214 Palmer Street(32)
“Oh, Kirk, you don’t mean that.”
“I do.” He leaned forward to meet her eyes. “Look, we’ve had some fun over the years. I’ll give you that much. But I’m married now.”
“You were married the last time, but you still went up to my hotel room.” She pinched the end of the paper straw covering and pulled it free. “Seems to me like Sarah wasn’t even on your mind that evening.” She stuck the straw in the water, lifted the glass, and took a long pull.
He felt his face flush red. “That was a mistake.” The biggest mistake of his life, unless you counted meeting Clarice in the first place. When he said his marriage vows, he’d meant every word. And then, one evening he’d taken his top sellers—Veda and Marcus—out for a celebratory dinner to commemorate an outstanding quarter. He’d let Marcus pick the place, and he’d chosen Valentina, a fine dining restaurant located on the first floor of a downtown hotel. Sarah had been invited but begged off saying she had a bad headache. After dinner the three of them had ended up at the bar for a few more drinks. Marcus called it quits first, with Veda soon following.
Kirk had just gotten off his barstool and was assessing whether or not it was safe for him to drive when Clarice had appeared out of nowhere. She sidled up behind him, running her hand down his back and between his legs. She whispered in his ear telling him she had a room at the hotel. To further illustrate, she held up her key card. “Join me for a private drink?” She turned away and inexplicably he’d followed. He knew, with every step, that this was a terrible idea. His drunk mind rationalized it, thinking that he’d just go along with what she wanted to keep her in check. Otherwise she might make a scene in the bar. He’d been meaning to have a serious talk with her anyway because she was a loose cannon.
They’d had a history of being friends with benefits, but that had been in their younger days. He’d spent the last ten years warding her off, not answering her calls or texts for days and then making excuses for not getting together. He thought she’d get the hint and give up but that never happened. Now he had a chance to set her straight. Going up to the room with her didn’t mean that it would necessarily lead to sex.
It did, unfortunately.
The sex wasn’t even that good. The whole episode turned out to be a moment’s weakness that led to only the tiniest bit of pleasure and a world of regret. Even though Sarah never found out, just the fact that he knew what he’d done tainted his marriage. His stupidity had sullied the best thing that ever happened to him. He couldn’t go back in time and undo it, but he sure as hell could make sure it would never happen again.
“Look, Clarice.” He jabbed at the table with one finger. “This has to stop. There’s a lot at stake here for me and for you. Sarah thinks you’re her friend. She’d do anything for you. Are you really willing to lose that? And clearly you can have any guy you want. All I’m doing is asking you to step away from me. You can do better, frankly.”
Her lips stretched into a thin smile. The waitress returned with her drink, setting it down on the scalloped-edge placemat. Clarice wrapped her hand around the glass. “Thank you.” When they were alone again, she said, “You think I can have any guy I want?”
“Absolutely. You’re the whole package. I’m surprised you never got married, frankly.”
She laughed. “You’re so conventional, Kirk, thinking I aspire for the traditional. Me, walking down the aisle in a white dress and veil? Making vows to some poor sap, promising to love and cherish him forever? Please. The truth is that I could have been married a dozen times over if I wanted, but I’m too smart to fall into that trap.”
“You don’t have to get married. I’m just pointing out that you have many choices besides me.”
“This isn’t news to me, Kirk.”
He turned and gazed toward the parking lot for a minute before looking back at her. In a resigned way he said, “I realize the ball is in your court, Clarice. I’m asking you, as a personal favor to me, to just let it go. Find someone else to set your sights on.”
“A personal favor?”
“Yes, a personal favor. I can’t do this anymore. I appreciate our past history and nothing will erase that, but everything is different now. Sarah means more to me than anything. When she was attacked and in the hospital, I was out of my mind thinking I’d almost lost her. I need to make Sarah a priority. I’m sure you understand.”
Clarice scoffed. “You and Gavin have become so old. We used to have fun.” She glanced out the window, distracted. “Remember?”
“Well, people change and grow, Clarice.” To get her mind onto a different topic, he related a story about a former classmate of theirs who’d come into the car dealership looking to buy a Mercedes. “He married Fiona Berman. Remember her? One year younger than us? They came in together.”
“How did she look?”
“I wouldn’t have recognized her. She must have gained fifty pounds.”
Clarice perked up then and smiled. There was nothing she liked better than good gossip, especially if it was about former classmates who hadn’t aged well.
Even though the conversation had taken a positive turn, he was happy when the waitress—whose name tag identified her as Rhiannon—arrived at their table, and set their plates down in front of them. “Here you go,” she said cheerfully. “Ketchup’s on the table. Do you need anything else?”