Luxury Model Wife by Adele Downs Read Free Book Online Page A

“Mother was especially happy about my success when I started sending the monthly allowance she asked for.” Victoria made a face. “Who says money can’t buy love?”
    Beverly reached over and touched her hand. “I’m sorry, Vic. You deserve better.”
    Victoria sucked in a breath and let it out slow. “James made up for a lot. His love was like a dream.” She took another bite of her sandwich.
    Beverly gulped a Diet Coke. “Is that where you met him, at the department store?”
    “Yes. A few months into the job.”
    She stared over Beverly’s shoulder, recreating James’s image in her mind. “I always notice a person’s eyes first, and James had the most arresting eyes I’d ever seen. They drew you in and held you captive. When he smiled, he made you feel like you were the only person in the world who mattered. Yet he didn’t flirt and never said anything inappropriate. He was just naturally charismatic.”
    “Sounds like he blew you away.” Beverly tilted her chin and made kissing sounds. Both of them laughed.
    “Maybe, but he was strictly hands off. James told me he was gift shopping for his wife and I respected that. Everyone seemed to know who he was. Apparently, he was a regular customer. When he left the store, the clerks talked about him like he was a celebrity.”
    Beverly nodded. “In this town, he was. West Chester has its share of prominent residents, but I think James topped the list.”
    Victoria stopped talking then, realizing she’d said more about her past in the last few minutes than she had in years. Her heart pounded with the revelation, yet something inside her loosened and gave way. Her mood lifted. She felt…better.
    “He might have had rock-star status, but James did his own shopping, unlike so many powerful men who delegate gift buying to an administrative assistant. I noticed he paid thoughtful attention to each item he picked out for Lydia. He was extravagant, of course, but that wasn’t what impressed me. What struck me was the care he took to consider her tastes. Lydia’s happiness obviously mattered to him, and I remember thinking how lucky she was. I’d never met a man like that.”
    A flashback of her brutal father intruded, but she shook the unpleasant memory away and went on with her story.
    “After Christmas that year, James stopped coming into the store. A co-worker told me his wife had died. Months passed, I was promoted to department manager, and my work became more demanding. My life revolved around my new responsibilities.”
    Victoria stopped talking and wiped her hands on a napkin. It felt good to talk, better than she expected, but she wasn’t sure yet how much she wanted to reveal to this veritable stranger. She remembered the adage that it was easier to talk to someone you didn’t know well and decided that must be true. Something about Beverly made her want to babble.
    “So what happened?” Beverly prompted. She’d finished her sandwich and had thrown out the trash. “You married the man, so obviously the story doesn’t end there. Keep going. Your life is much more interesting than mine.”
    When the phone didn’t ring, Pirate stayed quiet, and the store remained empty Victoria decided to keep talking. Having someone listen without judgment had loosened her tongue.
    Beverly resettled on her stool.
    “After Lydia died, I didn’t see James for over a year. Then, one day, while I was walking through the store on my way to lunch, James and I passed each other. We stopped to chat and he asked if he could join me. We talked for over an hour in the food court and I was late getting back to work. It wasn’t until I saw him weeks later that he asked me for a date.”
    “I bet every woman you worked with was green with envy,” Beverly replied.
    “We tried to be discreet since James was a widower. We dated quietly for several months before becoming engaged and then had a private wedding. Even after her death, James was considerate of Lydia’s memory.