Free Sarah Woods Mystery Series (Volume 3) by Jennifer L. Jennings Page B

Thought we could celebrate.”
    “ Really?”
    He scooped me up into his arms and kissed my lips. “The job is done. I worked my ass off today, working straight through lunch.”
    “ You're done already? That's fantastic.” I gave him a congratulatory hug. “No wonder you're so happy.”
    “ And now, we have the rest of our time in Florida to do stuff together. I was thinking, maybe tomorrow we could rent some jet skis. Or go sailing for the day. Anyway, let me get dressed, then we can have some wine and talk about it.”
    “ Actually.” I bit my lip and could see his smile fading away. My heart ached at the thought of disappointing him. “Carter and I need to meet with Brook in a few minutes. It's kind of important. It shouldn't take very long.”
    He regarded me curiously. “Is everything okay?”
    “ Yeah, everything's fine.”
    He seemed unsure. “No problem. Maybe I'll research online about outdoor activities we could do tomorrow till you get back.”
    I went over, caressed his face, and kissed his lips again. “You're the best. I'll be back real soon.”
    “ Sure. Tell Carter I said hi.”
     
    * * *
    When Brook invited us into the penthouse, I introduced her to Carter.
    Carter smiled. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Foster.”
    “ Please call me Brook. Would either of you care for a drink?”
    “ We're fine,” I said, not wanting to prolong the meeting. “But thanks.”
    “ Well,” she said, pouring herself a glass of wine. “It's been quite an emotional day. Dennis was cremated this afternoon.”
    “ I'm sorry. Must be difficult for you,” I said, not wanting to waste precious time with platitudes.
    “ Well,” she said. “I suppose you want to discuss the reason I asked you to come here. Can I trust both of you to keep this as quiet as possible?”
    “ Yes,” I said. “But please understand, in the course of our investigation, there's a chance we might inadvertently expose your affair. If you're not prepared for that, then maybe we shouldn't go any further with this.”
    Brook mashed her lips together, a confounded expression on her face. “Okay.” She walked over to the sliding doors leading to the balcony and stared out to the ocean. She sighed heavily and eventually turned to face us. “I suppose I should start by telling you that I'm bisexual.”
    Carter and I exchanged a look, but neither of us responded to her confession.
    She took a few deep breaths as if summoning courage. “The person I was having an affair with was Vivian.”
    I thought she was joking. “Excuse me?” I said.
    “ You heard me correctly,” she said with a bemused smile. “I was having an affair with my husband's secretary.”
    I didn't know what to say.
    Carter clapped his hands together. “Well, I have to say, this is a new one for me.”
    Brook laughed lightheartedly. “I suppose you didn't see that coming. I didn't want to tell you because, well, it wasn't because I was embarrassed. It's because Vivian's husband Roy is a real douchebag. If he ever found out about us, he might hurt her. He's been violent towards her before. I've tried to talk her into leaving him, but she's too afraid.”
    “ Did you tell her about the letter and the money demand?” I asked.
    Brook shook her head. “No. I didn't want her to worry about it. And I guess I didn't want her to stop seeing me, either. ”
    I raised an eyebrow. “You're still seeing her?”
    “ Well, not since a month ago. We haven't had a chance to get together because Dennis hasn't gone out of town in the past month.”
    “ How many times have you seen each other?” Carter asked.
    “ Only three times. Like I said before, we were very careful. She was overly paranoid about Roy finding out.”
    I pictured Roy at the dinner party, coming on to me with his cheesy compliments. Sure, he was kind of a scumbag, but I couldn't picture him hurting his wife. However, I didn't trust my judgment; I'd been wrong about that before. “What time does Vivian usually leave