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CHAPTER 18
"Who are you and what are you doing in my fiancé's hotel room?"
"Fiancé?" That was the only thing Terri heard. Her heart sank. She couldn't speak as she tried to process who this woman was. He wanted to marry someone else? Her husband didn't love her anymore; he'd really moved on.
Kara got Terri's full attention when she threatened to call the police.
In her best Spanish accent Terri finally managed to respond. "I-I'm the maid. I believe I lost . . ." Terri didn't know what to say she lost. She started backing her way to the door still holding Stiles' robe. Then she thought of something. I lost my grandmother's bracelet. I took it off while working this morning. I came to see. . ."
Kara didn't care. She'd heard enough. "What is your name?"
Terri thought fast reaching for the doorknob. "Maria. Maria Estonez."
Before Terri could get to the door, Kara grabbed her arm. "Well, Ms. Estonez, I don't care who you are or what you think you lost. You have no business in this room! I should turn you in."
Kara didn't feel like dealing with this. She had more important things on her mind like making her future husband forget about his past.
"Give me that and get out!" she yelled as she snatched the robe from Terri's hand while still holding on to her arm with her other hand.
Terri wrenched her arm from Kara's grasp and ran out of the room as fast as she could. She was halfway downstairs before she realized she had left her wig and contact lenses in the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Lyn sat in the lobby hoping everything was going okay. She became more than a little concerned when she saw Stiles heading for the exit—alone.
Terri ran to Lyn and grabbed her by the arm. "Come on, let's go!"
Without the wig and contacts, Lyn didn't immediately recognize Kay. "What? Who are--"
Before the sentence was fully out of her mouth she figured it out. "Oh! Kay, I didn't recognize you. Where have you been? I saw him leave a couple of minutes ago. What happened?"
"Let's just go, please. I'll tell you in the car."
The two women had been in the car several minutes before Terri said anything.
"He's engaged Lyn. He's in love with someone else," Terri finally managed to choke out through tears. She spent four years hoping that she could one day have her husband and her life back. Now, she was sure that she would be alone forever.
*******************************************************************************
Stiles left the hotel and went to the beach, then to the cove where he and Terri promised to return. The area looked much the same as it did five years earlier. As he got closer to the spot where they buried their treasures, he began playing with the small box in his pocket. He couldn't bring himself to start digging. Burying Terri's wedding rings would be it, the end. Maybe he wasn't ready to let her go after all.
"Kay honey, I'm so sorry. I overheard them in the bar. I called you, but----" Lyn stopped when she saw the look of despair on Terri's face. Realizing that she wasn't helping, Lyn switched gears. "Look, all is not lost. Maybe you should come back--talk to him. He's not betraying you; he thinks you are dead. He's here isn't he, on your anniversary; he's thinking about you."
Terri didn't say anything, she was still in shock.
"Listen, when she got here, he wasn't expecting her. He didn't seem real happy that she came. Maybe that means something."
Terri tried to smile, but she couldn't. The pain she felt meeting Stiles' fiancée was almost as bad as the pain she felt finding Jeff with another woman. The circumstances were very different, but the pain and result were the same—the man she loved—her husband was with someone else.
"I just want to go home. It's over. Four years of waiting and it's all over."
Lyn took Terri home. Despite her best attempts, she could not console her friend.
"Kay, it isn't that he's forgotten about you. He's here. He thought he'd never see you again, he thinks you're dead. I think you should go back. Talk to him. Let him know you're alive!"
"I can't. He loves someone else."
"I'm sure he would still be with you if he could."
"Lyn please, I don't want to talk about it anymore. I'm tired--of everything. I shouldn't have gone there anyway. I'm Kay McCavoy, artist, partner in CGD, single woman--forever. That's just the way it has to be."
Terri went up to her bedroom, laid on the bed and cried once again. She'd lost Stiles for good and she believed it was all her fault.
Lyn called her husband. "Honey, Kay isn't feeling well. I think I should stay with her tonight. Are you and the kids okay?"
Max Johnson was used to his wife, the caretaker. He said they would be fine and got the kids ready for bed. While they were taking a bath, he thought up ways for Kay to repay them.
As Kara locked the door, she saw a gold chain on the floor. At first she thought it was a present from A.B. that the maid tried to steal, then, as she walked toward the window to examine the necklace she noticed Terri's wig. Kara couldn't figure out where the wig came from. Then she opened the locket attached to the chain. She got a shock much greater than finding a wig and a strange woman sitting on her fiancé's couch.
CHAPTER 18
"Who are you and what are you doing in my fiancé's hotel room?"
"Fiancé?" That was the only thing Terri heard. Her heart sank. She couldn't speak as she tried to process who this woman was. He wanted to marry someone else? Her husband didn't love her anymore; he'd really moved on.
Kara got Terri's full attention when she threatened to call the police.
In her best Spanish accent Terri finally managed to respond. "I-I'm the maid. I believe I lost . . ." Terri didn't know what to say she lost. She started backing her way to the door still holding Stiles' robe. Then she thought of something. I lost my grandmother's bracelet. I took it off while working this morning. I came to see. . ."
Kara didn't care. She'd heard enough. "What is your name?"
Terri thought fast reaching for the doorknob. "Maria. Maria Estonez."
Before Terri could get to the door, Kara grabbed her arm. "Well, Ms. Estonez, I don't care who you are or what you think you lost. You have no business in this room! I should turn you in."
Kara didn't feel like dealing with this. She had more important things on her mind like making her future husband forget about his past.
"Give me that and get out!" she yelled as she snatched the robe from Terri's hand while still holding on to her arm with her other hand.
Terri wrenched her arm from Kara's grasp and ran out of the room as fast as she could. She was halfway downstairs before she realized she had left her wig and contact lenses in the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Lyn sat in the lobby hoping everything was going okay. She became more than a little concerned when she saw Stiles heading for the exit—alone.
Terri ran to Lyn and grabbed her by the arm. "Come on, let's go!"
Without the wig and contacts, Lyn didn't immediately recognize Kay. "What? Who are--"
Before the sentence was fully out of her mouth she figured it out. "Oh! Kay, I didn't recognize you. Where have you been? I saw him leave a couple of minutes ago. What happened?"
"Let's just go, please. I'll tell you in the car."
The two women had been in the car several minutes before Terri said anything.
"He's engaged Lyn. He's in love with someone else," Terri finally managed to choke out through tears. She spent four years hoping that she could one day have her husband and her life back. Now, she was sure that she would be alone forever.
*******************************************************************************
Stiles left the hotel and went to the beach, then to the cove where he and Terri promised to return. The area looked much the same as it did five years earlier. As he got closer to the spot where they buried their treasures, he began playing with the small box in his pocket. He couldn't bring himself to start digging. Burying Terri's wedding rings would be it, the end. Maybe he wasn't ready to let her go after all.
"Kay honey, I'm so sorry. I overheard them in the bar. I called you, but----" Lyn stopped when she saw the look of despair on Terri's face. Realizing that she wasn't helping, Lyn switched gears. "Look, all is not lost. Maybe you should come back--talk to him. He's not betraying you; he thinks you are dead. He's here isn't he, on your anniversary; he's thinking about you."
Terri didn't say anything, she was still in shock.
"Listen, when she got here, he wasn't expecting her. He didn't seem real happy that she came. Maybe that means something."
Terri tried to smile, but she couldn't. The pain she felt meeting Stiles' fiancée was almost as bad as the pain she felt finding Jeff with another woman. The circumstances were very different, but the pain and result were the same—the man she loved—her husband was with someone else.
"I just want to go home. It's over. Four years of waiting and it's all over."
Lyn took Terri home. Despite her best attempts, she could not console her friend.
"Kay, it isn't that he's forgotten about you. He's here. He thought he'd never see you again, he thinks you're dead. I think you should go back. Talk to him. Let him know you're alive!"
"I can't. He loves someone else."
"I'm sure he would still be with you if he could."
"Lyn please, I don't want to talk about it anymore. I'm tired--of everything. I shouldn't have gone there anyway. I'm Kay McCavoy, artist, partner in CGD, single woman--forever. That's just the way it has to be."
Terri went up to her bedroom, laid on the bed and cried once again. She'd lost Stiles for good and she believed it was all her fault.
Lyn called her husband. "Honey, Kay isn't feeling well. I think I should stay with her tonight. Are you and the kids okay?"
Max Johnson was used to his wife, the caretaker. He said they would be fine and got the kids ready for bed. While they were taking a bath, he thought up ways for Kay to repay them.
As Kara locked the door, she saw a gold chain on the floor. At first she thought it was a present from A.B. that the maid tried to steal, then, as she walked toward the window to examine the necklace she noticed Terri's wig. Kara couldn't figure out where the wig came from. Then she opened the locket attached to the chain. She got a shock much greater than finding a wig and a strange woman sitting on her fiancé's couch.