Passion Play

“I understand.” Claudia nodded her agreement. “You were with Ben for more than two years. Then you found out he wasn’t the man he’d pretended to be.”

It hurt to have her failed relationship summed up so succinctly. But it was the truth. Benjamin had practically left her at the altar. She’d felt like a fool. Sometimes she still did.

Rose shifted her attention from her friends to the dark wood and jewel tones of the restaurant’s interior. But instead of the tables and booths arranged across the wood flooring, she saw images of her past, scenes that should have alerted her to Benjamin’s lies: late nights, missed appointments, abrupt phone calls. How could she have trusted him so blindly? How could she not have known he’d been cheating on her for years? She would never allow anyone to make her feel like a fool again.

“Will we meet him at the reunion?” Maxine’s voice still bounced with enthusiasm.

Rose snapped back from the past. “Yes, he’s coming with me.”

“Oh, great.” Maxine’s joyous tone made Rose smile. “I’m excited to meet someone who works for my favorite computer gaming company.”

“I can’t wait to see him in the flesh.” Claudia’s reaction drew Rose’s suspicion.

“Neither can I.” Tasha gave Rose a challenging look.

Rose returned Tasha’s gaze with equanimity, but inside she was unsure. How much more of a fool would she feel if people discovered her relationship with Donovan wasn’t real?

Chapter 6

Benjamin Shippley’s name didn’t appear on Rose’s ringing cell phone. That’s because she’d taken him out of her directory. But Rose still recognized her ex-fiancé’s personal phone number.

Temper raised its ugly head. She stabbed her cellular phone screen to accept the call, but then she stopped herself before she spoke. Rose closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Benjamin couldn’t know he could still get a reaction from her. She drew a deep breath and channeled her inner Lily.

“I told you to lose my number.” Rose was pleased with her cool, measured delivery.

“Is that the way you’re going to greet me?” Benjamin had the nerve to sound surprised by her tone. The snake. “It’s been almost two years, Rose.”

“And there still isn’t any reason for you to contact me.” A pulse pounded in Rose’s temple. Why was she allowing Benjamin to get to her? He didn’t mean anything to her anymore.

“Can’t we at least try to keep our relationship professional?” He sounded so reasonable even as he made his unreasonable request.

“We don’t have a relationship. And I’d prefer to keep it that way.” Rose stood from her mocha-brown sofa, setting aside the romantic suspense novel she’d been reading, and paced her family room.

“We’re adults, aren’t we?” Benjamin’s voice was smooth and unruffled.

Rose wanted to jump through the phone and tear him apart. His call had caught her off guard. The snake obviously had prepared himself for this conversation. How long had he been planning to ambush her? Rose pictured her ex-fiancé. In her mind, he was wearing a dark, tight T-shirt to show off his biceps and flat stomach. His shorts would be a size too small, drawing attention to his glutes and long legs.

“I’ve always been a responsible adult. The same can’t be said of you.” She clenched her fist and closed her eyes. That was more like angry Rose than reasonable Lily. She’d have to watch that.

Her footsteps carried her into her kitchen where she’d had a solitary lunch not long before. Had Benjamin and his new wife already eaten? Resentment burned her. Benjamin had given another woman the husband and family he’d promised her. He was about to become a father while Rose had become a hermit.

“I can tell you’re still upset over what happened.” Benjamin’s words shocked her out of her musings.

Had he lost his mind? Rose opened her mouth to scald him with her famous temper. Once again at the last minute, reason intruded. How would Lily respond to Benjamin? “No one likes being lied to. And you lied to me for two years.”

“I’ve already apologized. Do you expect me to do it again?” Benjamin was showing cracks in his calm. Rose smiled to herself.

“No, but I do expect you never to call me again. Goodbye.” Rose started to hang up, but Benjamin’s frantic shouts made her hesitate.

“Rose, wait. Wait. I need to speak with you.”

“What is it?” Not that she was interested in what he had to say.

“I called you to discuss the panel.” The agitation was clear in Benjamin’s voice. He paused, but when Rose didn’t speak, he continued. “We’re going to be presenting on the same panel.”

“I know.” That was the extent of Rose’s interest in this discussion. “I’ll see you then.”

“Rose, wait. I think we should get together to discuss the topic and how best to present it.”