raising a brow at that one. Kyle Shaw, Caitlyn’s third husband at this point, was at least thirty years older than her. I’d known the man most of my life as a passing acquaintance of my parents—what he and Caitlyn had in common, I could list on one hand.
Caitlyn tilted her head, like she was in on the joke. “Okay. So maybe we’re not in the same pod. But he’s nice. And I can’t say that about the last two, can I?”
I released a breath. Sometimes I spent so much time thinking about Caitlyn’s and my differences, I forgot about the things we had in common.
“I’m glad you’re happy,” I said. “You deserve it. Really.”
“So do you.” Caitlyn glanced in the direction Calvin had gone, then back at me and leaned a bit closer. “Which is why, between friends, I have to ask—do you really want to be entertaining other men right now? Especially knowing what yours is capable of?”
I jerked. “What?”
Caitlyn looked at me like a child who had lost its toy. “N, please. It’s all over you.”
I couldn’t help but look down at myself, as if my indiscretion was somehow evident on my clothes. “What could you possibly mean by that?”
“Well, for one, your lips look like that Jenner girl. And since I know you don’t do injections, I’d assume you were kissing someone.”
“I wasn’t—”
“And secondly”—she glanced toward the bathroom again—“the bug bite excuse only works once, darling. Next time, tell your ‘friend’ to keep his teeth to himself. For both your good.”
I peered at my open collar, then hurriedly did up an additional button to hide the bright red mark peeking over the silk. Lord, she was right. Matthew hadn’t exactly been gentle, but it also hadn’t been that bad six hours earlier.
I laid my hands on the table and forced myself to look at Caitlyn straight on as I willed every bit of the mask I had worn my entire life back into place. “I’m only going to say this once. I am not having an affair, Caitlyn.”
“Come on!” she hissed. “I saw you at Lincoln Center in your slinky red dress. Are you really trying to tell me that you and the lawyer were only there as ‘friends’?”
“As Calvin said, I was there as a favor to Eric. Besides, I am not you, Caitlyn.” I gritted out the lie, glancing over my shoulder toward the door. Calvin was nowhere to be seen. “And for the record, Mr. Zola was very forthcoming that night about your previous rendezvous with him.”
Caitlyn reared like she’d been bitten by a snake. “He didn’t.”
I arched a brow. “He did. He felt, given the work he was doing for Eric and Jane, that he needed to be transparent.”
“Did you…did you tell Calvin?” she asked.
I frowned. Why would it matter if Calvin knew about Caitlyn’s extramarital activities? I would have thought she’d be more concerned about her husband discovering the connection. Or Eric, given her feelings for him.
I set my wineglass back on the table. “No. And if we can stop this ridiculous conversation, I’ll continue keeping it to myself.”
Caitlyn exhaled with relief. “Thank you. Really. I just—well, I don’t want to make more trouble for you.” She looked me over again. “But really, how do you explain the puffy lips and the—”
“It was Calvin,” I said finally. “And it was not from kissing, if you must know.”
Caitlyn sat for a moment, digesting my meaning. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen it before. We’d had these conversations more than once over the years, though not for some time. She was the only one who ever knew anything about what my life was really like. Not all of it. Not even most of it. But the important parts. The parts that kept me in my place.
“Oh,” she said finally. “I see. And it’s been—”
“More since he’s been home,” I admitted. “Since the indictment, he’s under a stay-at-home order. He can’t leave the state.”
She was still, understanding completely what that meant for me. “Have they interviewed you at all?”
I shook my head. “Who?”
“What do you mean, who? The lawyers or whoever. Zola.”
Just the sound of his name on her lips made that protective urge ripple through me all over again. With effort, I shoved it back down. “No. I’m covered by spousal privilege. Calvin has claimed it.”
Caitlyn exhaled. “That’s good.” She reached over and patted my hand. “Calvin will get a good settlement, or just get off, N. I’m sure of it. Your lawyers