Page 22 of Margot
CHAPTER FIVE
LENNOX
“You mean to tell me you can’t go out for at least one drink with me? Come on, Lennox. This is totally platonic. We just closed the biggest deal of the year so far by selling that property.” Ebony’s shining brown eyes stared up at mine and I groaned. She was entirely too fucking persistent.
“No, I told you Sutton had an interview today at rehearsal. I want to get home and cook dinner for her or buy her roses or something.” I lifted my sleeve and checked the time. Shit, Sutton was probably home and I was still standing in Red Wing turning down Ebony.
Where the hell was Jovan?
“Okay, husband of the year. I get it.” She held her hands up with her palms facing me. My eyes picked up on the glint from her wedding ring. If she didn’t stop pressing me, I was going to have a man-to-man talk with Jovan. “Well, have breakfast with me in the morning. We have to do something to celebrate.”
“I’ll bring Sutton and you bring Jovan and you’ve got yourself a deal.” I knew she wouldn’t go for that shit. I flashed her a smile and grabbed my coat before heading out of the door. I wanted to see my wife.
…
Sutton’s interview must have gone well because when I walked in, she was playing beautifully on the piano. “Hey, I see someone’s had a good day,” I said as I walked over to her. She was seated at the Steinway swaying back and forth while she played soft music. It rained through the air like water.
“Oh my god, Lennox! You’re finally home!” She hopped up and looked at me with so much joy in her brandy eyes. A smile stretched across her beautiful honey brown face.
She was exquisite.
“I take it your interview went well?” I hooked my arm around her waist. I felt her stiffen but she didn’t pull away from me. Thank god. I wanted to share the excitement I felt radiating from her.
“Forget about the interview. Guess what.” Her eyes were wide clear pools that I would have voluntarily drowned in right then.
“What? The suspense is killing me.”
“I got a call to play with the New York Philharmonic today.Me. They want me to play Ravel’s Concerto. Lennox, do you know what a boost this will be to my career?”
“Holy shit, Sutton!” I laughed and spun her around, lifting her off the ground. “That’s absolutely amazing.”
“Thank you!” She squeaked. “I don’t even know what to do with myself. The concert is in two weeks. I canceled my upcoming shows with the BSO. I have to practice my ass off. That means twelve-hour days, Lennox.” Sutton’s tone was bubbly and exuberant. She massaged her hands a bit and looked up at me. A bit of my smile slipped as I regarded her.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, her syllables stalled.
“Twelve-hour days, Sutton?” I rubbed my beard and bit the inside of my cheek. Suddenly, I needed alcohol.
“This is the New York Philharmonic, Lennox. I can’t blow it.” She followed me when I moved into the kitchen to grab a drink.
“I know that and I’m so fucking happy for you, baby but that’s a lot of extra stress on you. You’re a master when you play Ravel and you already practice for ten hours a day in addition to any rehearsals you might have. You’re already under a lot of pressure. I think you should keep your schedule the way it is and cut the shows with the symphony.” I didn’t want her to think that I was coming down on her or that I wasn’t happy about her news because I was. On the other hand, I worried if she practiced that much, she would end up pushing me away again and we just started making progress.
“I can handle it. This is a huge break for me. I have to give it my all. I just want your support, please.” She took my hand in hers and I looked down at the way our fingers intertwined.
Her brown on my chocolate.
Our wedding bands shone under the lights. They were symbols of us being together forever. They were symbols of love standing the test of time.
“I support you.” I nodded then kissed her knuckles. “Do whatever you feel you need to do but please take care of yourself, Sutton. Lately, you’ve been so distant. I think we’re finally getting to a better place and I don’t want to mess that up.”
“I won’t screw it all up. I promise. I just need two weeks of nothing but practice.”
“Okay. Go for it. I’ll be here cheering you on.” I rubbed her back and she gave me another hug.
“Thank you! All I needed was your support. It means a lot.” She paused for a few beats and held her pointer finger in the air. “Oh, I made us an appointment with Dr. Adler for next week.”
“Are you going to be able to fit that into your schedule?” I asked her. She pulled out her phone and went to the calendar while she rested her body against mine. It felt good having her right there. My stomach couldn’t help but grow tense though. Knowing Sutton like I did, I knew she’d attack every day with determination and when she got like that it left little to no room for me.
At least we had an appointment with Dr. Adler coming up. That’s what I chose to focus on. Well, I couldn’t exactly hide from the way Sutton seemed to beam while she reworked her calendar to include twelve-hour days. I focused on that too.
