Best of Me

Chapter 21

Cora stood watching the planes through the rain spattered window as they taxied out onto the runway. Garrett's company had chartered a plane to take him and some of the upper echelon of his company on a working retreat to the Bahamas, and spouses were invited. It was a new team building exercise that some consultant they had hired thought would be a good idea.

It had been six months since the house had burned, six months that she had waited every day for Garrett to break the news to her that it was time to end their marriage, but he hadn't. Instead, he had become her best friend. He had encouraged her to go back to school and to continue her illustrations. He made sure that she had all that she could ever want and had even given her her own bank account and credit card. He had done all of this and asked for nothing in return. He had even encouraged her to get out more and start spending time with her fellow classmates.

He, in turn, was spending less time with Teddy and more time at home. Most evenings they had dinner together and talked about their days before he retired to his office to work and Cora to the dining room or her room to study. Most of the evenings that they weren't at home they were attending different business events. Garrett sat on numerous boards and gave a good deal of money to different causes, all of which had events that he felt obliged to attend.

The times she lived for though, were when just the two of them went out together, sometimes it was dinner and dancing and other times it was pizza and a movie. It was during these few private dates that she felt she was seeing the real Garrett. Most of the time she felt as if he was playing one giant game where he moved people and events around until he reached the desired outcome. It was as if he always had to be thinking two steps ahead of everyone else. But when it was just the two of them she felt as if he left all of that behind and was living in the moment.

Cora looked over her shoulder to where Garrett stood talking to a few of the wives who had arrived before their husbands. It amazed her how he always seemed oblivious of his own charm. She really should go and save him from himself. The thought brought a smile to her lips and, as if sensing her look, he looked up from the woman he was talking to and their eyes met across the room. Returning her smile, he motioned for her to join him.

"Cora, this is Mrs. Elder and Mrs. Jackson." He placed his hand in the small of Cora's back as he drew her near. "This is my wife Cora."

Cora shook the women's hands and commenced on the small talk that she had gotten so good at since meeting Garrett. They had half an hour until their flight was scheduled to depart and Garrett kept her close to his side as they mingled with the others who were waiting.

They had just been invited to board the plane when Shane and Rain suddenly appeared. Cora noticed right away and turned her back to the couple. Garrett didn't seem to notice their arrival as an older gentleman had begun to talk to him in earnest about something that seemed important. Cora wrapped her arm through his and held on tight, not wanting to get separated from him. She stayed attached to him through the entire journey.

They were staying at a smaller hotel that had once been a private villa. Its size allowed for the company to rent the entire hotel for their personal use. It had a lovely view of the vivid blue water from the entry way and all of the doors and windows had been left open to allow the ocean breeze to fill the building.

Cora had been so consumed with ignoring Shane that it wasn't until the clerk at the check in desk told Garrett that their room was one of the best they had that it dawned on her what the clerk really meant. She tried to play it as cool as she could because of the others that were around them, but it was an almost impossible task.

It wasn't until they were alone in their room that it really hit home for the first time that she and Garrett would have to share a bed. Shane was forgotten as she tried to figure a way out of the situation.

"Lunch is being served on the patio downstairs in about half an hour. If there is anything you need to do before then I suggest you get it done," Garrett said as he pulled out his laptop and set it up on the table by the balcony.

"I-I didn't realize that we would be sharing a room." It was a large room but it didn't feel large enough.

"You're my wife Cora, it would have looked odd if we had had separate rooms. It was bound to happen sooner or later." He sounded unconcerned by the situation and Cora wished she could be as nonchalant about it as he was.

He was watching her closely. "Is this going to be a problem?"

Cora looked over at the bed then at him.

"Perhaps you wanted your own room so that it would be easier for you and Burgess to meet up later?" His voice was still nonchalant as he said the words but he was watching Cora closely. "Tell me was the reason you were hanging on so tight to me because you can't trust yourself to stay in control around him? Is his being here going to be a problem for you?"

Cora couldn't suppress the shudder of revulsion that moved through her body.

"No." she said as she moved towards her suitcase which had been deposited on a luggage rack next to the bathroom door. "I'll just freshen up." She had to get away quickly before she spilled the whole horrible story to him. Somehow, she didn't think it would help either of them in that moment.

"We never really did clarify this part of our agreement did we Cora?" Garrett asked as he sat down.

"What part?" Cora stopped mid-stride to the bathroom, she knew what he what he was talking about but she was going to pay dumb because she didn't want to discuss it.

"Our sleeping together, sex." He leaned back in his chair watching her.

Cora shrugged, which was a direct contradiction to her blush. "I didn't think it was something that you were interested in pursuing. You haven't appeared to be interested in me in that way." Her eyes were riveted to his.

"Oh, I'm very interested Cora, I never said I wasn't." He wouldn't look away and she was trapped in his gaze. It had been so long since he had held her with a single look. Her heart rate accelerated and her breathing grew shallow.

Cora cleared her throat. "I'm-," but she got no further as his phone rang and he looked at it with a glare before ignoring it, but the moment was broken.

"You're what Cora?"

She couldn't do it she was too big of a coward. "I'm going to get ready so that we can go and meet the others." She rushed into the bathroom closing the door behind her.

She was both thrilled by his admission and scared to death by it.