Chapter Eleven
Sipping some of the worst hot chocolate she had ever tasted, Temperance offered Lilah a smile. Her friend and roommate had come to the hospital to get her.
“So, are you going to tell me why you looked such a mess this morning?” Lilah asked.
Her face had been red with her eyes swollen and cheeks dry.
Biting her lip, Temperance stared at the mug of hot chocolate. She lay on the sofa in their sitting room. The doctor informed her that rest, along with regular physical therapy visits, would help see her recover quickly. She wanted to recover quickly. At least sitting down would give her the time to look for more work.
“I was … I’m…” She stopped and took a breath, feeling the pain building instead.
“I know you don’t usually talk about it. After a job you don’t ask me to collect you from the hospital, though.” Lilah sat on the end of the sofa, resting her head in her hand.
“It hurts right now. I can’t … he’s gone.”
“Who is?”
“Both of them. Timothy and Wayne. They’re both gone.”
“It was only for a couple of weeks.”
“I know, but they’re gone.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “He has no one, and Wayne, he doesn’t have anyone, either, and he did this without even warning me. He arranged for Timothy to be gone, and it’s all my fault.” She’d had all night to think about it. He intended for this to happen.
Wayne had given himself two weeks to enjoy the life of a family man with the intention of it all being taken from him.
She’d not seen that coming.
“It’s crazy of me to be like this.”
“No, it’s not. Did you fall in love with him?”
Temperance shook her head, lying. “Yes.”
Lilah smiled. “It will get easier. That I can promise you.”
She looked up at her friend. “Thank you for not judging me and for coming to get me.”
“You’ve never judged me, honey. I always felt that we had the kind of friendship that meant we didn’t have to talk every single day, but when we did or when we saw each other, the time between didn’t matter.” Lilah took her hand. “It still doesn’t matter.”
“Thank you.”
Lilah moved up behind Temperance, being careful not to jolt her leg. “So, we’re going to watch sad movies, and talk about how much we hate men, and then we’re going to have more hot chocolate. I’d offer you wine, but with your pain pills I’d be rushing you to the hospital to have your stomach pumped.”
“You’re the best.”
“I know it.”
Lilah stroked her head, and as the movie played, Temperance didn’t pay it much mind. She thought about Wayne, and wondered what he was doing. Had he packaged all of her stuff up? Thrown the items she got for Timothy out into the trash?
“Will you do a favor for me?” she asked.
“Sure.”
“Tomorrow will you go and get my things from Wayne’s home? I don’t want them to stay there.”
“Sure thing, sweetheart. I’ll warn you that Robert Thompson keeps coming ’round to the apartment. He’s a determined fella.”
“He loves his kids and wants the best for them.” She couldn’t fault Robert for that.
“What will you do now? Will you go back to being a nanny?” she asked. “You know, for Robert, or another family?”
“I don’t know what I’ll do.” She wiped the tears that had fallen down her face. Glancing up at her friend, she chuckled. “Are they hiring chunky porn stars?”
Lilah laughed. “You couldn’t be a porn star.”
“Why not?”
“You care too much. You’d be talking to the men about their problems, and some people can have really bad fucking attitudes,” Lilah said. “It was the biggest mistake I ever made. The scandal that hit the papers was the best thing that happened to me. I got several jobs because of it, and I’ve been able to stop screwing for a living.”
“Did you enjoy it?” Temperance asked.
“It was okay for a while, but I wanted to be an actress. I didn’t want to have to suck cock for a living.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
Snuggling against her friend, she tried to comfort Lilah even as her heart broke for what had happened.
Wayne had gotten underneath her skin and completely torn her apart. Now she had to figure out what to do with the rest of her life.
She didn’t want to go back to being a nanny, but with twelve years’ experience in that field, what else could she do?
Her thoughts kept drifted to Wayne, even as she fought them. She didn’t want to think of Wayne or Timothy, or anything that had happened. It hurt too damn much.
****
Wayne should be in his office. Instead, he sat in his apartment, sipping a horrid cup of coffee and eating dry, cold toast. He hadn’t slept well last night, and he’d spent most of the night reaching out for Temperance, who wasn’t there to take into his arms.
His laptop was set up, and he checked through his emails, looking for something to distract him. He’d not shaved or showered. The toys were still on the table and he kept glancing at them, wondering how the little boy was doing.
Running a hand down his face, he tried to clear his fuzzy brain, but like always, it didn’t help.
You’re a bastard.
Yes, he was a horrible person.
His life was back to being his own, and he wanted to live it like he used to.
The sound of his apartment doorbell was once again a welcome distraction from the bullshit of working.
Getting to his feet, he made his way down and answered the door.
It wasn’t Temperance, not that he imagined it would be.
This woman was her roommate. He recognized her from the data he got on Temperance.
“Hi, I’m Lilah. Temperance sent me to collect some of her things. I hope that’s okay?” she asked.
“You’re the porn star.”
He caught the wince before she could hide it.
“Temperance’s stuff. She said you probably already packed it up.”
Her arms were now folded. “She’s mistaken.”
“Can I collect her things?”
He wanted to slam the door in her face and tell her to fuck off. Opening the door wide, he gave her the chance to enter.
She did, and after he closed the door he led the way down to Temperance’s bedroom. Entering the room, he switched the light on and grabbed one of her jackets, holding it behind his back.
Wayne watched as Lilah grabbed a bag and began to fill it with Temperance’s clothing and trinkets.
Lilah didn’t even try to make small talk, and he found the silence irritating.
“How is she?” he asked, finally caving.
She stopped and looked at him. “She’s … fine.”
“Does she have everything she needs?”
Lilah kept staring at him. “I believe so.”
“If at any time she needs anything, anything at all, call me.” He pulled out a business card that had all of his details on it.
She took the card and frowned. “Why did you do it?” she asked.
“Do what?”
“Break her heart, send Timothy back.”
“She’s not allowed to—”
“The papers already have the story of how Timothy isn’t really your son, and that you’ve gotten rid of him. Temperance would never talk about a job. She’s not like that. Her reputation means so much to her. She has rules, and yet with you she broke every single one of them. I don’t get it. I wish I did. I see that she’s broken-hearted, because I can see her. She’s crying all the time, even though she tries and fails to hide it.”
He didn’t like that she was hurting.
Rubbing at his chest, he tried to find something, anything that could offer an excuse for what happened. He came up with nothing.
“You don’t look like you’re faring much better either. You’re both broken and miserable. Did you think it would hurt like this?”
“I don’t think you’re in any position to talk to me about my decisions. Especially as yours are not exactly bright.”
She nodded and smiled. “You’re right. I’m in no position to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. You’re perfectly happy to do that all on your own.” She picked up the bag and turned to leave. “If you were so happy with what you did, Temperance’s room wouldn’t be left like this, and her bed wouldn’t be wrinkled. You slept in that to be close to her. I’ve known her long enough to know she hates beds left like that.”
He didn’t stop her as she left, nor did he dispute what she had said.
Nothing was the same now.
Wayne didn’t know what he’d expected.
Timothy had blown into his world, and now he was gone. All he’d wanted was for someone else to have responsibility for the boy. He’d known he wasn’t the boy’s father, and yet, seeing the piece of paper with proof had fucking hurt.
The door to his apartment closed, and he still held onto Temperance’s jacket.
This was what he’d been pushed to. Holding onto a jacket as if by magic it could make her appear.
He placed the jacket back on the bed and went to his room to take a shower.
Wayne was done.
This was his damn life.
Timothy wasn’t his kid to worry about, and Temperance was a thirty-year-old woman. She could take care of herself. The sex had been fucking good, smoking hot even, but she didn’t need him.
He’d not promised her anything.
Removing his clothes, he stepped into the water, washing off the sweat and grime from the past couple of days.
He had his life back, and that was exactly what he wanted.
The guys were meeting up for a lunch date. James already called him with the time and the place. No kids were going to be in sight. He’d get to relax and enjoy.
No burgers.
No screams.
No going to the toilet and waiting while a kid peed.
Within half an hour he was showered, dressed, and heading out toward the Italian restaurant.
The guys were already there, including James and Robert. The moment they saw him, they got to their feet, giving him a round of applause.
“If anyone could find the means of getting rid of a kid, it would be you,” one of the guys said.
James winced as he sat down, and Wayne didn’t say anything. They raised their glasses in the air.
“To a life lived on the edge, and to being a bachelor,” James said.
He clinked his glass with theirs, but didn’t take a sip of the wine. He didn’t like the twisted feeling within his gut, so he just sat through lunch, laughing in all the appropriate places.
There was something missing, and he sat with his friends, but felt a ghost to it all. Pushing those feelings aside, he ignored the pain and carried on.