Page 56 of A Whirlwind of Color (The Light to My Darkness 2)

I laughed. “Very funny.” I said it sarcastically, but I was still smiling. This was why we were here. To talk about what we wanted. “Austin didn’t believe in labels. I’m used to not being put first. You say all these things like I have your undivided attention...” I let my voice trail off. I had no right to be questioning him. But I couldn’t seem to stop. “But I know you’re seeing someone else. Your conversation after our dinner the other night? Whoever you were talking to this morning? You’re in love with someone else. Why are you pursuing me? I’m giving you an out. You can go back to your ex-wife if that’s what you really want. It’s okay.”

He looked down at our intertwined fingers. “You’re worried about my ex-wife?”

“I’m not worried about her at all.” Well, maybe a little. “I just think maybe you’re still in love with her.”

“I never loved her.” He locked eyes with me. “I already told you that.”

“And yet…the phone calls. It’s obvious that you still care for her.”

“Penny, there is no other woman in my life.”

“You don’t have to lie.”

“I’m not lying. I’ll prove it.” He pulled out his phone. He showed me the screen as he clicked on Rob’s name and put it on speaker phone.

“Hey, you on your way back yet?” Rob asked.

“Hey, pumpkin,” James said and then awkwardly cleared his throat. “Not yet, but we’ll be heading back soon.”

Rob laughed. “Um…okay, honey muffin. Cutie pie. Buttercup. Snickerdoodle. I could go on. But why exactly are we doing this?”

“Because we always call each other cute names,” James said. “You know. Since forever.” There was an edge in his voice.

“Whatever you say, sugar buns.”

“Okay, I’m going to go now,” James said. “See you in a bit.”

“Later, Cuddles. Crap, I ran out of good ones.”

“Bye…pumpkin.” James ended the call and slid his phone back into his pocket.

I just stared at him.

“See,” he said.

“See what? That was the most awkward conversation in the world.”

He shook his head. “Nope. That was normal. It’s just what Rob and I do.”

“I can tell that you’re lying. That whole thing was just bizarre. It proved my point, if anything. He had no idea why you were calling him pumpkin. Just admit that you’re still in love with your ex-wife and let’s call it a day.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes you are.”

He lowered both his eyebrows as he stared at me.

“Is it so hard to tell me the truth?”

He exhaled slowly. “My ex-wife is dead, Penny.”

God, his life was a disaster. So much hurt and I just kept stabbing him. Figuratively, of course. I felt like a monster. “You’re a widower?”

He shook his head. “No. She died after we were divorced. Actually, it was shortly after you and I got married.”

“Oh.” Oh? What kind of reaction was that? I was supposed to say sorry for your loss. Or something heartfelt. But if he was telling the truth, he didn’t love her. Surely he cared that she died though? “What happened?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

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