It wasn’t the first time I’d seen an aura since Louisa’s botched healing, but I’d never seen them with the same frequency as before then.
To see one now, with this woman, put me on edge.
Was it a sign?
A warning?
To trust her or not to trust her? That was the question.
It was why, with Charles Linden, the Nike exec, I was thinking about accepting their offer over someone else. I had to believe that when I saw an aura now, there was a reason for it.
Swallowing, I muttered, “For your sake, I’m glad he died without your blood on his hands.” I grimaced. “And vice versa too.”
“Me as well,” she admitted. “Orange isn’t my color.” Releasing a shaky breath, she stated, “Well, you have my number. I don’t often do this, but if you give me your email, I’ll send you a copy of the article before it goes to the editor. I really wouldn’t want to publish anything that might hurt you.”
Taken aback by that generous offer, I gaped at her and queried, “You’d really do that?”
“I really would.” She clicked on the recorder, and I spelled out my email. “Thank you for agreeing to speak with me, Thea.”
“You’re more than welcome. I’ll look forward to receiving the article.”
Because she looked like she was going to stay at the cafe, I climbed out of the booth we’d taken over. The tabby cat purred and pounced on my feet, coming out of nowhere to do so. I jumped, then laughed as I gathered my medals.
“She likes you,” Renee commented.
“Looks like she does.” I bent down after I’d stowed my medals in my backpack, then stroked her ears. “Bye, sweetheart.” To Renee, I murmured, “Speak soon.” And surprisingly enough, I meant it.
She smiled. “Speak soon.”
The cat followed me all the way to the door, and I actually felt guilty leaving her. As I stepped onto the pavement, however, thoughts of the cat faded away when I saw him.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded, even as I loathed how every part of my body lit up like a firework show.
“Wanted to see you,” Adam rasped.
“Why? We have nothing to say to each other.”
“Because Dad told me about your schedule.”
“What about it?”
He jerked his chin up. “Your vacation. We’re going on it together.”
I snorted. “Get your own vacation. You’re not spoiling mine.”
“Once upon a time, I’d have made it.”
“Yeah, that was way back then.” I pushed past him, pissed that he thought he could just pop back up and I’d welcome him with open arms. “Way back before you were married,” I snarled, justifiably, in my opinion, outraged at his damn nerve.
“We’re getting a divorce, Thea.” He grabbed my arm when I went to move past him and forced me to a standstill. “I’ve set the ball in motion. It’s why I had to go back to the States. I’ve published the first notice… I do it for two weeks in a row, and that’s it. The divorce can proceed.”
My mouth worked as I stared at him, but I couldn’t believe what he was saying. I couldn’t afford to have hope, because his marriage wasn’t the only thing standing in our way, so I shoved past him and walked away.
ADAM
There was a time when I’d have said fate was bullshit. That a man made his own destiny.
That was before I met Theodosia Kinkade.
She changed my life, and some days, I felt certain it wasn’t for the better. That it was, in fact, for the worse.
Knowing she was in this world, without me at her side, hurt.
Every fucking day, it hurt.
So I did what I did best.
I made money.
A lot of it.
I’d figured it out when I’d received my grandfather’s trust. I’d realized, thanks to the hand of fate that I often cursed, what I truly wanted to do with my life.
And it wasn’t swimming.
Nor was it to go to college.
I wanted to lead my own pack, lead my own way, write my own rules, write my own future.
Wasn’t asking for much, was I?
The second I’d had that two hundred and fifty thousand in my bank account was the day I’d started living.
Ironically, it was the day when Theodosia left.
That was the day after graduation.
One minute she was there, at the other end of the phone.
The next, she wasn’t.
Her phone was cut off, and she changed numbers. I knew she didn’t even give my dad that new cell number, because he always called her through Skype.