The Book of Rook

Chapter 23

PHOENIX

I wake up to an empty bed. Rook is gone. His side of the bed is cold so I quickly grab his pillow and inhale his scent which makes me smile.

I already have a text from Bishop asking me to go shopping with her. After I go to the bathroom and get dressed for the day, I go downstairs where Edith is already serving me a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon.

"Rook left you this envelope," Edith says as she hands me a manila envelope. My heart sinks for a minute. My overthinking takes me immediately to divorce papers. He wouldn't do the cowardly thing and just have Edith serve me. My low self-esteem starts to show. Was that why he didn't have sex with me last night? Did I do something wrong? But he did mention how he didn't want to divorce. Yet.

Get a grip. Just open the damn envelope before jumping the gun.

It's a credit card and a handwritten note from Rook telling me to use his card when I go shopping. I figure he and Bishop discussed this last night when they had dinner together.

When I finish breakfast, the front door opens and in walks Bishop. She's wearing black jeans, a white button-down shirt with a black jacket and white sneakers. I'm sure they are all designer brands, but I don't care about those things. Bishop removes her sunglasses and places them and her purse on the sofa as she walks towards me.

"Good morning, Bishop, would you like some breakfast?" Edith asks.

Bishop just shakes her head. "No thanks. I ate at home." She then turns to me as she leans on the counter. "So, what would you like to do today?"

I shrug my shoulders and lower my voice. "I want the details on what went down yesterday."

Bishop just nods as she watches me clean up my dishes before Edith takes them out of my hands. "Just go on ahead, dear. I'll take care of this."

Bishop gathers her things as I reach for my purse and the envelope Rook left for me.

Once we're in the limo, Bishop informs Pierce we're going to Saks Fifth Avenue, then she turns to me. "What did Rook tell you?"

"Not much. Just that your father was not happy about the situation, and it almost led Rook to violence."

Bishop just nodded. "Yep, that's the gist of it."

I send Bishop a scowl. "I want to know what triggered Rook. He was so stoic when I came home last night. I'm not used to him that way."

"When Rook is pushed to his limit, he needs to reset. Usually, he likes to be left alone so if he pushed you away, I apologize on his behalf."

I shake my head. "He didn't push me away. In fact, he was the opposite. Almost clingy." Once those words left my mouth, Bishop's eyes widened in shock.

"Really?" she said as she rubbed her chin. "Interesting."

"What is?"

She just shakes her head as we arrive at our destination. Pierce opens the door as we both get out. Bishop just waltzes in while I look up at the 7-story building and take a deep breath. My life has undergone such a drastic change since I arrived almost two months ago. Living in Ohio, I was only allowed to go shopping for myself once a year and Brad had to approve what I bought and wore. Here, Rook is giving me his black American Express card with no spending limit. I shake my head and follow Bishop.

We get in the elevator up to the 4th floor. Once the doors open, we are greeted by a blonde bombshell. Tall, long blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes and full red painted lips. If Malibu Barbie was real, she would look just like this woman. She's wearing a beige coatdress that fits perfectly around her huge breasts.