He should have called from the plane to let her know that he was coming home, to tell his wife that he’d made some decisions that he wanted to share with her. But he’d wanted his arrival to be a surprise—and instead, he surprised himself by coming home to an empty house. He dropped his duffel inside the door and went to the kitchen to grab a drink. He opened a can of Coke and noted that the message light was flashing on the answering machine. He took another swallow from the can and pressed the button. “Hi, Paige, it’s Karen Rosario. I understand that you canceled your appointment for this afternoon and I was a little concerned about your reasons for doing so. I know you had some qualms about proceeding while your husband is out of the country but, as I explained earlier, I believe that his absence can work in your favor, so please give me a call to reschedule—” Zach pressed the stop button. He’d heard enough. More than enough. Lord, he felt like such a fool. He was a fool.
