“I don’t know what talking to me is going to do for you.”
“Can you answer my questions?”
Rennie was hesitant. “I reserve the right not to answer anything, especially if it might incriminate me in a divorce hearing.”
“I understand. Maybe you could give me some legal advice?”
She shook her head. “Hire a lawyer. A good one. A shark. Take him for everything he has.”
Angela nodded. A server came over and brought them menus. Rennie pushed hers aside. She had lost her appetite. “The people you ran into at the resort—they golf with my parents. Karen called me right away to tell me. Part of me wishes she hadn’t, because then maybe Theo would tell me when he got home. I tried calling him, but he didn’t answer, and he never returned any of my messages. I spent four days wondering what the two of you were doing. Crazy thoughts, ya know. Like, how many times did you and my husband make love while you were in Canada? Did you wear lingerie? Shower together? Is he spontaneous, or does he schedule everything? Does he act animalistic and throw you against the wall? Every time I tried to close my eyes, all I could see was the two of you making love, and I had no idea who you even were, and I couldn’t understand why he took this woman to where we spent our honeymoon.”
Angela’s statement made Rennie’s stomach twist. Theo was the worst type of man she had ever known. “I wasn’t there,” she told her. “I left right after the encounter with Karen.”
“That’s not what Theo told me. He said you stayed.”
Rennie huffed. “He’s a liar. I spent the weekend in the San Juan Islands with a friend.”
“Then where was my husband?”
“Well, I know he went to my friend’s house looking for me, but I don’t know much after that.”
“Are you still seeing him?”
“Hell no. I’m not a home-wrecker.”
“But you went away on a trip with a married man.”
The fact that Angela was referring only to the trip confused Rennie. She convinced herself Theo was lying to his wife. “Listen, I don’t know what Theo has told you, and I don’t care, because I want no part of his life. We didn’t just go away for New Year’s. We’ve been dating for over a year. We met at a college job fair thing in Spokane and have been together ever since—well, at least until I met Karen. He never once mentioned he was married. If he had, I would’ve kicked him in the balls and bailed.”
Angela sat there for a moment and then started to cry. Rennie was torn on whether to comfort her. She chose not to and kept her hands to herself. Rennie felt terrible for the woman but wanted to avoid their marital issues.
“I remember that weekend. He called and said he wouldn’t be home, that he needed to stay there. I was so confused because we live down the street from the convention center, and he could’ve easily been back first thing in the morning. Did you sleep with him that night?”
She had nothing to gain by being dishonest. Rennie nodded.
“And the next day?”
Rennie nodded again.
Angela looked at her in disbelief. “And the following weekend, right? He had a business trip. You know, I’m just going to assume that every time my husband was out of town, he was with you. He wears a ring. Why wasn’t that enough to stop you?” Angela pointed out.
“Like I said, I didn’t know. He may wear one when he’s home, but the day I met Theo, he did not have a ring on and hasn’t since that day.” Which made her wonder if she was truly the only woman he had cheated on Angela with. The more she sat there, the more she hated him.
“You know, I’m sitting here and wondering why you. What do you have that I don’t? What did my husband, my high school sweetheart, see in you that he doesn’t see in me? I’ve given him everything, and I don’t understand why he’s done this to me.”
Slowly, Rennie shook her head back and forth. “I don’t know. From my experience at work, sometimes it’s nothing. Sometimes, men cheat, or women do. Some say they’re bored or their partner isn’t satisfying in bed. Others do it because they don’t get caught. I can tell you anything you want about our relationship, but as to his state of mind and why he’s done this, I don’t have an answer for you. If I knew he was married, I would’ve never entertained the idea. I would’ve walked away. I deal with divorce on a daily basis. I’m not going to be the catalyst for one. That’s not who I am as a person.”
“Are you in love with him?”
Rennie adjusted in her seat. “At one time, yes, I was. But we drifted apart a little. We planned the trip for a few months, and we were going to use it to reconnect. Again, I knew nothing about you, so I had no idea you spent your honeymoon there.”