“Yes.”
“Do you regret it?”
She glanced around the parking lot, as if Tripp might be lurking in the shadows.“It was a bad decision, and it led to other bad decisions, but I’m not big on regrets.”
“Why not?”
She shrugged.“Those experiences made me who I am today.They brought me here, to this moment, to this place.”
Tohim.
She couldn’t say that.She couldn’t even think it without blushing, so she tried to erase the ridiculous idea from her mind before he saw the longing in her eyes.He wasn’t her destiny.He was just a man.He was an extremely attractive, compelling, and complicated man.
She cleared her throat and continued.“I met my husband in Memphis.I was a waitress at a honky-tonk, and he was a starving artist, literally.He watched me hustle around with loaded trays and pocket my meager tips.He asked if I wanted to make some extra money as a roadie.I said yes.”
“How old were you?”
“Eighteen.”
“And him?”
Meredith held up a palm to pause the conversation.“If I tell you about him, you can’t ask cop questions, and you can’t investigate my past.”
“Cop questions?”
“You know what I mean.”
“I wouldn’t investigate your past.That would be improper use of police resources.”
“Then we’re clear.”
“We’re clear.”
She paused to think of a different name for Tripp.“My husband,Travis,was ten years older than me.He was looking for a girl to support him while he pursued his music career.He could tell I wasn’t afraid of hard work, and he had a knack for manipulating people.I was an easy mark.I’d spent my entire life on a farm.”
“You weren’t an easy mark,” Wade said.“You were a kid.”
Meredith didn’t argue, though she hadn’t felt like a kid.She’d shouldered the responsibilities of an adult for a long time.The waitress arrived to clear the plates and to ask if they wanted anything more.Meredith shook her head.Wade lifted two fingers and said something in Spanish.
“Are you ordering me a beer?”she asked.
“Do you want one?”
“No.I don’t drink anymore.”
“That’s what my mother told me.”
“Did you believe her?”
“No, but I believe you.I ordered two waters.”
Meredith memorized the words he’d used,botella de agua, and wished she knew more Spanish.It would be a struggle to live in Mexico without understanding the language.She waited for the server to deliver the water bottles before she continued.“Travis and I got married a year after we met.At least, I thought we were legally married.I found out we weren’t when I tried to get a divorce.”
“Why did you want a divorce?”
“I wasn’t happy with him.We struggled financially.”She twisted the paper napkin in her hands.“He was a talented musician but not well known.We traveled from city to city, from dive bar to dive bar.It was exciting at first.I’d never been anywhere and I wanted to see the world.But after a while, it just felt seedy and repetitive.Travis made all the decisions.I felt like a prisoner instead of a partner.”
“What do you mean?”
