Page 61 of Rules of Engagement
She'd seen him on Tuesday evening, when he'd asked her to join him for a walk on the beach. They'd met near sunset and strolled holding hands along the edge of the surf.
He'd been surprisingly quiet, and she'd deduced it to be from a difficult day at work. He was a busy man, after all, and raising his daughter alone, and she knew how exhausted she usually was on a normal day without the added stresses Carter carried as a single dad.
Still, ever since the day they'd gone to Masonboro Island, she'd felt a tension in Carter. But then, she also felt that way with Marsali, which was totally weird, so maybe she was just being too sensitive? Truthfully, she was on edge, because with Carter's absence, she'd discovered something about herself.
She wanted more.
They shared chemistry, yes, but this feeling—thisemptiness—was more than that. She found herself craving his presence in her home, at her side. In her life. And that wasn't something she'd experienced with James. Oh, she'd looked forward to seeing him, but… she didn'tmissJames the way she missed Carter.
But then, Carter's silence weighed on her. As did the fact he wasn't pushing for more, so maybe his interest had run its course?
Was that it? Was that why he'd been so distant this week?
Was she feeling one way while he felt… another?
Her doorbell rang and she inhaled, determined to have that talk Marsali's book said they needed to have about goals and plans and expectations.
She flipped the light off as she left the room and hurried down the hallway, bracing herself for the impact Carter always had on her.
She unlocked the door and swung it wide, only to gasp.
"James? What are you doing here?" One look at his bloodshot eyes and ruddy face told her he'd been drinking. A lot. "Did youdrivehere?"
"Walked from the bar," he said, lifting his hands toward her. "Eliza, I never should've done it. I shouldn't have—"
"Stop," she said, shaking her head and bracing her body behind the door in case he tried to bully his way in. "You need to get an Uber and go home."
"No. Eliza, hear me out. I'msorry."
"Okay, you're sorry. Good night, James."
"Wait—"
His hand shot out when she tried to close the door and stopped it. "Let go."
"Just talk to me. Don't you owe me that much?"
Owehim? Seriously? "We have nothing to left to say to one another."
"You're wrong. I have plenty to say. I was stupid, okay? I believed her when she said she loved me. I believed her when she said you just used me and—"
"Wait.Iusedyou?" Eliza asked, engaging in the conversation before she could stop herself.
"I know. That's what I'm saying. I was stupid. I realize that now."
"Good for you," Eliza said. "I'm glad you realized that."
"Baby, don't be that way. I made a mistake. I did and I admit it. Please, let me come back. Eliza, take me back."
A laugh escaped her before she could squelch it, and she shook her head, noting with no small amount of alarm and relief that Carter approached her driveway in his Jeep. "You need to leave. Now."
James groaned and began to cry. He really was a sloppy drunk.
"I have nothing to go home to. They're suing me, all because of her. She took the money but it doesn't matter because I'm—"
A moron?
"—on the contracts. She screwed me over and disappeared with some— She's gone."
