“Why are you so angry? ” she demands. “Why are you defending her so much? Why am I feeling like the one who’s done something wrong? ”
“What are you trying to say? ”
“Fine. If I have to spell it out for you, I will. Are you sleeping with Annabel? ”
Adam leans back, forcing a smile on his face. “I knew it. I knew that’s what this was about. Your jealousy, still, even after we’re divorced.”
“This isn’t about jealousy. This is about the right thing. And any way you slice it, if you and Annabel are sleeping together, that is not the right thing. To sleep with your sister’s newly ex-husband would not be appropriate in any way, shape or form.”
“Shall I tell you what I think? ”
“What? ”
“I think you’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous!” Kit shouts, and Adam shushes her. “I’m just trying to get to the truth and right now it feels like everyone’s lying to me.”
“I’m surprised at you,” Adam says simply. “I’m surprised that you would believe your mother over Annabel. Your mother, who has done nothing but let you down your entire life, and you are choosing to believe her with this stupid tale of Annabel replacing you.”
“Adam”—the tears are almost there—“I’m not saying I believe my mother. I’m saying I don’t know who to believe. I’m saying I need your help. You’ve always been there for me, you’ve always helped me, and now, when I really need it, you don’t want to know.”
“Don’t start blaming me in this,” Adam says. “This has nothing to do with me.”
“But it does! If my mother is right, it has to do with all of us. Me, you, our children. Don’t be so damned blind, Adam. Whether you’re sleeping with her or not, this has everything to do with all of us.”
“So what do you want from me? ”
“You could start by answering the question.”
“What’s the question? ”
Kit wants to scream in frustration. “Are you sleeping with her? ”
“I can’t believe you’re still asking that.” Adam looks away, can’t meet Kit’s eyes, and that gives her the answer. There is a long silence, and eventually Adam turns to Kit, and she sees the guilt in his face.
“How could you? ” she whispers.
“I . . . I didn’t mean . . .” But there is nothing else he can say. Nothing that can mask the shame that he feels as Kit stands and walks outside then makes her way to her car, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Adam drives home slowly, sick with guilt. Oh God. He never meant to hurt Kit.
He stops at the grocery store and fills a basket with eggs, bacon, muffins, thinking all the time about the conversation he has just had, hating himself for not being able to restrain himself when it came to Annabel, especially when he knew—of course he did—that he was doing the wrong thing.
The house is quiet when he gets home. He looks in on Buckley, then Tory and Annabel, and all are fast asleep.
He will surprise them with breakfast, he decides, and goes downstairs to start cooking. At the bottom of the stairs is Annabel’s bag. He passes it and shakes his head, thinking again about Kit’s accusations, how she thinks Annabel may have been looking at her bank accounts.
He pours the coffee beans into the machine, and cracks the eggs into a bowl, then glances back at the bag. If he does the unthinkable, takes a quick look, he might be able to prove to Kit, prove to himself, that her fears are unfounded, for if Annabel is up to no good, surely there will be something in her bag.
Not that Kit is likely to ever speak to him again.
He lays the strips of bacon on the griddle, and looks at the bag again, then walks over. He can see some papers stuffed at the bottom. They are peeking out from just below her passport.
He stands over the bag and looks up the stairs. He can’t hear anything. And if she were to come downstairs and see him looking, he could just tell her that—well, he was removing her passport to put it somewhere safe. Everyone knows you don’t carry your passport in your bag.
He is simply looking after her, making sure nothing happens to her. He stops breathing, listens intently for any noises upstairs, but there is nothing. He reaches down into her bag and pulls out her passport and wallet.