me, and I turned to find Gus trotting in with a floppy bear in his mouth. At least, I thought it was a bear. It had no eyes, one ear was missing, and it was short one arm. The other dangled off its shoulder, waving gently as Gus slowed to an amble.
“Hey, buddy,” I cooed, which triggered a violent wagging of his tail.
He nosed me hard enough to nearly knock me over.
Claudius glanced down at Gus apathetically as the dog chuffed and snorted around his bear, tail swishing.
I kissed Claudius’s furry head and deposited him on the bed. Gus flung his front paws on the mattress, ears perked and eyes eager, but Claudius only flicked his tail and hopped away, leapfrogging up various articles of furniture until he was perched on top of a bookshelf, looking down at us imperiously.
Gus seemed disappointed but followed me into the kitchen, forgetting Claudius almost instantly when he spotted his tennis balls. He bounded over to them and began the task of trying to fit a tennis ball in around his bear.
I shook my head, smiling at him as I made my way to the coffee pot. It was already full, and my mug sat next to it, waiting to be filled.
My smile stretched wider. I filled up my cup, only just noting the sound of Tommy’s running shower.
I still found myself surprised that he’d given me his room, but that was the kind of man Tommy was. Fiercely loyal. Compassionate and giving. When it came to the people he cared for, he would do anything to ensure their happiness and comfort even if it meant sacrificing his own.
So he showered in the guest bathroom and left me the big soaker tub in the master. Upstairs were more bedrooms and his office, which he hadn’t worked in since I’d been there. Instead, we spent all our time in the living room and kitchen, working side by side, eating side by side.
We’d slipped into our routine so naturally, I hadn’t had time to feel a shred of doubt or warning. Everything about him was easy. His smile, our conversation, cohabitating. He even made being in front of people and cameras easy—he was a human shield, his purpose singular. To protect me.
It was spoken in every action.
We’re good together, I heard him say in my mind.
My cheeks warmed at the memory of the kiss he’d proven his point with yesterday.
He wasn’t wrong. We were good together, and that thought was as terrifying and disastrous than I had the heart to entertain.
Tommy was…Tommy. He was bold and brave and brash. He was confidence and certainty. He was experienced and evocative.
He was so far above me, on another planet, another plane. As much as I trusted him, I knew on some level that I was a novelty. A little tchotchke to smile at and hold under the light and admire.
We’d become friends. I knew he cared for me. But his suggestion, his admission that he wanted more—more kisses, more touching, just more—was unnerving. And not because I didn’t want that, too. But because we were in a bubble, a protected space of him and me and nothing else. I was a shiny new toy. I was safe. I was a lot of things, including his wife, but I wasn’t capable of being his girlfriend.
A laugh huffed out of me at the irony. And my heart lurched at the reminder of the truth.
None of this was real.
I turned to the island, leaning against it to look into the living room. Gus was still trying to unhinge his jaw in an effort to fit every toy he owned in his eager mouth, and I watched him, amused.
My phone buzzed from the pocket of my robe, and I reached for it, hoping it was my friends. When I saw Janessa’s name on my screen, all hope sank and soured.
Let me know when you can come in next week. Want to talk about your assignment.
My nose wrinkled up like cellophane.
We hadn’t seen each other since the meeting we all had after the wedding, though not for Janessa’s lack of trying. She’d been getting more aggressive. This time, she hadn’t even asked. She’d commanded.
And I had zero good feelings about the impending meeting. It wouldn’t be so bad if Tommy could come with me. But she wanted me. Alone.
None of it boded well for me—or for Tommy, if I were being honest.
I caught myself frowning and sighed, smoothing my face. I was sure