Page 61 of Wicked Games

“I can afford two dollars.” I give the woman my debit card and drop the tube in my purse.

“You’re spending Darren’s money. That can stop when we get back to Ashfield.”

The woman gives my card back to me. “Thanks,” I tell her, and then turn to him. “What would I live on if I did that?” I ask, walking toward another table.

“I’ll help you.”

“That didn’t sound how you wanted it to sound. I’m not going to take your money. We barely know each other.” I pick up a candle in a glass mason jar and unscrew the lid. It smells too sweet and I put it back.

“If you don’t like flowers, I have food scents over here,” the woman says, gesturing to the other side of the table. “Coffee, hot chocolate, vanilla latte.”

“Thanks. I like vanilla. Do you have honey?”

“Yeah, actually, I do. Right here.”

“I’ll take both.” Seth lets me pay and the woman tapes bubble wrap around the jars and puts them in a plastic bag. I’m pleased. I can loop the handle over my arm and forget about it.

He picks up our conversation. “We do too know each other. How long is he paying you alimony?”

“Five years.”

“That was generous.”

“It was, but he knows I’m broke.”

“He knows you met someone,” he asks, challenging me.

I glance at him. He’s frowning, but he’s not angry. He’s trying to find his footing in our relationship, like I am, but we’re not going to be able to until he knows who kidnapped and killed Theo and I know how Hattie was involved and who killed her. Seth can pretend all he wants that we can live around it, but we can’t and we won’t. Eventually it would eat at us, and even if we managed to stay together, we wouldn’t be happy.

I lean against him and say, “He knows I met someone.”

“But he doesn’t know it’s me.”

I grab his hand and lead him to a table full of jewelry. “No. It’s not any of his business and there was no way I could have told him without sounding like I was bragging. He’ll find out eventually.”

“Other women have liked to brag they’re dating me.”

“Ah-huh. Then maybe you should find one of them.” I pick up a necklace made of rose gold that has a dainty rose dangling from the chain. “This is beautiful,” I say to the woman who’s sitting behind the table watching us.

“Thank you! That has a matching ring. What’s your size?”

“Six.”

She gives me a ring that’s an exact match to the necklace. Seth steals it and grabs my hand. With his eyes twinkling, he slides it on my finger and kisses my knuckles. I know he’s thinking about putting a ring on my other hand, but with everything that’s going on, I have no idea when that will be. Years, maybe. Sighing, I study the ring. It’s a nice fit and I won’t have to worry about losing it. He fastens the necklace around my neck, and it’s so light I can barely feel it.

“Let me pay,” he says, sliding his wallet out of his back pocket.

“Okay. Thank you.”

“You two are a sweet couple. Have you been married long?” the woman asks, tapping Seth’s card against a small white credit card reader.

“Oh, we’re not married. I haven’t asked her yet. Officially.” He wraps his arms around me and kisses my temple.

Amused, she hands him his card. “I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t ruin a surprise.” Tilting her head, she says, “Do I know you from somewhere? You look familiar.”

“I get that all the time. Ready?” he asks me, putting his wallet back into his pocket.

“Yeah.”