Best of Me

Chapter 20

Cora's anger had subsided by the time she was finished with her bath and only embarrassment remained. Jane had taken her time washing and brushing Cora's hair and she was soothed by the action, just as she had been when Garrett had done it.

Jane had assured her that her clothes were almost dry, but until then she was given a robe to wear and it must have been Garrett's because it swallowed her. She was having a hard time keeping the wide neck on her shoulders but she couldn't use that as an excuse not to join him for lunch.

As she left her room her first thought was that the apartment was full of light and the view was still awesome even in the daylight. She noted Garrett sitting at the small table by the windows. The same place where he had asked her to marry him. It had only been a month since his proposal but it felt like a lifetime ago.

Cora sat across from him, not saying a word as she reached for the glass of water that was on the table. She was on edge, waiting for him to make a comment about what had happened earlier in the bathroom.

"How are you feeling?" Garrett asked as he set aside the papers he had been reading and took off his glasses.

"Better, thank you." She sat her glass down and did her best to try and relax.

"Good, Jane assured me that a bath and a hot meal would make a world of difference."

Cora nodded focusing her attention on the view letting it sooth her battered nerves. When Roxi padded over to her she reached over and absentmindedly stroked her head.

"Are you sure you're alright Cora?" He reached over and placed his hand over hers where it rested on the arm of the chair.

Shrugging, she looked at his hand on hers, it was the second time that he had touched her hand in the last hour, but she wanted more than just a hand clasp. She wanted a hug; a kiss. She felt the bathrobe slip off her shoulder and she adjusted it automatically but his hand stopped hers.

"What happened?" He was looking at the bruise that Shane had left on her arm.

"It must have happened last night." She had been all about telling him what had happened with Shane the day before, but now that she was presented with the perfect chance to do so it was the last thing she wanted to do. If he was going to spend his evenings with Teddy it didn't really matter if she and Shane were seeing each other or not, and it might, eventually, help her save her pride when their fiasco of a marriage was finished.

"No, it's yellow so it had to have happened a few days ago," he insisted.

Cora only shrugged again, covering the bruise with the robe.

He sat back in his chair and gave her a long hard look. "Why won't you tell me what happened?"

Cora didn't let the question break the numbness that had settled over her.

"You still don't trust me enough to be honest with me?"

When Cora didn't respond to that he changed the subject.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there last night." The sudden gruffness in Garrett's voice caught her off guard. "Theodora needed some advice and wanted to talk."

"It's fine Garrett. She let me know and she also apologized." Cora's voice almost broke as she said the words. The numbness had vanished at his admission and the pain had returned.

Garrett muttered an oath as he threw down his napkin and looked out of the window. Cora turned to look at him confused by his response. Did he think that she didn't know about them? He hadn't kept their relationship a secret.

"What about the house?" she asked, reaching for her water again with a shaking hand. How could he affect her so much? "Is it a total loss?"

"No." He turned towards her. "We have to decided what to do though?"

"I can't imagine that you want to invest even more money to repair it." She refused to look at him. "You should sell it." Cora nodded as if to convince herself.

Since she wasn't looking at him she missed Garrett's surprised look.

"If we sell it, what would you do, where would you go?"

It crushed her that he wasn't going to argue to keep it.

"I'll manage, but would you take care of Margie and Leon?" She looked at him and wasn't surprised by his stony look. Whatever he was thinking he was hiding it well.

"I'll make sure that they have all that they need, but if you really want to sell the house it will take a while."

Cora nodded, understanding.

"Are you willing to stay with me, as my wife, until the house is sold?"

Cora nodded again as she bit back the words that she would stay with him as long as he wanted her to, knowing that they would make her sound pathetic.

Jane bustled in with their lunch ending their conversation as she made sure they had all they needed before she retreated to the kitchen once again. Garrett turned his attention away from Cora as he started to eat. Cora wasn't very hungry so she picked at the meal.

Unable to hold back the tears any longer she stood. "I'm going to go lie down."

She could feel Garrett's eyes on her back as she fled.

*******

Garrett wasn't sure what he had expected from Cora when she had joined him. Her anger in the bathroom had lifted his spirits and given him hope, but now she seemed beaten.

The bruise on her arm was a concern, a concern that looked suspiciously like a hand print. Had Burgess done that to her or had someone else? He had hoped that their lunch would be a chance for them to be a little more honest with each other. He had planned to tell her about his plans for the house, but he had been completely floored when she had suggested selling it. That was not what he had expected her to say.

His visit to Theodora the night before had been a huge mistake. It had taken him and Cora back to the beginning. What little trust she had developed for him was gone. The only sure outcome from the previous evening was Cora's inability to feel that she could rely on him to be there for her.

He would have to work hard and fast to rebuild the trust, and he would need Theodora's help to do it. Whether she wanted to help him or not.