Read Online CS 01 The Grail Conspiracy by Lynn Sholes - Free Book Online
Authors: Lynn Sholes
Tags: Lynn Sholes
Ads: Link
misplaced a tape and haven't been
able to find it yet."
"Important stuff?"
"It was all important;' she said, pulling her hands away as the
waiter approached.
"Something to drink?" the waiter asked.
"Bring me a big fat Tanqueray and tonic;' Thornton said. "Cotten?"
"Absolut on the rocks with a twist, please."
The waiter left, and Thornton leaned back. "I've got to go to the
doctor and have my clot time checked tomorrow. Pain in the ass.
They can't keep the damn Coumadin levels stable."
She knew he was stalling. "Yes, you've told me that before." Cotten
unwrapped her silverware and put the napkin in her lap, fidgeting
with it.
"Well, who'd have thought you could get blood clots in your legs
just from sitting on a goddamn airplane? Now, with the blood thinner, God forbid, I cut myself shaving-I'll bleed to death."
"Get to the point, Thornton. You're waltzing all around it. Trying
to work up a little sympathy first?"
He reached for her hands again, but she kept them just out of
range.
"I know what you're going to say, that we've been through this ad
infinitum," he said. "But this time it's different. I swear."
"Just tell me what you decided."
"I'm going to ask Cheryl for a divorce."
"Why?"
"What do you mean, why? Because I love you. I want to be with
you.
"When are you going to tell her?" Cotten prepared for the catch.
"Right away."
She glared at him.
"Very soon. Just as soon as she gets her decorating business on its
feet. That way she'll have something to preoccupy her while getting
through-"
"Thornton, she's been trying to get that business going for two
fucking years." By the end of the sentence, Cotten had raised her voice
enough that some heads turned in their direction.
He held his hands up, as if to surrender. "Cotten, please."
"This is the same bullshit you've told me over and over. Nothing's
changed, has it? You know as well as I do you can't leave her." Cotten
looked up at the cheap, fake flowers. How appropriate, she thought.
"I'm so goddamn stupid. I knew what you were doing, and I still
came here. I was going to let you sweet-talk me into bed. And while
you fucked me and whispered how you couldn't live without me,
you'd be checking your watch so you wouldn't get home too late and
have to make up some excuse." Cotten rubbed her temples. Her voice
dropped. "I can't take this anymore. I never should have come. Go
home to Cheryl and leave me alone."
She grabbed her purse, stormed out, and cried her way down the
Manhattan sidewalk.
Cotten walked for nearly an hour in the freezing drizzle before
flagging a cab. She'd cried until she couldn't anymore. Maybe she'd
overreacted and been too harsh. What if he really was trying to leave
Cheryl? She was so confused. Maybe she should move out of New
York, even go home to Kentucky. That notion quickly dissolved. She
had to break this off completely and get over it.
She could live without him, she kept telling herself. There was life
after Thornton Graham.
Cotten sat in her living room and stared at the phone on the table
beside her. She knew she would see Thornton at work-there was no
way to avoid it. Setting rules up front would be the best thing. She
wouldn't talk to him unless it was a matter dealing with her job. She
wouldn't answer his calls. And she wouldn't see him alone under any
circumstances. Those were the rules-and that's what she would tell
him. It was over. The end.
The phone rang, and Cotten answered, but not without first looking at the Caller ID.
"Uncle Gus," she said when she picked up. "How are you?"
"Doing great, little girl. Just checking up on my favorite niece."
That was a joke between them. She was his only niece. She heard
him laugh and pictured her uncle's Santa-like frame. Even his hair
was snow white like Mr. Kringle's. She loved Gus and wished he
would lose weight and stop chain-smoking. She heard the click of his
cigarette lighter.
"I haven't talked to you in a while," he
able to find it yet."
"Important stuff?"
"It was all important;' she said, pulling her hands away as the
waiter approached.
"Something to drink?" the waiter asked.
"Bring me a big fat Tanqueray and tonic;' Thornton said. "Cotten?"
"Absolut on the rocks with a twist, please."
The waiter left, and Thornton leaned back. "I've got to go to the
doctor and have my clot time checked tomorrow. Pain in the ass.
They can't keep the damn Coumadin levels stable."
She knew he was stalling. "Yes, you've told me that before." Cotten
unwrapped her silverware and put the napkin in her lap, fidgeting
with it.
"Well, who'd have thought you could get blood clots in your legs
just from sitting on a goddamn airplane? Now, with the blood thinner, God forbid, I cut myself shaving-I'll bleed to death."
"Get to the point, Thornton. You're waltzing all around it. Trying
to work up a little sympathy first?"
He reached for her hands again, but she kept them just out of
range.
"I know what you're going to say, that we've been through this ad
infinitum," he said. "But this time it's different. I swear."
"Just tell me what you decided."
"I'm going to ask Cheryl for a divorce."
"Why?"
"What do you mean, why? Because I love you. I want to be with
you.
"When are you going to tell her?" Cotten prepared for the catch.
"Right away."
She glared at him.
"Very soon. Just as soon as she gets her decorating business on its
feet. That way she'll have something to preoccupy her while getting
through-"
"Thornton, she's been trying to get that business going for two
fucking years." By the end of the sentence, Cotten had raised her voice
enough that some heads turned in their direction.
He held his hands up, as if to surrender. "Cotten, please."
"This is the same bullshit you've told me over and over. Nothing's
changed, has it? You know as well as I do you can't leave her." Cotten
looked up at the cheap, fake flowers. How appropriate, she thought.
"I'm so goddamn stupid. I knew what you were doing, and I still
came here. I was going to let you sweet-talk me into bed. And while
you fucked me and whispered how you couldn't live without me,
you'd be checking your watch so you wouldn't get home too late and
have to make up some excuse." Cotten rubbed her temples. Her voice
dropped. "I can't take this anymore. I never should have come. Go
home to Cheryl and leave me alone."
She grabbed her purse, stormed out, and cried her way down the
Manhattan sidewalk.
Cotten walked for nearly an hour in the freezing drizzle before
flagging a cab. She'd cried until she couldn't anymore. Maybe she'd
overreacted and been too harsh. What if he really was trying to leave
Cheryl? She was so confused. Maybe she should move out of New
York, even go home to Kentucky. That notion quickly dissolved. She
had to break this off completely and get over it.
She could live without him, she kept telling herself. There was life
after Thornton Graham.
Cotten sat in her living room and stared at the phone on the table
beside her. She knew she would see Thornton at work-there was no
way to avoid it. Setting rules up front would be the best thing. She
wouldn't talk to him unless it was a matter dealing with her job. She
wouldn't answer his calls. And she wouldn't see him alone under any
circumstances. Those were the rules-and that's what she would tell
him. It was over. The end.
The phone rang, and Cotten answered, but not without first looking at the Caller ID.
"Uncle Gus," she said when she picked up. "How are you?"
"Doing great, little girl. Just checking up on my favorite niece."
That was a joke between them. She was his only niece. She heard
him laugh and pictured her uncle's Santa-like frame. Even his hair
was snow white like Mr. Kringle's. She loved Gus and wished he
would lose weight and stop chain-smoking. She heard the click of his
cigarette lighter.
"I haven't talked to you in a while," he
Similar Books
