Cancelled (17 page)

Eric's face slackened. Did they both see him as the screw-up? Sitting down in the antique-styled chair in front of her desk, Eric smoothed his hands over his khaki pants. Johnathan knew all about him, but he thought Alex was mostly ignorant of how he managed his genius. Probably betrayed him in one of their post-coital cuddling sessions. Nothing was owed to the backstabber.

“Kellie's six months pregnant. She says Johnathan is the father. He's gone to all of her appointments.” Eric said, failing to hide his smug retaliation.

Revenge doesn't always hurt the person intended. Eric was unprepared for angry tears to stream down her face. Protective instincts shot to the surface over the simple fact it was a girl crying in front of him. The pain he felt in his heart was because it was Alexis.

Alex swiveled her chair around to face her credenza behind her. She consciously rolled her spine and scapulae back, a move Eric knew to be her stress release. He'd seen it a million times. When he saw her pick up the perpetual clock Johnathan brought her from Paris, he closed his eyes in fear she'd smash it. Instead, after many long seconds, she simply put it back on the credenza and shoved it towards the back. He took Alex's turning away from him and continued silence as a sign to disappear.

Alex couldn't stop the tears from falling freely down her face. How could he keep this from her? They were engaged for Christ's sake! Glancing out her internal window, she saw the work place practically deserted. Johnathan's office across the hall was dark–exactly how she felt inside. She frowned and made up her mind.

It took a few minutes, but Alex finally composed herself. She spun her chair back around and returned her focus on her work. In two hours, Johnathan would be here to meet her for lunch and she'd deal with it then.

Breakfast with Anna was a bust. She pretended like nothing ever happened. It didn't phase Johnathan. He resolved not to drag Anna any further into his mess with his mother. He left her house for the hospital without the anger he felt last night. Just regret that he had ever put Anna in the middle.

After locking his car, he walked quickly to the maternity ward. He was elated to see Kellie up and packing her things when he reached her hospital room. She couldn't see him, so he knocked on the frame of the open door.

“Hey! I didn't think I would see you this morning.” Kellie smiled as Johnathan stepped forward to pick up her bag for her.

“Do you need a ride?”

“No, my parents are here, getting food. I'm just waiting on the nurse to bring my final discharge papers.”

“Everything okay with the baby?”

“Yep. I just have to take it easy the next few days and drink more water.”

A nurse walked in with a small stack of paperwork for Kellie. She signed the places the nurse pointed out. Together, the two soon-to-be-parents walked towards the cafeteria.

Kellie fidgeted with her hospital bracelet. “Um, you mentioned visitation and stuff yesterday.”

Johnathan adjusted her bag on his shoulder to hike it up higher. “I have a lawyer on retainer who can help us with paperwork. Or you can speak to him in private, if you'd prefer.”

“But won't that be conflict of interest or something?”

Johnathan took a breath. “Yes and no. For mediation, it isn't uncommon for parents to use one lawyer, unless they can't get along. Besides, Simms is so wrapped around my stepmother's finger, he would do what's best for her grandbaby before caring about either you or me.” Johnathan chuckled at an image of Anna dressing down his lawyer for a bad custody agreement.

Kellie remained quiet until they reached the end of the hall. Johnathan paused and stepped behind her to avoid collision with an orderly pushing a hospital gurney. Reaching the bright atrium, Kellie stopped before walking the twenty feet to the cafeteria.

“I'm okay meeting with your lawyer...but my dad's a little nervous. Would it be okay if he came, too?”

Johnathan looked into her face and realized how young she really was. They might only be seven years apart, but maturity-wise, it felt like light years. She probably had never even lived on her own.

“If having your dad there makes you more comfortable, then I think that's the right plan. But...” Johnathan swore he saw a flicker of disappointment in her eyes, “but if having him there isn't what you want, then I'll play the bad guy and tell him he can't come.”

Kellie smiled and reached for her bag. He shook his head and motioned towards the cafeteria.

“Johnathan, we didn't know you were here.” Mrs. Szachowski greeted him, but Mr. Szachowski refused to acknowledge his presence.

“I just got here to check on Kellie and the baby. Glad everyone's okay.”

“Kellie and I talked about her baby shower this morning. We thought about starting her registry this evening. Maybe you'd like to tag along?”

Johnathan shifted his weight to his other foot and looked to Kellie for help. He had lunch with Alex and knew all hell would break loose after he told her. He doubted she would agree to him going out tonight with Kellie. “I would, I mean, I want to help pick things out for the baby, but tonight's not good.”

“Mom, Dr. Harper said I'm supposed to take it easy. I don't feel up to shopping. I just want to go home and play a game and relax.”

Mrs. Szachowski scowled briefly before relaxing her face. Johnathan noticed there was some issue between Kellie and her mom, but didn't really care. That was Kellie's business.

“You play video games?” he asked, to change the subject.

Kellie looked embarrassed and didn't answer.

“She never stops.” Mr. Szachowski jumped into the conversation.

“What kind of games?” Johnathan asked.

“Simulations, RPGs, pretty much anything.”

“What systems?”

“PS3. My brother had an Xbox 360, but he took that with him when he moved out.”

Johnathan's small grin faltered when he heard Mr. Szachowski clear his throat.

“If you're done, Linda” he glanced at Mrs. Szachowski, “I think we should get home to beat lunch hour traffic.”

Johnathan flicked his wrist. He had thirty minutes to pickup Alex. “I actually have to get to a lunch. Thanks for the reminder.” Johnathan shrugged off Kellie's bag and handed it to her father. “I'll work on setting us up a meeting with Mr. Simms in a few weeks, does that work?”

Kellie nodded and quietly began explaining who Mr. Simms was to her parents. Johnathan left the Szachowski family, picking up that Mr. Szachowski wasn't too happy to hear they'd meet with his lawyer. He wasn't sure what he had gotten himself into, but it was too late to do anything about it now.

Johnathan twirled his keys nervously on the way to the parking lot, dreading his lunch with Alex. He tried to look forward to the feeling of relief once he didn't have to hide Kellie and the baby from her anymore.

Walking in with take out, as Alex's last minute text instructed, he was ten minutes late from their original meeting time. He placed her bag on his desk and waited. She kept typing and didn't acknowledge his entrance.

“Hello? Your lunch, m'lady.” Johnathan flashed her a smile, hoping he didn't look as nervous as he felt.

Alex shoved her keyboard back underneath her desk and tucked her hair behind her ears. She opened the bag and checked the contents. Seeing everything was there, she closed the bag.

“Get out,” she said, still without looking at Johnathan.

“You want to eat in the conference room? What's going on that we couldn't eat out?” he asked, looking around at the quiet office space, confused. If there was en emergency with a client, the place would be buzzing with activity.

“I said get out!” Alex's voice was just under a yell, but it was loud enough to grab Eric's attention on his way out for lunch. He changed course and walked towards Alex's office.

“Alexis, what is going on? I thought we were going to have lunch together, so I could talk to you. I really need to talk about—”

“The kid you're having with the slut you knocked up? Oh wait, I'm sorry. She's your friend.”

Johnathan's eyes widened in shock. How did she know? He noticed Eric standing in the doorway, looking guilty as sin.

“Wait man, I thought you told her about the stuff I do, sometimes," Eric said, taking a step inside Alex's office.

“Both of you, get out. Now!” Alex rose from her desk, and pointed with her hand.

“What did I do?” Eric asked.

“We have to talk about this. I can explain,” Johnathan pleaded.

Alex jerked open her top desk drawer, grabbed her purse and slammed it shut. She made a quick mouse click, grabbed her lunch and took three steps to her door. “Move.” Eric quickly obliged.

“Don't follow me. And don't even think about coming home tonight,” she said over her shoulder. Alex slid her sunglasses on and pushed the glass door to the street open. In seconds, she disappeared into the lunch crowd.

Zach, the receptionist, stood up from his desk to look at both Johnathan and Eric standing outside of Alex's door. “Should I hold her calls?”

“Yeah. Lock her office up, too, before you leave,” Eric said smoothly before taking a step towards the back door by the cave.

Johnathan snapped out of his shock and grabbed Eric's arm with force. “What the hell did you do? I was going to tell her today, at lunch.”

“Get off.” Eric pushed Johnathan's hand off him and continued his original goal of leaving, too.

“Did you ruin everything on purpose? Are you that jealous?”

Eric stopped and spun around. He walked back to his friend. “Let's get this straight. I didn't ruin anything with her. You were the one who asked her to marry you and didn't tell her a damn thing about Kellie. You know she thought I was the father? Christ, I may screw up from time to time, but you,” Eric shook his head, “you are a fucking catastrophe.”

Johnathan looked down at his feet. This couldn't be happening. He should go after Alex, make her listen. But what was he going to say? He didn't have a good excuse for not telling her, and he knew it.

“Oh come on. You look pathetic. We'll go get some food. Do you need to go by the townhouse?” Eric asked.

“No, I have a change of clothes from Anna's.”

“Crash at my place, tonight. It's the least I can do.”

“I drove here.” Johnathan slowly walked towards Eric, still holding his take-out in his hand. Eric calmly grabbed the bag from him and motioned for Zach to come get it.

“Good. We can use your gas.” Eric gently pushed Johnathan out the back door. Before joining his friend in the walk to the garage, he gave Zach final instructions.

“If you don't like it, trash it. All of your bosses are leaving for the day and not coming back. I trust you to act accordingly.” He gave Zach a wink and pulled the door firmly behind him, locking the deadbolt with his key. Johnathan just stood there in the small alley. Eric looked him up and down and sighed. So much for wedded bliss.

“Come on buddy, you'll feel better once we get you a little trashed.”

“No, I'm not partying with you. It never ends well.”

Eric laughed. “Okay, I'll remember that.”

Exhausted, Alex pulled off her bolero jacket and snuggled under the heavy quilt on her bed. Her eyes burned from the mixture of mascara and tears that occurred on the Metro ride home. She became even angrier with both of her business partners at the public humiliation she endured on mass transit. Just before falling asleep, she considered changing and washing her face, but the emotional storm had been too much.

Hours later, she woke to find her new favorite day-to-night dress wrinkled from her afternoon doze. Eyes bleary, she checked the alarm clock and saw it read 6:00 before knocking it off the night stand. It was Johnathan's. She couldn't stay here. His stuff was everywhere, a reminder he had betrayed her. Last time, she ran to Johnathan's place, but she couldn't do that now that he was the bastard.

After washing her face, she descended the stairs for a drink of water. Feeling slightly better, she pulled her phone from her bag, thumbing through her contacts. She made it to the K's and pressed dial.

“Alex?”

“Hey.” She couldn't believe she was calling him, and her voiced cracked when she remembered why she was making a phone call.

“What's wrong?”

“I need...” She paused, trying to think what did she need? Was this even a good idea? Her head pounded from crying earlier and sleeping longer than she should have. She took another drink of water. “Are you off tonight?”

“Uh...yeah, I am. A group of us are going out to celebrate Sarah's residency in Charlotte.”

Alex gulped. Sarah. She was finally leaving, about a year too late. “Oh, well never mind, Kyle. I shouldn't have called.”

“Wait. Wait a minute. What's going on? I thought you and robot boy were together now.”

Alex scoffed. “No, we're not.” Her eyes involuntarily fell on the ring on her left hand that screamed otherwise. She yanked it off and shoved it into the small zippered pocket on the inside of her purse. “I gotta go.”

“I'm not with Sarah. I haven't been seeing anyone since you and I...it was a stupid night, I told you.” Kyle waited for Alex to respond, but she said nothing. “You know, I bet the old crew would love to see you again. Why don't you come out tonight, have some fun?”

Alex took a breath in. This is why she called, wasn't it? Briefly, she felt guilty about going out without Johnathan, but it wasn't like she wanted to get back together with Kyle. She just didn't have many options with no friends in the area outside Eric and Johnathan. If he could have a baby with another woman, his
friend
, then why in the hell couldn't she go out with her
friend
?

“Alright. I'll go.”

“How long do you need? Have you eaten?”

“Mmm, thirty minutes? And no, I haven't,” she responded.

“See you in a half hour then, we can grab some food before meeting the others.”

Alex hung up the phone and stocking-slipped back up the stairs to get ready. She knew it wasn't 100% right what she was doing, but she felt better. Besides, what could he really say?