“Stalker,” she said, the teasing lilt creeping into her voice in spite of her intentions to remain cold toward him.
“I’ll own that. I stalked you here. But you’re my wife.”
“And you love me so much?”
He didn’t answer.
“Yeah, I thought so. Listen, I know where I stand. And it’s okay because I chose this kind of marriage for me. So it’s not right to get mad at you. I’ve been thinking about it long and hard, and that’s the conclusion I finally came too.”
“I want to make things work with us, and I haven’t been upfront with you. There’s all this shit online about you, slanderous stuff I’ve been trying to block and get removed, but it’s taking up a lot of time and legal effort and I have all these notifications on my phone whenever someone types ‘slut’ in the same article or comment with your name and—”
“You have a slut alert out on me? I’m not the one rubbing up against random blondes in Dubai, dude,” she said with a mirthless laugh.
“I know. I’m not saying you are one. In fact, I don’t like it being said about you, and I’m suing some people, potentially a lot of people because of it.”
“Why would you waste time suing people for calling me names?”
“Because it’s libelous and unsubstantiated, and they can’t call my wife names!” He said, thumping the table for emphasis. “And that hurt more than anything.”
“Hurt your reputation?”
“No. Not my reputation. Me. It hurt me…because I care so much.”
“That’s very well-rehearsed, Cates.”
“I’m going to make them pay. Nobody talks like that about the person that means the most to me.”
She laughed aloud. “Are you going to go beat them up by the basketball court after gym class? It’s the Internet. People say all kinds of shit, Brandon. You can’t let it bother you.”
“Yes, I can. It’s unacceptable.”
“Then for sure don’t read the comments on our magazine photos. Whew. Those people do not like me at all. I’m nasty and can give you a choice of STI’s, I think was the final verdict.”
“That’s disgusting. I’ll have those comments removed from the site by morning. Give me ten minutes,” he whipped out his phone. Marj put her hand over his.
“Stop, this is all so stupid. I know. I got caught up in it, too. I believed it—that you’d never want a woman like me. So if I’m wrong and you do want me, you have to drop the legal drama. No more suing people who say rude things about me.”
“You’re wrong. So wrong. Look, I’ll include you in dinner meetings from now on, so amorous lawyers don’t get a shot at slipping me a room key. Which I didn’t take, I’ll have you know. I want you with me, wherever I am.”
“I’m usually at home. Waiting.”
“That has to stop. We’re going to have to set up a standing date like you said. So we get to spend time together and build our connection.”
“Did you just say ‘build our connection’?”
“I may have watched most of a talk show on the plane. There was a lot about communication and making time and being open with each other.”
“I’m not a fan of the touchy, feely talk show thing but if it made sense to you, and I get a standing date out of it, I’m on board.”
“I want a standing date, and I want us to have time together every day and every weekend, too. There are things I can delegate and people I can reassign or hire to make it possible. A lot of executives play golf. Instead of carving out time for golf, I’ll carve out time for you.”
“So you’re going to play with me instead of little balls?”
“Yes. And that was horrible. I can’t believe you said it. Just for that, you have to decide what we’re doing tonight.”
She blew out a long breath. “What you’re proposing is lovely. And part of me wants to say yes badly. But I know it’s not really what you want. And I don’t want to change you. Listen, I’m catching a flight to Heber City, Utah. I have a two hour delay in New York. I’ll call you then.”
He looked at her stumped. “Utah? What? What’s there?”
“Fantastic views and clean air. And my cousin, Mandy. I’m going to go there to clear my head.”
“For how long?”
“A week. She’s gonna take me through the backcountry roads that’ll take us to all these amazing forested canyons, mountain tops and lakes that surround the city. And there’s these rugged mountain peaks and spring-fed streams that dominate the landscape in Heber Valley. And she’s also taking me to a festival that has theatrical performances, art shows, and all these Native American celebrations.”