Free Take Cover by Kim Black

I’m planning on stopping by the office around noon, would you rather wait until after I meet with my father, or would you mind coming over now?” Still, his voice was calm.
    Knots formed in my stomach as if I was making a mistake, but I agreed, letting him know that I would be over shortly. Whatever apprehensions I had about meeting with him, had to be put aside. I knew deep down I was doing the right thing.
    Taking the divorce papers in my hands, I allowed myself one last time to cry. Here goes nothing...

As I hung up the phone with Charlette, I released an angery breath. Clutching to the papers in front of me, it was clear that Shane had been right about his suspicions. Someone had been providing The Crown Ivy with confidential information.
    When I first stumbled into the living room this morning, I hadn’t planned on going over the files my bastard brother had left behind. But, when my eyes fell on them, I grew a bit curious.
    As much as I hated my brother, I could never deny that the man was a natural when it came to business. Although, he would never actually apply himself toward it.
    My secret project was mentioned a total of three times during the negotiations between the attorneys. Each time, the attorneys representing us, informed them that there was no such project, but the opposing team persisted.
    I cursed myself for not being more hands on with the negotiations. Normally I was front and center, but between the expansion downtown and Emily, I allowed the meetings to proceed without me.
    Shane’s question rang through my head all morning. There had to be a reason for him to suspect Charlette. Though, for the life of me, I couldn’t think of a single reason why. Charlette hadn’t been involved in the hotel business; she possessed one of the most successful vineyards in all of France. Recently, she started building more relationships with restaurants in the states and was actually in the process of opening a vineyard in the Napa Valley.
    So what then... What was I missing?
    I stared at the files in front of me, willing them to give me insight, a clue even. Something sent Shane in Charlette’s direction, but I couldn’t see what it was.
    The sound of the front door alerted me to Charlette’s presence. Instinctively, I tucked the file underneath the couch cushions and moved to greet her.
    “I hope that the traffic wasn’t too bad getting here,” I murmured, attempting to make small talk as I kissed her cheek. She stiffened under my lips and quickly moved to walk into the living room.
    She was obviously very nervous judging by her twisting of her fingers, but I didn’t say a word about it. Instead I took a seat beside her, wanting this conversation to not seem like an investigation, though, for me, it was.
    “I know that you must be upset with me, and you have every right to be. What you did for me the other night, couldn’t have been easy for you.” I placed my hand on her knee, giving it a gentle squeeze and her breath hitched.
    She moved from my grasp, and I couldn’t help the puzzled look on my face.
    “Jules, this isn’t easy for me. I’m not sure what it is you’re expecting of me, here. I’ve done everything I could to please you, but we both know that your heart still rests with...her,” she began.
    Moving a little further away, she continued, “The last few days, I have tried to make sense of our situation. Tried to justify this new arrangement, holding on to hope that one day things might be different, but we both know that will never happen.”
    Looking away from her, I knew now what she had come to say. She was finally giving up on the idea that we would ever be together. I couldn’t explain it, but at that moment, I envied her strength, knowing that I could never have given up on Emily, so easily. “So, what now?”
    I lifted my head to find that tears were now streaming down her face and I couldn’t help but stand on my feet. I closed the gap between us and pulled her into a