“It’s fine. I get it. So, what was the difference?”
“The splitting of property,” she said.
“Oh, yeah. No, it’s fine. In an uncontested divorce—”
“The couple determines how to split property. So, you keep your business and I keep mine.”
“You have a business?” I asked.
Her eyes rose up to mine as the elevator stopped. The doors opened and I looked over to see who was getting in, but there was no one standing in front of the doors. I reached over and mashed the “door close” button to get us back on track, then turned my attention back to Andrea.
“Did you forget already?” she asked coyly.
“What business do you own?” I asked.
“The youth center? Downtown Charleston? That whole conversation?”
“I knew you ran it. I didn’t know you owned it.”
“I told you Mr. Wilson handed it over to me when he passed.”
“I thought you meant control of it. I didn’t think you meant the whole thing.”
She shook her head as my eyes danced around her face. I had found yet another thing to appreciate her for. She owned and operated that youth center. She was a businesswoman. And a caring one, at that. She had buckled down to devote her entire life to working with underprivileged youth like the ones she grew up with. Like the one she probably had been herself.
The more I learned about her, the more I came to enjoy her presence. Her countenance. Her resolve. Her strength.
“Then, yes. I own and operate the youth center in downtown Charleston,” Andrea said.
“I would never take that away from you, Andrea.”
Her eyes fluttered up to mine as the elevator stopped again. I bit back a groan and whipped my head over to see who was about to get on. And yet again, there was no one standing there. I reached over and pressed the “door close” button once more as giggles kicked up from Andrea’s throat again.
“Looks like some kids are having fun with the elevator,” she said.
“And by kids, you mean fully-grown, drunk adults.”
“Yep. Those, too,” she said, grinning.
“I’m sorry you’ve been put in this kind of situation,” I said.
I looked down at her and watched as her face grew somber again.
“It’s okay. I mean, it’s not okay, but I know you didn’t intentionally do this, either. It’s not like I don’t remember and you do. Neither of us remember what we really did that night. I think that’s the part that scares me more than anything. I don’t like not knowing what I did.”
“Is that why you’re heading to your hotel room so early during our last day in Vegas?”
“Partially. I’m tired. And I need to pack. But part of me wants to spend a day in, yeah. The beds are comfortable and I haven’t gotten a chance to actually use the room service yet. I figured there might be a television show or movie marathon on somewhere today I could watch.”
“Sounds like a nice, relaxing day.”
“Want to join me?” she asked.
“Do you want me to?” I asked.
“Sure. I mean, we’re married. I’m going to choke down two pills today that will throw me for a loop so we don’t get pregnant. I’m pretty sure we can’t get ourselves into anymore trouble than we already have.”
I grinned down at her as a smile slid across her cheeks.