Unhinge - Calia Read Page 0,50

by little I found myself relaxing. “I never think of treating my brother so badly,” I teased.

“Liar,” Renee said.

Sinclair gave me a smile that I felt from the tips of my fingers all the way down to my toes. I quickly looked away.

“So where have you been?” Renee asked me.

Sinclair pulled out his phone and turned his back to us.

“Oh, doing nothing really,” I said evasively. “Just relaxing at home.”

Even to my own ears, my explanation sounded weak and just plain sad. Renee frowned and stepped closer, peering at me very carefully.

She was getting way too close. I needed to leave. Right away. “Hey, you know we’re not outside, right? You can take your sunglasses off.”

I took a step back. “I know. But I just wanted to stop in and say hi real quickly.”

“Stay,” she said solemnly. “I just have to get a few things done, but I wanted to talk to you.” She glanced at Sinclair. “We’ll go in the back room and talk. Okay?”

“Okay,” I said a little too loudly. It sounded wrong. I felt like a parody of the person I used to be and now I was going above and beyond to prove that I was fine.

Renee drifted back over to the cash register and I took the opportunity to really look around. I’d been here a few times before, but it seemed like every time I stepped into Renee’s flower shop, something was different. She had an eclectic decorating style and I loved it. Renee didn’t believe in throwing anything out. She would scour antiques stores and flea markets looking for anything that would fit her shop. The walls were painted a dark teal. On the wall in front of me was a whole array of mirrors, all different shapes and sizes. A long wooden table ran the length of the wall and was flanked by two broken ladders, leaning against the wall. Most of the white paint was chipped off, but the steps were sturdy, holding a wild array of flowers.

“All right,” Renee said behind me. “Let’s chat. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she said to Sinclair.

He threw his hands in the air. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Just do what you do best: Sit there and look pretty, Sin.”

As I followed Renee, I glanced over my shoulder, directly at Sinclair. His gaze clashed with mine and I quickly looked forward.

The back room was a small area with a desk shoved up against the wall. An outdated laptop was open with Post-its stuck around the screen. A small, framed photo of Renee and her husband was next to the stapler. Angled perfectly for Renee to look at. A small mini fridge was plugged in next to the door. Renee gave me the office chair and grabbed a water from the fridge.

“Thirsty?” she asked.

I said no and sat down.

For a while, Renee and I talked about mundane things, nothing too heavy, but soon we had covered every easygoing topic until there was nothing left.

Renee sighed and tossed her empty bottle in the trash can. “So where have you really been?”

“At home. Busy.”

Renee quirked a brow. “Yeah. Busy. Is everything okay with you?”

“Everything is great.” I gave her a bright smile, but it was starting to quake because inside, my soul was screaming, pleading, begging for me to tell Renee the truth. It was taking all of my power to keep quiet.

“All right, all right. Everything’s okay with you….” Renee pushed away from the wall and stared down at her hands as though she were working out a complicated math problem. She raised her head and looked me in the eye. “Is everything okay with you and Wes?”

I hesitated. It was only a second, but it was enough for Renee. “What’s going on?” she prodded.

Now it was my turn to stare down at my hands. “We’re just going through a rough patch.”

Renee nodded empathically. “That’s normal. Couples go through tough times. Sometimes my husband drives me crazy and other moments I can’t get enough of him. But most of the time he drives me crazy,” she said teasingly.

I smirked, appreciating her attempt to lighten the mood. “How long does he usually drive you crazy?”

Her brows formed a tight V. “That depends on how stressed out I am. The same for him. The longest time though?”

I nodded anxiously, waiting for her reply like it was manna falling from heaven.

“I’d say probably around the time that I opened up this business. We’d been married for only