“We need to talk.Can we go someplace?”she asked breathlessly.Glancing briefly at him, she didn’t quite meet his eyes.
Jordan’s gaze made an appraising sweep of her face and the tiny lines of strain about her mouth.Her eyes held a troubled light.
“The cafeteria?”he questioned.
Skye nodded and led the way to the elevator, pushing the button to the basement floor.They made the descent silently, the only sound the almost indiscernible hum of the elevator.The large metal doors glided open and Skye stepped forward, walking directly into the cafeteria and finding a table while Jordan purchased two cups of coffee.Accepting the Styrofoam cup, Skye stared into the steaming liquid rather than meet Jordan’s eyes.
“Are you that worried about Billy?”he asked suddenly, the charcoal gray of his eyes regarding her steadily.
“Not anymore.”Her voice sounded shaky, and she was striving for a quiet firmness.“Billy’s father came.I suppose you met him in the waiting room.”She glanced briefly at Jordan.She wanted to memorize every line of his rugged features and at the same time erase his existence from her life.
“Jordan,” she began shakily, clenching her drink with both hands and avoiding looking at him.“I have something important I need to tell you.”
“Sure; what is it?”His hands gently cupped hers, his voice tender and concerned.
The hypocrisy of his concern gave her the courage to continue.“I’ve done some soul searching this weekend and...”She hesitated.Bile rose from her stomach, and for a moment she thought she might be sick.
“I’ve tried phoning several times.Where were you?”
She wanted to watch his reaction when she told him, but was incapable of looking higher than the knot of his tie.How silly it was to note how the dark blue silk sharply contrasted with the pale blue of his shirt.“The cemetery,” she murmured, returning her gaze to her coffee cup.
Jordan removed the cup from her trembling fingers as her gaze followed his action.The finger lifting her chin brought her eyes level with his.
“What were you doing in a graveyard?”he asked, his voice tight and clipped.
“I had to talk to Glen,” she said haltingly, her voice barely above a whisper.
His gaze narrowed, pinning her.“Glen is dead.You can’t talk to a dead man.”
“Glen is gone, I realize that,” she said tightly, hoping he would see the subtle difference.“But his love for me is eternal, just as mine is for him.”Rather than confront Jordan with what she’d learned, she’d decided to end it by putting forth an argument for which he had no response.She had no desire to listen to his explanations for fear they would only be more lies.
“Stop speaking of him as if he were a living, breathing person.The man’s been dead and buried for eight years.It’s time you owned up to that.”
She ignored his words and spoke with a grim kind of calm.“I was kidding myself when I accepted your marriage proposal, Jordan.There will never be another man for me.I’ve heard of women who can only love one man in their lifetime.I didn’t realize until this weekend that I was one of them.”
When she glanced at him briefly she saw that the color had drained from his face.
“I’m sorry,” she finished weakly.
“Yeah, sure.I bet you’re real sorry.”The aggression in his voice aroused the attention of others sitting nearby.Many stopped to stare at them curiously.Jordan ignored them.“I don’t know what has gotten into you, Skye, but by heaven there had better be more explanation than this boloney.”His hands gripped her wrists.“If what you say is true, then what was all that talk about wanting children?”
“I’ve always loved children.I guess it’s only natural to want one of my own, but I could never desecrate Glen’s love for me.I can’t marry you, Jordan.I belong to Glen.I always will.”
His eyes blasted her a look as frigid as the Arctic wind.
“I can’t tell you how sorry I am,” she whispered.
He released both her wrists at once, as if he found her touch repulsive.His face was rigid as though unwilling to show any emotion or reaction.
Skye could barely breathe, the tension mounting as the silence continued.
“Under the circumstances, I can’t accept this,” she said, sounding pitifully weak.She slid the ring from her finger and held it out to him.
An eternity passed before he accepted the diamond.His hand closed over the edge of the table, and he shoved his chair outward, jerking himself upright.
Skye watched him go, her breath so shallow it was almost nonexistent.Jordan weaved around the tables with long angrystrides as if he couldn’t remove himself from her fast enough.A second later he was out of sight and out of her life.
I should be grateful he’s gone.I should consider myself fortunate that he’s out of my life, her mind screamed, but her heart refused to listen.
