“I need to get through this meeting with Norma, and I’ll take the rest of the day off. Thanks, Ange. I owe you.”
Rolling her eyes, Angie waved him away. “If what she says is true, seems I’ll need to change my attitude a bit regarding her.”
“Make sure she’s okay. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Will you bring Jordan?”
That was a good question. One he didn’t have an answer to yet.
The creak of old wood drifted into Chelsea’s brain, and she opened her eyes. It took a second before she realized where she was. Theo’s house. Where she’d seen her daughter walk out this morning. Her actual child. The one she’d given birth to almost four years ago. The one she thought was dead. Had been told was dead. How could her father do that to her? Her response to the tragedy had been devastating.
The stairs creaked, and she looked up to see the blonde woman from this morning stepping down. Theo had called her Angie.
“How are you feeling?” the woman asked, setting down the laundry basket she carried. She and Theo must be close if she did his laundry.
Sitting up, she tunneled her fingers through her disheveled hair. “Like I was bashed around in the water of Thunder Hole.”
“You must have been tired. You slept for a few hours.”
Chelsea glanced at her watch and saw it was after eleven. The last few days of physical labor at the lake, added to the stress of being around Theo and remembering their ill-fated relationship, must have taken its toll on her. Of course, she hadn’t slept all that well in her grandmother’s house which was still musty and dirty. She’d started cleaning but hadn’t gotten far.
“Where’s Theo?” After folding the quilt he must have covered her with, she arched her back to stretch.
“He had a meeting at work he couldn’t miss. He asked me to keep an eye on you.”
Because he didn’t trust her? Or had he been concerned? Since she hadn’t been around in years, the trust thing was more likely.
“I’m sorry to keep you from your work. I’ll go now. Theo should have woken me.”
Angie picked up the laundry basket and trundled toward the kitchen. “He didn’t want you driving in your condition. Come on in here, and I’ll get you some lunch.”
Chelsea followed behind, confused. Why was Angie being nice to her? Was she so confident in her relationship with Theo that the ex-wife—actually, the legally married wife—showing up didn’t bother her? Probably figured now Theo could get the divorce he must want.
“There’s no need to fuss over me. I’ll be fine.” That was a lie. Her daughter had been within a few feet of her this morning. Her nerves were frazzled, and her stomach clenched in a ball so tight she wasn’t sure it would ever come undone. What would Theo want to do about their situation now? There wasn’t a chance in the world she’d simply back off and leave them alone again.
“I’m not fussing. You look like you could use a good meal, and Theo has some soup he made yesterday that I can heat up.”
Settling herself in a chair at the table while Angie proceeded to the alcove off the kitchen, Chelsea looked around. It wasn’t all that different from when she’d lived here. All two weeks of it. There was a new stove and refrigerator, the kinds she had mentioned she liked. The walls had been painted a soft yellow, also something she’d talked about doing when they lived here together. Had he done that on purpose or had Angie wanted those changes, too? What exactly had he told her about their relationship?
“Angie.” The blonde looked up from throwing clothes into the washing machine. “I don’t want you to think that because I showed up anything will change between you and Theo. He obviously got over me and now has you. I understand that.”
She was proud of herself. The words came out calm and reasoned, though her first inclination was to scream, to tell her that Theo was hers and so was Jordan, and pour out all of her pain and resentment onto this innocent bystander … her replacement … no matter how kind she was or how good of a mother she’d been to their daughter.
The laughter that tumbled from Angie’s mouth surprised her.
“Theo and I may be tight, but not that tight.”
Had she read the situation wrong? The woman was doing Theo’s laundry for Pete’s sake. If that didn’t say intimate, she didn’t know what did.
“I’m Angela Cote. My dad and Theo’s mom are brother and sister. He’s my cousin.”
“Cousin.” She’d never met any of Theo’s cousins. His parents either, since they lived in Ohio. They had been planning to have a big bash once she got back from telling her father. It hadn’t happened.
The microwave beeped. Angie pulled a bowl from it and set it in front of Chelsea. It smelled delicious. Could she get it down?
Once the washing machine was spinning away, Angie grabbed a cup from the cupboard, poured coffee into it, and sat across from her at the table.
“I guess I should say I’m sorry.” Angie stared into her mug.
