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Chapter One

Friday 9:00 pm

Tonight’s celebration felt as hollow as Lee’s confidence Anniversaries were a big deal, especially this one A little ht he and Kate would make it to their ten-yearof betrayal

He should have told her

Actually, he should have discussed the situation with her before coe as his, but this wasn’t the first decision he’d made solo

The raw March hipped across the stucco facade of La Cusina Stepping down from the brick stoop of the Italian restaurant to the sidewalk, Lee steered his wife around a patch of ice on the asphalt Her high heels were sexy but precarious on the slippery spots Although he probably shouldn’t worry As a forure skater turned coach, Kate spent as round They walked past the bank and the bakery, both closed

“Maybe next year we can do more than dinner for our anniversary Wouldn’t a cruise be perfect? Aruba, Jamaica” He hummed the first line of the Beach Boys’ “Kokomo”

“I’ his larger body to block the wind Spring didn’t come early in upstate New York “How many times have we had dinner out since Faith was born? Oh, yeah None If Carson had been this difficult, he’d be an only child”

Their six-year-old had been born easygoing

“It’s her elaborate plan to weaken us into sub she wants” Their sweet four- banshee when the sun set But they both knew the baby wasn’t the only reason they hadn’t had a date night lately

“Sleep deprivation is an established forh sounded forced, as if she was just going through the ht’s celebration

Lee’s chicken ut Kate had been quiet all night Was she simply worried about the baby or was she unhappy for soed too many billable hours these last feeeks They’d barely seen each other Paranoia dug its fingernails into his heart He didn’t want to lose his wife Those nights he’d slept in the guest rooo were the loneliest of his life He’d been isolated Kate wasn’t just his wife She was his best friend

They turned the corner and set off down the side street where he’d parked the car Mature trees lined the quiet lane, their branches hanging over the sidewalk On a bright suid and dark night, the added shadows shifting with the ere unwelcome Lee tripped over a slab of concrete pushed above the sidewalk by shallow tree roots Kate caught his arm and held on until he sorted his feet under his body Typical Even handicapped by three-inch heels, his athletic as his supporter

“Thank God for Julia” Kate reached into her pocket, pulled out her cell phone, and glanced at the display In her other gloved hand, the Styrofoarip

“Any calls?”

“No, but we’d better get hoirl is probably ready to screa” Kate pocketed her phone

Their teenage neighbor had been a savior as the last few months had passed in a sleep-deprived blur

“I know” Lee sighed Their big night out was over Back to the ear-splitting reality of a colicky infant, but he’d take it Their h it, and if hethe key word Their entire future rested on hiht of the decision he’d made this week sat on his shoulders like an anvil Had he let ae?

He needed to tell Kate soon about the case he’d taken Refusing the Hamiltons hadn’t been an option He couldn’t look those parents in the eye and say no, especially with his gut telling him the situation was more complicated than it appeared After two days of inquiries into the case, he was even more disturbed But controversy didn’t necessarily translate into popularity In a s as bad press The lawsuit could affect his chance for partnership, and he wouldn’t be the only one in the line of fire Everyone in Scarlet Falls had a heated opinion With the investigation centered on the rink where Kate coached, she was sure to be embroiled in the fallout

He glanced sideways at her profile, her expression unreadable in the darkness Would she stand by hi presence, Lee feared he couldn’t succeed

On the bright side, a ould all but guarantee him the partnership Frank Menendez, the new associate, wasn’t shy about lobbying for the proe over his ruthless coiven what he’d discovered, the odds of winning were in his favor He just had to have faith and work hard Then everything would be all right

He wasn’t going to tell Kate tonight She was already stressed He hoped her tension was all about the baby and not a replay of theirto ruin their anniversary He was going to let his wife enjoy asdown on their family