husband.”
“If you say so, darling.”
Irritation surged through Alex and she began to have second thoughts about confiding in her mother. Martha seemed to sense her daughter’s change of heart.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. But you know I always liked Brandon. It broke my heart to see the two of you go your separate ways. I’ve never given up hope you might one day reconcile.”
“There’s no hope of that, Mom. But, you might yet get to see him again.”
Martha frowned. “What do you mean?”
Alex pressed her lips together. “I mean, he’s back.”
“Back?”
“Yes, Mom. Brandon’s back.”
Her mother’s eyes went wide. “He’s back? In Sydney? For how long?”
“Yes. As for how long—who knows? He’s just transferred to the CPU. He started a fortnight ago.”
“Oh, Alex. Honey. What are you going to do?”
“Do? I’ll do what I always do. I’ll get out of bed, put a smile on my face and go into work. I’ve been there for more than three years, Mom. I love that job. He’s not going to march in and take over my turf. If anyone’s going to leave, it will be him.”
Her mother looked doubtful. “If he’s only just arrived, I can’t see him wanting to move on any time soon. Did he know you worked there?”
Alex shrugged and took a sip of coffee. “I don’t know. Something tells me he must have known. It just seems too big a coincidence, otherwise. But then, why would he choose to come and work alongside me? I’m sure he hasn’t forgotten how things ended between us. Why would he want to fraternize with the enemy?”
“Maybe he doesn’t see you that way anymore?” It was offered quietly, without inflection.
Alex hung her head in her hands. “I don’t know, Mom. I don’t know . I don’t know what he’s doing here. I don’t know what he wants. He says he’s changed, but I don’t know that either.”
“Changed? In what way?”
“That’s the thing. I don’t know .” Restless energy surged through her and she pushed away from the table and paced the length of the small kitchen.
“It’s driving me crazy. I’m so tied up in knots at the thought of working with him, it’s interfering with my concentration. We’re in the middle of something huge at work and all I can think about is him. I remember the way we were before we broke up and then I remember why we broke up and the anger just about consumes me. I know it wasn’t all his fault. There were problems with our marriage before he left for Jakarta, but he was the one who returned home one day and announced we were over.”
She dragged in a ragged breath. “He never told me why. He refused to discuss it. He simply told me it wasn’t working and packed his things and left. I’ve never had the chance to rant and rave at him with my fury and my hurt and my shock and my disappointment. I feel like I’ve been robbed of that. That it was my right to scream at him and demand to know why. He owed that to me.”
Alex met her mother’s steady gaze and tears welled again at the love and sympathy she saw there. All of a sudden, the fight went out of Alex. Resuming her seat at the table, she picked up her coffee mug and took another sip.
“I don’t know why I keep resurrecting these old hurts. It was years ago. We’ve both moved on. What good can it do to keep reliving it?”
“Have you moved on?”
Alex’s fingers tightened around her mug. She forced air into her lungs and concentrated fiercely on the tablecloth.
“Of course I have. Why are you asking?”
“Please don’t get defensive, darling. I’m talking about what I see. It’s been more than four years since your marriage ended. I haven’t even heard you speak about someone who might have caught your interest, let alone seen you go out on a date. You’re a beautiful young woman with her whole life ahead of her and yet, for some reason, you’re not willing to take the next step.” Martha shot her a pointed look. “ That’s what
“If you say so, darling.”
Irritation surged through Alex and she began to have second thoughts about confiding in her mother. Martha seemed to sense her daughter’s change of heart.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. But you know I always liked Brandon. It broke my heart to see the two of you go your separate ways. I’ve never given up hope you might one day reconcile.”
“There’s no hope of that, Mom. But, you might yet get to see him again.”
Martha frowned. “What do you mean?”
Alex pressed her lips together. “I mean, he’s back.”
“Back?”
“Yes, Mom. Brandon’s back.”
Her mother’s eyes went wide. “He’s back? In Sydney? For how long?”
“Yes. As for how long—who knows? He’s just transferred to the CPU. He started a fortnight ago.”
“Oh, Alex. Honey. What are you going to do?”
“Do? I’ll do what I always do. I’ll get out of bed, put a smile on my face and go into work. I’ve been there for more than three years, Mom. I love that job. He’s not going to march in and take over my turf. If anyone’s going to leave, it will be him.”
Her mother looked doubtful. “If he’s only just arrived, I can’t see him wanting to move on any time soon. Did he know you worked there?”
Alex shrugged and took a sip of coffee. “I don’t know. Something tells me he must have known. It just seems too big a coincidence, otherwise. But then, why would he choose to come and work alongside me? I’m sure he hasn’t forgotten how things ended between us. Why would he want to fraternize with the enemy?”
“Maybe he doesn’t see you that way anymore?” It was offered quietly, without inflection.
Alex hung her head in her hands. “I don’t know, Mom. I don’t know . I don’t know what he’s doing here. I don’t know what he wants. He says he’s changed, but I don’t know that either.”
“Changed? In what way?”
“That’s the thing. I don’t know .” Restless energy surged through her and she pushed away from the table and paced the length of the small kitchen.
“It’s driving me crazy. I’m so tied up in knots at the thought of working with him, it’s interfering with my concentration. We’re in the middle of something huge at work and all I can think about is him. I remember the way we were before we broke up and then I remember why we broke up and the anger just about consumes me. I know it wasn’t all his fault. There were problems with our marriage before he left for Jakarta, but he was the one who returned home one day and announced we were over.”
She dragged in a ragged breath. “He never told me why. He refused to discuss it. He simply told me it wasn’t working and packed his things and left. I’ve never had the chance to rant and rave at him with my fury and my hurt and my shock and my disappointment. I feel like I’ve been robbed of that. That it was my right to scream at him and demand to know why. He owed that to me.”
Alex met her mother’s steady gaze and tears welled again at the love and sympathy she saw there. All of a sudden, the fight went out of Alex. Resuming her seat at the table, she picked up her coffee mug and took another sip.
“I don’t know why I keep resurrecting these old hurts. It was years ago. We’ve both moved on. What good can it do to keep reliving it?”
“Have you moved on?”
Alex’s fingers tightened around her mug. She forced air into her lungs and concentrated fiercely on the tablecloth.
“Of course I have. Why are you asking?”
“Please don’t get defensive, darling. I’m talking about what I see. It’s been more than four years since your marriage ended. I haven’t even heard you speak about someone who might have caught your interest, let alone seen you go out on a date. You’re a beautiful young woman with her whole life ahead of her and yet, for some reason, you’re not willing to take the next step.” Martha shot her a pointed look. “ That’s what
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