for how the tragedy had affected her, the reality was that Eli was vulnerable. Had Madison taken advantage of that vulnerability?

If Charlotte wanted to save her marriage, it was time to open her heart to her husband again. But try as she might, finding that feeling of tenderness and attraction she’d once had was as difficult to recapture as trying to hold quicksilver in your hand.

CHAPTER FOUR

Are we ever going to have sex again?” Eli asked after Charlotte rolled away from him.

A knot of dread wound itself in the pit of her stomach. Since their conversation about Madison last week, she’d been doing her best to be more affectionate, but her desire for sex was nonexistent. She reluctantly turned toward him. “Those are not exactly words to put me in the mood,” she joked weakly, but she felt guilty when she saw the hurt look on his face. “I’m sorry. I’m just not myself. I’m trying.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry too. It’s just that I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” she answered automatically, although it wasn’t true. She didn’t know if her desire for him would ever return, but she couldn’t tell him that. She’d asked her therapist if her marriage would ever recover. Dr. Morrison told her that if they could ride this storm out, she might find that her marriage would emerge even stronger. In the meantime, she just had to stall. “Dr. Morrison said the anti-depressants can diminish sex drive too. But I don’t think I should stop the medicine since it’s helping me to function better.”

He shook his head. “No, no. It’s fine. Your well-being is the most important thing right now.”

“Speaking of my well-being…Remember Patricia from my job?”

“I think so.”

“She started her own marketing company and wants to hire me on a project-by-project basis to do some social media. What do you think?”

His eyes lit up. “Char, I think that’s a great idea. What doyouthink?”

“As long as it’s not too demanding, I think it might be good for me to have something new to focus on.”

“I think so too.”

“Okay, I’ll call her tomorrow. Night.” She closed her eyes, clutching the pillow to her chest, and tried to empty her mind. Since she’d weaned herself from the sleeping pills, her nights had become restless. Calming thoughts, she reminded herself, but her brain didn’t listen. Unbidden, the image came again. The one her mind had made up of the bus careening off the bridge into the icy waters of the Chesapeake Bay. She imagined the screams and looks of terror on the children’s faces and then her sweet Sebastion, sinking, sinking until he was beyond rescue. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she jumped up from the bed.

“You okay?” Eli mumbled, half asleep.

“Yeah,” she lied. “Just can’t sleep. Going to read in the other room for a bit.”

She grabbed her robe from the back of the bathroom door and slipped from the room. Her breath came in uneven gasps as she ran into the living room and sat down. Putting her head between her knees, she practiced the breathing technique Dr. Morrison had taught her until her breath returned to normal. Would this torment ever end? She flipped the television on and pulled a blanket over her shivering body. She forced herself to focus on the movie she’d seen many times before until, finally, her lids became heavy, and she surrendered to the blessed escape of sleep.

A gentle nudge on her shoulder made her open her eyes. Sunlight streamed into the room.

“Rough night?” Eli asked, a look of concern on his face.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Didn’t mean to sleep here. Guess I dozed off.”

“I made a pot of coffee. I’ll take Harper this morning. She’s already in the car. I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Thanks.” She got up, walked into the kitchen, and poured herself a cup.

Eli leaned down to kiss her. “Have a good day. Let me know how it goes with Patricia.”

She nodded. Before she lost her nerve, she went into the bedroom, got her phone, and fired off a text to Patricia to let her know she was interested. Not five minutes later, her phone rang.

“Well, that was fast,” she said, laughing.

“You made my day,” Patricia answered. “I’ve been on pins and needles, hoping you’d say yes.”

“Don’t get too excited. I’m dipping my toe back in. I’m not ready to go full throttle.”

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