Saving Meghan(51)

Leers, a woman in her late fifties, had on sensible shoes like the kind Annabel Hope from the DCF might have worn. Her navy blue suit jacket and skirt were understated and could have been bargain priced, lest one think her hefty hourly fee was frivolously spent on a fancy wardrobe. Her hair was cut short above the ears and rounded into the shape of a period, as if she herself were the last word anyone would need to hear. Her dark eyes were kind but serious, reflecting not only compassion but also an understanding of the monetary value of every second. Nothing about her, from her gestures to her words, was wasted.

Normally, Carl would have put on the charm, sending Leers a smile big and bright enough to cover his worries. Instead, he seethed when he set his eyes on Dr. Zach Fisher, who was seated across from her.

Carl gripped Becky’s arm and pulled her in close to his body, putting his mouth up to her ear. “What the hell is he doing here?” Carl whispered.

Becky’s second secret was now out in the open, but she had no plans to reveal her breakfast meeting with Dr. Levine.

“Excuse us a moment, will you please?” Becky said, addressing both Leers and Zach as she led Carl out into the hallway. They moved farther down the hall to get out of earshot, but there were offices all around them. If Carl raised his voice, it would cause a scene—which was how Becky had planned it.

“I’m sorry, I should have told you,” Becky said.

“You invited him?” Carl asked, with disdain.

“Dr. Fisher offered to come as our medical advisor, and I said yes.”

Becky left out that it was Leers who had suggested Zach’s involvement for fear Carl might fire their attorney on the spot.

“God!” Carl tossed his head back, throwing his arms up in the air as if all were lost now. “That’s great,” he said with sarcastic bite. “That’s just great, Becky.”

“What is your problem?” Becky asked, knowing full well what his problem was. She might as well have invited Veronica to join them. “We need him,” she said, imploring with her eyes. “And if I told you I wanted him here, you’d have said no.”

“I’m walking out. I’m going to the car.”

“Don’t.” Becky sputtered the word. “Don’t you walk out on me, on us.” She took hold of his hand. Carl held her gaze. She wanted so desperately to have her husband at her side. She wanted that man who’d fight for her, for his family, the way he had fought against the guard who’d grabbed her that day in the hospital.

“Please just hear what the lawyer has to say,” she begged him. “I wouldn’t have invited Dr. Fisher if I didn’t think it was essential. If I’m wrong, I promise, I won’t mention Zach Fisher’s name ever again, I swear it.”

Carl folded his arms as he looked away. When he looked back, his eyes were red. The last time she’d seen him on the verge of tears was after Meghan was born.

“I just don’t want to lose her,” he said, his face tightening as the raw emotion set in.

Becky wrapped her arms around her husband in a firm embrace. She knew he was thinking not only of Meghan but of Sammy as well. Carl stiffened at her touch. She could sense him holding on to those feelings, afraid of letting them go.

“It’ll be all right, baby,” Becky said, rising up on her toes to speak in his ear as she caressed the back of his head, keeping him in a loving embrace. She felt him lean into her, needing her, and this opened her heart so wide, she forgot all about the laptop, the accusations, and his distance.

In that single moment, he was her Carl again, the handsome developer who had built one of the first houses she’d ever sold. He was the man who’d held her as they wept for their son, who’d given her a daughter. He was her companion, her champion, her friend, lover, and husband. He was the person she remembered and missed so dearly.

“We’re going to get through this,” Becky said, still holding on tight. “Together, we’ll do it together.”

Carl leaned harder into her embrace, and Becky could feel him letting go. As he did, he began to cry, tears thick as raindrops streaming down his face. His heaving chest worked for each breath. His body trembled in her grasp as the emotion came pouring out of him.

“Together,” she whispered.

Carl gripped her tighter. “Together,” he whispered back.





CHAPTER 24





ZACH


Becky and Carl returned looking drained and depleted, but Zach noticed something else about them. They were standing close to each other now. This was good, thought Zach. They needed to form a united front to get through the storm ahead. But it was also a bit unsettling to see Becky acting cozy with her husband after she’d been so strangely flirtatious with him in his office. Could she turn her emotions on and off like a faucet? People with Munchausen were master manipulators, which was why Zach reminded himself to be cautious and on guard.

While he did not feel swayed by Becky Gerard’s charms, he was not made of stone either. He could not help but notice Becky, finding something compelling and alluring about her. He’d be lying to himself if he denied that her attentions had opened a door of sorts, and he was having a damn hard time shutting it again.

Zach had hardly dated since his marriage came to a crashing end. He’d gone out a couple of times, forced by friends to try to “get back on his feet,” but the evenings were dimmed by his heartache, his memories and regrets. His past was always a third wheel at the dinner table.