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that’s possible.” I shook my head. The longer I stayed in his house and talked, the more I wanted it to go on. Standing close to him lit something in me.
    “If you want me to leave you alone, I can do that, but I was hoping we could move past this. Call it a mistake. Call it a lonely widower doing something impulsively wrong that he’ll never forgive himself for.”
    “I’ve got to go to work. This never happened.”
    “I’m sorry, Audrey.” He stood and took a step.
    Before he could take a second one, I slammed the door behind me. I glanced across the street and thought I saw Mrs. Ellerby’s curtains ruffle.
    The magnolia scratched my arm as I tore past it. I rushed to work and spent the day tossing artwork in the trash, cleaning out my desk, and scrubbing the desks. It felt good cleaning the goo and pencil marks off the Formica tops. The harder I pressed, the cleaner they looked.
    I didn’t look at the clock until I heard the last bell ring for the day. The school kept them on schedule all year, whether students were in the building or not.
    I never expected to get my choice school when I applied for teaching positions. It wasn’t a secret there was a teaching shortage, but the senior teachers wanted Charleston Oaks and it was one of the harder jobs to land.
    Spencer never doubted for a second things would fall into place for us.
    “I’m at a new firm, and we just got back from our honeymoon. Of course you’re going to get that job.”
    “But, the only experience I have is student teaching. Charleston Oaks doesn’t usually take first-year teachers.” I was preparing myself for the bad news.
    Spencer tapped the tip of my nose. “This is our year, babe. The perfect year for both of us.”
    I loved how Spencer saw the good in every situation. He didn’t doubt. He didn’t question that the right thing would happen. That was what made him such a good attorney. He believed his clients wholeheartedly. He would defend and fight for them no matter the case. I thought the other partners in the firm took advantage of Spence. They would pass off the cases no one else would touch, but brought in big money, racking up billable hours.
    Spence was right. I got the job at Charleston Oaks. Actually, I interviewed at all four schools that were hiring. In the end, I was able to take my pick.
    I loaded a box of items in my backseat and headed home. I kept my eyes forward when I neared Paxton’s driveway. I had managed to avoid thinking about last night and our conversation this morning for most of the day.
    I closed the garage door, sealing myself inside the house. The blinds were drawn in the kitchen and I couldn’t see that damn magnolia tree.
    Paxton would forget about it. Men didn’t dwell on things like this.
    He’d meet a pretty, single girl. Someone who loved to listen to his political theories. A girl who wanted her picture in the paper and didn’t mind standing next to him during press conferences. She’d be polite and educated, probably from an upstanding family like his. Yes, he’d forget me. He’d forget the night under that magnolia. He had to.

 
    T here was a black dress in the back of my closet Spence always wanted me to wear. I tried to explain to him I couldn’t wear the same dress over and over. Tonight, I put it on without him mentioning it.
    I had to tell him. If I didn’t, it would always be there. I told myself it wasn’t a selfish act to confess. I wasn’t just doing it to make myself feel better. Nothing about it felt good. People who said that weren’t in my situation. They didn’t know how it hurt to carry the guilt, how it weighed me down, how I knew it wouldn’t leave until I told him. It would always be between us—a dark, nasty secret.
    Spence needed to know the truth.
    He had a table reserved for us overlooking the water. The hostess showed us to our seats.
    “Here you are. We’ll bring the wine list.” She left us alone.
    I fidgeted with the napkin in my lap.
    “You