Keeping Secrets & Telling Lies (23 page)

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Authors: Trice Hickman

BOOK: Keeping Secrets & Telling Lies
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“She must really be glad you're there. It helps when you don't have to go through difficult times alone.”
Again, he played his role on cue. “Yes, we've gotten a lot of Mother's financial matters straightened out. Lilly's much more comfortable with things now.”
“Hey, speaking of your sister, are you going to see her later this evening?”
His next answer was one that he could be completely honest about. “I hadn't planned to.... Why?”
“I never properly thanked her for getting Alexandria that beautiful baby doll when we were there, and I was hoping you could tell her. But on second thought, I should probably just call her myself. That would be the more hospitable thing to do.”
“Oh, don't worry about it,” Ted replied in a smooth, even voice. “You need to get some rest. I'll relay the message to Lilly this evening.”
“You sure?”
“Absolutely,” he insisted, not wanting to run the risk that Victoria might call his sister and find out that he'd left Boston yesterday.
“Thanks. That's one less thing I have to do.”
For once, Ted was grateful that his wife was too exhausted to take charge of things. He quickly ended their call before she could ask more questions that would force him to tell more lies.
Ted hated deceiving Victoria, but for now it was what he felt he had to do. He walked over to his attaché and pulled out the thick manila envelope that held secrets to a hidden past. He opened it and placed the pictures and letters that Ms. Hattie had been kind enough to give him inside. He knew he had to find a safer resting place for the information. He shook his head, thinking about how supremely ironic the situation had become, because despite his anger at what his parents had done, one of the first things he planned to do when he returned home was store the envelope in a safe-deposit box.
Chapter Thirteen
Getting Rid of Her Evidence ...
V
ictoria glanced at the clock on her nightstand as she rolled over in her big, empty bed. She couldn't believe it was two o'clock in the afternoon. After she had arrived home in the wee hours of the morning, she had set the alarm clock so she could wake up a few hours later, in time to call her mother and talk to Alexandria. She wanted to check in and see how things were going before they started their day of Saturday errands. Her parents still rose at the crack of dawn, just like her child, so she knew if she wanted to speak to them, she'd have to force herself from her sleep.
After waking briefly and hearing that all was well with her daughter,Victoria had fallen back into a deep sleep and hadn't stirred again until Ted's call pulled her from her slumber. Her stomach twisted and turned during their conversation, because it was the first time in their relationship that she had been blatantly untruthful with him. He was going through so much, and a deceitful wife was the last thing he needed to add to his loss. She felt low, hanging her head in shame, as though peering eyes were watching her.
Victoria tried to put her conversation with Ted out of her mind. She stretched her legs and sat up in bed, willing herself to rise as she headed to the shower. She stood under the stream of warm, flowing water, hoping it would soothe her mind. She grabbed her netted bath sponge and squirted it full of shower gel, lathering her body as she washed the remainder of Parker's scent from her skin.
She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a fluffy towel around her body, then walked over to the edge of the bed and thought about the night before. “What have I done?” she said to an empty room. She slipped into her robe and quickly stripped the sheets off her bed, holding them up to her nose, smelling Parker's citrus-spice fragrance, which lingered from the night before. She walked downstairs and stuffed them into the washing machine, getting rid of her evidence like a guilty person trying to cover up a crime.
She felt terrible about kissing Parker and letting him touch her body in a way that only her husband should. “I can't believe I actually went to his hotel room,” Victoria whispered to herself. “Why did I do it?” But then she knew exactly why she had done it. She wanted him. She wanted to make love to him, and she knew she had narrowly escaped making the biggest mistake of her life.
But the troubling thought that plagued her was that she wouldn't be strong enough to resist Parker the next time.Victoria shook her head. “There can't ... there won't be a next time,” she said.
An hour later her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Parker. She let it ring until
MISSED CALL
flashed across the screen. “Oh, Lord,” she sighed. “I should've known better.”
Victoria made herself a cup of chamomile tea to calm her nerves and relaxed in the den while she read the day's paper. But the red light flashing on her BlackBerry called out to her to listen to Parker's message. When she clicked the keys, she saw that he hadn't left a voice message, but he'd sent a text.
How r u 2day?
Victoria sat still for a moment, then decided to answer back.
I'm good & u?
Will b better once I c u. I'm @ the hotel, waiting 4 u... .
I told u we can't do this again. It has 2 stop. Good-bye.
After a few minutes passed,Victoria glanced at her phone again. She was glad the red message light wasn't flashing. She finished her cup of tea, skimmed through the rest of the newspaper, and prayed that Parker would keep his distance.
No Matter the Cost ...
Later that evening, Parker sat alone in his living room. The melodic sounds of his Earl Klugh CD floated through his Bose speakers as he reclined on one end of his leather sectional sofa. He propped his leg up on his mahogany coffee table, taking a sip of his favorite brandy as he stared down at a copy of the
Journal of the American Medical Association
that sat on his lap. He was trying to concentrate on an article about new findings in the area of endothelial function, but all he could think about was Victoria.
It had been less than twenty-four hours since he had seen her, and he was already missing her touch. He thought about last night, and it brought a bittersweet smile to his face. Although they hadn't made love, they had connected emotionally, setting the stage for what was to come. He had opened up his heart for her inspection, and he'd let her know that he wanted more than just a fling.
Their encounter had left him frustrated, yet amazingly exhilarated. And despite the fact that they had been able to spend only a few brief moments in the confines of an office and a hotel room, it was fine with him, because he planned to change his course of action.
He had decided he was going to take her out for lunch the next day and maybe even catch a movie, then end the evening back at his place. He knew the last part of his plan would take some persuading, but he wanted Victoria to start getting acquainted with his home. But to his great disappointment, she had thrown a glitch in his plans when she refused to see him. Her text was short and definitive.
As he put the magazine away and finished the last of the brandy in his glass, his mind turned to his curiosity about the state of Victoria's marriage. He knew it had to be bad, given the fact that she was willing to come to his hotel room, regardless of what did or did not happen. The particular cause of her unhappiness was still unclear, and he wanted to find out the details.
Although she had refused to see him today, he didn't let it deter him. He knew this was fresh, and that Victoria had to come into it slowly. Ending a marriage, especially when a child and considerable financial assets were involved, could be a difficult proposition. But after being with her again and seeing how right they were for each other, Parker knew he had to take action and do what he should have done from the beginning—fight to win her heart, no matter the cost. He'd already waited long enough to have her, and he had no intention of delaying his happiness any further.
Parker smiled as he thought about the new life they'd have together. After the Jack and Jill playdate, he wasn't surprised when PJ talked about his new friend, Alexandria. “She's nice, Dad,” PJ had told him. Right away he knew she was Victoria's child. He remembered her name from when he had seen her years ago in the neonatal unit. The two children had hit it off immediately, and PJ had already asked if Alexandria could come over and play.
Parker didn't take his son's affinity for Alexandria lightly. Unlike him, PJ was quiet and introverted by nature. He was a loving, but sensitive child who didn't make new friends easily. But he had warmed to Alexandria like they were the best of buddies. Parker knew that the two would have no problems adjusting to a blended family, and ironically, they were only one day apart in age and looked like they could be twins. From their fair-skinned complexions to their silky black hair, deep-set eyes, and impressive height for children their age, PJ and Alexandria looked very much like brother and sister. Parker smiled again.Their instant family was picture perfect.
Somebody's Gonna Wind Up Dead....
It was almost nine o'clock at night, and Victoria was thinking about the conversation she'd had with Ted earlier that day. Their exchange had been brief, and she could tell that something wasn't right by the sound of his voice. At first she thought it might be her own guilt causing her mind to fixate on things that weren't there. But as she listened to him talk about his day, about taking care of family business with Lilly and then returning to his hotel room to tackle ViaTech issues, her gut told her that something was simmering below the surface.
She knew her husband well, and she was almost certain that whatever the problem, all roads led back to his mother's secret.
Each time she'd steered the conversation toward anything involving his activities in Boston, his tone shifted. She'd had a feeling that he was lying to her. She'd wanted to push deeper, but she knew it was a waste of time. It was hard enough to get him to share information face-to-face, so she was pretty sure she wasn't going to get anywhere over the phone. Plus, in her guilt-ridden state she knew she was in no position to demand the truth from him, so she didn't mind when he quickly hurried her off the line.
She sat in her dimly lit family room, drinking a glass of wine and devouring a handful of Godiva dark chocolate truffles as she thought about the mistake she had made with Parker. She was regretful to the point of feeling tortured by what she'd done, and she couldn't keep her turmoil bottled up any longer. She needed her touchstone, so she called Tyler.
He picked up after a few rings. “What's up? You lonely over there all by yourself?”
“How'd you guess?”
Tyler laughed. “Why else would you be calling me on a Saturday night? I know you miss your man and your baby, so you're callin' your old standby. But that's all right. That's what I'm here for.”
Victoria sighed into the phone. “Can you talk?”
“Uh-oh, hold up. You sound funny. Did something happen?”
“That's an understatement.”
Tyler took a seat on his sofa and readied himself for what he sensed was going to be bad news. “Are you at home?”
“Yeah.”
Tyler shifted the phone to his other ear. “Okay, talk to me.”
Victoria didn't know where to begin. She was silent for a second before she spoke. “I think I've gotten myself into something that I'm not sure I can get out of.”
“This is about Parker, isn't it?”
Victoria said, “Um, yeah.”
Damn it,
Tyler said to himself, shaking his head. He knew what Victoria was about to tell him, and being the friend he was, he knew he had to deal with her straight. “Before you say anything, let me throw something out there, okay?”
“All right.”
Tyler's voice was full of dead seriousness. “If you decide to sleep with him, or if you already have, don't tell a soul about it. Don't open your mouth to anyone. Not Denise, not Debbie, not your mom ... not even me. That's the kind of shit you carry to the grave. Do you hear me?”
“But,Tyler . ..”
“I'm serious,Victoria.”
Victoria's voice began to shake as a small tear escaped her eye. “But I need to let this out, because it's eating me up inside.”
Tyler let out a deep breath. “Please don't cry.”
“I can't help it.”
“You want me to come over?”
“I'll be here, waiting for you.”
A half hour later, Tyler was sitting on the other end of Victoria's couch, drinking a Coke and listening to his friend pour out information that his ears didn't want to hear. He had never liked Parker, and the fact that not only had the man come back into Victoria's life, but she'd played slap and tickle with him, was a situation that he knew could only be described as a nightmare waiting to greet daylight.
Tyler had been afraid that this would happen. From the moment Victoria had told him about running into Parker, he knew that trouble was on the horizon. He had tried to calm her fears and push them aside by telling her that what she'd been feeling for Parker was fleeting and would eventually pass. In retrospect, it was what he had inwardly hoped. He remembered the love that Victoria had felt for Parker, but he also remembered how the bastard had hurt her.
“I feel so bad,” Victoria said, looking Tyler in the eye.
He sat his Coke can on the coaster atop the coffee table and rubbed his hand over his closely cropped hair. “I'ma be honest with you. This is a fucked-up situation.”
“Tell me something I don't already know.”
“Well, at least you didn't sleep with him. But even with that, I'm here to tell you, this
cannot
and
will not
end well if you continue down this road.You know that, don't you?”
Victoria was silent, her head bent, owing to a complicated mixture of fear and shame.
Tyler scooted closer to her on the couch. “From this point forward you can't see him again,Victoria. I'm serious. Leave his slick ass the hell alone. Pull Alexandria out of Jack and Jill and register her at a new school if you have to.”
Victoria's eyes grew big. “But,Tyler—”
He cut her off, holding up his hand. “But nothing. Listen to me,” he implored. Tyler reached for her hand, holding it in his. “Do you think Parker's gonna be quiet about this? Do you think he's gonna just go away?”
“I told him that what we did last night was a mistake. That it can't go any further.”
“I don't think you realize the gravity of what's going on here. If Ted finds out that you were fooling around with another man, and that it was with Parker, of all people, somebody's gonna wind up dead.”
Victoria's back stiffened. “Ted would never kill anyone.”
Tyler released Victoria's hand. “Never, ever say what somebody won't do. Did you ever think you'd be visiting another man's hotel room while your husband was out of town?”
Victoria could only shake her head no.
“But you did, right?”
She couldn't speak. All she could do was look down at her feet in silence.
“I'm not here to make you feel bad. I'm here to help you. I love you,Victoria.You're my sister, and I only want the best for you. I'd be wrong if I didn't tell you with brutal honesty what I think. I'm not being objective about this. I'm being very biased because you've got some serious shit at stake.”
“I know that,Tyler.”
“Do you?” he asked in frustration, raising his brow. “I don't care how strong you think Ted is. He's just a man, and he just lost his mother ... his first connection to this world.You don't know what that's like, but I do, and it's not something you can easily recover from. Ted's in a very fragile state right now.”
Victoria nodded and was about to speak up, but Tyler cut her off again.
“Do you realize that if Ted finds out that you've been seeing ole boy, he could snap and kill you both?”
Victoria leaned forward and stared at him. “I told you, Ted's not a violent person. He'd be mad, hurt, and angry for sure, but he would never bring physical harm to me or even dream of doing anything as drastic as killing someone, no matter how mad he got.”
“There you go again with that
never
shit,” Tyler huffed, shaking his head. “See, that's the reason why you don't need to be creepin' in the first place. You have no freakin' idea what you're doing. There's no telling what a man won't do if you mess with his family, his money, or his pussy, and it doesn't have to be in that order. Victoria, I'm very, very concerned for you.”
He was telling her the same thing she'd told Debbie. “Tyler, you're scaring me.”
“Good. You need to be,” he said, looking as serious as death. “When is Ted coming home?”
“Not until Monday afternoon.”
“Okay, you have one day to regroup before he gets back.”
“I don't know how I'm going to manage that. I'm a nervous wreck,” Victoria said with worry. “And to be honest, I'm not sure what Parker is going to do.”
“That's what I told you earlier. I don't think he's going to go away or keep quiet. He wants you, and from what you've told me, it sounds like he's ready to do whatever it takes to get you back.”
“Oh, Lord, what am I gonna do?” Victoria moaned.
“You're gonna have to start by squashing lover boy's plans, because trust, he's got plans for you. Parker's persistent, and he's not gonna let up, so you need to back him down. He's the kind of brotha you have to use force with in order to get your point across. What I'm about to advise you to do will require you to be really strong and stand your ground.”
“Okay, I'm listening,” Victoria said, nodding.
Tyler knew his friend's history and patterns, and despite the fact that Victoria was inquisitive, always seeking answers to questions, there was a side of her that had a tendency to avoid situations, instead of facing them head-on. “Under any other circumstances I'd tell you to just ignore his ass until he goes away, but we both know that won't work here, because of Parker's persistence and your avoidance. So you need to meet with him face-to-face, look him dead in his eyes, and tell him that it's over.”
“I thought you said I shouldn't see him again.”
“I've updated my assessment,” Tyler said and nodded. “He needs to know you're serious, and that you're not gonna let this linger. Nip it in the bud now. Then first thing Monday morning you need to start looking for a new school for my niece.”
Victoria sat back farther on the couch, knowing that Tyler was right. She had to rectify the situation immediately. “Okay, I'll call him tomorrow and end this madness.” She rested her back against the couch. “Thanks for the advice. I know what has to be done, and I'm going to do it!”
“Remember, you can't flinch. You've gotta look that muthafucker straight in his eyes and let him know that you're not bullshittin'.”
“I can do that.”
Tyler looked at his friend, hoping she could get herself out of the catastrophe she'd created. They sat in silence for a moment, digesting their conversation, before Victoria went into the kitchen and brought him back a fresh can of Coke.
They settled into a less tense line of conversation, changing the topic to how Alexandria was doing. It was a subject that Victoria welcomed, helping her to ease into a better frame of mind as she told him about how happy she was that her daughter was enjoying her visit with Elizabeth and John.
Victoria curled her legs under her hips, making herself comfortable on the couch. “Now that we've solved my problems, how're you doing?”
“Me? I'm cool.” Tyler smiled as he sat back and took another sip of his Coke.
Victoria saw a glimmer in his eyes. “Uh-huh ... How's Samantha?”
“She's cool, too.”
“So what exactly does
cool
mean?”
Tyler crossed his legs and chuckled. “Why don't you just come out and ask me if I'm hittin' it?”
“I don't want to know about your sex life,” Victoria scoffed, raising her brow before asking, “Well ... are you?”
They both laughed out loud.
“I know what you're thinkin',” Tyler began, “and honestly, I'm as surprised about this whole thing as you probably are. I mean, I never thought I'd find a woman who would make me feel alive again, but that's what Sam does for me. I'm really feelin' her.”
“It's been only two weeks,” Victoria cautioned.
“Some things take only a minute.”
“Damn, you're serious about her, aren't you?”
Tyler nodded his head. “Maybe ...”
“Wow,” was all Victoria could say as she thought about Tyler's newfound relationship.
Her first concern was for his emotional safety. She knew that Samantha was wild, liked to party her ass off, and had a reputation for running through men like cheap panty hose. And from what she remembered Parker telling her about his cousin, she seemed to gravitate toward men who either had a criminal record or were just one step ahead of the law. She preferred the thugged-out, roughneck types, and Tyler definitely didn't fit into that group. Victoria didn't want her best friend to get hurt, especially after all that he'd gone through. Then her second concern came to mind, the fact that Samantha was a direct link to a mistake that hit way too close to home.
“Tell me why you're so into her,” Victoria said.
“I know what you're getting at. Sam's rough on the outside, but there's a real gentleness about her on the inside. She's not afraid of letting herself go to experience life to its fullest, whether it's conventional or not. She's a genuine person. She's smart, funny, and mad sexy.”

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