“How did you get this picture?” I asked, already knowing the answer. He did this stuff for a living.
“I . . . had a suspicion,” Edgar said, still looking at the floor. “At the bar last night, I had a suspicion that he was doing something like this.”
“You spied on him?” I demanded, my voice getting loud. It wasn’t Edgar who had lied to me, but I really wanted to be mad at someone.
“I didn’t want him to hurt you again,” Edgar said, finally looking up at me. I could tell he was sincere, but that didn’t change the situation.
“I’m feeling pretty fucking hurt right now. And you had no right to spy on my personal life!” I was yelling at this point. Unable to keep the angry tears in, they started streaming down my cheeks.
“I couldn’t just let him go on lying to you.”
“I bet you’re real happy now, aren’t you? Finally proved me right that relationships really can’t work.”
“That wasn’t my intention, but yeah, relationship generally don’t work,” Edgar said defensively.
“What is it with you? Did some woman cheat on you and now you want to make every other couple you know miserable?” I was fuming. Part of me knew that it wasn’t Edgar’s fault that David was sleeping with another woman, but I was so angry.
“No, she died.”
“What?”
“You asked if some woman cheated on me. My wife, Molly, she never cheated on me, but she did break my heart when she died.” Edgar was staring at the floor now, and refused to meet my eyes.
I was so stunned, I had to sit to steady myself. I had assumed that he was bitter about relationships because he had been hurt, but I had no idea it was because his wife had died.
“Molly, my wife, was dying of cancer. It was breast cancer and it had spread. I did everything I could to support her. At first, we were so sure she’d beat it. And when things got worse, she was in the hospital a lot, deteriorating. I went to the hospital to see her every day, but I felt broken. Maybe it’s selfish. She was the one dying and I felt so hurt. I felt like the woman I married had already left and I couldn’t deal with the pain and the loss. One night, I got super drunk and passed out at a bar. When I woke up and got to the hospital, I found out that she had died the night before. It was my fault that I wasn’t with her in the end.”
“Edgar, I had no idea,” I said, some of my anger diminished by his revelation.
“I couldn’t forgive myself. I felt I betrayed the woman who meant so much to me, and I was reminded of that betrayal every time I thought about her. That was five years ago.”
I sat, too stunned to know what to say. Suddenly, all Edgar’s hang-ups about relationships made sense. But I didn’t know what to do with this information.
“I’m so sorry,” was all I could say.
“Don’t feel bad for me. I didn’t tell you this to get your sympathy. It’s just why I don’t trust relationships. Something always goes wrong. If it isn’t a cheating spouse, then it will be something else.”
“So you think that no matter how I treated David, at some point he would cheat on me or die? That’s a really sad outlook.”
“I would have been happy if he had proved my instinct wrong, as it would have meant you didn’t get hurt.”
“I’m feeling pretty damn hurt right now.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” Edgar did look genuinely sorry, and I wasn’t sure if it was for spying on my life or because I was in so much pain.
I picked up my purse. I couldn’t stand to be around Edgar right now, and I was afraid I’d say something I’d really regret if I stuck around. Right now, I just needed some space. I had to give myself time to process all this new information about David and Edgar.
“I have to leave,” I said as I turned to go.
“Are you quitting?” he asked. I stopped and turned to face him. I saw genuine hurt and worry on his face, and for a moment I softened towards him. He had really thought he was trying to help me. But I thought about the photo, and suddenly had to blink back tears.
“I’m not quitting,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I can’t afford to quit. But I am leaving for the day. I need some space. And from now on, I need this to be a professional relationship. I don’t want you spying on me or anyone I’m with, I don’t care what they are doing. It will strictly be work here. I’m so sorry to hear about your wife, but I can’t let you go around monitoring who I’m with because of it. And don’t even think about asking me to go undercover with you, ever again.” With that, I turned around and left his office without looking back. I got into my car and drove a few blocks away. Then I pulled over to the side of the road and started crying.
Chapter 18 – Bernadette
It’d been a few days since Edgar showed me the photo of David and the other woman, and life had taken on a sterile quality. I went over to David’s apartment that first night, and asked him if he was sleeping with someone else. He initially tried to lie to me and said he wasn’t. I told him I had been shown photos and he relented and told the truth. He said he was, and I felt a cold emptiness open up inside me. I told him there was no way we could get back together and I haven’t spoken to him since. I felt a deep sense of betrayal from David and it hurt just to think about it. But I didn’t really miss him, which surprised me. Maybe things were already heading this way for a lot longer than I realized. I was actually relieved that David stopped texting me. I felt like I could finally, fully, let him go.
What was surprising was that I did miss Edgar, even though I saw him every day at work. He followed my wishes, and work was completely professional to the point of being cold. Edgar wasn’t rude to me, but he only talked to me when he needed me to do something in the office. And I hadn’t tried to talk to him about anything else. I was too confused and hurt, so I mechanically went about my tasks—filing, organizing, setting up appointments for his clients—but I felt like a zombie. I didn’t realize how much I loved our conversations and the way Edgar would smile at me. I thought about the trip to the Bahamas a lot, and wondered what life would have been like if we had been a real couple on vacation instead of just pretending to be one.
I also wanted to tell him that I was sorry his wife had died, but he couldn’t keep punishing himself for it. He might have missed the moment she died, but it sounded like he had been there the rest of the time. I didn’t think he should force himself to live without love because of one mistake.
I tried to stay focused on work, which had become so damn hard with Edgar in the same office. I’d started showing up an hour or two early, just so I could leave early at the end of the day, which saved me seeing Edgar a little, but not much. And Edgar didn’t seem to mind. I wondered if whatever we seemed to have between us had been in my head all along. Emily had even said that I looked worn out, but I told her it was my breakup with David.
I arrived at the office early again today, and had been finishing up some invoices when I heard a knock on the door. It was surprising, because clients rarely got here this early, but I answered the door anyway.
“Can I help you?” I asked before really looking at the person on the other side.
“Yes, I think you can.”
I stopped dead. Mr. Coleman stood in front of me, his eyes full of malice and revenge.
“Sir, I think you need to leave,” I said, trying to close the door. But Mr. Coleman put his foot in the door, effectively stopping me from closing it. He pushed the door back open and my strength was far less than his. He easily stepped into the office. I backed up, trying to put some distance between us. I felt a sudden rising panic. Why did I have to come to the office by myself, I berated myself. I suddenly, desperately, wished Edgar was here. I was sure he’d be better at handling the situation.
“I’ll leave when I’ve gotten what I came for,” Mr. Coleman said coldly. My blood turned icy as I wondered what he planned to do.
“What do you want?” I asked. My legs had turned to jelly, and it was all I could do to stay sta
nding.
“You and your boss fucked me, so now I’m going to fuck you. You think I wouldn’t put two and two together? My wife files for divorce with photos of me making out with Ava. Photos that your boss took of Ava and me. There was only one private investigator listed under the name Edgar, so it was pretty easy to track you two down.”
Shit. Shit. Shit. I thought frantically. Why didn’t I think to give him a false name? I’m sure Edgar would have, but I introduced us before he had a chance to. But now it was too late.
“Please,” I said, trying to mollify Mr. Coleman. I wondered if I could get to my phone and call for help.
“Please what?” he sneered. “Please go away? I don’t think so. Not till I get what I came for.”
“And what is that?” He was staring at me, so I didn’t think I’d be able to call 911, even if I could get to my phone.
“Revenge.”
With that, he pulled out a gun. I screamed. Holy shit, this guy was going to kill me. At least Edgar wasn’t here. It was bad enough that I was about to die, but I didn’t want him to get hurt. I suddenly regretted with a terrible ache the way I had treated him recently. If I got out of this alive, I would make sure to tell him.
“Mr. Coleman, please set the gun down. We can talk about this.” I tried to keep my voice steady and calm, but I felt faint with fear.
“What is there to talk about?” he said as he waved the gun in my direction. “You and your fucking boss fucking ruined my marriage. And now not only is Chloe leaving me, but she’ll probably get half my assets to boot.”
“We didn’t make you have an affair,” I said before I could stop myself. That was dumb. Don’t aggravate the crazy man pointing a gun at you, I thought to myself.
“What I did was nobody’s damn business, and certainly not yours,” Mr. Coleman said. I felt a stab as the words sounded so similar to what I had said to Edgar.
“Don’t do anything you’re going to regret, Mr. Coleman,” I said, mostly just to try to keep him talking. Him talking was far safer than him acting.
“I don’t think I’m going to regret this at all,” he said with a truly evil smile. He drew the gun level to my face and cocked it.
I closed my eyes, sure I was about to die. And that’s when I heard the door open.
Chapter 19 – Edgar
The last few days had been hell and I felt miserable. I couldn’t believe I’d told Bernadette about Molly, and I knew she hated me for it. I didn’t know if she hated me more for what I did to my wife or what I did to her by spying on David. I couldn’t stand being so close to Bernadette but feeling like she could barely stand to be around me. I was desperately hoping her anger would cool. But I also expected this morning to be like all the others. Instead, I was shocked to find a man in my office, his back towards me, when I arrived. Immediately I could tell something was wrong, as Bernadette, on the other side of the room, looked more frightened than I’d ever seen her.
“Run, Edgar,” she screamed the moment I stepped into my office.
“What is going . . .” I tried to ask, but she cut me off.
“He has a gun,” she cried at the same moment the man turned around. It was Mr. Coleman and he did indeed have a gun. My veins turned to ice. My first thought was for Bernadette, and how I could get her out of here safely. It was difficult, because she was on the far side of the room, with Mr. Coleman between her and the door.
“Mr. Coleman, what an unexpected surprise,” I said, stalling for time.
“Bullshit,” he said, his face grim. “You fucked my life and now I’m going to end yours. I’m going to kill you and then I’m going to kill your fuck toy of a wife or assistant or who-the-fuck-ever she is.”
“Now, I really don’t think that’s necessary. I’m sure we can work something out. Maybe some compensation for your trouble.” I very slowly walked towards him. I knew I needed to be within arm’s reach if I was to have any hope of grabbing the gun from him, and even then, I didn’t know if I could get the gun from him before he could shoot me.
“Compensation for my trouble?” he asked sarcastically. “You can’t afford the millions I’m going to lose in this divorce.” He laughed, and it was an ugly sound. “I think I’ll take my compensation out in blood.”
“Let Bernadette go,” I suddenly pleaded. “You can kill me. I won’t even put up a fight, but please let Bernadette go. This wasn’t her plan or idea, she’s just an assistant I hired for the job. Just let her go.” I didn’t know if I could disarm him, and I wanted Bernadette out of here if things went bad, and they looked like they were going to go very badly.
“She means that much to you? You’d sacrifice your life for her?” Mr. Coleman glared at me, daring me to back down.
“She does, and I do,” I said sincerely. I knew in my soul it was true. I’d never met anyone like her, and I would do anything I could to keep her safe.
“Good. Then I’ll shoot her first. You can watch her die.” As he said this, he turned to Bernadette. She screamed.
Before he had even turned all the way around, I lunged at him. A shot rang out, so loudly my ears were ringing. But I didn’t feel any pain, so the shot must have missed. I tackled Mr. Coleman to the ground and we wrestled on the floor, a deadly fight for his gun. He spit in my eye, and I blinked, having a hard time seeing him.
I got in a punch to his stomach and he groaned, but he didn’t let go of the gun. He managed to elbow me in the neck, and I gasped. It hurt like hell, but I was fired up on so much adrenaline that I could fight through it. We continued trading blows, each of us fighting for the gun. I tried to grab it from him, but I couldn’t get it. However, I was in his way enough that he couldn’t get in a good shot. I desperately hoped Bernadette had escaped.
“You don’t want to do this,” I panted out, desperately, still clawing at his arm for the gun.
“Yes, I do, you fucking scum,” he said and kneed me hard in the groin. I gasped, and involuntarily curled in on myself. It felt like my balls and dick were on fire and the pain was blinding. I saw Mr. Coleman get to his knees and aim the gun at my face. My last thought was of Bernadette.
But as Mr. Coleman fired off the gun, something heavy came crashing down on his head. The second shot went off, and I felt a fire rip across my arm. I fell backwards in more agony than I had ever felt in my life. My right arm was a blaze of pain. I was starting to feel nauseous and getting black spots in my vision.
“Edgar!” I heard someone scream. I forced myself to stay conscious and saw Bernadette rushing over to me. She was holding a shattered desk lamp, and I realized she must have hit Mr. Coleman with it. I looked down to see Mr. Coleman had been knocked out cold.
Bernadette ignored Mr. Coleman and swooped down by my side.
“Edgar, oh dear God, Edgar,” she sobbed. “You’re bleeding. He shot you. I am so sorry Edgar. I should never have gotten mad at you. Please don’t leave me, Edgar. Please stay with me and if you’ll have me I’ll stay with you. Please, just don’t die. I love you, Edgar.”
And then I was floating above the pain, feeling so faint that I might black out at any moment. But I smiled. She loves me, I thought.
“Tell me what I can do,” Bernadette said. She was crying so hard. I wanted to tell her not to cry, but I was having a hard time talking.
“Call,” I barely made out.
“What?” she asked, leaning over to hear me better.
“911. Call 911.” It was the last productive thought I had before I passed out.
Chapter 20 – Bernadette
I drove to the hospital to pick Edgar up. He had been there for three days, and they said he could go home today. I’d visited him every day, even staying the night in his hospital room the first night, unable to leave him. The doctor had said the gunshot, which hit his right arm, avoided any major veins and that with time and probably minor physical therapy, he’d have full use of his arm again. I was so relieved to hear that verdict that I started crying right in front of the doctor.
&
nbsp; I hadn’t been sleeping well, having nightmares every night about Mr. Coleman. I kept seeing him aim the gun at Edgar, and it still scared the shit out of me. In the dream, that’s usually when I would wake up. It’s a shame I missed the next part where I slammed a lamp into Mr. Coleman’s head, as that was oddly satisfying after he tried to kill Edgar. I knew I just had to be patient and wait for the nightmares to pass. Trying to look nice for Edgar, I had applied some concealer that I hoped would disguise the dark circles under my eyes. Despite being exhausted, I was elated that Edgar was doing well enough to leave the hospital.
I was also scared to see Edgar. The last few days when I visited him in the hospital we got along well, the iciness between us thawed, but we didn’t talk about Mr. Coleman and what happened that day. Edgar never brought it up and I was afraid that he was trying to find a kind way to tell me that he doesn’t love me. After what he told me about Molly, I wasn’t sure he’d ever let himself love someone again. I didn’t want to hear him say that to me, but I tried to convince myself that I could make up some excuse for saying that I loved him. I could tell him I was afraid he was dying, and that’s the only reason I told him I loved him. Obviously, that wasn’t the truth, but I could tell him that. I hadn’t meant to say that I loved him, but as soon as the words had slipped from my lips, I knew they were true. I hadn’t known Edgar long, but I felt more love for him than any man I had ever been with. When he was shot, I was terrified that I might lose him.
When I got to Edgar’s room in the hospital, he was already dressed and waiting for me. I hesitated before stepping into his room.
“Your chariot awaits,” I told him as I walked in.
Edgar was sitting in a chair in the corner and rose when he saw me. He was wearing a sling, but otherwise looked good. Who was I kidding? He looked amazing and so damn sexy. He was wearing jeans and a polo shirt, and I could see his lean, muscular arms, at least his left arm, as his right was in the sling. His dark hair looked badly combed and he had three-day stubble on his face, but it actually gave him a ruggedly sexy look. When he looked at me, I was pierced by the intensity of his amber eyes. I had to remind myself that he couldn’t love me. That thought hurt so much I could feel an actual pain.
The Love Boss Page 7
