Trent ignored him. “Why is he here at this time of night, Em?”
“I don’t think I owe you any explanations. We’re not together anymore.”
He moved inside the door, toward her. “Yeah, I know, but I’d like to change that. I don’t think we should let a…hiccup get in our way.”
“You slept with another woman. Repeatedly. I don’t call that a hiccup.”
“And what’s this then?” He waved at her and Michael. “Revenge sex? That’s beneath you.”
“Screw you. Your opinion stopped meaning anything to me the moment you removed Veronica’s bra.”
Trent passed a hand over his face. “You know I’d never do anything to hurt you intentionally. Things have been hard. I wasn’t in a good place when Ronnie came onto me. I was weak. I think, in a way, the affair was a cry for help. I think I was just trying to get a reaction.”
“You got one, Master Chef,” muttered Michael.
“Seriously.” Trent stared hard at the rug, clearly trying to focus his thoughts. “Does this loser need to be here?”
“Loser?” Emily’s voice went up an octave. “I can’t believe you. I thought maybe you’d learned some humility, but that lesson seems to have slipped out of your grasp once again.”
“I’m making a mess of this,” said Trent. “Just like I make a mess out of everything. I had this whole conversation planned out in my head but it was a lot nicer when I didn’t know I’d run into Zorn here.” He took a deep breath. “Em, please. I just want to talk. I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching and I don’t like what I’ve seen. I’ve been a jerk. No, worse than a jerk. I want to make amends but I’m not sure where to start.”
Emily didn’t respond, so Michael rested a hand on her hip, another clear signal to Trent and a show of support for her. He knew she worried about Trent’s job situation. They had history. In his experience, it wasn’t always easy leaving history in the past.
“I found a job, a good one.”
“I’m happy for you.” Her voice was quiet and small.
“I want to show you things have changed, that you can be proud of me.”
“Where will you be working?”
“At Zen, that cool fusion place on King. They just hired a new executive chef from Japan. I convinced him to let me show him what I can do. He liked it enough that he overlooked certain lapses in my work history. I won’t bechef de cuisine,but I’ll besous-chef. I’ve resisted picking upsous-chefwork up until now because I thought I was too good for it, but I realized I might have to lower my standards to get back in the game. This has all been humbling for me but I can work my way up again in no time.”
“I’m sure you will.”
As much as Michael wanted to rejoice in Emily’s unenthusiastic reaction, he couldn’t. She sounded broken and her body was tense under his hand. He didn’t trust Trent’s show of redemption and humility, not by a long shot. It was likely just a way to sucker her back in again. Michael wouldn’t allow it.
“I can make a good life for you, Em,” continued Trent. “I can begin to repay you for supporting us.”
“I never wanted reimbursement. I just wanted the old Trent back.”
“He’s here.I’m here. I swear I never went away. I just got lost for a while.”
This conversation was starting to piss Michael off. Men like Trent might talk a good talk, but they never changed. He might like to think his new cooking job would cure all his problems, but what would happen the next time life kicked him in the nuts? Would he find a new Veronica? Worse still, could he ever be driven to take out his frustration on Emily the way Henry Ashton did on Jane? It might seem implausible, but stranger things had happened.
“Please give me a chance to show you how sorry I am. That’s all I ask.”
“Look, Trent.” She looked him in the eye. “Congratulations on the job. I hope you’re happy. I mean it.”
Trent shot a look at Michael. If the man had a microphone, he would have dropped it.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t change anything. You cheated on me—not once, but many times. You didn’t take responsibility, not even after I caught you. And the worst part was how you made me feel like a fool the whole time. Do you honestly think I have such low self-esteem that I would run back to you just because you’ve added another line to your resume?”
“I can make things better. I can show you…”
“It’s no use.” She held up a hand. “You’ve shown me everything I need to see. You’re not the only one who’s been searching the old soul lately. I will never go back to a man who makes me feel like less of a woman.”
“But—”
