I was in the kitchen finishing up when I heard the front door open and close. I looked at the time and saw it was too early for Jeremy to be home, but it was unlikely to be Cleo or one of the girls. “Jeremy?”
His footsteps grew louder. “It’s me.”
“I’m just finishing up in the kitchen, and I’ll be out of your way. How was your day?” I started to move quicker, putting things away at increased speed so I could let him enjoy his home without my presence.
“No worries. I’m home early.” He set his satchel on the counter then stripped off his long coat. He was a man in his forties, mostly quiet, living alone after his wife left him to run off with a pool boy she met in Mexico. “Take your time.”
“Thanks.” I continued to work. “How was your day?”
He walked over to his coffee machine and made himself a black coffee. “Ordinary.” He turned around and leaned against the counter, sipping his coffee as he looked at me, his eyes holding a distinct sadness, a gloss of depression. “Yours?”
“It’s been busy.”
“Every time I see one of you, you seem to be running a million miles an hour. It’s never a slow day.”
I chuckled. “We’re little elves even when it’s not Christmas.”
He didn’t release a chuckle and continued to drink his coffee.
I knew I shouldn’t comment on the cause of his sadness, but I felt so bad for him that I did. “I was dating this guy for a while, and it felt right. But a few weeks ago, he told me he was married. Had a family somewhere else. It was…brutal.”
He set down his coffee on the counter and stared at me a little harder. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah, it’s rough. I feel stupid on top of it.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I know how that is. That old saying, good guys finish last—it’s true. I had a lot of opportunities to cheat on my wife while I was traveling or working late in my office, but I never did. I was happily married, and I thought she was too. But here I am, in my forties, and my wife has decided to take our kids and move to Mexico, to retire with her new man with my money.”
I couldn’t stop the cringe from coming over my face. “Gosh, that’s terrible.”
“Yeah.” A sarcastic smile came onto his lips. “Everyone told me to get the prenup, but I was naïve. Won’t make that mistake again.”
I didn’t have a lot of money, so I had nothing to lose, but hearing all this negative feedback about marriage was scary. Maybe romance and commitment were dead.
“Most guys are the cheating kind, even if they say they aren’t. I’ve got a lot of friends and see a lot of guys in the office. They’ll look you in the eye and tell you they’ve always been faithful, but I’ve seen them snort cocaine off a woman’s asshole. Though there are men who would never do that. I’m one of them. But she left me anyway.” He turned to his mug again and took a drink.
“How long has it been?”
He shrugged. “About three months.”
“You know, I’m sure you could do something about the situation. She can’t just leave the country and take your kids with her.” I wasn’t a corporate lawyer, but I knew a couple things.
“I know.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “My lawyer says it won’t last, that she’ll be back in a couple months. And then she’ll be out of a job, have less money than she did before, and when I take her to court, I’ll have an even better chance. A part of me is also hoping she’ll come groveling back.”
“Would you take her back?” Would he ever be able to forgive her for what she did?
He dropped his gaze for a while and stared at the floor. “I love her. I was happiest when I was with her, she’s the mother of my kids…”
I couldn’t believe he said that, but it was somehow so touching. “Then maybe she’ll come back.”
He shrugged again before he grabbed his coffee. “Yeah. Maybe.”
I was walking down the hallway toward the elevator when a door opened and Dex stepped out. “I’ll see you later, Max.” He gave a wave before he shut the door behind him. By the change of his tone, it seemed like he was talking to a kid. He was in his signature jeans and t-shirt, his arms looking incredible like always.
“Hey.”
He turned to look at me as he locked the door behind him. “Hey.”
“Were you tutoring?”
“Yep.” He pocketed the keys and came to my side. “The kid is Ivy League material. I know he’ll ace that SAT and get his pick of schools.”