An Illusion of Trust (Sequel to The Brevity of Roses) by Linda Cassidy Lewis

the wine.
    "Are you too drunk to drive?" I say when we get to the car. He looks at me like I'm insane.
    "I drank only a bit more than one glass, Renee."
    "How many did I have?"
    "If you have to ask, you had too many." He opens my door.
    "Uh-oh."
    He grabs my arm and pulls me back. "If you are going to be sick, do not get into my car."
    I shake my head. "I forgot my purse at the table."
    He sighs and motions for me to get in the car. "You left your purse at home. Remember? It clashed with your dress."
    I slide into the seat and close my eyes, enjoying the buzz. We don't speak again until he turns onto our road. "This is your fault," I say. "I used to be able to drink."
    "Mia Grace will be weaned in a few months. You will get back up to speed then." He parks the car and comes around to open my door.
    "If I'm not pregnant again."
    "I am under strict orders from Jennie not to let that happen, so we need to discuss our options."
    I stomp my foot. "Jennie is not the boss of me."
    "Good lord," Jalal says, shaking his head, but he can't help laughing.
    He leads me in the house and to the kitchen. "Sit," he says. "Do you want coffee or tea?"
    "I'm not really drunk," I say. "Let's stay up all night and drink wine, like we used to."
    "And then pick up our children at dawn and feed your daughter the fine vintage you produced during this night of debauchery?"
    "You're no fun."
    When the coffee's brewed, he fills two mugs, sets the dessert between us with two spoons, and takes the chair across from me. "So," he says, "to continue our earlier discussion. You thought I was hot the first day, but when did you know you were in love with me?"
    "The first day."
    "Be serious."
    "Okay. When you didn't jump my bones an hour after you met me."
    He sighs and shakes his head. "You did not fall in love with me the first day," he says.
    "You're right; it was day seventeen. You had this one curl that kept falling in your eyes …"
    "Are you capable of taking my question seriously?"
    "Apparently not."
    He sighs again. "You know what cinched the deal for me?"
    "Wow. 'Cinched the deal.' How romantic."
    "Do you know?"
    I gaze at the ceiling for a moment and then say, "My hair?"
    "I do love it, but no. It was watching you cook that first time."
    "You're weird."
    "Shared interests are important in a relationship."
    "Well then, I guess it's a good thing I can cook."
    He frowns. "We share other interests."
    "Yeah, like the thing you're thinking about when my cooking turns you on."
    "That too, but we both love to travel—which we will get a chance to do again, eventually."
    I hold up three fingers. "Three things. And that's it."
    "Reading."
    "Whoa. Don't
we
sound exciting."
    "Being good parents."
    Pow
. Sucker punch. He's twisted around to the mother discussion after all. "Jalal, this is not—"
    "When you first told me about your mother, we were sitting at this table. I thought I listened well, but I must have missed the most important part."
    I won't talk about her again. And I'm not going to cry. I know exactly which secret of his to bring up to end this. I move from my chair to his lap. "Well, I didn't miss a thing, Mr. Hunk of the Month." I expect him to push me away. He doesn't. He just looks at me through eyes dampened by pity. I want to claw them out of his head. Instead, I jump up and run out the front door.
    I teeter on the edge of the top step. I don't have the car keys and I'm not dressed for walking in the night air. The screen door opens behind me. "If you touch me, I swear I'll scream." I say that, but I won't do it. I'm afraid I might not be able to stop. He steps up behind and enfolds me.
    "This wind will chill you. Come inside."
    I let him lead me. He doesn't head back to the kitchen or even stop in the living room, except to turn off the lights. He takes me to the bedroom. "We need to sleep," he says.

    Jalal is unusually quiet during the drive back to Coelho. He didn't even hear Adam trying to tell him about the cows he saw out the window. I