Second Chances (10 page)

Yesterday she’d spent the afternoon unpacking
and setting up her home office again after Renaldo had left to go back to work.
To her surprise, he’d asked Vera to prepare the guest bedroom on the top floor
instead of one of the three bedrooms downstairs. She would have preferred to
stay on the first floor, as far away from him and the temptation to enter the
master suite they’d once shared, but she’d decided to pick her battles and
hadn’t voiced her opinion.

Renaldo trusted Vera completely, knowing she’d
never say anything about him and Sabrina sleeping in separate bedrooms. He paid
and treated her well, and she took care of his home with military precision.
From the moment Sabrina had moved in with him over a year ago, she’d recognized
that the employer-employee bond was strong.

When they’d first arrived yesterday, she’d been
tense. But the familiarity of the modern, state-of-the-art interior helped her
relax. Each room was decorated with one-of-a-kind paintings, minimal furniture,
and clean lines. Remote controls scattered around the apartment managed the
opening and closing of the blinds and curtains, the brightness of the lights,
and the soft music from the speakers hidden strategically throughout the home.

On her way out the door, she stopped in the
living room, and tension filled her again as the differences smacked her in the
face. Their wedding album was nowhere to be found, and he’d gotten rid of all
the photographs that she was in, including their gold-framed wedding picture
from its prominent position on the wall. The photographer had managed to
capture them in a moment of levity, laughing and smiling at each other. It was
one of her favorites from their wedding, which was why they’d made it the focal
point in the room.

Now, the only photos on display were of
him and his family. They showed him through the years, starting from age eight
with his parents—both of whom had passed away years ago. His mother was a
petite woman next to his much taller father. His younger sisters, Beatrisa and
Carolina, were tall, too, the three of them obviously inheriting their height
from their father. Other pictures showed his extended family.

All visual evidence of her had been
wiped out. It was as if she’d never even been part of his life. Her eyes misted
over at the thought, and she sank her teeth into her bottom lip to bite back
the tears.

No feeling sorry for yourself. It’s your own
fault and now you have to live with the consequences.

She hurried out of the room before she broke
down.

At SDG headquarters a half hour later, she was
composed. She received a boisterous greeting from the security guard on the
bottom floor.

“
Bom dia
, Senhora Silva.”

“
Bom dia
.”

On the way up in the elevator, more familiar
faces greeted her and people expressed how happy they were to see her. By the
time she arrived in the executive suite of offices, she was practically walking
on air. Renaldo may have erased her from his personal life and wished he didn’t
have to accept her back into his home, but here, at the office, she was missed. 

Bárbara’s welcoming smile met her when she
stepped off the elevator onto the top floor. She sat behind a large desk in an
open reception area between Sabrina and Renaldo’s offices.

“
Bom dia.
Senhor Silva said you were
visiting today.” Bárbara had always switched between English and Portuguese,
depending on if she spoke to Renaldo or Sabrina. Sabrina had told her she didn’t
have to do that, but Bárbara refused, choosing instead to accommodate her by
speaking English. “It’s good to see you.”

“Thank you. Good to see you, too.”

“Have you been enjoying your time off?”

“I miss work,” Sabrina answered truthfully.

“I understand. Senhor Silva misses you, too.” Bárbara
lowered her voice. “He has not been the same since you have been gone. We keep
praying you will return soon.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. He never smiles, and he is always in a
bad mood. Believe me, ma’am, we cannot wait for you to come back.” Then, Bárbara
blushed and added, “
Claro
, he is a wonderful boss. I love working for
him.”

Sabrina smiled to ease her discomfort and
because it was nice to be missed. “I know. That’s just between you and me.” She
winked and continued to Renaldo’s office, knocking before entering.

He looked up from the stack of papers on the
large wooden desk that was his pride and joy. It was an old desk and didn’t fit
the modern décor, but like the Rolex, it had been his father’s, so it had
sentimental value. He sat like a king on a throne, in a black leather executive
chair in front of windows with the blinds drawn up, affording an unobstructed
view of the city below.

“Good, you’re here on time.” He rose from the
chair without commenting on her appearance.

She shoved down her disappointment. In the
past, he would have paid her a compliment before rewarding her with a wolfish
leer. Depending on how busy their work schedule was, she’d lock the door and
hike up her skirt. She’d ride him on the chair, wrinkles be damned. That chair
had endured a lot. It was strong, durable, and worth every dime he’d paid for it.

 “There’s been a change of plans,” he said. “The
reporter wants to have the interview at the construction site instead. They
will take the publicity photos there.”

Sabrina looked at her attire. A skirt and heels
weren’t exactly the right clothes for a construction site. “If I’d known, I
would’ve worn jeans.”

His eyes assessed her clothing, but his
face remained inscrutable. Still no wolfish leer, like in the past. “Jeans would
not have been appropriate for the interview. What you’re wearing is fine.”

She preceded him out the door when he held it
open for her, feeling like an employee instead of his wife. The difference in
his behavior toward her was another reminder of how the interaction between
them had changed. He hardly looked at her on the way to the car. He didn’t
touch her, either. She missed the way he used to place his hand in the small of
her back, or hold her arm right below her elbow. Small gestures she’d taken for
granted and now missed because they’d illustrated the closeness between them.

When they arrived at Estação Central, the
reporter and photographer from
Semanal
were already there and had set up
the chairs and equipment a safe distance from the construction in progress.

Mixed-use developments were sprouting up all
over Latin America, and the plans for this one were geared toward business
people and their families. In addition to retail stores and high-end
apartments, the complex would also offer condominiums, office space, shopping,
and recreational activities. All in one area with easy access to public
transportation.

It was hard to envision all of that with the
condition the area was in, but Sabrina had seen the plans and knew what was to
come. She wished she could be around to see the finished product. Right now,
all she saw was a work site with orange “Men Working” signs, and a large sign
outside the fenced area declaring the location an SDG project. Workers were gutting
the old structures to make way for the new, and the real work would begin after
the probation period.

They all sat down, and the reporter, Isabela
Coron, asked them about the project and others in the pipeline. The
photographer snapped shots of Renaldo as he explained his ideas for Estação
Central and his plans for expanding the company. Sabrina took over when costs
and financing came up, pulling stats and figures from memory even though she
hadn’t looked at the numbers in weeks.

After over an hour, Isabela assured them she
only had a few more questions. “Our readers like to get to know the people we
feature in our magazine on a more personal level. I’ll start with you, Senhora
Silva. Did you speak Portuguese before coming here?”

“No, I only knew the words and phrases Renaldo
taught me. I took an intensive course when I arrived, and of course, living in
the country has helped a lot.”

Isabela nodded. “Living in a country is truly
the best way to learn a language. I learned to speak English when I traveled to
the States to study journalism. Since you’re a husband and wife team, your
story will be especially appealing. I’m sure you’ve told this story before, but
for the sake of the
Semanal
readers, how did the two of you meet?”

“If you can believe it, in a bar,” Renaldo
answered. He placed his arm on the back of Sabrina’s chair and gazed down at
her adoringly. Her mouth dried up, and she almost believed what she saw there. But
it was all an act for the benefit of the reporter. “I was in Chicago on
business. She walked in, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.”

She really wished he wouldn’t look at
her like that, as if he wanted them to be alone right now. She hated the warm,
inviting tone of his voice, making her wish that they were.

“Was the attraction mutual?” Isabela
asked, looking at Sabrina.

What a ridiculous question. How could
any woman
not
be attracted to her husband? “Yes, definitely. He swept me
off my feet. When he asked me to marry him, I couldn’t believe it. What could I
do except say yes?” Her heart constricted at the painful truth. She remembered
that moment as if it were yesterday. She’d been so thrilled, so happy. How
could she have screwed it up so badly?

“Have you found working together causes
friction in your marriage?”

“No, we work well together,” Renaldo
answered.

“We complement each other,” Sabrina
added.

“Your business is booming, and you’re
happily married. You must give me some dirt to write about,” Isabela said with
mock exasperation.

“There’s nothing to tell.” Renaldo grasped
Sabrina’s shoulder in what looked to be a loving gesture, but which Sabrina
knew to be a warning to keep up the pretense.

Isabela thumbed through her notes, but
when she looked up at them, it was clear that she’d planned to ask the next
question all along. “So then why the rumors that you’ve separated?”

“Separated? Where did you hear such a
nasty rumor?” She heard the edge in Renaldo’s voice.

“I don’t reveal my sources.” A
triumphant smile played at the corners of Isabela’s lips. “Senhora Silva has
not been at work for weeks, isn’t that true? Is there already trouble in your
new marriage?”

“When did
Semanal
become a gossip
rag?” Renaldo asked. He kept his tone even, but anyone within earshot could
tell he was annoyed.

Isabela appeared unruffled by his
question and kept going, a true tenacious reporter. “As I said, our magazine
touches on all aspects of business, including the lives of the people we
profile. But I’m sure you already knew that. So is there any truth to the
rumors?” She looked at Sabrina.

“Of course not,” Renaldo answered. “Your
so-called source gave you wrong information.”

“I was asking the senhora.”

This was why Renaldo needed her here,
and she would not let him down. Sabrina pasted a smile on her face.

“Of course there isn’t any truth to it.”
She placed a hand on Renaldo’s thigh, just above his knee, and felt the muscles
tense, the heat there making her palm tingle. “I took a leave of absence, but
I’m back now to support my husband.” She looked at him. “I love him, and
there’s no place I’d rather be than by his side.” She hoped he could see what
was in her eyes and believe what she said was the truth. She didn’t want their marriage
to end.

The shadow of some emotion flashed in
his eyes before it disappeared. Then he covered her hand with his own. His skin
was dark—almost as dark as hers—and his hand large and masculine. It covered
her smaller one, and the nerves under her skin twitched at his electric touch,
sending a line of goose bumps up her arm.

“You see, Isabela,” he said, speaking only
to Sabrina. “You have the wrong information.”

“It seems I do.” Isabela’s voice was
tinged with regret that there was no juicy scandal to unearth and print in the
magazine.

Minutes later, she wrapped up the
interview. They took some photos of the construction site, and more of Renaldo
and Sabrina. In one shot he had his arm around her as they stood in front of
one of the abandoned buildings, and for that one brief moment, Sabrina let
herself believe it was all real.

“What a beautiful couple you make,”
Isabela commented as the photographer snapped away.

Sabrina smiled bravely, doing the best
she could to hide the sadness in her heart.

Chapter Nine

“Thank you,” Renaldo said.

“For what?”

Renaldo and Sabrina were on the way back
to the office. She truly was a good actress. For a moment back there he’d believed
her words of love and devotion. But now she sat on the other side of the limo,
as she had the other day, putting as much space as possible between them.

“For what you did with Isabela. You appeared
very natural. I don’t think she suspected anything and will only print what we
tell her.”