“Now that business is out of the way, tell me how you go from I’m not speaking to Tyler Townsend anymore to kicking me out of your home so you could screw him all night long, in less than seventy-two hours.”
I pushed out a breathe and sighed, closing my eyes.
I knew that was coming.
****
Tyler:Do you like Ethiopian food?
I grinned down at the text message that stared back at me. Shaking my head I responded.
Me:Yes.
Not even a full ten seconds later my phone buzzed again.
Tyler:Good. I’ll see you tonight at six.
He was coming over and apparently bringing Ethiopian food with him. My stomach rumbled at the thought. It was well past three o’clock and, yet again, I’d forgotten to have lunch. It was a byproduct of back-to-back meetings, before rushing out of the office to make it to my appointment with Phillip Morris on time.
“Welcome to Phillip Morris’ office, how can I help you?” The cheerful receptionist greeted me as I breezed through the glass doors of the office.
“Hi,” I stopped to look down at the name on the placard that sat on her desk, “Stephanie. I’m Jesse Pritchard. I have a three-fifteen with Mr. Morris today.”
Stephanie nodded. “Yes, Ms. Pritchard, have a seat.”
“Mrs. Pritchard,” I corrected.
Stephanie blinked. “I’m sorry, of course, Mrs. Pritchard. Please have a seat.”
I smiled and nodded, noting the expensive decor that decorated the lobby of the office. There were two flat screen televisions that sat high in the corners of either end of the lobby, beautifully hand-carved statues that sat on the wooden bookshelves, along with magazines and newspapers of all of the major financial and business news outlets from around the world. Along the far wall, was a huge waterfall that spilled over into a pool of water below. I walked over to the waterfall and was surprised to see there were actually fish swimming around in the pool below. Nothing about this office said cheap or inexpensive. I wondered how Mr. Morris could afford these amenities. Of course, it could be just that he was that good and business was doing well. On the other hand, it could be something much more sinister.
“Mrs. Pritchard.”
I turned to find a man who appeared to be in his mid-forties to early fifties but looked good for his age. At six feet even, Phillip Morris towered over me, even in heels. His tanned skin, beach blond hair, and pale blue eyes gave him an almost surfer, California native look.
“Mr. Morris, I presume,” I greeted, extending my hand to his.
“Please, call me Phillip.” He shook my hand firmly then moved to my side to face his receptionist. He instructed her to hold his calls before directing me down the hall to his office. “So, Ms. Pritchard, what can I do for you?”
“Mrs. Pritchard,” I corrected before sitting in the leather chair across from his very large cherry wood desk.
He cleared his throat. “Excuse me.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m just not used to the new title. I loved being a Mrs. You know? And now that my Michael is gone …” I trailed off, sniffling. I looked up and gave a half smile through watery eyes, taking a couple of the tissues from the box that Phillip offered. “Thank you.”
“Please, Mrs. Pritchard. No need to apologize in a situation such as this. You said your husband died of a heart attack?”
“Yes, that’s right. I was out shopping one afternoon just a month ago. We were coming up on our three year anniversary. I wanted to get Michael something special. He was always spoiling me. I wanted to do the same for him. Anyway, I got a call from a friend he’d gone out golfing with, saying he had a heart attack and was being rushed to the hospital.”
Phillip nodded and jotted something down on the notepad in front of him.
“He died two days later.” I sniffled again and dabbed my eyes with the tissues, hoping I was coming across as believable.
“I’m so sorry for your loss, Mrs. Pritchard. These things can never be predicted and can be so sudden. What type of work was it you said your husband did?”
I swallowed, clearing my throat. “He owned his own landscaping company in San Diego but he sold it two years ago soon after we married. He’d made a great amount of money over the years and the sale of the company had been a very lucrative one for him. He planned on us having children and being able to be home to spend time with them. Unlike with the children from his first two marriages.” I hiccupped and dabbed at my eyes some more.
“Do you two have any children?”
