Her First (12 page)

One o’clock came too soon for Madison. She turned on the screensaver on her computer, grabbed her purse and walked to the elevator. She decided to check her voice mail on her cell phone while she waited. As she was hanging up, Sarah walked out the door.

“Sorry, I’m late,”
Sarah apologized.  “The conference call I was on lasted longer than I expected.”

“No problem,”
Madison said, placing her cell phone back in her purse and pressing the down button on the elevator.

The elevator door opened immediately. 
Sarah took out her car keys. “Why don’t we go in my car?”

“Sure,”
Madison said, trying not to sound standoffish.

Neither said anything else while the elevator took them to the lobby.

Sarah walked fast and Madison had to almost run to catch up with her. “People always say I walk fast,” Sarah stated.

“I don’t see why,”
Madison mouthed under her breath.

When they reached the parking garage,
Sarah pointed to a four door gray Lexus. “That’s my car over there.” She clicked off the alarm.

Madison
spotted the car seat along with toys strewn around inside the car. 

“How old is your son again?”
Madison asked as Sarah swirled the Lexus into the oncoming traffic.

“
He recently turned one.”

“I admire you,”
Madison said, not knowing if she really meant it, but it felt like the right thing to say.

Sarah
looked in her direction with a stunned look on her face. “You do?”

“Yes. Being a single mother has to be hard. I don’t know if I could do it.”
Madison held up her hand and her wedding ring glistened as the sunlight hit it.

“I wish his father would do more.”

Looking out the window and absentminded, Madison said, “Men who make babies should be held responsible to take care of them and not just with money either.”

“Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about it since you’re married,”
Sarah sarcastically said.

“Excuse me,”
Madison responded.

“If you get pregnant, you have
Ethan. I don’t have anyone.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so heartless,”
Madison apologetically said.  “I simply can’ imagine what type of man would leave a woman to raise a child alone.”

A devious smirk came across
Sarah’s lips as she drove them to their destination.

***

Joyce placed a memo on Ethan’s desk. “Staring at the phone won’t make it ring,” she said.

“It’s that obvious?”
Ethan asked as he looked up into Joyce’s concerned face.

“Yes. Now according to this memo, you got some work to do; so I suggest you concentrate on your work and deal with everything else later.”

“Yes ma’am.” His phone rang as Joyce exited his office. “This is Ethan.”

“
Ethan, we need you to fly to Miami as soon as possible to hand deliver a contract,” said Michael Bates, the vice-president of his division.

He looked at his calendar. “Sir, can’t we use Fed-ex or UPS?”

“No, we can’t. This account is worth millions and their board is hesitant on a few things. I thought sending my best employee would make sure we sealed the deal.”

He played with his stress relief balls in one hand while doodling on his notepad with the other. “Anything special I need to know?”

Michael went over details about the customer. Ethan took notes when needed. After filling him in, Michael added, “My secretary is making your travel arrangements. She’ll call Joyce and give her the details.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know how everything goes,”
Ethan stated.

“I’ll be looking forward to the call.”

After hanging up the phone, Ethan called Joyce and informed him of the change of events. “Call me at home or on my cell with my flight info,” he said before hanging up the phone and exhaling a deep sigh.

***

The first part of lunch was filled with frivolous conversation. Madison decided to play it cool because she couldn’t figure Sarah out. One minute she was professional and wanted to talk about business, and the next it was as if she was prying into her and Ethan’s life.

“How long have you known
Ethan?” Sarah asked as she drank her raspberry lemonade.

“Almost a year,”
Madison lied.

“I still can’t believe you guys are married. Marriage was the last thing on his mind when we were together.”

Trying to sound nonchalant, Madison said, “It was love at first sight. We met on the plane. He spilled some coffee on my favorite pumps and the rest, as they say, is history.” A smile swept across her face.

“Oh I see.”

“We had a fairy tale wedding,” she added.

“I heard you guys got married in Vegas.”
Sarah stared at her.

“Yes we did. Everything was so beautiful. I can remember it as if it was yesterday. We wed at the Venetian Hotel. You would have thought we were royalty. Everyone treated us like a king and queen.” She drank from her iced tea.

“Do you have any wedding pictures?”

Madison
almost strangled. “Funny thing happened. The pictures were in my suitcase and the airlines still hadn’t found them.”

“I know you were pissed.”

“I still am. I wish now I would have put them in my carry-on, but Ethan insisted nothing would happen to them.”

The waiter brought over
Madison’s order of lasagna with extra shredded parmesan and Sarah’s shrimp fettuccine.  While eating, Madison decided to turn the tables on Sarah and pry into her life.

“So what are you going to do about your son’s father?” she asked, taking a bite into the moist seasoned breadstick.

“I’m taking him to court so I can get child support.”

“Is he spending time with the child?”

Sarah put her fork down and looked like she was about to cry. “This is hard for me. Especially to be discussing this with my ex-boyfriend’s wife.”

Madison
felt sympathetic. “I know this is awkward, but if you need someone to talk to, I’m all ears.” 
Why in the world did I say that? Maybe I need to see the shrink she and Owen are seeing.

After taking the napkin and wiping her teary eyes,
Sarah said, “Sometimes I don’t know what I’m going to do. Like last weekend, I was buying pampers and when I called my son’s father, he was so rude to me.”

Madison
, unsure of what to say, responded, “Maybe he’ll come around soon.”

“I hope so. The first word out of his mouth was ‘Da-da.’ And it breaks my heart to tell him Da-da won’t be around.”

“Is your family helping out in anyway?”

“I wish. My sisters all have kids by different men. My mom is disappointed in me because she thought I would do better.”

Sarah went on to tell Madison about her dysfunctional childhood and the non- existent relationship she currently had with her mother and siblings. Madison couldn’t imagine not having the support of her family.

“Having a child out of wedlock is hard, but I don’t see why she’s disappointed. You’re a very successful woman. There aren’t too many people who have your credentials. You haven’t done too badly for yourself.”

With a coy smile Sarah said, “Thanks. You’re too kind. I see why Ethan fell in love with you.”

Madison
glanced away. A waiter came over to the table. “Would you ladies like dessert?” the waiter asked.

Both declined.
Madison pulled out the company credit card to pay for lunch. “I’ll take care of it,” Sarah stated as she pulled out her own credit card.

“No, this is on the boss,”
Madison said. “He emailed me to congratulate me on saving an account and insisted we bill today’s lunch to the company.”

Sarah
put her card back in her purse and said, “In that case, I should order dessert to go.”

They both laughed.

While they were driving back to the office, Madison’s cell phone rang.

“Hello,” she answered.

Sarah turned down the radio. Madison could tell Sarah was trying to figure out who she was talking to.

“Baby, I haven’t made it back to the office yet.”
Madison emphasized the word, “Baby.”

“How did lunch go?”
Ethan asked.

“Just lovely,”
Madison spoke in code.

“Is she right there?”

“Of course.”

“I have to make an emergency trip to Miami. I’ll be back tomorrow night if all works out.”

“I’ll miss you.”

“Are you saying it because
Sarah’s sitting there?”

“No.”

“I’ll call you when I get settled in.”

“I love you.”

“Do you mean it?”

“Yes, dear.”

“I’m going to hold you to it. Let me get out of here. Oh…love you too.” He hung up.

Madison
put the phone back in her purse.

They pulled into the parking garage and before exiting the car
Sarah said, “I really appreciate you having lunch with me. We must do this again. “

“Anytime,”
Madison said, hoping she sounded convincing.

Ethan’s flight to Miami went smoothly. After checking into his hotel, he had dinner at one of the restaurants on South Beach.  While watching the skimpy dressed women, his thoughts were on Madison. These women were beautiful, but none could hold a match for the inner and outer beauty Madison possessed.  A few flirted with him in passing. He smiled and continued to eat by himself.

He dialed his home number as soon as he got back to his hotel room. He got voice mail. He hung up and dialed
Madison’s cell phone.

“Hello,”
Madison said.

“Hi. Where are you?” he asked.

“I’m at the house.”

“Your house or my house?”

“Your house.”

“Then why didn’t you answer the phone?”

“I didn’t know if it was for you or me.”

“I told you to make yourself at home.”

“I’m not used to being here yet.”

“How did lunch go?”

Madison reiterated everything that happened during her lunch with Sarah.

Ethan
laughed. “She almost got you when she asked about the wedding pictures.”

“I know, didn’t she though?”

“Not to be a spoil sport, but I’m surprised your family hasn’t asked to see pictures.”

“Me too. I guess the shock of me being married and not really knowing you have them dumbfounded.”

“I would be too if the baby of the family up and married a stranger.”

“Ha ha. Oh, before I forget, Adrienne says the family wants to come over for a family dinner.”

“You plan it, and I’ll be there.”

“I know you will be. What day should I tell them?”

“How about the second of July? We can have a barbecue?”

“I hate to tell you, but I don’t know anything about barbecuing.”
“You don’t have to.  Let me worry about that.  I only need two things from you.”

“What?” she asked.

“For you to do the grocery shopping and cook the side items and I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“Madison?”

“What?”

“You realize this will be our first event as a couple,” Ethan said as he removed his shirt.

“I didn’t know you were sentimental.”

“Normally I’m not. You bring out the best in me,” he said with a smile.

“Can I talk to you about something?”
Madison asked.

He sat on the edge of the bed and took off his shoes and then his pants. “What’s wrong?”

“I know we’re pretending and all, but do you think our relationship is actually going anywhere?”

He was caught off guard by her question. He paused before answering. “Grant it, I hate pretending, but I did agree to help you out.”

“Yes you did,” Madison said, sounding disappointed.

“Before you say anything, let me finish. I hate pretending that we’re married.  A part of me wishes we really were.” He turned off the overhead light and laid across the covers on the bed.

“Really?” she questioned.

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.  I would be a fool to let you out of my life now.”

She sighed. “What a relief.”

“What prompted you to ask?”

“Ethan, we’ve been living a lie for over a month and I don’t want our
entire
relationship to be based on a lie.”

“
Madison Allen, I Ethan Campbell, honestly, truthfully, without a doubt, am glad to have you in my life. I love you and will do
anything
to keep a smile on your face.”  Madison became quiet.  Ethan asked, “Madison, are you still there?”

She sniffled. “You’re too good to be true.” She hung up the phone.

Now did I miss something?
Ethan thought to himself while he looked at the phone in confusion.
I told her how I felt and she hung up on me. This can’t be happening.

Madison
couldn’t stop crying. She didn’t mean to hang up, but before she knew it, she had pressed the end button on her cell phone. She realized she had not gotten any of his hotel information. She was about to dial his cell phone number when the house phone rang.

She rushed to answer it. “Hello.”

“What happened?” Ethan asked.

“The cell phone accidentally disconnected,” she lied.

“Oh okay.”

“I owe you an apology for being so emotional. It’s that time of the month and-”

“No need to go into it any further,” Ethan said, cutting her off.

“I don’t know why every time a woman starts talking about her period, men clam up.”

“Because, number one, we’re pissed because that means we won’t be getting any loving for at least a week.”

“Is that all men think about?”

He ignored her question and added, “Number two, some of y’all become like a…let’s see…what is another way to say female dog?”

“Oh I can be, but I’ll pretend you didn’t say it,” she laughed.

They talked and joked for the next couple hours. Madison saw that it was getting late. “Ethan, you have an important meeting tomorrow, so I’m going to let you get some sleep.”

“Did you set the alarm?”
Ethan asked with a voice of concern.

“I sure did. I have to admit. It feels funny being in this big house without you here.”

“If you need anything, call me on my cell phone. I’ll have it on the nightstand.”

“I will. Hope everything goes well tomorrow.”

“Thanks Dear.”

“Good night.”