Deceived by You

by Marilyn Williams

  “That’s what keeps me up at night. I’m responsible for my best friend facing prison.”

  Ava moved beside Scott. “You’re wrong. Brandon is responsible for his predicament.”

  “I tried talking to him, and I thought I had gotten through.”

  “Have you spoken to Tess about the guilt you’re feeling?”

  He shook his head. “I can’t. She can’t bring herself to forgive him. She’s only going to court because I insisted.”

  “You should speak to someone because your guilt will eat you alive. Brandon has taken the first step in accepting responsibility by pleading guilty. Now, you need to allow the process to play out however it will and focus on yourself.”

  “I’m sorry for coming over here and trying to guilt you into speaking for him.” He stood and retrieved his keys from his pocket.

  “No hurt feelings here, Scott.” She moved closer and hugged him. “You, Tess, and I will always be a dysfunctional bunch. We may disagree, have screaming matches, or need time away from each other. In the end, I will always be there for you guys, but you have to understand that Brandon no longer exist in my world.”

  His mouth flattened into a thin line. “I better get going.” He moved towards the door.

  “Scott!” She stepped quicker to catch up with him. “Don’t allow him to come in between you and Tess. She’s loyal to me, just like you’re loyal to him. You both need to agree not to discuss him when you’re together. Keep him separate from the life you guys share. If you don’t, he will tear your relationship apart.”

  He squeezed her hand before exiting out the door. She watched as he entered his car and drove away. Ava followed behind and locked up the house. She sent Meghan a quick text to let her know she was on her way.

  ∞∞∞

  “So, what happened to you last night?” Were the first words out of Meghan’s mouth when she opened the door. Ava cut her eyes and smiled. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” She proceeded to the guest bedroom and placed her suitcase on the bed.

  “Excuse me, you can’t walk in here without giving me the details. Your note said you were going out and not to wait up.”

  Ava threw her nightclothes and slippers into the suitcase. “Justin is here.”

  “I figured as much. So, what happened?” Meghan sat on the edge of the bed practically salivating for her next words.

  “We talked and worked everything out.” Ava bent over to pick up her sneakers from off the floor.

  “Whoa, when did you get that?” Meghan pointed to her diamond necklace that slipped from underneath Ava’s t-shirt. Meghan stepped closer and touched the gem for a closer inspection.

  “It’s a present from Justin.” Ava beamed.

  “Is that why you forgave him?”

  Ava shooed her hand away and entered the bathroom. “No! We had a very cathartic conversation. There were tears shed on both sides.” She retrieved her toiletry bag from the counter. “We’re both in a better place. The jewelry was a bonus.”

  She finished packing her things with Meghan right on her heels, firing question after question. Ava placed the last item in her suitcase and rolled it to the front of the house.

  “How about a glass of wine before I leave,” said Ava.

  Meghan smiled. “One bottle and two glasses coming up.”

  Ava settled in the living room. She checked her phone and had one text message from Justin. His meeting had concluded, and he wanted them to meet at his office. “I hope Chardonnay is fine. It’s all that I have,” said Meghan, placing the bottle on the table. She poured the white wine into two stemless wine glasses. Ava brought the glass to her lips. “How’s school going?” she asked.

  “Good. I’m taking two summer classes.”

  “That’s great. I’m glad you took Justin up on his offer to help with the cost.”

  Meghan sipped from her glass. “I hope you know how lucky you are to have such a wonderful guy.”

  “I do,” smiled Ava.

  “What if I came for a visit? Maybe for a week or two.”

  “Really? What about work?”

  “I have personal time I haven’t used. If you give me the okay, I can put in my request now, unless you need to speak with Justin first.”

  “I know he wouldn’t mind, but as a courtesy, I’ll speak with him first.”

  The ladies said goodbye after two glasses of wine. Ava then made the twenty-minute drive to Justin’s office. He must have had some serious problems with the sewage lines if he drove straight to his office. He thought they would have had the afternoon to themselves.

  When she arrived, there were more cars than usual in the parking lot. She parked in the only VIP parking spot available. She stepped off the elevator and heard the constant ringing of the phone at the receptionist’s desk. Ava peered down both directions of the hallway. After waiting a few moments, she ventured towards Justin’s office. The opened door revealed it to be empty. Figuring he had to be close, she decided to check the conference room. Before she was halfway, she could hear Justin’s voice booming down the hall.

  “I’m gone for a month, and none of you can handle a single goddamn task!”

  Ava stopped in her tracks. She’s never heard that level of anger from him. She eased closer and peeked through the glass. The employees packed the room. Some sat at the table, while others stood against the back wall. Justin had positioned himself at the head of the table. His face was red, eyes were tight, and he held a death grip on a blue squishy stress ball.

  “Becky, find us a competent contractor who knows not use heavy equipment that’ll rupture a sewer line.”

  “I’m already ahead of you,” she said. “I have two lined up I’m meeting with in the morning.”

  “Dean, get on the phone with legal. I want to sue the sons of bitches for negligence. Their incompetence will cost us millions.”

  Ava had heard enough to know this wasn’t good and they may need to extend their stay in Atlanta. She left her position outside the conference room and waited in Justin’s office. She made herself comfortable on his couch. Ava laid down on her back, scrolling through images of beach homes on her phone. Her eyes became heavier with each swipe. She closed her eyes, and moments later she felt a hand stroke her cheek. She peeled open her eyes to Justin standing over her. “Hey, did I fall asleep?” she asked, adjusting her sight to the overhead light.

  “How long have you been waiting?” he asked. He lifted her legs, sat down on the couch, and then rested her legs on his lap.

  Ava checked her phone. “Thirty minutes. I swear I only closed my eyes a moment ago.”

  Justin exhaled sharply. “I had an all hands-on deck emergency meeting.” He stroked her leg and shook his head like the thought had he annoyed him.

  “I heard you.” She sat up and scooted closer to him. “When I didn’t see you in your office, I ventured off in search for you. I could hear the anger in your voice from down the hall.”

  “My meeting with the contractor didn’t go well. The sewage line burst because of the weight of their equipment. Now, repairs must be made before we can move forward. It’ll cost us millions in delays.”

  Ava rose to her feet and stood in front of Justin with her hands out. “Come here.”

  “Where?”

  “I want you to sit in your chair.”

  He reluctantly stood and meandered to his office chair.

  “Relax,” she said, standing behind him with her hands beside his neck. She squeezed his shoulders and could feel the tense knots of his muscles.

  He hung his head low with his eyes closed. “Mmm, that feels good.”

  “How long will we need to extend our stay?”

  “I won’t know until the end of the week. I might have to travel back and forth until this is resolved. How would you feel about that?”

  Ava removed her hands from his shoulders, and he turned to face her. “Hey, it’s the life I signed up for. We met while you were here on business.”

  Justin’s
lips formed a thin line. “Enough about my crisis. How was the house?”

  “I guess you didn’t get my text. Everything was fine.”

  “No, it wasn’t.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  He placed his finger between her eyebrows. “Your lines always tell on you. They only appear when you’re stressed.”

  “Scott stopped by,” she sighed.

  “He did? Why?”

  She told him what Scott wanted her to do, and how upset it made her.

  “What was he thinking? Maybe I should have a word with him.”

  “Don’t worry. I made it clear that I’ll never help Brandon with anything.”

  “I hope he understood. If he approaches you again about it let me know, and I’ll talk to him.”

  “I will. On a positive note, Meghan would like to come for a visit. I told her I needed to speak with you first.”

  “Why?”

  “Why does she want to visit?”

  “No, why do you need to run it past me?”

  “Because it’s your house.”

  He frowned and grabbed her by the waist, guiding her to his lap. “Ava, we live together. It’s our home. You do not need my permission.”

  “It’s not about asking for permission; it’s called being courteous.”

  “That’s fine, just remember it’s also your home.”

  “I’m trying to get used to the idea.” She shrugged.

  He cupped her face and placed a kiss on her lips. “Try harder. But I think it’ll be great if Meghan comes for a visit. She can keep you company when I have to fly out of town.”

  “Its pure agony being away from you.” She kissed his neck. Inhaling the scent of his citrus scented cologne. “Do we have time to… you know?”

  He arched his neck backward as her tongue trailed underneath his chin. “I have a conference call in an hour.”

  She lifted her shirt over her head. “We can make it quick.”

  Justin grinned. “I’ll lock the door.”

  Chapter Eleven

  After spending two weeks away negotiating contracts and overseeing the repairs to the sewage pipes, Justin was glad to be home. That was until the incessant chime of his phone’s notification woke him from his sleep. It’s programmed to make the sound of a buzzer when someone is at his front gate. He swiped his phone from the nightstand. “Who’s that?” asked Ava, turning over in the bed.

  Justin opened the security app and saw Lindsey in her Porsche with the top down outside his gate. “It’s Lindsey,” he said.

  Ava opened her eyes. “What time is it?”

  “Eight. I’ll see what she wants.” He tapped the button on the app to open the gate. He then rolled out of bed, slipped on a t-shirt and pajama bottom. Justin wiped the sleep from his eyes as he trotted down the stairs towards the front door.

  “I’m glad to see you’re home after being away again with your girlfriend.” Lindsey stomped inside and threw her purse on the chair.

  Justin stroked his forehead and closed the door behind her. “What do you want, Lindsey?”

  “You could have informed me you’d planned to be away for two weeks. If it weren’t for Chris, I wouldn’t have known.”

  “It’s eight in the morning. Why are you here?”

  “We need to talk about daddy. He’s driving me insane.”

  “What does that have to do with me?” He placed his hand over his mouth to cover his yawn. He and Ava didn’t return from Atlanta until midnight.

  “Everything.”

  Justin turned to the sound of movement on the stairs. “Did we keep you from falling back asleep?”

  “No, it was time that I rolled out of bed,” said Ava. She greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. “Hi, Lindsey. Would anyone like a cup of coffee?”

  “Sure,” said Justin.

  “I can only have decaf,” said Lindsey.

  “Two strong brews and one decaf coming up.” Ava proceeded down the hall towards the kitchen.

  Lindsey looked at Justin with a slight narrow in her eyes. “Is she always so… nice?”

  “Yeah, until you cross her.” Justin entered the kitchen with Lindsey behind him. Ava had his coffee ready to go on the kitchen island. He lifted the mug to his mouth. Perfect.

  “We have one decaf coffee pod left. Is this brand okay?” Ava held the K-cup with a green and white label towards Lindsey.

  “Sure, it’s fine. Thank you.” A minute later Ava handed her a mug along with packets of sugar and creamer.

  “So, what’s this about Tom?” asked Justin.

  Lindsey shifted her eyes towards Ava. “Maybe, we should…”

  “Oh, if this is a private conversation,” began Ava. “I can go into another room.”

  Justin halted her movement with his hand on her arm. “You stay right here. There isn’t anything private between Lindsey and me.”

  She twisted her lips into a smirk. “Daddy is less than happy with our situation. He believes your focus is elsewhere and not on me or our unborn baby because of your involvement with…uh…”

  “Ava?” asked Justin.

  “Yes. He and Chris have a business arrangement in the works, and he threatened to pull out while you were away.”

  “Why?”

  “You know how he is.” She flung her golden locks over her shoulder. “He’s old-schooled. He believes you should hold my hand through this entire pregnancy. If you assure him you’ll handle your responsibilities, he’ll back off.”

  He shifted his eyes away from Lindsey, as he recalled a conversation with his father. He also mentioned an important business arrangement with Tom. “Do you know anything about this business deal between our fathers?”

  Lindsey shrugged. “I’m not sure. Can I tell my father you’ll sit and talk to him man-to-man?”

  Justin rubbed his chin as he thought of meeting with Tom. It’s not something he wanted to do, but would if it meant keeping the peace. “I’ll reach out to him, but I won’t allow your father to dictate how the three of us move forward.”

  ∞∞∞

  After Lindsey left, Justin dressed for work and called Tom on his way. He said he just took a break from a guest lecture at the hospital and had a small window of time to meet at Justin’s office before he’s needed back. Justin sat in his office scrolling through his inbox when he received a call from his executive assistant that Tom had arrived. He stepped out to greet him. “Tom.” Justin extended his hand.

  “Good to see you, Justin.” He returned his handshake.

  Justin led him into his office, gesturing for Tom to sit in the chair facing his desk.

  “I must keep this brief because I’m due back at the hospital soon. Therefore, I’ll cut to the chase,” said Tom.

  Justin sat back in his swivel chair. His eyes bore into him like laser beams. “I understand you have certain feelings concerning my situation with Lindsey.”

  “You may not understand now, but once your child is born, you will. It’s a parent’s instinct to protect their child from harm regardless of their age.”

  He cocked his head. “You think I’ll harm Lindsey?”

  “Not intentionally. But our social circle is small, and perception is everything. How do you think it looks you have impregnated my daughter, but you’re running around with that woman?”

  Justin leaned forward in his chair with his jaw tightened. “Her name is Ava, and I’m not running around with her. She’s a part of my life, and nothing will change that fact. What do you expect me to do? Kick Ava out and move Lindsey in?”

  “If she had an ounce of dignity, she would allow the two of you to raise this child properly in a home together.”

  “With all due respect, Tom, this isn’t your business. This is between your twenty-five-year-old daughter and me. She and I will decide how to proceed. And let’s be clear, whatever decisions we make will include Ava.”

  Tom rose to his feet. “Well, that’s unfortunate. I’m sure your father won’t appreciate how you�
�ve chosen to handle this troublesome situation.”

  “Whatever arrangement you and my father have has nothing to do with me. I’d preferred if you left me out of it.” Justin moved towards the door and opened it.

  Tom expelled a brief chuckle as he brushed past him and exited the office. Justin watched as he entered the elevator, and the doors closed after him. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something was off. As soon as Justin returned to his office, he called Lindsey on the phone. She picked up on the second ring. “How did it go?” she asked.

  “Well, considering your father wants me to dump Ava and move you into my home. I’d say it didn’t go well at all.”

  “Are you saying he wasn’t happy when he left?”

  “Your father’s happiness is none of my concern. I want you to schedule an appointment right away.”

  “Why? I have one in a few weeks.”

  “I want proof you’re pregnant.”

  “I can show you my paperwork from the doctor and ultrasound.”

  “That can be forged. I want us together in the same room with the doctor confirming your pregnancy.”

  “Whatever,” she spat. “I’ll make the appointment and text you the date.”

  “Don’t think of playing any games with me. Make sure your appointment is within the week.” He slammed the phone down and advised his assistant to hold all his calls unless it was an emergency. He then called Chase, whose office was a fifteen-minute drive away. He agreed to stop by for lunch.

  Justin replayed the last conversation he had with his father in his mind. He’d warn him not to impede his business dealings with Tom. If Justin were a betting man, he’d bet it had something to do with the new drug his company had developed. Tom is a retired heart surgeon, and his father’s new drug is for the cardiovascular system. He couldn’t make a direct connection, so, for now, he would keep his theory to himself. The most important item on his agenda is Lindsey’s baby. He needed to verify if he’s about to become a father or if it’s all a lie.

  A ding from his phone notification disrupted his thoughts. His eyes scanned the screen. Lindsey’s appointment is in two days.