Page 452 of The Sinner: James

CRAVING JAMES

A NIGHT OF THE KINGS NOVEL

1

JAMES

“May I come in?”Theresa asks.

“Sure.”

Stepping to the side, I motion her in.

Wearing a slim-fit black dress, high heels, and a small purse, she steps in and halts before looking at me hesitantly.

Delicate jewelry sparks around her neck and wrists and on her earlobes.

She’s fit and looks great. If I didn’t know her, I’d have a hard time guessing her age.

She doesn't look a day over thirty-five.

I show her to the living room and motion her to a seat.

Her eyes flick to the patio as she runs her hand down her skirt before lowering herself into her chair.

“Would you rather sit outside?” I ask, noticing the direction of her gaze.

“Yes, sure,” she says, rising.

We exit the room and walk onto the terrace.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“No. I’m fine. Thank you.”

“I thought you’d call me first,” I say, sliding into a chair across from her and tossing my cigarette pack on the table.

“I landed an hour ago and came straight here. I was hoping to find you in your hotel suite,” she says in one breath as if wrestling with a pressing matter.

Leaning back into my seat with my arms folded on my chest, I let my eyes linger on her face.

She rests her elbows on the table, tips her gaze down, and stares blankly at her hands.

“I know you’ll find this odd...” she says before raising her eyes and pausing as if expecting me to comment.

I simply observe her.

“Looking for you after all these years...” she continues.

“Twenty years, to be exact,” I deadpan.

A sigh leaves her lips, and her eyes trail down again.

“What I findoddis that you didn’t care or have the courage to come looking for me when my father died,” I say.

Our eyes meet again.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to.”

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