I forward the email to Robbie and make a mental note to bring it up—delicately—so he doesn’t overlook it. Then I go over the replies I received from the catering firm for the fundraising event.
Suddenly there’s a commotion. I jerk my attention from my laptop. Jay is marching rapidly toward my desk, her stilettos hitting the floor like bullets. Her fitted camel coat is cinched around the tiny waist, and a loose navy skirt ends mid-shin, showing off toned calves. The floor receptionist is trying to stop her—why, I’m not sure—but Jay won’t have it. Meg is no match for the slim Asian woman, who comes to a halt right in front of me.
“You can’t come here without an appoint—” Meg says, but Jay raises a hand in her direction, palm out. Meg gives up, and heads off toward the conference rooms.
“Where’s Robbie?”
“He’s in a meeting at the moment. Is there anything I can help you wi—”
“You’re his assistant. So you know his schedule, don’t you?”
“Um, sort of.” I swallow, my mouth suddenly dry. “Why?”
“What was he doing between five and eight yesterday?”
Is this about the appointment he missed? “I don’t know. I’m not in charge of his personal sche—”
“You expect me to believe that? You’re his assistant.”
“Yes, but he doesn’t have me handle his personal matters.”
“Right.” Her dark gaze rakes me.
“Jay.” Robbie appears, trotting toward us. “What are you doing here?”
“You didn’t come yesterday.”
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “I know. It’s my fault. I had so many meetings yesterday, and it slipped my mind.”
“Sure. That’s exactly how it is. You didn’t have a party in your hotel room.”
I can feel my jaw start to slacken. Robbie is staying at a hotel?
His gaze darts my way for a second. “Can we talk about this in private, Jay?”
“We were going to talk about it in private, but you didn’t show. Why don’t you just sign the damn papers? They’re so fair my lawyer’s ready to fire me.”
“Because that’s not what I want.”
“Right. Our entire marriage is about what you want.”
“Come on, Jay.” He reaches for her.
She raises both hands and steps back. “You know what? Forget it. Unlike you, I take my commitments seriously, and I have to be in surgery soon anyway. If you don’t show on Friday, it’s over, Robbie. I’m not wasting any more of my time.”
She turns around and stalks away as dramatically as she came in. After she disappears into the elevator, I lower my head, unable to meet my boss’s gaze.
“Ava, can I see you for a moment?” Robbie says as he walks past my desk into his office.
I follow him in and close the door.
“Have a seat.” He props his hip against the edge of his desk and breathes out heavily, shoving a hand through his hair. “Sorry about the scene.”
“No problem.” A very awkward silence permeates the room. “Is everything okay? Your…um…therapist emailed your work account last night.”
He tilts his head back, his eyes closed. “Damn it. She was supposed to call me on my cell if there’s a problem. Well, you’re going to hear about it anyway, so I might as well tell you now. Jay and I are going through some rough times.”
That would seem to be an understatement. “Um, yeah…I got that impression.”