At First Sight - Nicholas Sparks [44]
“Sounds good,” Jeremy said, and a moment later he hung up the phone. Staring at the computer, he shook his head. Maybe tomorrow, he thought. Just as he was rising from his desk, the phone rang again. Expecting Alvin had forgotten to tell him something, he answered, “Yeah?”
“Hey, Jeremy,” Lexie said. “That’s a funny way to answer the phone.”
“Sorry. I just hung up with Alvin and thought he was calling back. What’s up?”
“I hate to do this to you, but I’m going to have to cancel our dinner tonight. Let’s do it tomorrow, okay?”
“Why?”
“Oh, it’s Doris. We’re heading to her place, but she’s still upset and I should probably stay for a while.”
“Do you want me to come by? I can bring some dinner with me.”
“No, that’s okay. Doris has plenty of food, and to be honest, I don’t know if she’s in the mood to eat. But with her heart troubles, I’d just feel better if I made sure she was okay.”
“All right,” Jeremy said, “I understand.”
“Are you sure? I feel bad about this.”
“Really, it’s okay.”
“I promise to make it up to you, though. Tomorrow. Maybe I’ll even wear something skimpy while I cook dinner for you.”
Despite his disappointment, Jeremy kept his voice steady. “Sounds good.”
“I’ll give you a call later, okay?”
“Sure.”
“I love you. You know that, right?”
“Yeah,” Jeremy said, “I know.”
Lexie was quiet on the other end, and it was only after hanging up that Jeremy realized he hadn’t said the words in return.
Does trust have to be earned? Or is it simply a matter of faith?
Hours later, Jeremy still wasn’t sure. No matter how many times he went over the questions, he wasn’t sure what to do. Should he stay at Greenleaf? Head to Lexie’s to wait for her? Or check to see if she was really at Doris’s?
That’s what it came down to, he thought. Was she really there? He supposed he could come up with some sort of plausible excuse and call Doris to find out, but wouldn’t that mean he didn’t trust her? And if so, why on earth were they getting married?
Because you love her, an inner voice answered.
And he did, he admitted, but alone in his quiet room at Greenleaf, he couldn’t help but wonder whether or not it was blind love. In the years he’d been married to Maria, he’d never once been suspicious of her whereabouts, even toward the end of their relationship. He’d never called over to her parents to check to see if she was really there, seldom called her at work, and only rarely popped in unexpectedly. She’d never given him a reason to question her about anything, and for the life of him, he couldn’t remember even considering it. But what did that mean when it came to him and Lexie?
It seemed as if he had two views of her—one in which they spent time together and he chided himself for his paranoia; the other when they were apart and he allowed his imagination to run wild.
But it wasn’t completely wild now, was it? He had seen Lexie and Rodney holding hands. When asked directly what she’d done that day, she hadn’t mentioned even seeing him. He had received a strange e-mail, one from someone who’d taken great pains to hide who he or she was. And when Doris was talking about Rachel, Lexie’s only question had been whether or not Rodney seemed angry.
On the other hand, if she did have feelings for Rodney, why not just admit them? Why agree to marry Jeremy? Why buy a house and go shopping for the baby and spend almost every evening with Jeremy? Because of the baby? Lexie was traditional, Jeremy knew, but she didn’t have a 1950s mind-set. She’d lived with a boyfriend in New York, had a passionate fling with Mr. Renaissance . . . she wasn’t the type to throw away a life with the man she truly loved—assuming it was Rodney—for the sake of a baby. Which meant, of course, that she loved Jeremy, just as she’d told him on the phone. Just as she told him every time they were together. Just as she whispered when they were entwined in each other’s arms.
There was no reason not to believe her, he decided. None at all. She was his fiancée, and if she said she was at Doris’s, then that’s where she was. End of story, except for one thing: