Love of a Lifetime (5 page)

She laid her head back on his shoulder and whispered. 
“Just for tonight.”

“Just for tonight.”
  He reluctantly agreed, unsatisfied, but at least it was a start.

Kissing her temple, he scooped her up in his arms and walked towards their bedroom.  He laid her down on their bed and crawled in beside her before pulling the covers up over them.  Wrapping his arms around her, he sighed and buried his face in her neck. 

“I love you, sweetheart.”  He murmured into her skin and within seconds he was fast asleep.

So much for making love to her again, she thought with a laugh.  To his credit, though, she knew he was exhausted from the stress of the last few weeks.  She sighed and wiggled closer to Bill.  His arms tightened around her instinctively and relished the fact that, for the moment, she was home where she belonged.

Chapter Four

Despite the fact that Billy was going above and beyond in his efforts to atone for his absence physically and emotionally in their marriage, Carla knew that all good things must eventually come to an end.  The end came exactly two weeks later when she received a call from Bill an hour before he was to take her to the movies.  Business associates wanted a meet and drink to discuss upcoming cases and do some wheeling and dealing.

Carla knew that it was important for him to attend such events, but she couldn’t help resenting the fact that she, once again, took a backseat to business.  Shaking her head at her unreasonable emotions, she decided that it must be knee-jerk reaction when it comes to being denied time with her husband.

It was one of the nasty habits she was going to have to change in order to hold up to her part of the bargain.  It was so hard though, when memories of broken promises and lonely meals and even lonelier evenings assailed her.  Sure, he always slept in their marital bed, but more often than not he crawled into it after she had already gone to sleep at night.

Instead of sitting alone at Abby’s house, she dialed Claire’s number.  Three rings then a harried voice answered.

“Hello?”

Carla laughed.  “A bit busy are you?”

“Carla!  Hey! Yeah it’s the dinner rush and I’m short a waitress and Phil called in sick.  I’m manning the grill and poor Vivian is trying to service all the tables by herself.”

“I can come and help if you’d like.  I know I haven’t waitressed since college, but I’m sure it’s just like riding a bike.”

“That would be fantastic!  Thanks so much!  I’ll see you in a few.”  She hung up without waiting for a response.

Carla chuckled again as she put her phone in her purse and headed into the bedroom to change her clothes.  She had a pair of black slacks and a white button shirt she could wear.  Not exactly the uniform Claire liked for her waitresses, but in a pinch it would do. 

Suitable armor in place, she grabbed her purse and headed out the door.  That she was actually looking forward to the mad rush of hungry, grouchy people was a sad testament to the state of her life at the moment.  She really needed to get a job, but there wasn’t much she could do with a dusty liberal arts degree.

She had meant for it to be a stepping stone in order to figure out what she wanted to major in, but then Billy proposed and had become her first priority.  She had finished her degree around the time Billy had become licensed and settled into the life of a housewife instead of furthering her own education.

Of course at the time she would never have believed that she would be on her own again one day.  Billy has been the center of her universe since the moment she met him, it just didn’t occur to her that he may not be a part of her life one day.

Pulling into the lot behind the restaurant, she put those notions aside and readied herself for what she was sure would be a grueling experience.  Once she walked in though, she saw that, even understaffed, Claire had everything under control.  Instead of an insane rush, everyone was relaxed and enjoying great food and the company of their companions.

Vivian saw her as soon as she crossed the threshold and waved her over to the counter.  She quickly divided up the tables, giving herself more than half.  When Carla protested,
Viv
patted her arm and commented, “I could service twenty tables in the time it will take you do five.”  Laughing at the incredulous look on Carla’s face, she handed her an apron and notepad before scampering off to her section of tables.

“She’s right you know,” Mischief was dancing in Claire’s eyes.  She handed over a tray with plates of food piled on it.  “
Viv
could do this job blindfolded.  You will be lucky not to mix up the five tables she gave you.”  She pointed at the tray she had handed over and said “Table two” before heading back into the kitchen.

The dinner rush ended around nine with a few stragglers coming in to place some last minute orders.  Most were planning to take their food to go, but some sat patiently waiting at tables.  Carla was ready to hang up her apron that was for sure.  She hadn’t worked that hard since college and her feet were killing her.

Carla looked towards the entrance when the over door bells chimed, alerting her to the arrival of customers.  Atayla walked in with a friend and seated herself at one of the side tables in Carla’s section.  Smiling, she headed her way.

“What can I get for you tonight?”

Atayla looked up and greeted Carla with a surprised smile.

“What in the world are you doing here slinging meals?”

“Poor Claire was short staffed and so frantic I decided to dust off my apron and give her a hand.”

Approval gleamed from Atayla’s eyes.  “Good for you!  It’s not healthy to sit around and mope all the time.”

Eyebrows
raised
at her blatant pronouncement, she looked towards the woman’s companion and back.

Atayla had the decency to look contrite. 

“This is Margaret Howard.  She works for Ms. Wilson, the Assistant Prosecuting Attorney.”  Waving a hand toward the other woman, she continued.  “
Marg
, this is Carla Bradshaw. 
Bill’s wife.”

Margaret’s eyes light up with recognition.

“You will have to pardon my forwardness, but the legal world is such a small world.  I had heard you and Bill are separated.”

Carla stopped
Tay’s
warning “Margaret” by putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Well, yes, but it’s not...”

“Good for you!”  Margaret interrupted.  “I always hate to watch women hang on to cheating bastards because they think it won’t happen again.”  She smirked at Atayla.  “It always does, but I’m sure Atayla has warned you about that already.”

When neither woman responded, Margaret looked between the two women with chagrin.  “Neither of you know about that obviously.”  She then turned her head away and said under her breath, “Leave it to me to stick my foot in my mouth.”

“Who?”
  Carla demanded after recovering from her shock.

“Look, I don’t think I’m the right person to…”
             
“Who?”  She demanded again.

“My boss.”
 
Marg
replied sheepishly. “I knew something was up when they started having lunch together frequently, but then they started meeting up with each other after work for ‘business.’  I overheard her telling the PA not to ‘Worry about Bradshaw’ because she could ‘Get him to agree to anything while in bed.’  After I heard that, everything else started making sense.”

Carla backed away from the table.  Hadn’t she also thought that there might be another woman in the picture?

“I need to go.” 

Atayla grabbed Carla’s arm as she turned to leave.  “Wait!  We don’t even know if any of this is true.  Patricia Wilson is not beneath lies and manipulation to get what she wants.  She could have been playing out some elaborate scheme to serve, God only knows, what purpose.”

“Are you telling me you knew nothing about any of this?”  Carla asked incredulously.  “You are Bill’s assistant.  You make his schedule and know his every move and you’re trying to tell me you had no idea what was going on?  Bullshit,
Tay
.”

“I swear I would have told you had I known, but I remain firm in my belief that Bill would never cheat on you.  In all the time I have worked for him I have never seen him look at a woman with any kind of interest except a business interest, and believe me, I have seen many women come on to him.”

Shaking her head, Carla stepped back again.  “I need to go, need to think” Turning, she fled the restaurant.

By the time Carla reached her car, she could no longer hold back the tears.  She knew she shouldn’t believe the word of a stranger over a friend, but she couldn’t help it.  Her heart was breaking. 

She needed to clear her head, consider the facts, and have a talk with Bill. First, though, she needed to calm down.  Grabbing her cell phone, she pulled up Abby’s number and pressed ‘send.’  Five rings later, her call was dumped into voicemail. 
Figures.
  Abby was a party girl and Friday nights were
play
time for her.

Swiping the tears from her eyes, she stared at her phone hopelessly.  She needed to just go home, but being alone right now was far from appealing.  Carla considered her options.  What she really needed to do was
confront
Billy with these accusations and give him the opportunity to refute.

And boy did she hope he would refute.  She simply didn’t know if she would survive the shattering of her heart if these accusations were true.  Mind made up, Carla started her jeep and pulled out of the parking lot.  It would be better to deal with it now versus waiting until tomorrow.  If she waited, the unknown, the foreboding gloom that would inevitably hang over her, would be enough destroy her.  Even for only one night.

Turning towards Commerce Street, she attempted to collect herself.  It would do her no good to break down before she had the opportunity to question him about his supposed infidelity.  She needed to plan her approach accordingly.  To straight out accuse him would be
wrong,
she had to give him the benefit of doubt.  Even though her heart was throbbing from the beating it took, her mind didn’t believe he would have an affair.  He just wasn’t that type of man. 

He was honorable and loyal to a fault.  It was a major source of contention between him and his father.  But then again, his father was a narcissist and couldn’t even tame his overly bloated self-importance to be proud of his son’s accomplishments.

She knew,
knew
, deep down inside that Billy was unswervingly devoted to her and repairing their marriage, but she couldn’t stop the nagging suspicion she had prior to their separation.  She had to know, and she had to know now whether or not that suspicion was founded.

As she passes the last of the businesses on Commerce, she turned onto La Fountain Drive.  She would be home within a few minutes and was nowhere near ready for the impending conversation.

She pushed the button to open the garage door as she pulled into the driveway.  Carla could see Bill’s vehicle resting on his side of the garage and she was surprised that he was even home.  She had been half hopeful that the house would be empty and she would have a little more time to complete her internal pep talk before he arrived home.

Once she was parked, she took a few fortifying breaths and gathered all her strength and courage around her.  When she faced him she had to be calm and collected.  With one last ‘you can do this,’ she got out of her jeep and entered the house.

Billy walked around the corner of the kitchen wearing only boxer briefs and a look of confusion.  His hair was sticking up slightly on the side as it usually does when he has been lying down for a while.  The television remote was in his right hand, confirming her suspicions that he had been channeling his inner couch potato tonight.  It always amused her when he did so because he was always such a busy person, even at home.

“Carla?  What are you doing here?  I thought we agreed to see each other tomorrow?”

As though she had been doused with cold water, Carla jerked her attention back to the present.

“Am I not welcome?”  She asked acerbically.

His eyes softened as looked at her.  “Of course you are welcome.  This is where you belong, here with me.  I’m just surprised you are here, is all.”

She couldn’t have stopped it for
all the
world, she broke down like a bawling, blubbering idiot.  The next thing she knew she was wrapped in Billy’s arms.

“Hey, what’s going on?  What’s gotten you so upset?”

Stroking her hair, he murmured words of comfort into her ear.  The feel of his breath stirring her hair and fanning across her cheek was familiar and comforting.  Carla wanted to sink into his embrace and absorb the heat of his body, but she couldn’t forget why she was here.