Page 115 of Romance and Peppermint Lattes
“Not jealous exactly,” she said, although he wasn’t far from the truth. “Concerned.”
“I’m not. Paul’s a good man.”
“I know, but—”
“You’ve been in love with him for months—”
“I think it was more of an infatuation.”
“True. But he’s finally asked you out, and you’ve accepted.”
“Yes, but—”
“We know each other well, Cait. We were married, remember?”
“I’m not likely to forget it.” Especially when Joe took pains to point it out at every opportunity. “Shouldn’t that mean... something?” Cait was embarrassed she’d said that. For weeks she’d suffered acute mortification every time Joe mentioned the childhood stunt. Now she was using it to suit her own purposes.
Joe took hold of her shoulders. “As a matter of fact, our marriage means a lot to me. Because I care about you, Cait.”
Hearing Joe admit as much was gratifying.
“I want only the best for you,” he continued. “It’s what you deserve. All I can say is that I’d be more than pleased if everything worked out between you and Paul. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to talk something over with Harry.”
“Oh, right, sure, go ahead.” She couldn’t seem to get the words out fast enough. When she’d called Martin to explain why she wouldn’t be in Minnesota for Christmas, he’d claimed that God would reward her sacrifice. If Paul’s invitation to dinner was God’s reward, she wanted her airline ticket back.
The numb feeling returned as Cait returned to her office. She didn’t know what to think. She’d believed... she’d hoped that she and Joe shared a very special feeling. Clearly their times together meant something entirely different to him than they had to her. Otherwise he wouldn’t behave so casually about her going out with Paul. And he certainly wouldn’t seem so pleased about it!
That was what hurt Cait the most, and yes, she was hurt. It had taken her several minutes to identify her feelings, but now she knew...
More by accident than design, Cait walked into Lindy’s office. Her friend had already put on her coat and was closing her briefcase, ready to leave the office.
“Paul asked me to dinner,” Cait blurted out.
“He did?” Lindy’s eyes widened with astonishment. But she didn’t turn it into a joke, the way Joe had.
Cait nodded. “He just strolled in as if it was nothing out of the ordinary and asked me to have dinner with him.”
“Are you happy about it?”
“I don’t know,” Cait answered honestly. “I suppose I should be pleased. It’s what I’d prayed would happen for months.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Lindy asked.
“Joe doesn’t seem to care. He said he hopes everything works out the way I want it to.”
“Which is?” Lindy pressed.
Cait had to think about that a moment, her heart in her throat. “Honest to heaven, Lindy, I don’t know anymore.”
***
“I understand the salmon here is superb,” Paul was saying, reading over the Boathouse menu. It was a well-known restaurant on Lake Union.
Cait scanned the list of entrées, which featured fresh seafood, then chose the grilled salmon—the same dish she’d ordered that night with Joe. Tonight, though, she wasn’t sure why she was even bothering. She wasn’t hungry, and Paul was going to be wasting good money while she made a pretense of enjoying her meal.
“I understand you’ve been seeing a lot of Joe Rockwell,” he said conversationally.
That Paul should mention Joe’s name right now was ironic. Cait hadn’t stopped thinking about him from the moment he’d dropped into her office earlier that afternoon. Their conversation had left a bitter taste in her mouth. She’d sincerelybelieved their relationship was developing into something... special. Yet Joe had gone out of his way to give her the opposite impression.
