Page 11 of Conner's Choice
Conner glanced at her before he addressed Sherri. “Will you please order a pizza on your way out?” Meeting Elizabeth’s eyes, he asked, “Pepperoni okay with you?”
She nodded.
When they were alone, he indicated she should sit on the black leather sofa and demanded, “What’s wrong, Elizabeth?”
She wrapped her arms around her middle. “Everything is wrong. I just lied to my friend and assistant, Lexi Loveland.”
“About?”
“Coming here. Warning bells rang in my head when she asked where I was going. Am I being paranoid?”
“No. I think you’re being cautious. Does she know you’re planning to divorce Kevin?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t mention it again. In fact, tell her you’re having second thoughts about going through with it.”
Elizabeth didn’t question his judgment, for the same thought had occurred to her, too. “I already told her to keep it to herself after I realized she’d heard my conversation with you.” She paused as she met his steady, penetrating gaze. “There’s more, Conner. I learned from Debra Monahan today that Kevin is running for office next year against her husband. But that’s not all. Mayor Monahan has vowed to help the D.A. put Ray Farmer away for the rest of his life. He’s not happy with Kevin on either account.” Elizabeth drew a ragged breath. “I swear I didn’t know.”
“I believe you. However, I wouldn’t worry too much about Kevin’s bid for mayor. First, you’ll be divorced before his campaign begins, and second, if he successfully defends Ray Farmer and puts a murderer back on the street, no one in his right mind would vote for him.” He handed her his tablet. “Here are the photos Hughes took last night.”
To the casual observer, it appeared as if Kevin were having a business dinner with his partner at The Palm, but Elizabeth recognized the expression on her philandering husband’s face—the one which communicated intimacy and sexual interest. When she saw the photos of Kevin and Alexa entering the elegant lobby of the Grand, her stomach heaved with humiliation. She covered her face with her hands and muttered, “This is a nightmare.”
Conner reached forward to lay a comforting hand on her knee as the pizza delivery boy arrived with their dinner. Conner paid him, set the box on the coffee table, and went to fetch paper plates, napkins, and two bottles of water. Elizabeth wasn’t hungry, but the pizza tempted her appetite. She helped herself to a couple of slices. Feeling safe with Conner, she relaxed and enjoyed their simple dinner.
When she laughed at one of his stupid jokes, Conner commented, “I like the way you laugh. It lights up your eyes. You should laugh more often.”
Elizabeth blushed.
Chapter Four
After they atethe entire pizza, Elizabeth looked at the photos again and remarked, “They’re not incriminating, are they?”
“Easily explainable. To prove infidelity, we need the security camera footage at the Grand, which Surfer can get for us, but,” Conner hesitated as he captured her gaze, “what we need is to catch them red-handed—in flagrante delicto.”
Elizabeth’s face burned with embarrassment.
“I’m sorry, Elizabeth. I know this isn’t easy for you. You said you love your husband.”
Unconsciously, she twisted her wedding ring. “Actually, Conner, I said Ilovedhim—past tense. He broke my heart. It took me a while to realize I wasn’t enough for him.” She lifted her chin. “So, what’s next?”
Conner ignored how his heart rate kicked up a notch when he saw that cute chin lifted in determination. He pulled out the pen in his breast pocket and reached for the legal pad on the coffee table.
“I don’t want to alarm you, Elizabeth, but I suspect a connection between Kevin and Ray Farmer. Is it possible they’ve met before? Maybe he defended Farmer when he committed one of his petty crimes.”
Elizabeth frowned. “It’s possible, but Kevin tends to take high-profile cases that will give him plenty of public exposure.”
“I need to know Kevin’s background. Who his parents are, where he grew up, went to school, his friends. Everything.”
She nodded and launched into her tale.
Kevin Warner, Sr., served in the Air Force under General Edward Bennett, and the men formed a strong bond during their tours of duty. Both agreed their children were well-suited for each other and encouraged the couple’s relationship. Elizabeth didn’t like Kevin’s fastidiousness, his preoccupation with his appearance, his need for attention, and his social ambition. Still, she fell in love with him despite his narcissism because he’d promised her a home and a family. He broke his promise, the first of many.
“I live in an empty house filled with material possessions that will never be a home.”
Conner detected a hint of ruefulness in her voice.
Elizabeth continued speaking. She explained how she had never met Conner’s biological mother, didn’t even know her name. Kevin had been taken from her as soon as he was born, and a year later, his father married his stepmother. She’d met a few of Kevin’s friends from college, but they went their separate ways when he’d begun to foster relationships with the right people, such as the Monahans and the Parkers. Kevin became well-known when he won an acquittal for a famous football player accused of murdering his girlfriend. After that, his ego and his reputation grew exponentially, leaving him with little time and patience for his wife.
