“You asked Wyatt about me?”
“I’d ask anyone I could about you, but I doubt Karen will give me insight into any of your secrets.”
“Not likely,” she agreed. “Though, she seems to be a fan of yours these days, so maybe.”
“Good to know, but I’d rather hear directly from you. Tell me what happened two years ago.”
“My divorce, you mean,” she said, setting down her wine.
“Such an important event must have had a lasting impact. I want to understand you better.”
She looked out at the sun dipping ever closer to the horizon. It really was a breathtaking sight. It seemed a shame to mar such beauty with the ugly recollections of her past.
But even staring at the calm ocean, she knew the words would come. Not just because he’d asked, but because somewhere deep inside her, she agreed with him. She wanted him to know her, too.
“I met Jon in university,” she said. “At a mixer. He was set on going into law, and I was working on my business degree.”
“Love at first sight?”
She smiled at the memory. “Actually, he hit on my best friend. We were both part of the same social circle, so after that night we were thrown together more and more often. Eventually something shifted. We moved from friends to more.”
“And never looked back.”
She shook her head. “I thought he was the love of my life. We were the perfect mismatch, of course. I’d gone through school on a scholarship, whereas he’d used his trust fund. His family was grooming him to take over their firm. Jon’s destiny had been mapped out by age five, while my parents had wanted me to take courses that made me happy.” She smiled. “I think going into business was my way of trying to find something more stable in my life. We graduated and I worried our different paths would pull us apart. His family had never been pleased about him dating a girl with no pedigree or wealth. They warmed up to me once I had a ring on my finger, but it was a rocky road before that.”
“But he didn’t bow to the pressure.”
She smiled. “No. He loved me. Then, at least.”
“And eventually he asked you to marry him.”
“I thought I’d hit the Cinderella jackpot. I was going to marry the man of my dreams, my very own Prince Charming, and live a perfect life with him.”
“I take it things didn’t go according to plan.”
She stabbed at her rice with a little too much force. “Things changed after we were married. What Jon wanted from me changed.”
Hayden said nothing, giving her room to speak.
“He never understood why I wanted to work. I didn’t need to, he assured me time and again. He couldn’t fathom that I liked what I did. I liked finding solutions to problems and helping hotels correct course. Because of him, I stopped taking jobs that required a lot of travel. I started staying closer to home. Closer to him.”
I diminished myself for him. Got smaller for him.
The words caught in her throat. She’d been the commoner marrying far above herself, and for years she’d thought holding herself back was merely the price to pay. It had taken her far too long to realize it hadn’t been her marrying up, but him. She was far better than he’d ever deserved.
“That clever brain of yours would drive you crazy if you didn’t work.”
Her gaze swung to Hayden. He stared back at her, his expression open and honest. Obviously, the words weren’t said to curry favor, just to state fact.
Her heart beat a little bit faster.
“Exactly,” she said.
“Your ex doesn’t sound particularly bright, Avery.”
“Turns out he wasn’t, in the end.”
“How did everything come to a head?”
She stabbed a piece of fish. “The way everything ends. We realized we didn’t fit together any longer.”
“There’s more to the story than that.”
“Get me drunk one night, and maybe I’ll tell you. For now, I’d like some quid pro quo. Tell me about that friend you used to bring to the island.”
The open expression vanished from his face.
“Oh, come on,” she said, putting down her fork on her empty plate. “You wanted to know more about me. You think the feeling isn’t mutual?”
“Should I take that as a good sign?”
“Don’t deflect. What was her name?”
He leaned back in his chair, the silence stretching.
Avery said nothing as she waited. She’d played this game before in other boardrooms. If you waited long enough, eventually the other person would fill the quiet.
“Sophia,” he said at last.
She bit back her smile. “How many times did you bring her here?”