[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
167
Murky Waters
Baby, did he threaten you? Tristan asked, trying to keep her
anger from her voice.
No. He was angry that I was seeing you and accused me of
securing my position with Valor by sleeping with my boss.
Just come home to me, Claire. We will call the police, and
tonight, we are calling someone at Suarez. I want someone in our
office Monday. He will no longer be on our account, and if I have
my way, he will be in the unemployment line.
As Tristan drove down her driveway, she could see the
headlights of Claire s Jeep coming up behind her and breathed a
sigh of relief. She jumped out of her truck and pulled Claire into
her arms, feeling her tremble uncontrollably. Gently, she took
Claire s hand and led her to the house. Once inside, Tristan had
Claire sit down at the kitchen table while she poured her a glass of
wine.
Claire was hesitant to repeat what Mike had said about Tristan,
but she knew she could not leave out any details. Remembering
the conversation nearly word for word, Claire told Tristan
everything that was said. She watched nervously as Tristan s neck
and face flushed with anger.
Tristan, I don t want to upset you further, but I don t think we
have anything to take to the police. He didn t threaten me. He
simply confronted me about my relationship with you. We have no
proof it is him sending me those pictures other than his behavior.
Don t protect him, Claire! Tristan said harshly. Regardless of
whether he is the one who has been stalking you, what he did
tonight was wrong and inexcusable. I have sat back and done my
best to let you handle him, but I can t do it any longer. If you don t
want to go to the police with this, that is your decision, but Mike
will not work at Valor if I can help it.
Tristan had gotten up from the table and was pacing around the
kitchen as she spoke. Claire knew better than to argue the point
with her. Tristan was right after all; something had to be done, and
quickly.
Okay, I ll file a formal complaint with my manager Monday and
see where it goes from there, Claire said, hating that she was at
the center of the controversy. She had failed in handling Mike and
dreaded having to admit defeat.
168
Robin Alexander
No, Claire, we are not going to wait and see what they decide to
do. We will force their hand in this. I don t want him working on
this account. On Monday, he will be removed and should be
terminated. Tristan softened her tone when she saw the look of
despair on Claire s face. I know this is difficult for you, but I love
you, Claire, and I can t sit by anymore and watch this. If I do, it
will be as though I m condoning it.
You re right. You ve been right all along. This was my first
position as a full-fledged manager. I just wanted everything to go
smoothly.
Tristan knelt in front of Claire s chair. You re an excellent
manager. Even if I weren t in love with you, I would have to admit
that you ve done a wonderful job on our account. I respect that
you wanted everything to go well, and aside from the problems
with Mike, you have accomplished your goal.
What are you planning to do? Claire asked as she wiped her
face.
I need to talk to Cam about this. He deserves to know, Tristan
said as she continued to kneel in front of Claire, holding her hand
in her own.
How much are you going to tell him? I don t want him or Lucy
to know anything about the photos, Tristan. This whole thing is
way too humiliating. What if word of this gets out to the rest of the
company?
If you don t want me to say anything about the pictures, I won t,
but I do have an obligation to tell Cam about the incident that took
place today. He needs to be in on the meeting with Suarez on
Monday, Tristan said, trying to be reassuring.
I agree he needs to be involved, but I am not ready to tell them
anything about our suspicions regarding Mike. This whole
situation is embarrassing enough. I ll make a report with Detective
Salmetti. I want her to handle that part of it.
Tristan sighed. Fine, we will only tell Cam about what happened
tonight. Should you receive any more packages, we ll have to
seriously reconsider. I m sure Mike s going to be very angry with
us after Monday, and I don t want any repercussions as a result.
Claire listened as Tristan spoke with Cam. Tristan had to remind
him repeatedly that Claire was indeed all right and that Mike never
laid a hand on her. After Tristan finished speaking with Cam, she
169
Murky Waters
encouraged Claire to try to eat. It was a few hours later before
Tristan could get her to relax and nibble a sandwich.
That night as Tristan slept, Claire curled up close to her. Feeling
Tristan s warmth and closeness made Claire feel secure. Even with
Tristan near, the house alarm set, and the patrol cat lying at their
feet, Claire stared into the darkness for hours before sleep claimed
her.
When Tristan awoke the following morning, she lay next to
Claire, looking at the tense lines across her face. She knew that
Claire had not slept much. She was keenly aware that Claire had
been restless for most of the night. She slipped out of bed, leaving
Claire to sleep as long as she could.
Tristan padded sleepily into the kitchen followed by a very
hungry orange feline. After she got the coffee going, she filled
Ralph s bowl and watched as he ate. When the coffee brewed, she
poured herself a cup and went into the sunroom with Ralph close
on her heels.
She sat quietly on one of the wicker chairs and sipped her coffee
while smoking a cigarette. She watched as the smoke rose and
thought that when things calmed down, she and Claire would
really have to consider giving up the habit. Now was not the time,
though. It calmed her nerves as she stared out the windows
surrounding the room. She wondered how much more the love of
her life could take before she simply cracked under the pressure.
With all that had been going on lately, Tristan had been too busy
to struggle with her inner turmoil. She was learning to cope with
her feelings of apprehension and fear. Some mornings, she would
lie in bed watching Claire as she slept, silently regarding the
woman who lay next to her. Tears of regret would fill her eyes
when she thought about what she had put Claire through. She
wondered how Claire would react to knowing the depths that she
had sunk to in her past. Even with all of Claire s love and
compassion, she wondered if she was deserving of someone so
special.
Ralph stirred and let out a soft meow when Claire walked into the
room clutching her own cup of coffee. She sat in the chair
opposite Tristan and smiled weakly as she lit a cigarette. The dark
circles beneath her eyes were a testament to her lack of rest.
170
Robin Alexander
Baby, why are you up so early? It s obvious you barely slept
last night, Tristan asked gently.
I don t know, really. I just couldn t sleep after you got up.
Besides, I didn t want to sleep the whole day away. My alone time
with you is pretty limited, and I m determined to take advantage of
it when I can, Claire said as she smiled at Tristan.
I have been sitting here thinking about what we could do today,
Tristan said before taking a sip of her coffee. I think I have come
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]