Chapter two…….
They say things get real when labels are attached.
Ray was finally happy truly happy in a way that felt foreign to him. He felt settled. He had Sarah, the woman he never thought he’d find, and it almost felt too good to be true.
As weeks turned into months, they spent more time together, learning each other’s quirks and rhythms. It fascinated Sarah this ease, this kindness, because she wasn’t used to it. As she stood in the kitchen that cold July evening, stirring a pot of pasta in the same dress she’d worn the day she met Ray, she couldn’t help but whisper to herself, How did I live all those years so miserably?
She wanted to believe it was love. Maybe it was. But deep down, she knew there was another pull, one she hadn’t confessed to Ray. She was addicted to the way intimacy had stitched her broken pieces together in the past. With Drew, her ex, the arguments always ended in passion. It was messy, but it was the only way they knew how to make up. Drew had been older, forty-one, handsome, rough around the edges but magnetic.
She remembered their first date clearly: a coffee shop, his easy smile, the way she had paid because his wallet was conveniently “in the car.” Red flags, she knew now, but back then she ignored them. Back then, she thought she’d met the man of her dreams.
Ray was different. He was steady, thoughtful, loving in ways Drew never was. But where Drew had fire, Ray had calm and sometimes Sarah wondered if God made sure nobody had everything. The thought gnawed at her, even as she tried to bury it.
By 9 p.m., dinner was ready. Sarah finally sank into the couch for a moment’s rest, phone in hand, skimming through messages. Work had been good lately, life had been good. It felt like God had finally turned His face toward her.
Ray walked in, shaking the cold off his coat.
“Hey, honey,” he said, sounding lighter than he had in days. “You wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had. How are you?”
Sarah smiled, trying to ignore the thump in her chest as he bent to untie his shoes.
“Perfect timing,” she said. “Dinner’s ready.”
He paused, glancing at the candles flickering on the table. “What’s this? Wait ” He grinned. “Is that the dress? The dress?”
She blushed. “Maybe.”
He laughed as he pulled out a chair. “You’re something else.”
“How was the case?” she asked, placing the steaming dish in front of him.
“It’s going well. Had dinner with Tracy to catch up before the final hearing on Wednesday,” he said casually, settling in.
Sarah froze for a moment before forcing a smile. “Oh. You must be full then.”
“Not really,” he said quickly. “We just grabbed some snacks. I didn’t want to ruin dinner. I know how much you love making this for us.”
But her appetite was gone. She cleared her plate without touching it, the words dinner with Tracy circling her mind like vultures.
Tracy. The intern at Ray’s law firm. The one he insisted was like a sister. Sarah remembered the story well, how Ray’s father had died when he was young, how Steve, Tracy’s father, had taken him in like his own. Steve had been a mentor, a father figure, the reason Ray was even able to start his own firm.
And now here was his daughter, interning under him, looking up to him the way he once looked up to her father.
Sarah sat back on the couch, phone in hand, scrolling aimlessly while Ray ate his dinner in silence, checking emails between bites.
The candles burned lower. The food grew cold. And between them, something unspoken settled in the air.
Tracy adored Ray. Everyone did, really. He had this way of owning a courtroom calm, precise, devastatingly sharp. His associates called him a magician; the man could unravel a case like it was nothing.
But tonight was different. Tonight, he had lost.
It was late when the office finally went quiet. Ray sat in his corner office, tie loose, sleeves rolled, papers scattered like the aftermath of a storm. He went through the files again and again, jaw tight, glasses slipping down his nose. He knew he’d been right. He knew the case had been solid. But the verdict… it didn’t make sense.
The door creaked open.
“It’s okay,” a smooth voice said. “We live to fight another day.”
Tracy stepped inside, the soft click of her heels breaking the silence. She carried a bottle of twenty-five-year-old whiskey, the kind you save for victories, not nights like this.
“My dad kept this for special occasions,” she said, holding it up. “He was so sure you’d win. I figured… might as well put it to use. You look like you need it.”
Ray finally looked up, his eyes tired but still sharp. “You sure he’d want us drinking it after today?”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t want me taking it back unopened,” she said, already reaching for the glasses on the credenza.
He almost smiled. Almost.
“Go on then,” he murmured. “Pour.”
As she poured the amber liquid, his phone rang from somewhere in the room. He stood, patting his pockets. “Where’s that damn thing?”
“It’s in your jacket,” Tracy said, already reaching before he could. She plucked it up, glancing at the screen. “Missed calls… from Sarah.”
Ray exhaled slowly, taking the phone and setting it face-down on the desk. “I’ll call her later. Tonight’s already heavy enough.”
“Then drink,” Tracy said softly, sliding the glass toward him.
Their fingers brushed briefly just enough to notice.
Ray took a sip, the burn settling in his chest. “God, this was supposed to be a win. Something doesn’t add up. We should go over the files again.”
Tracy smiled faintly. “Of course. But maybe… after another drink?”
He smirked at that, leaning back against the desk. “You know I hate it when you call me ‘boss.’”
“Sorry,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. “Force of habit.” She topped off his glass.
The room felt warmer now, the edges of exhaustion softening under the glow of the desk lamp.
“Do you remember that trip to Maine?” she asked suddenly.
Ray chuckled. “How could I forget? Those idiots at the bar… I thought I was about to get wrecked.”
“And you didn’t.”
He gave a crooked smile. “No. I handled it.”
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“Yeah,” Tracy said, her voice low. “You always do.”
For a moment, neither of them moved. The papers lay forgotten on the desk. The air between them felt charged, like the seconds before a storm breaks.
Good old days,” Ray said with a grin. “Steve always went all out for those holidays.”
“Yeah,” Tracy laughed softly. “That’s my old man. Actually…” She hesitated, swirling the whiskey in her glass. “He wanted something from you. I never had the courage to tell you.”
Ray leaned back, one eyebrow raised. “Come on, after the day I’ve had, you’re gonna make me drag it out of you?”
“I dare you,” she teased, lips curving into a smile. “I’m grown now. Not that little girl you used to defend way back in the day.”
Ray chuckled. “Are you kidding me? You terrorized me half my life. Remember the time I took your dad’s car and… uh… borrowed it for the night?”
“Oh, you mean when you took that lovely lady to Shimmies?” Tracy smirked, leaning on the desk. “The one you’d saved up for months to impress, only for me to drive your sorry self home because you couldn’t hold your liquor?”
Ray laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Not my proudest moment.”
“Not even close,” Tracy shot back. Her eyes gleamed. “And do you remember everything that happened that night?”
He gave her a wary look. “Should I?”
“You should.” Her smile was maddening. “You got drunk, fell flat on your face, and oh yes, peed in the bushes while I was trying to haul you into the car.”
Ray groaned, face in his hands. “Lord, have mercy.”
“And,” she added, dragging out the words, “I had to pick you up, dress you, and get you home before dad noticed.”
Ray’s head snapped up. “No. You didn’t.”
Tracy raised her glass in mock salute. “Oh, I did. And you kept calling me by her name, too. Even… did some things. Embarrassing things.”
Ray sat up straighter, half laughing, half mortified. “No way. I did not.”
“Oh, you did.” She smirked, sipping her drink.
“Tell me more,” he said, grinning now, leaning in like a man who knew he was about to regret it.
She glanced away, suddenly shy.
Before she could speak, his phone buzzed again on the desk. Ray let out an exasperated laugh. “This damn phone…”
“Call Sarah back,” Tracy said gently. “She’s probably worried.”
He nodded, grabbing it and stepping out onto the balcony. “Hey, honey,” he said as soon as Sarah picked up. “Sorry, long day.”
“I heard. I’m sorry you lost,” she said softly. “It’s all over the news.”
Ray blew out smoke into the night air. “Yeah, well… the governor got what he wanted. But I’m not letting it go that easy.”
“I made something for you,” Sarah said. “Dinner, wine… I even have the jaccuzi ready for you.”
Ray stared out over the city lights, jaw tight. “I… can’t. I have to go over the case again. Don’t wait up, okay?”
Silence on the other end, then a soft, “Sure.”
He hung up, the guilt twisting briefly in his chest before he pushed it aside. Turning back inside, he closed the door behind him.
“Now,” he said, fixing Tracy with a look, “what was this embarrassing thing you did?”
Tracy smirked. “What you did, not me.”
They both laughed, the tension threading tighter between them, a spark just waiting for oxygen.
“I just told you,” Tracy said, her voice low but teasing. “You kept calling me her name… and ”
Ray leaned forward. “Come on. Say it. What did I do? Oh, gosh… this is gonna be bad, isn’t it?”
She smirked, enjoying his discomfort. “You kissed me. A lot. And… I kissed you back.”
Ray froze. “Wait, what?”
“Yeah,” she said softly. “And… I liked it.”
For a second, the room went quiet except for the hum of the city beyond the glass windows. Ray opened his mouth to say something, but her words landed first, the I liked it and lodged somewhere he didn’t expect.
“Oh, boy,” he murmured, running a hand through his hair.
Tracy tilted her head, watching him squirm.
“Come on,” he said finally, shaking off the silence. “You were just a kid. You wouldn’t have even known if it was good or not.”
She arched a brow, amused. “I was twenty-three, Ray. And trust me, I had a couple more boyfriends than you had girlfriends.”
That made him laugh, despite the heat creeping up his neck. “Oh, really?”
“Really,” she said, her blush deepening.
Then, with a wicked little grin, she added, “And guess what? Dad saw us.”
Ray’s jaw nearly hit the desk. “What? No wonder he was angry at me for months. I thought it was the car.”
Tracy laughed. “Nope. He called me the next morning. Asked if… we had a thing.”
Ray groaned, sinking into his chair. “Oh, Lord. He thought… that?”
Tracy just sipped her whiskey, eyes glinting in the lamplight. “He did. And honestly… I didn’t even know what to tell him.”
Ray stared at her, the memory colliding with the present moment, the air thickening between them like fog before a storm
To be continued…..
