~~~ Part 5 ~~~
Elizabeth awoke the next morning alone. Henry's side of the bed was untouched. She shut her eyes again and groaned into her pillow. At the smell of coffee, she extricated herself from the pillow. Henry was standing over her, looking like he hadn't slept, which, she suspected, he probably hadn't. She sat up. Wordlessly, he set her mug down on the nightstand and handed her a plate of chocolate chip pancakes with a napkin and fork. He ducked into the bathroom to shower while she gratefully ate, or rather devoured, her breakfast and caffeinated.
Henry emerged, freshly showered, smelling of his shampoo and aftershave. Still silent, he dressed, then knelt on the floor beside the bed, so he was nearly level with her. She turned to him. He reached over and gently tucked a stray hair behind her ear, then clasped his hands together. "Okay," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I want you to be happy." He leaned in towards her, his shoulder grazing against her hip. She reached out and touched the side of his face, feeling his stubble. "Whatever you need, I'll try."
She looked down at him. "I just need you to be honest with me. Completely honest."
There was a long pause, and then he cleared his throat. "Um... There is something else, something I haven't told you." Elizabeth braced herself. Was he about to confess that he was seeing someone else? That something had happened while she was away? Catching the expression on her face, he rushed to reassure her, "I'm making it sound like a bigger deal than it is, but I don't want to keep things from you, ever. And communication is going to be even more critical now. I didn't spend the entire time you were away at the archives. Stevie saw me at a cafe ... with a colleague, and she, um, she jumped to the conclusion that I was having an affair."
Elizabeth waited for Henry to say more, but he didn't. "Were you?" she finally asked. "Are you?"
"No," he said, looking a little surprised, but completely honest.
Elizabeth let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She studied him carefully. Then why did she still feel like he was hiding something? "So you were just grabbing a bite to eat together? Is that all?"
How had they ever thought he would be able to keep this from her? Not only was she his wife, but she'd been a professional interrogator. "No, that's not all. It's true that I skipped the trip because I had to work. But I lied about the publisher. They didn't move up my deadline. I'm sorry about that," he confessed contritely.
He was definitely being cagey about whatever happened at the cafe, and he'd been lying to her since before the trip. He stomach churned, but she forced herself to ignore her emotions. She needed to understand why. It didn't make sense. It's not that she thought Henry was incapable of lying, but she'd never known him lie without believing he had good reasons. He was still withholding something.
"Are you that far behind on your book? I noticed you haven't been talking about it like you usually do. But why would you feel the need to hide that? Is it my job? Is it keeping you from having enough time to work on your book?" He remained silent, but he was starting to crack, she could tell. "This is weird. You're being sneaky. You could have just told me not to pressure you to go on the trip. Is something else going on at work? I don't..."
Henry knew he'd have to tell her, laws be damned. Her security clearance was way higher than his anyway; it was absurd to keep this from her.
"Wait..." She held up her hand to stop him, just as he was opening his mouth to tell her. "I know this." Her face lit up, as if illuminated by the truth. "You're working for the NSA again."
God he loved this woman! "Yes," he confirmed, feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted from his chest.
"That's why you're being seen around town with a cute young woman!" Elizabeth exclaimed, a grin breaking on on her face as it all clicked.
"She's my handler," he responded baldly.
"Is she cute?" she asked, unable to resist making him squirm.
Surprised by how quickly Elizabeth could joke about it, Henry was unprepared for the question. He hadn't given her appearance any real thought before, but she was, he supposed. "She's... My handler."
Elizabeth extended her hand to Henry and pulled him up, scooting over so there was room for him in the bed. Once he was sitting beside her, she repositioned herself and gave him a big kiss, the kind of kiss he'd expected when she'd walked in the door.
Henry was so relieved by both the renewed physical connection and the fact that Elizabeth had guessed he was working for the NSA that it wasn't until a few moments later that he realized Elizabeth had already known he had been seen out with someone.