I was barely able to nod as I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. “I do,” I said, the words gravelly and weak.
“We talked for a long time and cried after I told him. I did most of the crying.”
We both laughed.
“I told him what had taken me years to realize.”
“What?”
“My mother leaving did a number on me. I was insecure in my relationship with Kelvin because I was insecure in every relationship. I mean, if my mother could leave me, why wouldn’t he?”
Her comment stole the air from my lungs. I felt as if someone punched a hole through my chest and raised a mirror in front of my face, but I couldn’t look at the reflection. I wasn’t ready to.
“The counselor I started seeing last year told me as much,” Marjorie continued. “I guess I had to see it for myself and come to terms with how my insecurities played out in my relationship, but he understood. He agreed to come to my counseling sessions with me. For premarital counseling.”
“He’s a great guy,” I said, my voice still strained. “You two are perfect for each other.”
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I am.”
Our waitress came over, filled our cups with coffee, and took our breakfast orders. I ordered an omelet to not be rude since Marjorie had ordered something.
We talked more over breakfast, mostly Marjorie. She described her time at Disneyworld, and I could barely focus. I wanted to be thrilled for her, but I felt so damned torn and disgusted with myself.
“Here are some pictures he took of us at the resort,” she said, holding up her phone.
Leaning in to look at the pictures, I was instantly shocked. So much so, I reached out and took Marjorie’s phone from her, gawking at the screen.
“It’s gorgeous,” she said. “The scenery was so majestic. The dolphins were amazing and so smart.”
“Did you have these professionally taken?” I asked, swiping through the images.
Marjorie laughed. “No, Kelvin took all of those. He loves taking pictures of me for some weird reason.”
She rolled her eyes with a smile on her lips.
For the first time since leaving my home that morning, a genuine smile touched my lips. I couldn’t help but stare at the photos. Marjorie was a beautiful woman, but in these photographs, she looked breathtaking. There was something about them I couldn’t look away from.
“I wanted to thank you for all of the time you put into all of this. Even after our meeting where I believed he was cheating. You kept at it and wouldn’t let me give up.”
I waved her off. “I was only doing what you hired me to do.”
She placed her coffee mug down on the saucer in front of her. “No. It was more than that. After I saw those pictures, I was half ready to call it quits. To cut and run. But you asked me to hold off, and there was something in your eyes that gave me hope. If I’d listened to my fears, I would’ve lost out on the best thing I’ve ever known.”
I began cough-choking.
“Are you okay?” she asked, alarmed.
“I’m fine,” I whispered, still coughing and trying to clear the coffee that had gone down the wrong pipe. “I’m okay.”
“Thanks for agreeing to have breakfast with me. Maybe we can do it again in the future? As friends, instead of PI and client?” She asked with a lift in her brow.
“I might like that.”
On the way back to my office, I couldn’t get my mind off those pictures. There was something so sweet and innocent about them, but they appeared to capture more than Marjorie simply having a good time on vacation. It was like I saw something that couldn’t be seen. Only felt.
“Good morning,”Hallease hummed as I entered the office.
