As the elevator rose toward the fortieth floor, I squirmed and plucked at my raincoat, ruing the icy wetness seeping under my collar. It wouldn’t be the first time Kyle had seen me looking like a scary troll doll, but today I’d aimed to look hot and unavailable. Not that he’d notice, anyway.
I sighed and straightened as the bell announced my arrival, and the door slid open.
“Amara!” Juliette bounced from her chair behind the reception desk and dashed across the floor. “Let me hang your coat. Poor thing. The weather’s been beastly all week. Did you come across on the SeaBus?”
“I hate driving downtown. Parking is impossible.” I shrugged out of the drippy jacket, and she draped it on the rack. “It’s good to see you.”
“You look amazing.” Juliette hugged me. “He’s been a real bear the past few months,” she whispered. “What happened?”
“Why don’t we go for coffee next week?” I grimaced and motioned toward the office. “Can I?”
“He’s expecting you.” Her faint but encouraging smile along with a little waving motion urged me forward.
Nothing for it now but to enter into Kyle’s inner sanctum. I drifted closer to the door, tilting my head at the sound of his deep, low voice. For a sliver of time, I’d thought it the sexiest sound on the planet. But now? That was reserved for another. I tapped on the frame of the door and waved.
Kyle barely looked my way, holding up his index finger. “Yeah, email those figures. I’ll take a look and let you know. Thanks.” He set the receiver gently in the cradle and rose, running those strong fingers through his thick blond hair. He skirted behind me and pushed the door closed. “Sit.”
I wrinkled my nose.
He sighed. “Please, Amara. Have a seat.” Kyle headed toward the dark wood side table. “Coffee? Tea? I bought the chai you like. And local honey from that shop in Granville Island.”
“Just water, thanks.” I headed toward the cozy circle around the coffee table and sank onto the low chair, shrinking and wrapping my arms around myself as he approached, his six-foot frame looming over me.
He placed the glass of water on a coaster and sat in the matching chair to my right, squarely between me and my planned escape route.
I sipped the icy liquid and returned the glass to the table, looking around. Yup. Exactly the same as the last time I was here. Except now, my photo was no longer on display. I straightened, searching to see if someone else had claimed my spot of honour on his desk.
“What brings you here?” he asked.
Same old Kyle. Straight to the point with no side trips. I dragged my briefcase closer, pulled out the large envelope, and extended it toward him.
“Is this what I think it is?”
I nodded.
He took it but placed it on the table, leaning back and crossing his right ankle over the opposite knee.
“You’re not opening it?”
“I’ve signed, you’ve signed, my lawyer will get paid to file everything,” he said in a flat voice. “It’s finished.”
I pulled out the small case and extended it toward him. “You should have this back. I’m sorry for arguing over it.” Especially as we both knew this stunning piece would sit neglected in my sock drawer for all eternity. Besides, ending this had been hard enough without creating more angst; something I seemed all too good at.
Kyle opened it, running a finger over the antique sapphire ring before he snapped the box close. “Thanks. My mom will be thrilled it’s been returned.”
“It is a family heirloom. You should have it.”
“It’s going to my brother. He and Candice are getting serious.”
“Ahh.” Of course, Kyle’s mother would want someone to wear it down the aisle. Someone who would relieve the disappointment that I hadn’t worn this magnificent piece of jewellery when I’d married her firstborn child. Oddly, the woman had nagged me to produce a grandchild. If only she knew the real story, but I’d never tell. “Maybe she’ll hate me a little less.”
“My mother never hated you. Your mother, on the other hand, detests me. She must be relieved I’m no longer her son-in-law.”
What to say, what to say. Nothing could fix my family’s dynamics. Kyle would see right through any subterfuge. I reached into my bag and pulled out a second velvet box. “Maybe you should have this back.”
He reached out as I did, wrapping his hand around mine, squishing my fingers into the velvet. “That’s yours. I’d never ask for it back.”
I smiled sadly as he let go and tucked the tiny jeweller’s box away.
Kyle rubbed his palms across his knees. “You’re seeing the infamous university boyfriend, huh? Is it serious?”
“It might be.”
“Your mother must be ecstatic you’re with him again.” He frowned. “Jake is why you finally signed?”
“No,” I said. “You insisted I sign those papers.”
He shifted, straightening his legs, only to bend them again. His lips set in a flat line.
“You seeing someone?” I asked. “Is that why you were in such a rush?”
“You really want to talk about this?” Kyle’s eyes closed as he massaged his temples. “Now?”
“It was just a question.” I fastened my briefcase. “Maybe I should go.”
“Amara.” Kyle rested a hand on my arm. “Please, just … no, I haven’t been seeing anyone.” He cleared his throat. “When did it start with him?”
“Does it matter?”
“Please. I need to know.”
“In Toronto, at Dara’s wedding.”
“After we separated, then?”
“Long after.” I tucked my chin to my chest, studying his shiny Prada loafers. My throat closed up, and I swallowed hard, blinking rapidly. Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry … “Jake isn’t the reason our marriage failed.”
“I’m not so sure about that. I’ve been asking for weeks why you haven’t signed with no response. That guy shows up, and it’s done within days. You look happier than you ever were with me.”
“And you were so thrilled about our marriage.”
“I could have been,” he said softly. “I love you,
