Page 49 of Heartless

“Yeah. I had it before I met her. I was acquiring contracts all along the east coast and a few sprinkled on the west coast. I didn’t go global until after she and I married.”

“That must have taken a lot of time away from her.”

“It did. She sacrificed a lot of date nights, early mornings, and so much more for me to accomplish what I have, but she said it was worth it.”

Those memories pierce my heart, and I find myself missing my wife.

“Sounds like you’ve got a wonderful partner, Onyx.”

“I couldn’t ask for better. Although these days, she’s fed up with the traveling.”

Nodding, she says, “I can imagine that. However, anyone who knows you knows what you love. Whether it’s for vacation or work purposes, you’ll only be happy when you’re operating in the space you were born for.”

“I guess,” I mumble.

“And what does she do?”

“She owns her own dance studio.Mirage.”

“I’ve heard of that. I can see that.”

“See what?”

“You with the artist type. Whenever I thought of you, I always imagined you with a Bohemian woman.”

“You’re so full of it, Shar,” I say, easily reverting to the name I used to call her.

It was always easy to converse with her and just sit back and kick it. That was one of the things that I missed most when we lost contact. She was the only person I could call a true friend.

Sharla never wanted anything from me or placed the same expectations on me that others did. She just wanted me to be me and to be happy.

“Kids?”

“Not yet.”

“What would your wife think of you having lunch with me?”

I finish chewing my sub sandwich and look up at her. “As my employee, she would have no problem with it.”

“But...and I do hear one,” she says, tearing the crust from her bread.

“You always did that. Thought you’d grow out of it one day.”

“What?” she asks, scowling before taking a bite of her sandwich.

“Took the crust off your bread.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No. Just something that kids usually do.”

She chews and stares thoughtfully at me. When she finishes, she says, “And you were never good at changing the subject. So, I repeat...what’s your ‘but’ in that statement?”

“Who said there was one?”

“Some things change, and some don’t. My ability to read you hasn’t.”

I blow out a breath and smile at her.

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