He looked like someone who'd been dragged out of a beautiful dream. The smile that had been playing at the corners of his mouth flattened into a hard line, then dissolved into a resigned sigh.
"My wife. Tracey Galloway."
His tone carried a grim satisfaction, the kind that came from a wound you inflicted on yourself just to hurt someone else.
"You know how it is. Nobody waits around for someone for three years without a safety net. I've got the entire Sanchez family behind me. I couldn't afford to gamble."
Edith was clearly unprepared for that answer. Her fingers twisted into the hem of her clothes, and she forced a smile that looked worse than tears.
"Oh! So you're the little wife. I'm Edith Pruitt. I used to be Patrick's neighbor. You can call me Edith, just like he does."
Something seemed to occur to her, and she added with a coy pout of regret, "Actually, Patrick never really called me by my full name. He always used a nickname. He was such a tease back then."
I couldn't be bothered to dissect the barbs hidden beneath Edith's silk-soft words. Instead, I stared at Patrick in surprise, a warmth rising unbidden in my chest.
I let myself believe it. Pathetically, shamelessly, I let myself believe it. He'd acknowledged me in front of the one that got away. Maybe he did care about me. Maybe today really had been nothing more than a good deed.
Patrick cut through her rambling.
"Don't talk about the past. If I could, I'd rather I'd never met you at all."
Then he turned to me, his voice softening.
"Babe, ignore her. If it weren't for old times' sake, she could drop dead on the side of the road and I wouldn't spare her a glance."
Edith seemed to catch the meaning beneath his words. She assumed he still resented her for disappearing without a word all those years ago. Her small face crumpled with helplessness. She pressed her lips together, said nothing, and quietly slipped into the back seat.
Patrick strode to the driver's side. I turned my head to watch the scenery blur past the window. From the back seat came Edith's bitter, self-mocking laugh.
"Patrick, why am I so pathetic? I threw away the best years of my life for a man who wasn't worth it."
Silence filled the car.
Edith seemed to steel herself. Her gaze burned into the back of Patrick's head, and when she spoke, her voice was solemn.