The Soul Catcher - Alex Kava [27]
“We’re getting a divorce,” she corrected him.
“But we’re still married.”
“Please, Greg. It’s been a long day and a long week. I don’t need any lectures. Not tonight, okay?” She marched past him to the front door, letting Harvey lead, so that Greg moved out of the way.
“Maggie, I really did just stop to see if you’re okay.”
“I’m fine.” She unlocked the door and hurried to reset the buzzing alarm system inside the entrance.
“You could be a little more grateful. I did come all this way.”
“Next time, perhaps you should call first.”
She was ready to close the door on him, when he said, “That could have been you, Maggie.”
She stopped and leaned against the doorjamb, looking up at him and into his eyes. His perfect forehead was creased with concern. His eyes startled her with flecks of dampness she didn’t recognize.
“When Stan told me about Richard…well, I…” He kept his voice low and quiet, almost a whisper, and there was an emotion in it she hadn’t heard for years. “The first thing I thought of was, what if it had been you?”
“I can take care of myself, Greg.” Her job had been an ongoing debate in their marriage—no, argument was a better word. It had been an ongoing argument between the two of them for the last several years. She wasn’t in the mood for any “I told you sos.”
“I bet Richard thought he could take care of himself, too.” He stepped closer and reached to caress her cheek, but Harvey’s growl cut the gesture short. “It made me realize how much I still care about you, Maggie.”
She closed her eyes and sighed. Damn it! She didn’t want to hear this. When she opened her eyes, he was smiling at her.
“Why don’t you come with me. I can wait while you get ready.”
“No, Greg.”
“I’m meeting my brother, Mel and his new wife. We’re gonna have a nightcap at their hotel.”
“Greg, don’t—”
“Come on, you know Mel adores you. I’m sure he’d love to see you again.”
“Greg.” She wanted to tell him to stop, that she wouldn’t be meeting with him and Mel probably ever again. That their marriage was over. That there was no going back. But those watery gray eyes of his seemed to replace her anger with sadness. She thought of Delaney and of his wife, Karen, who had hated Delaney’s career choice as much as Greg hated hers. So instead, she simply said, “Maybe some other time, okay? It’s late and I’m really wiped out tonight.”
“Okay,” he said, hesitating.
For a minute she worried that he might try to kiss her. His eyes strayed from hers to her mouth, and she felt her back tense up against the doorjamb. Yet in that moment of hesitation, she realized she wouldn’t resist the gesture, and that revelation surprised her. What the hell was wrong with her? There was no need to worry, however. Harvey’s renewed growl cut short any attempt at intimacy, drawing away Greg’s attention.
He scowled at Harvey, then smiled back at Maggie. “Hey, at least you don’t have to worry about security with him around.”
He turned to leave, then spun back around. “Oh, I almost forgot,” he said, pulling a clump of torn and wrinkled papers from his jacket’s inside breast pocket. “These must have blown out of your garbage can. The wind was nuts today.” He handed her what she recognized as several ripped ad inserts, stuffers from her credit card statements and a notice about her Smart Money magazine subscription. “Maybe you need tighter lids,” he added. Typical Greg, practical Greg, not able to resist the chance to correct or advise her.
“Where did you find these?”
“Just under that bush.” He pointed to the bayberry along the side of the house as he headed to his car. “Bye, Maggie.”
She watched him wave and waited for him to get inside, predicting his routine of checking his reflection in the rearview mirror, followed by one quick swipe at his already perfect hair. She waited until his car was down the street and out of her sight, then she took Harvey and rounded the garage. Instantly, the lights rigged to the motion detector came on, revealing the two galvanized steel garbage cans, lined up exactly where she kept them, side by side, securely against