Flynn nodded.
“But after a while, he began to lean on me a little too much. He’d text me all the time asking what I was doing, who I was with. He’d want to review my calendar with me. He worked long hours, which gave me a lot of free time. I was okay with that because I supported his job. I got to know the people I worked with and when he worked late, I’d go out with those friends.
“He . . . I guess he grew jealous that I developed a life that didn’t include him.”
Flynn frowned. He didn’t like the direction this was going. “Surely he couldn’t expect you to spend all your time with him, especially if he worked long hours.”
She circled her finger over the rim of her wineglass. “Actually, he did. He wanted me home when I wasn’t at work. And he wanted me to account for every minute of my time when I wasn’t at work. He wanted me to text him when I left the house to go out with friends. He wanted to know who I was with. After a while, he didn’t want me to even see my friends in social situations that didn’t include him.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
She nodded. “I thought so, too. It got to the point where I felt like he was smothering me, that he didn’t trust me. Actually, he didn’t trust me. And there was no reason not to trust me. I loved him.
“But his insecurities got the best of him and he went off the deep end. He told me I had to stop seeing my friends altogether and I told him he was being ridiculous and jealous and petty. That’s when everything went haywire for us. And that’s when he accused me of having an affair with my boss.”
Flynn blinked. “Jesus. You can’t be serious.”
Amelia dragged in a deep breath and sighed. “Yes. It was, of course, completely unfounded. Craig, my boss, was married to a lovely woman and had two amazing little boys and he was utterly devoted to his family. Craig and I got along very well and I enjoyed working for him. I had a wonderful job at the restaurant. I loved all my friends there. And Frank made my life a living hell. He’d show up at the restaurant and get a table just to watch me. He’d tell me he had to keep an eye on me to make sure I behaved. “
“Christ, Amelia. That borders on stalking. He was stalking his own wife.”
She nodded. “I know. I tried to convince him there was nothing going on between Craig and me. I think the stress of his job finally got to him. Or something. I don’t know. I suggested we go to counseling but he refused. I even offered to get a job at another restaurant, thinking maybe there was something I’d done that gave him the wrong impression. But he said me working somewhere else would be ideal and would be easier for Craig and me to see each other.”
Flynn raked his fingers through his hair. His gut tightened and he wanted to fold Amelia into his arms and remove all the pain she’d gone through. But he couldn’t. He’d opened up this can of horror from her past by asking her about it. Now that he had, he needed to let her finish. “So what happened?”
“I finally couldn’t take it anymore. His refusal to believe in me, to trust me, to even consider going to couples counseling, was the end of our marriage. I told him if he didn’t stop this nonsense that I’d leave him. One night it came to a boil and he screamed at me and told me that’s exactly what I wanted all along—freedom so I could be with Craig. I cried so hard, tried to convince him that there was only him in my life, but by then he wasn’t seeing reason. I packed up and left the house that night. I filed for divorce, quit my job and decided to move. I thought about moving back to Seattle, but what I really needed was a fresh start.”
She lifted her gaze to his and offered up a tremulous smile. “And that’s how I ended up in San Francisco.”
He saw the tears shimmering in her eyes. As one slid down her cheek, he swiped it away with his thumb.
“I’m sorry, Amelia. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“It’s okay. It’s in the past now.”
He took the wineglass from her hands and set it down on the table, then pulled her against him and wrapped his arm around her.
“The past has a way of not staying in the past. Obviously it still lingers.”
She shuddered as she took in a breath. “A little.”
Probably more than a little. Flynn would like to shove a fist into that bastard’s face for hurting Amelia. “Thanks for telling me about him. I’m so sorry he hurt you.”
“Me, too.”
He smoothed his hand over her hair. “You realize none of this was your fault, right?”
“I do now. For the longest time I tried to figure out what I’d done wrong, how I could have managed it better, what I could have done to make him trust me. I went to counseling and the therapist helped me realize it wasn’t me at all. I did everything right. It was all on Frank.”
He was glad she was smart enough to seek help to support her through a terrible experience. “Good. Because your counselor was right. None of this was on you.”
He let a few minutes pass while he stroked her hair and her back. He really felt shitty about her marriage. What kind of man was that guy, anyway? The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
“Amelia.”
“Yes?”
“Your ex-husband is a dick. Never cry another tear over that worthless piece of shit again. He didn’t deserve you.”
She laughed, then straightened and shifted to face him. “Thanks for that. It does make me feel better.”