Chapter Three

Lunch for one

I could barely walk.

I stood in the kitchen for 10 minutes with a takeout bag from Damien’s Italian restaurant in Lexington. Our wedding anniversary had been a disaster. I thought it would be a bad idea to show up unannounced at Knights Shops and make a peace offer. It was the kind of thing that seemed hopeless from the outside. Then I remembered the night. Damien was tired and looking at me from a distance. Before I could talk myself out of it, i grabbed the bag and Left.

The halls of Knight Enterprises smelled like money. The fresh air, the marble floors, and the quiet made me feel like everyone inside was very important and very busy. The front desk receptionist recognized me.

 "Mrs. Knight," she said with a smile, as if I was a fragile thing that just came through the main entrance . "Mr. Knight is in a meeting. Should I tell him you're here?"

 "No, don’t worry about it, I'll leave this here," and I put the bag on the table. "Actually… I’ll go myself now. I'll be done in a minute," I said

She hesitated for a moment. " Course," she said.

The elevator to the room was all glass with a view of the city. During the ride, I told myself that there was a version of a good ending. I went inside, left the food, and said something. Maybe Damien would take a break. Meet me, and we could figure out the rest later. It was a plan. It worked.

Damien’s assistant, Marcus, was not at his desk outside Damien’s office. The door was slightly open. I heard a voice inside. The first thing I heard was her laughter. It was a laugh, weak and rational. The kind of person who doesn't care what's funny. I pushed the door open.

Vanessa Hart leaned against Damien's desk. Instead of sitting, she bent over as if she knew something was hers. She held a file in one hand. The other rested on the table, a few inches from where Damien sat. The distance between them was close, as if someone had chosen to keep it small. She said something I couldn't hear. Damien looked at her with an expression I hadn't seen in a long time. He actually listened to her.

They both looked up when I entered. Vanessa's expression changed. The surprise and soft smile appeared quickly, and I almost doubted what I saw first. Damien looked surprised. That said it all. "Aria," he straightened up. "I didn't know you were coming."

I said, "I see." I held up the bag. "I brought your lunch, so I'll leave it with your assistant."

"He left," Damien said. " come in."

I placed the bag on the edge of Damien’s desk, pushing it as far away from Vanessa as the desk would allow. I kept my face neutral and my back straight, trying not to show my emotions.

 "Aria," Vanessa's voice was warm. "What a wonderful surprise! Damien said you used to do this in your first year of marriage. bringing him lunch." She tilted her head slightly. "He said you stopped."

The silence that followed was short and noisy.

 When I looked at Damien, he had the decency to look embarrassed.

"We were discussing the Singapore project," he said.

"At your desk," I said. "Together."

Damien said, "It's easier to see the documents side by side," as if I were being rude, like I had a problem with the room.

"Right." I kept my voice even. "How long has that been your system?"

"Aria… "

"I'm just asking."

Vanessa picked up the file she had dropped. "You guys should have some lunch. Damien, I'll send you the corrected number." She looked at me. Smiled again with the same big, empty, perfect smile. "It was nice to meet you, Aria. You should come often. This floor may use some warmth."

As she left, the door slammed behind her.

The room looked different without her, quiet and small

"She just..." Damien started.

"I know what she did, " I said.

"You're reading meaning into this, " Damien said.

"Me," I said. That wasn't a question.

Damien sat down again. Rubbed his chin with his hand. "Vanessa is a colleague," he said. "Her father is one of my important partners, and this agreement with Singapore would not be possible without her. I want you to understand this."

"I understand perfectly," I said. Even though it wasn't cold in the room, I pulled my coat tighter. "What I don't understand is why you never told me that she joined the company until I appeared before her at your event.. Why was your assistant not at the table right now? Or how does she know I stopped by to bring you lunch?"

Damien was silent for a long time. "We're talking," he said. "She's part of my team. We're talking…"

"About me, " I said.

"Oh... something's coming," he said. "It's not..." He stopped.

I started again. "You think about it much."

Here it is, four words he always used when I brought him something real. He didn't want to keep it.

I picked up my bag from the chair. "Please have some pasta. It's Carbone pasta." I called ahead to make sure they had the order right.”

"Aria, stop..."

"I'm not mad, Damien," and the worst part is, I really meant it. I wasn't angry. I was much quieter and more difficult to fix. "I finally realized something."

"What is this?"

I looked at him. I said it as quietly as I could. "I have been fighting alone for this marriage for a time."

I left before he could reply.

His assistant was back at his desk when I stopped by. He smiled at me I smiled back. I pressed the elevator button and stood there, my heart next to my shoes, watching the countdown and thinking about the woman leaning against my husband's desk as if she were already comfortable there.

Consider that Damien didn't tell her to move.