Society Wives (19 page)

Ryan wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling a chill. Maybe the baby would make her stronger. After her visit with the doctor yesterday, she had a good feeling about the pregnancy, but she would still wait to see how things went before she told Anderson. Most likely, it would be rough and she'd have to spend a good portion of her second and last trimester on bed rest. But she was willing to do whatever she had to do. All she needed was one child—for so many reasons.

Ryan decided that the one person she would tell would be her mother. She dialed her number.

“Hello!” Frannie's greeting sounded rushed as if Ryan caught her in the middle of something.

“Hey, Ma.”

“What's up, honey?”

“I'm pregnant.” Ryan decided not to waste any time.

“For real this time?” Frannie teased.

“Ma!”

“Hey! We've been here before—several times! I gotta ask these things.”

“I was pregnant all the other times. Those times just didn't go well.”

“Did you go to the doctor yet? What did she say?”

“So far things look good and that I will probably be on bed rest to make sure it all goes well.”

“How far are you?”

“Around two months.”

“You didn't waste any time getting back in the sack. What did he say?”

“I haven't told him yet.”

“Oh. Well, honey, I gotta go. I'll come by tomorrow and we can do lunch.”

“Okay. I'll see you then. Oh! Are you coming with me to Pearson's benefit this year?”

“That fancy smancy benefit she does every spring—hell yeah. I got to meet that cute, famous jazz player last time. Not to mention, I tossed a few of those huge shrimp in my purse and enjoyed them the next day. I ain't neva seen shrimp that big before in my entire life! I'll need a dress, though. Let's start looking this week.”

“We'll see. I may be a little bigger by then.”

“Just tell me when you're ready. Listen, sweetie, I've gotta go. Got company coming ova. Ya mother's still got it, kiddo!” Frannie hooted and hung up.

Ryan wondered if her visitor was going to be Vonnie's uncle. She cut her eyes at the thought of that. Tossing her cell phone aside, she sat there looking around the large room and sighed. She felt dwarfed in the massive space and a sense of loneliness consumed her.

“You're going to keep mommy company when you get here.” Ryan patted her stomach. She stood and made her way to the kitchen.

Certain that the baby would change things in her home, Ryan imagined it would be nice to finally get her husband's attention. She visualized him coming home every night and her traveling with him. If those dreams didn't manifest, at least she'd have her baby.

In the kitchen, Ryan opened the refrigerator. Nothing inside enticed her so she decided to go out for breakfast. Taking a quick shower, she slipped on a pair of jeans, with a black sweater, boots and a mink jacket. She covered her red, swollen eyes with a pair of oversized dark sunglasses. People didn't need to see the anguish that resided in there.

Ryan decided she'd go to her favorite diner, but first she needed to pick up the prescription for her prenatal pills.

Ryan strolled through the drug store and by the time she made it to the pharmacy department, she had a hand full of items that weren't part of her original plan. When her turn came, Ryan gave the clerk her last name and when the woman walked off to retrieve the prescription, she perused the magazines when one caught her attention.

Ryan reached for a tabloid peeking out behind a fashion magazine because she saw Anderson's name. It wasn't just his name that caught her attention, but the woman he was holding hands with on the cover as they appeared to be romping on the beach. It was the woman at the restaurant and the headline read, “Andy Lee Nails New Role and Co-Star!”

Ryan snatched the magazine off the shelf, pushed it behind her back. Her breathing became ragged and she took several deep breaths to maintain control of her rage.

Ryan quickly paid for her items and headed to the car, where she pulled the tabloid open to the spread. Several pictures of Anderson and his young co-star were plastered across the page. Tears rolled down Ryan's face from behind her shades as she scanned the illicit photos of the two in swimwear as well as a few photos of what looked like the inside of a nightclub. The actress looked dreamily into Anderson's eyes and smiled like a smitten teenager.

Ryan started tearing the tabloid apart. “You bastard,” she screamed, tossing scraps across the front seat. She banged her hands against the steering wheel, collapsed onto it and cried out.

After she'd gotten out most of her angst, she ran back inside the pharmacy and picked up another copy of the tabloid.

Ryan thought about calling Anderson, but decided she would do this in person. She vowed to muster up the courage to confront him when returned home the next week and wondered what excuse he would offer this time. She finally had proof.

Chapter 29

Vonnie

After a busy week, Vonnie was excited about having a few days off. She and her two partners worked out their schedules so that they would be able to alternately enjoy long weekends and Vonnie wasn't due back in the office until Monday.

Her appearance on the talk show the day before went well and the producer treated her like a true VIP, picking her up and dropping her off in a limo and catering to her every need. She enjoyed everything about the experience like hanging out in the green room with the other guests and getting the chance to meet a co-star of one of her favorite TV dramas. She couldn't wait for it to air the following week so she could see how she actually looked in front of the camera.

The other highlight of the week was getting a call from
Essence
Magazine, and being asked to provide a quote for an upcoming issue. It was hard to contain her excitement; she felt like a child at Christmas.

Vonnie decided that if she was going to be appearing on TV more often, maybe she should pump up her exercise regime and shed a few pounds so she could really look good on camera. Vonnie grabbed her cell phone to reach out to the girls to find a good trainer.

Pearson and Nadalia didn't answer, so she called Ryan. Immediately she knew there was something wrong from the sound of Ryan's voice.

“Hey, Ryan. Everything okay?” she asked. She didn't want to share her good news if the timing wasn't right.

“I'll be fine.”

“Well okay. I'm just checking in. I'm off today, so I'll be around if you want to talk.”

“Thanks. I'll be fine,” she repeated.

“I'll call you later to check up on you.”

After Vonnie hung up, she tried both Pearson and Nadalia again. Still neither of them answered. She left messages inquiring about wanting to hire a trainer.

For once, Vonnie had a clear schedule, but with all the excitement reeling inside of her, she couldn't just sit at home. She decided to surprise her husband at his office with lunch and sneak in a few smooches while she was there.

Vonnie changed into a hip-hugging pair of jeans that Mike loved to see her in, a vibrant orange cashmere sweater that wrapped around her waist accentuating her shape, and slipped on a pair of high-heeled boots that were sure to entice him. She busied herself around the house until one of their favorite sushi restaurants opened at eleven.

She placed an order for takeout and picked it up on her way to Mike's office. Balancing the food in one hand, Vonnie walked across the parking lot, through the shrill cold winds as fast as she could.

Pressing the elevator with her elbow, Vonnie headed to her husband's company on the second floor. She walked down the hall to Mike's office and swung the door open. When Vonnie walked up to the receptionist, she noticed something different. This young looking woman with blond hair and long red nails wasn't Pat, the mature black receptionist who had been with her husband's company since its inception.

“Uh, excuse me?” Vonnie caught the woman's attention as she looked around. Mike didn't tell her about any changes to the office or hiring new people.

“Hello. How many I help you?” The woman smiled and her big brown eyes seemed to twinkle.

Vonnie smiled through her confusion. “I'm looking for Cyber Vault.”

“They moved months ago. They are now downstairs in suite 110,” she said.

“Oh…thank you. I'm sorry to bother you.”

“No worries at all. We still get a few people in here looking for them all the time.”

“Have a great day.” Vonnie smiled, masking her shock. Why hadn't Mike told her about moving the office? They never kept secrets.

Vonnie headed downstairs. Surely Mike would have an explanation. She stepped off the elevator and followed the descending numbers down the hall to suite 110.

This office was a third of the size of Mike's previous location. Vonnie spotted Pat behind a reception desk half the size of the old one.

Pat looked up and stretched her eyes. A suspicious feeling crept over Vonnie. Usually Pat was excited to see her and now she looked nervous.

“Mrs. Howard…Hi!” Pat stammered. “It's been so long. Was Mr. Howard expecting you?”

“Hi Pat. Actually no! I was trying to surprise him with lunch.”

“He's not here,” Pat said and began shuffling papers around on her desk.

Vonnie watched her for a moment, feeling Pat's unease under her watch. “Will he be back soon?”

“I don't think so. Mr. Madison spends more time out of the office than he does inside these days.”

“Oh. Okay.” Vonnie thought for a second. “Well, do you like sushi?”

“Uh…yes. I love sushi. Why?”

“Because someone may as well eat this lunch. I don't think it will make it back to my car. Some of the sauce spilled and the bag is falling apart. If you haven't had lunch, you're welcome to it.”

“Oh. That's so nice of you,” Pat said, taking the bag from Vonnie.”

Vonnie gave her a smile that hid just how annoyed she really felt. “Have a great day, Pat.”

“You too, Mrs. Howard. And thanks again for lunch.”

Vonnie went to walk out and turned back toward Pat. “When did you guys move again?”

“After we downsized,” Pat said. “We've been here since November.”

“Oh yeah! That's right!” Vonnie pretended to recall. “It's been so long since I've been here and things have been going haywire at the practice.” Pat smiled. Vonnie knew that she wasn't buying it. “Well enjoy.”

Vonnie hurried to the car, pulled out her cell phone and stabbed the screen to unlock the phone. She swiped her way to Mike's number. Just as she was about to press talk a call came in. She recognized the Connecticut number as being from Noelle's school.

“Hello.”

“Mrs. Howard?”

“Speaking.”

“Good afternoon, Ma'am. Sorry to bother you.”

A chill ran through Vonnie's body. “Is Noelle okay?” She never received calls from Noelle's school.

“Oh yes, ma'am. This is Mrs. Berry. I'm calling from the billing department. I've tried to reach Mr. Howard unsuccessfully, which is why I'm calling you. This is regarding Noelle's tuition balance.”

“That's been paid.” Vonnie's face scrunched in confusion.

“In fact, ma'am, it hasn't. There's still a balance of ten thousand dollars from the fall semester and this semester has yet to be paid. Would you like to apply that to a credit card today?”

“What? I…I don't understand. Mrs.…” Vonnie paused, trying to remember the woman's name.

“Mrs. Berry,” she filled in for her.

“Ah. Thanks, Mrs. Berry. Let me get in touch with my husband and I can call you back regarding that bill and to rectify the situation.” Vonnie wanted to tell the woman that she was mistaken, but after finding out that her husband had downsized his business without telling her, she decided that the woman could be right. Vonnie was furious and couldn't wait to speak to Mike.

More than just being mad, Vonnie was hurt. What other secrets had Mike been keeping from her? She ended the call and dialed his number.

“Hey, babe! What's up?”

“Don't babe me!”

“What? What's wrong?”

“You tell me. I just went to your office to surprise you. Guess who was surprised?”

Mike didn't respond.

“Hello! Why didn't you tell me you moved?”

“Babe! I…let's talk about this when I get home tonight.”

“Oh, but wait, there's more!” she said sarcastically as if she were delivering great offers in a commercial voice. “I just got a call from our daughter's school about unpaid tuition. What else should I expect today, Mike?”

“Babe, I can explain.”

“Damn right you will!” Vonnie's chest rose up and down. “Since when do we keep secrets like this? What the hell is going on?”

“Babe—”

“Where are you?” Vonnie yelled. She felt her cheeks grow hot.

“At work.”

“Liar! I'm sitting outside of your office!”

“Babe. I'm still working. I'm about to meet with a client. As a matter of fact, he's ready. I'll have to call you back. I promise I'll explain everything when I get home. Okay?”

Vonnie pressed END and tossed the phone into the back seat. Her hands shook as she wrapped her fingers around the steering wheel. Too riled up to drive, she dropped her hands and rocked back and forth.

When she had her irritation under control, Vonnie started the car and drove home trying not to cry. How could he deceive her like this? They had built their relationship on trust. They shared everything. He had to have a valid explanation for all of this. At least she hoped he did.

She wanted answers and couldn't wait hours for Mike to get home. Once she got in the house, she went into their shared home office and sifted through the mail in search of Noelle's tuition bill. Finding more than she ever expected, she filtered through piles of other unpaid bills, marked with large red ‘past due' stamps. Among the delinquent notices included the mortgage payments, car notes, and several credit card bills. The only bill that appeared to be up to date was the membership fee for The Beck, which has just been paid in a few weeks back.