“Thank you,” Terri murmured. “I appreciated all your help making my travel and hotel arrangements so I could get down here without problem. I really couldn’t have managed without you.” She turned to Ben. “Would you like a drink?”
He reached for a glass. “Come on and sit down.”
She put the tray on the coffee table and found another chair.
Martha’s smile wasn’t quite as bright as before. “I was just telling Ben that my boss, Ben’s brother Creighton, allowed me to fly down to be of assistance until Ben has fully recovered.”
She was a brilliant liar.
Terri had no idea what Ben expected her to say to that. “There’s nothing like family support in a crisis.”
“Or an irreplaceable office manager like Carlos,” Ben interjected suavely.
Defeated on all fronts, the other woman stared pointedly at Terri. “How long do you plan to stay here?”
“I’m leaving for South Dakota in the morning.”
“I see. Now that I’ve come, I’ll be happy to help you with arrangements for your return flight.”
Ben drained his glass and set it down on the table. “That won’t be necessary. I’ve already taken care of everything.”
“In your condition, you shouldn’t have to be bothered.”
“It’s not a bother, Martha. Rather it’s a privilege since I’m flying Terri to South Dakota to help her plan a memorial service for her ex-husband.”
She choked on her drink. Her brown eyes fastened on Terri once more. “Ex-husband—you’re divorced?”
“For a year. Richard lied about our marital status on his application. I can’t tell you how surprised I was to get your message. In the first place, he and I had lost track of each other. When I heard he’d been in an accident in Ecuador, it completely threw me.”
Martha looked furious.
Terri felt compelled to explain. “The only reason I didn’t tell you I was divorced was that I thought maybe the Herrick Company only hired married people to work outside the States. I was afraid if I said something, it could get Richard into trouble at a time when he needed help the most.”
“Why would you care?” The question summed up the other woman’s shallow character.
Terri
sucked in her breath. “Because being divorced didn’t mean I wasn’t concerned about his welfare. For a period of time, we shared a life. That has to count for something.”
“I guess it all depends on the husband.” Martha’s brittle remark made Terri’s heart go out to Ben’s brother.
“Ben tells me you were once married to Parker, Martha. Even though you’re divorced now, I’m sure if he were in dire trouble and needed your help, you’d give it because of what he’d meant to you in happier times.”
“Maybe.”
Terri couldn’t let Martha’s comment go. “When I went to see Richard’s pregnant girlfriend and tell her he had died, Parker helped translate for me. He also gave her some of his own money on behalf the Herrick Corporation to help tide her over. Those were the actions of a truly kind person.”
Ben’s searching gaze met Terri’s. Obviously this was the first he’d heard about her outing with Parker.
“What I’m trying to say is, everyone has been wonderful throughout this whole, difficult ordeal. I want to thank you again, Martha, for making the situation easier for me at the beginning.”
“Of course.” Her attention drifted to Ben. “How soon will you be back from South Dakota?”
“I’m not sure.” Ben got up and walked behind Terri’s chair. Putting his hand on her shoulder he said, “It will all depend on how soon Terri’s willing to marry me and become my private secretary as well as my wife.”
A stunning silence followed.
Terri watched the blood drain out of Martha’s face, even as her own heart turned over and over. She struggled for breath. A certain remnant of conversation flashed through her mind.