“Cailin.” Alex turned to face her. The sight of her, pale and stricken, tackled him to the ground and practically wrestled him into submission. The need to make it all better rose with every thump of his heart. He strode across the room, hands outstretched, but the minute he stepped into her space, she jerked away. Venom flashed in her eyes. She turned not to him but to Sara Beth, who looked on with compassion.
Cailin’s words came out as stiff as her spine. “Please don’t touch me.”
It was the “please” that gnawed his heart in two like a dull knife. Raising his stare to the ceiling, he clenched his teeth and tried to breathe. Helplessness was not in his skill set. There had to be some way to fix this.
Sara Beth stepped toward them. “Cailin—”
The woman next to him tensed even further, brittle enough to break, and he had to reach out to touch her. He couldn’t help it. That imperative, protective part of his brain refused to let her suffer this alone. His brain zeroed in on the thought, focusing, and he felt the rightness centering him deep inside. The chaos fell away; determination settled in its place. The decision was made, for good or bad. Either way, he was about to find out if the truth would damn him.
He encircled her wrist, ignoring her instinctive jerk away. “You’re right, Sara Beth. We have to explain. It’s not fair to do anything else.” He gestured toward the sofa arrangement at one end of the office suite. “Come sit down, sweetheart.”
Refusal immediately blanketed her face.
“Sit down, Cailin.” He could practically see several choice words gathering behind her lips. Hoping to forestall them, he added, “Please. We won’t hurt you.” At least, not any more than I already have.
“God, no. Please, Cailin,” Sara Beth pleaded.
A reluctant nod. A careful step, as if the ground would fall out from beneath her at any moment—or already had. Cailin made her way toward the love seat and settled herself in the middle, leaving no room for someone to sit with her. Alex discounted the obvious message and sat on the coffee table facing her, his knees caging hers, eliminating the possibility of escape. Sara Beth took the end position on the couch, kitty-corner to them.
“Caili—”
Sara Beth stopped as Cailin bent at the waist, her face coming to rest on her knees, and burst into tears. Alex reached out, hands hovering, uncertain what to do. Sara Beth shook her head. They both leaned forward, their heads coming together close to Cailin’s. Her words were mostly lost in the sobs, but Alex understood enough to guess it had all become too much for her. If she’d been as stressed as he had this last month, the situation tearing at her as it had at him, then the pain and humiliation of being walked in on—the cryfest made perfect sense. He almost wished he could join her.
“I tried… And Sara B-B-Beth… And I had… And you… I’m an ad-dulter-ress-s.” She choked. “I-I never…”
Alex held out trembling hands as she rocked forward, then back, seriously wondering if he would have to catch her at any minute. A desperate glance in Sara Beth’s direction showed the other woman in tears as well.
God Almighty, get me out of here. He had to do something, or he was going to lose it.
Grabbing Cailin’s arms, he shook her gently. “Cailin! Get it together. You’re not—” No, that would take a bit more explaining. “It’s all right. Stop, sweetheart. Listen to me.”
If his words registered, there was no sign of it. They registered with Sara Beth, though, because she glared at him and slapped his hands away. He sat back, hiding his sigh of gratitude that someone knew what to do. He certainly didn’t.
Ignoring the fact that there wasn’t enough room for her, Sara Beth shoved her pixie-sized body into the tiny gap on the love seat and forced Cailin into her arms. She rocked the other woman, murmuring soothing sounds. Alex waited. As the sobbing lessened and Cailin calmed, so did he. Witnessing her pain, he called himself ten kinds of asshole. How in hell would he ever repair what he’d allowed to become so irreparably broken?
When only the sound of ragged breathing filled the air between them, Sara Beth finally spoke, her tone brooking no argument.
“Cailin, I want you to listen to me. It’s all right. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Cailin raised a heavy head. “But—”
“I’m a lesbian.”
Cailin’s double take would have been comical if not for the tear tracks ruining the usually pink-and-cream perfection of her cheeks. “You’re a what?”
Now it was Sara Beth’s turn to stiffen. Alex knew she hadn’t shared this information with more than a couple of people, himself included. The sensitivity was expected.