“Are you having a hard time letting go?”
“Yes, I am, and I’m older than Elaine, so I feel like there’s even more reason for Liam to want a younger woman for the long haul.”
“Well, this is only my opinion—and I don’t know you very well and I’ve never met this guy—but if you like each other’s company and the sex was good, what’s really stopping you from letting him know and asking for what you want?”
She stopped fiddling with her food. “You sure you aren’t a couples’ therapist masquerading as a tree monkey?”
“Speaking metaphorically, it’s all about getting rid of what’s cluttering up the view or making the area unsafe. And thanks for lunch,” he added, stepping forward to hug her when she came out of the kitchen, eyes damp and arms open.
“Thank you for listening, Richie. I needed a man’s perspective.”
“Anytime. And you’ll put in a good word with Elaine?”
“Absolutely.”
She followed up with her promise to Richie the next day, when Elaine came over at Anna’s request. She had received a letter from a law firm in New York City, and she wasn’t reading the legalese with a clear head.
“I think what they’re saying,” Elaine said, “is that you need to give a sworn statement about what happened on the boat so the boat owners can complete the paperwork they need to submit to a claim to their insurance company.”
Anna’s limited bandwidth for that kind of language was maxed out with the complexities of the familial property negotiations going on between Gigi and Gary.
“Oh, and they want you to join them on a ‘pre-deposition’ conference call,” Elaine added, “and it looks like Liam will be there too.”
“A what?” Anna wrenched her attention away from the series of emails speeding back and forth between her and her offspring.
“A conference call, complete with cameras, where they’ll ask you questions about what happened on the boat and then determine who’s liable for what.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“What?”
“Anna, when did you get this email?”
“A few days ago? I don’t know. Things have been chaotic. Gary and Suki are moving to Toronto soon so they can get settled before the baby arrives. Gigi’s decided she doesn’t want to leave Vancouver. The kids are having a hard time divvying up the responsibilities and complexities of dual home ownership.” She shrugged and added, “And I could really use a good you know what.”
“A good, sweaty fuck with a handsome, nimble-fingered man?”
“Nimble fingers, yes, and nimble other things as well, and the sweatier the better. What time tomorrow?”
“It says ten in the morning, their time, which is seven here.” Elaine removed her reading glasses and turned to appraise her friend. “That’s early. You might want to figure out what you’re wearing and sleep in it tonight.”
“Funny, El. It’s just a conference call,” Anna reassured herself.
“Yes, but remember how frantic you got when Daniel wanted to chat with you the first time? There’s even more at stake with this call. Liam will be there.”
“I know he’ll be there,” Anna said. “I’m choosing to ignore that part of the email.”
“Well, do your best and tell the truth. And if you end up doing jail time, I promise to visit you. It’s been a while since I had an excuse to visit New York City.”
“What a friend.”
The sky was dark when the alarm chimed and was still dark when Anna positioned herself in front of her laptop and began the sign-in process for the group call. She tested her camera, recoiled at her washed-out morning face, and hurriedly added mascara and a burgundy lip stain.
Her clothes were good to go.
Liam was intimately familiar with the cropped sweater she wore, having rid her of it more than once. She lifted the sweater off her breasts and sniffed. The garment had been stored away, folded and forgotten, and still carried his smell.
A notepad and pen were lined up on the table, next to a glass of water. She tried coffee, but her stomach was too jumpy to handle any caffeine. Her eyesore of a kitchen loomed behind her shoulders. Anna switched positions so the camera would show the view out the windows and sent out a silent wish for a spectacular sunrise. She wanted Liam to see what he was missing.
Everything he was missing.
The call began on a formal note. “Please state your full name and address.”
Liam sat at an oval table in what looked like a conference room. A cityscape lit by cold, winter light was barely visible through the window to his right. Anna had never seen Liam wear a tie. He looked good in men’s business attire. He’d also cut his hair and shaved off his beard. He was flanked by a woman and another man, both lawyers from the law firm Archibald and Archibald, both dressed similarly in suits.
“Ms. Granger,” said the male lawyer, “would you please describe what happened on my client’s boat, the Blood Vessel, on November first. And please state for our records what you were doing on the boat in the first place.”
“I was asked to assist with estimating the costs for upholstering the interior sleeping and sitting areas.”
“Who asked you?”
“Liam Galbraith.”
“Had any monies changed hands at that point, or had you signed a contract specifying a budget or exactly what was expected of you?”
“No, none of that,” she said. So far, so good. “I was there to take measurements and get a sense of the scale of the project. I always do that before I give a client a quote on any work. I’ve been asked to do custom upholstery work on many boats, and every project is different.”
“What is your relationship with Mr. Galbraith?”
“Uh, right now?” She was acutely aware of the slow heat building under her sweater, spreading over her chest and up toward her throat. Was it too late to duck into
