...And Never Let HerGo

said he’d brought her the big set because he thought the small TV Kathleen and Patrick Hosey had given her for Christmas was “cheap and chintzy.”
    None of them knew what to say. A twenty-seven-inch TV was a pretty big present for a married man to give a single girl on her birthday. But Anne Marie’s friends knew she already felt bereft over Bob Conner’s death, and they weren’t about to make her feel worse by lecturing her on the evils of accepting lavish presents from a married man. Anyway, she
knew;
she berated herself more than they ever could.
    It was all too obvious that Tom was back in Anne Marie’s life, stronger than he had ever been. At first he had gone out of his way to charm her girlfriends, but in the early spring of 1995, he seemed intent on driving a wedge between her and her friends. Either he didn’t realize how much they all meant to one another or he didn’t care. Her friends knew how rough things had been for Annie. Jackie had seen firsthand the poverty and deprivation she had struggled with in school. Ginny knew how hard she had worked to get through college. They understood that if anyone was impressed with nice clothes and beautiful homes, it was Annie. They all knew that Tom Capano had the money and the sophistication to play into that. But they hoped that Anne Marie was savvy enough to know that some presents came with pretty ribbons that could entangle her.

Chapter Twelve
    A FTER B OB C ONNER DIED , Anne Marie was left floating without a net. She tried to find another counselor, but it wasn’t likechanging mechanics or even dentists. It had taken her so long to feel absolutely safe with a therapist, and she could not simply switch her allegiance and her secrets to someone else. But while she was trying to find another therapist, she needed
someone
to confide in, and she had someone: Tom Capano.
    Tom had told her so often about how miserable
he
was, and she worried about him. The sacrifices that he made so that his family would be happy and the lonely life he told her he led touched her heart. As Anne Marie often told her diary, he deserved to have some happiness in his life. Now, he was listening to her sorrows and fears and seemed so concerned about her.
    Over the past year, Anne Marie had managed to distance herself from Tom for short periods, but when she was alone, he always seemed to be there, waiting. It would have been difficult for any man her own age to compete with the mystique of Tom Capano; he was a huge fish in a small pond, wealthy, charming, and well liked. And he had about him a kind of secret sorrow that drew Anne Marie to him. Despite her intelligence, she was far younger than her years in terms of sophistication, a truly hopeless romantic in an era when the term was a cliché. When Tom looked sad and hopeless, her heart wept for him.
    Anne Marie knew no more about Debby MacIntyre than Debby knew about her—and that was nothing at all. And she didn’t know what Kay Capano was really like; she knew only about Tom’s life as it was channeled through his brain, spun, and pronounced.
    Four days after St. Valentine’s Day, Anne Marie received a phone call from Tom. It was a Saturday, and he mentioned that he was having a party for Buddy Freel at a friend’s house and they were going to Buddy’s Bar afterward. He didn’t invite her, but he didn’t tell her to stay away, either.
    Anne Marie went to Buddy’s Bar that night at midnight, taking Jill and Jackie along. Tom was there, but he was with Kay, something she hadn’t expected. Anne Marie was shocked when Tom shot her a look full of anger; he had never been angry with her, but then she had never surprised him when he was sitting with his wife. Tom had always orchestrated their meetings, and he had not suggested that she go to Buddy’s party or his bar.
    Feeling his rage, Anne Marie left with her friends. Naively, she had thought she could sit across the room from Tom without making him uncomfortable. But obviously, she had. Worse, she had seen him with Kay and been forced to recognize that this was a man who was definitely not free. He had a very pretty wife who didn’t look at all like the cold woman he had described. There was a familiarity betweenKay and Tom that made them seem
married.
Tom had appeared to be having a good time with the people he was with, and the memory of the expression of absolute disgust on his face when he looked at her haunted Anne Marie.
    All unaware, she had broken one of