You need to stop saying things like that. Claire is my wife.
Nobody said a word. You could hear the air conditioning humming.
Vanessa’s voice cracked when she finally spoke. “Fine. But Claire still humiliated me in front of everyone.”
“I did,” I said.
She blinked at me, completely thrown. “What is this? Why even come here if you weren’t going to apologize?”
“Because you wanted everything discussed publicly,” I said. “So we’re discussing everything publicly. All of it. Including our part.”
She looked around the room, searching for a single sympathetic face. Then she turned back to me.
“I can still report your bakery,” she said.
“It’s already closed, Vanessa,” I said gently. “Until the garage is approved. There’s nothing left to report.”
Her mouth opened. Nothing came out.
The HOA president cleared his throat, glanced down at his clipboard, and moved on to the next item on the agenda, a discussion about pool hours.
