Claire sped out of the parking lot with Mike looking on. Her hands were shaking so much she could barely hold the steering wheel. She drove toward Tristan’s house in a state of confusion.
She picked up her cell phone and called Tristan, taking a deep breath to calm herself as Tristan answered. “Hey, Tris, do you know what time you will be home?” Her voice trembled as she spoke.
“I’m almost there. Is something wrong? You sound upset.”
Tristan felt her heart pound.
“Tris, I don’t know what to do,” Claire said as she started to cry.
“Mike was waiting for me when I got to my car this afternoon. He said some things that were really upsetting.”
“Okay, just calm down,” Tristan said, trying to remain calm herself. “Where are you?”
“I’m on the interstate not far from the turnoff to your house,”
Claire whimpered as tears rolled down her face.
“I’m a mile away from the house. I’ll stay on the phone with you until you get there. Did he hurt you, Claire?”
“No, but, Tris, I’m so scared. He was so angry with me.
Apparently, he knows now that I am seeing you, and he was pissed. He thinks I led him on,” Claire cried into the phone.
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“Baby, did he threaten you?” Tristan asked, trying to keep her anger from her voice.
“No. He was angry that I was seeing you and accused me of securing my position with Valor by sleeping with my boss.”
“Just come home to me, Claire. We will call the police, and tonight, we are calling someone at Suarez. I want someone in our office Monday. He will no longer be on our account, and if I have my way, he will be in the unemployment line.”
As Tristan drove down her driveway, she could see the headlights of Claire’s Jeep coming up behind her and breathed a sigh of relief. She jumped out of her truck and pulled Claire into her arms, feeling her tremble uncontrollably. Gently, she took Claire’s hand and led her to the house. Once inside, Tristan had Claire sit down at the kitchen table while she poured her a glass of wine.
Claire was hesitant to repeat what Mike had said about Tristan, but she knew she could not leave out any details. Remembering the conversation nearly word for word, Claire told Tristan everything that was said. She watched nervously as Tristan’s neck and face flushed with anger.
“Tristan, I don’t want to upset you further, but I don’t think we have anything to take to the police. He didn’t threaten me. He simply confronted me about my relationship with you. We have no proof it is him sending me those pictures other than his behavior.”
“Don’t protect him, Claire!” Tristan said harshly. “Regardless of whether he is the one who has been stalking you, what he did tonight was wrong and inexcusable. I have sat back and done my best to let you handle him, but I can’t do it any longer. If you don’t want to go to the police with this, that is your decision, but Mike will not work at Valor if I can help it.”
Tristan had gotten up from the table and was pacing around the kitchen as she spoke. Claire knew better than to argue the point with her. Tristan was right after all; something had to be done, and quickly.
“Okay, I’ll file a formal complaint with my manager Monday and see where it goes from there,” Claire said, hating that she was at the center of the controversy. She had failed in handling Mike and dreaded having to admit defeat.
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“No, Claire, we are not going to wait and see what they decide to do. We will force their hand in this. I don’t want him working on this account. On Monday, he will be removed and should be terminated.” Tristan softened her tone when she saw the look of despair on Claire’s face. “I know this is difficult for you, but I love you, Claire, and I can’t sit by anymore and watch this. If I do, it will be as though I’m condoning it.”
“You’re right. You’ve been right all along. This was my first position as a full-fledged manager. I just wanted everything to go smoothly.”
Tristan knelt in front of Claire’s chair. “You’re an excellent manager. Even if I weren’t in love with you, I would have to admit that you’ve done a wonderful job on our account. I respect that you wanted everything to go well, and aside from the problems with Mike, you have accomplished your goal.”
“What are you planning to do?” Claire asked as she wiped her face.
“I need to talk to Cam about this. He deserves to know,” Tristan said as she continued to kneel in front of Claire, holding her hand in her own.
“How much are you going to tell him? I don’t want him or Lucy to know anything about the photos, Tristan. This whole thing is way too humiliating. What if word of this gets out to the rest of the company?”
“If you don’t want me to say anything about the pictures, I won’t, but I do have an obligation to tell Cam about the incident that took place today. He needs to be in on the meeting with Suarez on Monday,” Tristan said, trying to be reassuring.
“I agree he needs to be involved, but I am not ready to tell them anything about our suspicions regarding Mike. This whole situation is embarrassing enough. I’ll make a report with Detective Salmetti. I want her to handle that part of it.”
Tristan sighed. “Fine, we will only tell Cam about what happened tonight. Should you receive any more packages, we’ll have to seriously reconsider. I’m sure Mike’s going to be very angry with us after Monday, and I don’t want any repercussions as a result.”
Claire listened as Tristan spoke with Cam. Tristan had to remind him repeatedly that Claire was indeed all right and that Mike never laid a hand on her. After Tristan finished speaking with Cam, she 169
Murky Waters
encouraged Claire to try to eat. It was a few hours later before Tristan could get her to relax and nibble a sandwich.
That night as Tristan slept, Claire curled up close to her. Feeling Tristan’s warmth and closeness made Claire feel secure. Even with Tristan near, the house alarm set, and the patrol cat lying at their feet, Claire stared into the darkness for hours before sleep claimed her.
When Tristan awoke the following morning, she lay next to Claire, looking at the tense lines across her face. She knew that Claire had not slept much. She was keenly aware that Claire had been restless for most of the night. She slipped out of bed, leaving Claire to sleep as long as she could.
Tristan padded sleepily into the kitchen followed by a very hungry orange feline. After she got the coffee going, she filled Ralph’s bowl and watched as he ate. When the coffee brewed, she poured herself a cup and went into the sunroom with Ralph close on her heels.
She sat quietly on one of the wicker chairs and sipped her coffee while smoking a cigarette. She watched as the smoke rose and thought that when things calmed down, she and Claire would really have to consider giving up the habit. Now was not the time, though. It calmed her nerves as she stared out the windows surrounding the room. She wondered how much more the love of her life could take before she simply cracked under the pressure.
With all that had been going on lately, Tristan had been too busy to struggle with her inner turmoil. She was learning to cope with her feelings of apprehension and fear. Some mornings, she would lie in bed watching Claire as she slept, silently regarding the woman who lay next to her. Tears of regret would fill her eyes when she thought about what she had put Claire through. She wondered how Claire would react to knowing the depths that she had sunk to in her past. Even with all of Claire’s love and compassion, she wondered if she was deserving of someone so special.
Ralph stirred and let out a soft meow when Claire walked into the room clutching her own cup of coffee. She sat in the chair opposite Tristan and smiled weakly as she lit a cigarette. The dark circles beneath her eyes were a testament to her lack of rest.