Free The Amber Stone by Dara Girard Page A

her hands together. “Go on. Tell me.”
    “There’s nothing really exciting to tell,” Teresa said, replacing the book. Had Sean seen Pernelle, he probably wouldn’t have dismissed her so readily. “I saw him down at the bay, he told me to leave him alone.”
    Pernelle laughed. “He hasn’t changed.”
    Teresa turned to her. “You know him?”
    She lifted a perfectly arched eyebrow. “Very well, I’m afraid.”
    “How do you know him?” she asked, then regretted it when Pernelle turned and motioned for her to follow.
    “Come to the back and I’ll tell you.”
    Teresa shook her head. “I really don’t think…”
    “I know you’re dying of curiosity.”
    “I don’t like him.”
    Pernelle laughed. “Welcome to the club,” she said, then opened the door marked Employees Only.
    Teresa sighed and followed.
    They settled in the storage room; it smelled of musty old books and papers. Teresa moved some books off a chair and set them on the ground, then sat and waited.
    “He was a family friend,” Pernelle said. “My husband knew his wife.”
    “You’re married?”
    “Was dear.” She held up her bare finger. “You notice the ring is missing.”
    “What happened?” She couldn’t imagine anyone divorcing such a fun vibrant woman.
    “I drove him crazy. Not literally, so you can relax, we just weren’t well suited.”
    “Oh.” Teresa thought for a moment, trying to process the information. “I haven’t seen his wife.”
    “You won’t. They’re not together either.”
    She’d sensed a loss. Had it been the loss of his marriage that haunted him? Teresa mentally shook her head. It didn’t matter. “So you’ve both come here to mend a broken heart,” she said. “Perhaps you should go to Hollow Cove and see him again.”
    Pernelle vigorously shook her head. “I don’t purposely go running into my past, I prefer to look ahead. Besides, I don’t plan on seeing him again, not until I’m ready.”
    “But do you miss your husband?” she asked, thinking of her sister Michelle’s failed marriage. “What was he like?”
    Pernelle crossed her leg and swung her foot looking a little smug. “Probably not as much as he misses me.”
    Teresa stared stunned. “Why?”
    Pernelle shrugged and continued to swing her foot. “Because I didn’t want him focused on anyone but me and now he can’t.”
    She shook her head. “I’m sure no man could ever forget you.”
    Pernelle laughed. “I like to make sure of that. I can’t help it.”
    Teresa was silent for a moment, unable to comprehend what she’d heard.
    “I bet you’re wondering what this has to do with Sean?”
    “No, really I—”
    “He’d already left his wife by then. Although that’s not the story he’d tell you. He’d say that she left him.”
    Teresa nodded ready to leave. “I’m glad you’ve both moved on.”
    Pernelle took out a compact from her pocket and checked her makeup. “She was a lot like me. Attractive, intelligent, wealthy. She was a savvy and brilliant newscaster.”
    Teresa fought to keep her expression neutral as she remembered his cruel words. Was he thinking of his wife when he said those words to her? Was he laughing at her now? Had he wiped her kiss from his lips? “I wonder why she married him ,” she said, not understanding how such a cultured woman would end up with such a rugged, offensive man. Perhaps it was all about opposites attract.
    “He was different back then. We all were.” She laughed. “Don’t look so upset,” she said misinterpreting the slight scowl on Teresa’s face. Pernelle patted her knee. “I don’t know about Sean, but I never loved my husband. And some would say he’s better off without me. So are you going to see him again?”
    Teresa started. “Me? Never. I’m going to stay as far away from him as possible.”
    “I’ve never heard a woman say that about him before. I think you should go after him. You’re the kind of change that he needs.”
    Because I’m not