Consequences

Part 62

Isabelle shook her head. She knew that Caitlin, like Charlie, meant well. But she also knew that the two women did not have all the facts. They did not know that Doug did not care about Isabelle. He might be hurt at the moment, but that was pride. Isabelle had dented his pride and she suspected he thought she had tarnished his reputation.

Caitlin leaned forward. "You're the one who didn't tell him you had set up a centre for women, you're the one who accepted a fake engagement, you're the one who got involved in a brawl, you're the one who..."

"Ok, ok." Isabelle couldn't help but laugh. That unfortunately resulted in her spluttering as she coughed. "Excuse me," she retrieved another tissue and when she stopped coughing blew her nose.

"Are you ok?" Up until that moment Caitlin hadn't really taken Isabelle's statement about having a bad cold too seriously. Of course she could see Isabelle was sniffing and coughing, but Caitlin had been too focused on getting her concern across that she had failed to see the woman was actually not well.

"As I told you, I've got a cold." Isabelle reminded.

A cold. In that case Caitlin figured she could keep pushing her point. A cold wasn't that big a deal, surely. "Ok, well, I haven't finished."

Isabelle's eyes went wide. Looked like when this young woman set her mind to something she stuck to it. "Please, don't let my ill health stop you!" Isabelle said.

The sarcasm in Isabelle's voice did not go unnoticed, but it was ignored. Caitlin was not to be deterred. "You're breaking his heart. You are! You really are."

"You are mistaken."

"I am not. Not where this is concerned. You are breaking Doug's heart. And that is upsetting Jared. And me."

Isabelle didn't say anything for a long time, she just looked at Caitlin, who also refused to drop eye contact. The silence grew. The two women waited each other out.

Before Isabelle could succumb to another bout of sneezing and coughing she dabbed at her nose with a fresh tissue and said, "Would you mind coming through to the kitchen, I need a drink of water, and if we are going to carry on with this conversation, it might be a bit more comfortable." Isabelle got to her feet. Which basically forced Caitlin to follow suit.

They walked to the kitchen in silence. When they reached the door, Isabelle palmed it open and gestured for Caitlin to enter the room.

"Would you care for a tea or coffee?" Isabelle asked.

"Water would be great." Caitlin did her best not to study the décor in the room. This house was a dream. The rooms were so large and spacious.

Isabelle retrieved two glasses, "Tap?"

"Yes, that's fine, thank you."

Isabelle filled two glasses from the tap and then handed one to Caitlin, "Do take a seat."

Caitlin did. Isabelle sipped at her water. She waited for the liquid to subdue the threat of a coughing spasm. Then she took a seat. "You love your husband a great deal, don't you?"

"Yes." Caitlin nodded, then chuckled, and found herself saying, "Though when we first met he was obnoxious. In fact if it wasn't for Doug, Jared and I might not even have made it to here." Isabelle quirked a brow but said nothing. She took another sip of water before putting her glass down on the counter. "Long story." Caitlin smiled whimsically. "I'll tell you another day. Today I want to talk about you and Doug."

Isabelle laughed, then reached for her glass of water when she started coughing. A few seconds later she said, "I'm sorry you've made a wasted trip." Caitlin frowned. Isabelle said quietly, "There is no me and Doug. There never will be. So you might as well give it up." Doug was someone she would remember as the one that got away. That nearly had Isabelle chuckling again. He hadn't so much got away as run screaming from her!

For a second Caitlin said nothing. She noticed a spark of what she thought looked like humour in Isabelle's eyes. But she was not going to get distracted by her own curiousity. "I know you care for him. Probably love him if I'm going to be candid."

"Do you know how to be anything else?" Isabelle sipped at her water again.

Caitlin smiled in acknowledgement of Isabelle's question. "And I know when I am being sidetracked."

It looked like Doug inspired loyalty. First Charlie and now Caitlin. Both had come looking for Isabelle to put Doug's case to her. But what his supporters did not know was that Doug simply did not care about Isabelle. He was hurt by the fact she had made him look like a fool albeit inadvertently. That's probably what was upsetting him.