“I’m never going to forget it.” Jack hid a grin behind his iced tea. “So tell me about your writer’s block.”
Audra hesitated just a moment longer. “I guess Wendell’s lies bothered me more than I’d been willing to admit.”
“That’s understandable.” Jack thought of his ex-wife, Kerry, and knew how Audra felt.
“I tried to go on as though nothing had happened, but I’d introduced him to my industry contacts. That made him part of my world. Every event I’d go to, he was there. Every restaurant and nightclub, I’d have to see him.”
“You didn’t stop going out, did you?”
Audra took a drink of her iced tea. “No, I wouldn’t let him win. But winning isn’t everything. And the strain was getting to me. He wanted to act as though we were still friends, when, in reality, I loathe him.”
Jack’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. He could understand her animosity, but he’d rather she didn’t feel anything at all for the other man. “So breaking up with him gave you writer’s block?” He didn’t like that idea, either.
“No. Being made to feel like a clueless idiot gave me writer’s block. I doubted myself.”
“Why?” Jack followed the movement of Audra’s right index finger as she traced the condensation on her glass.
“I’d pretty much ignored my personal life. I didn’t go out much. In fact, if it wasn’t career related, I didn’t go out at all. I was so focused on building my career.”
Jack was beginning to see more of the woman who’d invaded his every waking and sleeping moment. “Your drive explains your success at such a young age.”
Audra laughed. “There are people who are much younger than I am in this industry, and much more successful. It’s a young person’s game these days.”
“That must make the competition even harder.”
“Yes. And it gave me tunnel vision to everything that wasn’t related to my music. I was an easy target for Wendell.”
Jack frowned. “What do you mean?”
Audra’s sigh lifted her slender shoulders clothed in a buttercup yellow blouse. “I was dazzled by the first man who pursued me. It was even easier for him, because he was interested in music, too. We were together for five months. At first, I thought I’d found my soul mate. It turns out he’d found an easy entrée to connections that could help build his career. I ended our relationship three months ago.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I hope I’ve learned from the experience. Getting away from Los Angeles helped. But I won’t mention that to Benita.”
Jack’s own disturbing memories brought a cloud. “I felt the same when I found out about Kerry’s affair—angry and duped. Luckily, Kerry moved. But even having her almost two hundred miles away at the state capital in Columbus wasn’t enough.”
“Is that when you decided to buy the cabins?” Audra braced her elbow on the table and propped her chin on her fist.
“Zoey had loved Pearl Lake. We’d have picnics and go fishing at the lake as often as we could until she got too sick.”
“Those are gre
at memories.” Audra’s voice was a whisper, as though she didn’t want to intrude on his thoughts.
“Yes, they are.” Jack reached across the table to cup her hand. “Thanks for giving them back to me.”
She turned her hand to link her fingers with his. “Thank you for sharing them with me.”
Jack looked at their joined hands. Had he just made it that much harder to let go?
CHAPTER 16
What was bothering Doreen? Jack leaned back on his recliner and gulped his ice water. His guest perched on the plump sofa, catty-corner from him. She stared into her glass of water as though waiting for it to reveal her future. Her cream skirt suit, matching pumps, and pearl earrings were sure signs she’d attended church that morning. But judging by her rigid posture and the waves of tension emanating from her, the service hadn’t eased her mind.
“I heard you had dinner with Audra at Trinity Falls Cuisine last night.” Doreen’s words were an abrupt departure from their previous less-than-stimulating conversation.
They’d progressed from the weather to last night’s dinner. He was pretty sure neither subject had compelled Doreen to his cabin straight from church.