The Next Wife

by Kaira Rouda

  If I still smoked, this would be the moment I’d go have a cigarette. This little display of unity also makes me realize I shouldn’t have agreed to retire after the IPO announcement. John told me it would be the best for the company, that the stress of having Kate and me at the office was bad for morale. But how am I going to keep track of things if I’ve been pushed out the door? Unacceptable, really.

  I won’t be forced out, not when there’s so much, let’s call it abundance, right here. These employees need bosses. They need Nelsons to lead them. I’m the newest Nelson, but I’m the cutest. Take that, Kate.

  I lean against the wall and watch the other Mrs. Nelson work the crowd. I grab a drink from a waiter passing by with a silver tray, the glass cool to the touch. I’m not going anywhere. Well, except on a quickie vacation with John.

  Then I’ll be back, whether she likes it or not.

  CHAPTER 4

  JOHN

  Light pours through a crack in the curtains, and even with my eyes closed, the brightness pokes through and hurts my head. There’s one thing I know for sure: I don’t want to be here. Telluride is beautiful—don’t get me wrong—but the last thing I needed after the week I had was to get on the plane and fly to the middle of nowhere for a “relaxing, romantic weekend.”

  No, what I wanted was to be at dinner with my daughter last night. And this weekend, I wanted to hang out with my friends, guys who can understand what it’s like to sign over your life’s work to the whims of the “public” and the stock exchange. Play some golf, some cards. Hell, I had to leave my own party early last night just so we wouldn’t miss the flight on my own plane.

  And Kate. I wanted to spend time with her, too, celebrating what we accomplished.

  I’ll never forget the look on Ashlyn’s face when Tish told me it was time to go.

  “You’re leaving your own party? Now?” Ashlyn asked. “Why would you do that? We have dinner plans, Dad. You don’t want to go, do you?”

  I swear my daughter sees right through me.

  Tish shoved her arm through mine and addressed Ashlyn. “The party was over half an hour ago. You should leave, too, so maybe all these people will get the message. Someone should cut off the bar. It’s almost nine.”

  I know I should have stood up to her, but I was tired. Drained. I felt Kate watching us as we made our way out of the office. I wanted to say something to her, share a final IPO toast, but I had no choice. I had to leave with my wife. Tish and I need to talk. And we will. But I fell asleep on the plane only to wake up when we landed. Next thing I knew, we were at the house in Telluride, and I was climbing into my bed.

  It’s my fault, I know. I haven’t dealt with things with Tish. I have plenty of excuses. I’ve been busy working on the IPO, for one, and avoidance has been my tactic. I’ve allowed myself to be put in this position. But it can’t last.

  My phone lights up with a text. Where are you? Are you coming into the office?

  I look around, guilty, which is ridiculous. I text, No. I’m in Telluride.

  The little dots tell me she’s typing. Why? There’s so much to do here. And what about your heart? Do you have your meds? Did you want to go?

  Before I can answer, the bedroom door pops open, and my lovely bride stands in the doorway. She’s wearing tight-fitting yoga clothes, although I doubt she’s been to a yoga class. She’s in all white. She looks good. Young and, dare I say, virginal. She’s not, of course, but she is young. She could be my daughter. I know what everyone says. I’m not deaf. I slip the phone under the covers.

  “You’re finally awake, sleepyhead!” She bounds to the bed and plants a big kiss on my cheek. “It’s gorgeous outside! I thought we could go for a hike and soak up some of this fresh mountain air and sunshine. Columbus is so hot and stifling, and here it’s just crisp and wide open and blue. I’ve never seen a sky this blue.”

  “And dizzying.” I roll out of bed, and as my feet hit the floor, I feel it. Altitude sickness worsened, no doubt, by dehydration. I drank more than I planned at the party.

  “I turned on the oxygen in the bedroom. Thought that would help. Take it easy.” Tish is so concerned that she helps me into the bathroom. I have a history of terrible altitude sickness. When we were here three years ago, on the day I proposed in fact, I fell sideways into a wall walking down the hall to our bedroom. It hits at the strangest times.

  “Thanks, I’ll be fine. I can handle a day or so. We’re just here for the weekend, right?” The nice thing about having my own home to travel to is that everything is where I left it even though I haven’t been here in a year. Each of my homes is stocked with the same clothes, books, and creature comforts. You name it. I grab my medicine and toothbrush—or in this case Tish must have grabbed them—and move from home to home effortlessly with everything I need waiting for me upon arrival. Kate made it happen first, and now Tish does her best to imitate.

  Ah, Kate. I see her smile, her flash of wit as we cut the ribbon on our tiny first headquarters for EventCo all those years ago. It was just the two of us, a programmer, and a big idea. We’d fallen in love at UCLA, and she’d followed me to grad school in the Midwest. She was a California girl who gave up everything to build a company, and a life, with me.

  “We can do this, John. I’ve researched it. There’s a market. People want an easy way, a new way, to invite friends to parties. If we add in tickets to local events and concerts, we could really create something here. A marketplace for fun.” She’d come bursting into our apartment, big brown eyes shining and the frigid air outside providing the rosy cheeks. “We need to do it before someone else does.”

  I tossed my book onto the floor and pulled her onto my lap. “Let’s do it.” First we’d made love, and then we’d written a business plan. Two months later we were up and running—in our apartment—but she made us cut a ribbon anyway. Before I knew it, we were married, buying a house, and she was pregnant with Ashlyn, all while growing the company, too. We set up our offices in the basement, painting the walls bright shades of yellow, orange, and blue to give us energy, Kate said. We celebrated every milestone, and we hit every one we set. That’s Kate. The overachiever. Celebrations mean a lot to her. Heck, she built a company around celebrations.

  “Earth to John.” Tish stands behind me in the mirror. Clearly I should finish brushing. I open the medicine cabinet and find my blood pressure medicine just where it should be and beside it my bottle of herbal supplements from the naturopath. These pills keep me calm under stress and help with restful sleep. I look in the mirror and see an exhausted middle-aged man. Maybe I should take double the dose today. In the mirror, Tish watches me. I drop my eyes back to the medicine cabinet and remind myself to get a backbone. It’s time to make a change. I swallow the pills with a big gulp of water before turning to my bride.

  “What hike are you thinking about? I should take it easy day one.” I move into the walk-in closet and find my hiking attire. I pull on khaki shorts with so many pockets you could never fill them all and a comfortable white T-shirt, then walk into the bathroom. I slide the rest of today’s pills into my pocket. I’m supposed to take them throughout the day, and from the tension between us, I suspect today I’ll need them more than ever.

  “Let’s do the meadow. That way we can enjoy all the wildflowers and pick some for the table.”

  The meadow isn’t really a hike. It’s a stroll. “Perfect.” I should be able to stay upright for it.

  “Breakfast is ready. Let’s eat first.” Tish leads the way out of the bedroom. A bedroom designed by Kate, unchanged by Tish. Is that strange to her, I wonder? Does she care that my first wife’s handprints cover this room? I find the continuity strangely comforting: a reminder of a beautiful past.

  I’m such a fool.

  On the way to the bedroom door, I slip my hand inside the sheets and grab my phone. I delete the incoming texts once Tish starts down the hall.

  She turns around. Did she catch me?

  She says, “I have a bi
g surprise.”

  Oh no. All I can think with dread is: Now what?

  CHAPTER 5

  TISH

  John follows me to the breakfast nook and sits. I pour him fresh-squeezed orange juice from a sparkling crystal pitcher. On his plate, I’ve arranged a European breakfast of sorts: a hard-boiled egg; toast and strawberry jam; hard, sharp cheese; and some prosciutto. Cherries shine in a bowl. I saw the whole setup in one of my lifestyle magazines. We’re living the life.

  “Lovely surprise. Feel free to do this every morning. Or any morning,” John says before shoving a bite of toast into his mouth.

  Cute. He’s pointing out my lack of domestic ability. A backhanded compliment. He should watch it. When’s the last time he made me breakfast? Never. “I guess I’ll have the time to prepare this sort of feast since I’m now in forced retirement from EventCo. I still don’t think it’s fair. I like working with you better.”

  “That topic is settled.” John’s voice has an edge to it today. I decide not to push the issue at the moment. But it is not settled. Not with me.

  “I’m not sure I’m meant to be a housewife. It seems unfulfilling. But I’m glad you like my attempt. Eat up.” I pull out my chair and sit across from him.

  I still remember the moment a month ago when John called me into his office and told me to have a seat.

  “Ooh, so serious and boss-like. What’s up?” I asked. I made sure to cross my legs, showing them off from the side slit in my tight black skirt.

  “Our consultants have told me that the new investors won’t accept an ex-wife and the second wife working at EventCo once we’re a public company. They say it will scare off potential shareholders. That it’s bad for our IPO. It’s negative optics.”

  I’ll give you some negative optics, I thought at the time. “Maybe Kate should retire, then. Isn’t she almost that age?” I glared at him, challenging him. “I’ve been here almost five years. It’s not fair. She should leave. I’m the wife now.”

  “Of course Kate will not be leaving. This is her company.” John stood up and walked around his huge desk. My mind flashed to the moment he’d seduced me, right there, on top of that desk. I’d had no idea our flirtations meant anything to him, no idea he was unhappy in his marriage. “Unsatisfied” is the word he had used then as he pushed me back onto the desk.

  I shake my head. His office took on a whole different vibe a month ago. That’s when he told me I was out.

  “It’s my company, too,” I said. “I’ve been a good employee. A great executive assistant. You can’t replace me.”

  “Of course not, honey. You’re irreplaceable, but I’ll need to. Sandra’s working on it already,” he said. His hands found my shoulders, massaging the tension, trying to make me agree to his stupid decision.

  “Whatever.” That’s all I said. It wasn’t really an agreement; it was a pause, time to think through my options and to appease John. When it comes down to it, for John, it’s all about appearances. And, on the surface at least, Kate and Ashlyn’s comfort and needs come first. Always have. I was such a fool.

  When we first married, I thought it would be different. I thought I would be more important to John than Kate. But I never was. And Ashlyn? I thought she’d have her place, meeting us for dinner out once a week. He made a lot of promises to me back then. He’s broken them all. I just can’t trust him.

  As for Kate and Ashlyn, I’ll deal with them later.

  Focus, Tish.

  And I do. First on John eating and then, behind him, the hideous curtains hanging in the living room. Kate has terrible taste in decor. Probably another reason he picked me. I was what he wanted. He said he wanted to escape from the failure of his marriage, the constant demands of a never-content Kate. I was his soul mate, his solution. Now, I’m not sure what I am to him. I need to get his attention.

  John cracks the egg, hitting it too hard with his spoon. Shell fragments skitter across the table.

  “I’m so excited for our day, aren’t you?” I ask.

  John’s mouth is moving, as if he wants to say something, but he doesn’t. I reach across the table and hold his hand. He allows the touch for a moment, before his phone buzzes.

  “There’s no need to jump every time your phone pings. Not anymore. The IPO happened. Isn’t that great?” I hope, for his sake, he keeps the phone in his pocket. I stare at him, daring him to disobey me.

  He ignores my warning and pulls the phone out, glances at the screen quickly before sliding it away.

  He hears my exhale, and we lock eyes.

  “It’s not like it’s over, Tish. I have friends calling, employees who need advice. The IPO happened, but there is still a lot to do. People have questions. That’s why I can’t believe I’m here with you instead of back home with them.”

  Really? “Oh, John, you used to love being alone with me, don’t you remember? I saved your life. Rescued you from the hell of your first marriage, or something like that. Remember? You wanted me, you wanted a fresh start,” I say.

  He tilts his head, considering his next words. “Yes, I took the first step in our relationship. At work. It was wrong. I did fall hard for you. I did,” John says. He picks up a shiny red cherry and pops it into his mouth.

  “It has a seed,” I say, and watch as he puts the pit on his plate. Good boy. “I’ve missed you lately. You’ve been so preoccupied.” I bite my lip, a move that used to turn him on. “We really need this weekend to reconnect.”

  He pats my hand, placating me like I’m a child, before he slides his chair out from the table and carries his plate into what can only be described as a country mountain kitchen: loads of wood, carved moldings, and heavy tile. Ick. You can almost smell the old fashioned.

  “I want you to enjoy this, our little weekend getaway, to celebrate and relax. I haven’t had any attention lately. It’s already Saturday. We’ll leave tomorrow evening. You can get right back to whatever it is you’re up to, OK?” Appeasement makes the heart grow fonder, I’m telling you. “Whoever’s texting you on a Saturday morning can wait until Monday, can’t they?”

  John glances at me before gazing outside. It is beautiful out the window, sun shining on green mountains, a rainbow of wildflowers in bloom. Cue the Sound of Music soundtrack. “Right. It’s not important.”

  He’s lying.

  It’s her.

  Too bad I’m one step ahead of you both.

  But we’ll just leave that alone for now. I have a whole day for him to come clean. He can tell me what’s not right about our relationship, and I’ll fix it. He needs me in his life, I just have to remind him of that fact. It shouldn’t take much, nothing a little romance can’t smooth over. I mean, men are simple creatures. We all know what they think about most of the day. So first we’ll enjoy a hike in the sunshine, followed by lunch and an open, honest conversation. Assuming everything is sorted out, we’ll come back here for a little afternoon delight, as John calls it.

  It’s a day of new beginnings. The company is public. We’re rich, and we’re so in love. And no one is going to ruin this relationship. No one will come between us. I’m going to get to the bottom of everything. I’m a problem solver.

  “Ready to hike?” My voice is light and airy, warm and friendly. I’m the perfect wife.

  “I’ll give it a try. Just can’t promise much, stamina wise. I’m exhausted from the deal and the altitude.” John drops onto the rustic bench by the front door, rummaging around for his hiking shoes. He sounds like an old man. Our twenty-five-year age difference usually doesn’t bother me, but just now he’s whiny.

  I pat him on the head like a child, returning the favor. “Fresh air will do you good. You’ve never had a problem with your stamina, not that I’ve noticed.” Yes, I’m overtly flirting now, but this is what the male ego needs.

  I wonder what she sees in him. Sometimes I wonder if I should just bow out and let her have him. But then I realize: I’m not a quitter. And I like the crinkles next to his eyes and the way he look
s at me when he remembers our love. He’s stuck with me, whether he likes it or not. Or he’ll be left with nothing. No one. It’s his choice. I’m sure he’ll come around today.

  He’d better.

  CHAPTER 6

  JOHN

  As I trudge along the well-worn path through the meadow of wildflowers, I remind myself I used to love it here. The clean air, the soaring mountains, the sense of being so far away from the flat, corporate, contained world. This is the West, where dreams come true, where anything is possible.

  That’s why I proposed to Tish in this very meadow. Was it really only three years ago? It seems like a different lifetime. I know I’m tired, and this damn altitude gets to me. It’s hard to catch my breath. I need time to adjust to everything.

  Tish is trying her best to make me happy. I realize that. As I follow behind her on the path, I remind myself of all the fun we’ve had. How she makes me laugh, how she makes me feel young. How I told myself it was against all the rules to fall for her, but I did anyway. She is so pretty, so uncomplicated. I was overwhelmed with my life, with Kate and our constant fights about how to grow the company, how to raise Ashlyn. Tish was a beautiful escape. As if she senses my thoughts, she turns and gives me a smile.

  “Isn’t this just perfect?” she asks.

  “It is,” I manage.

  It’s really not her fault at all. She never stirred the pot with Kate. No, she kept this thing between us quiet and discreet until I spoiled it, bragging about my new love to the wrong guys. Tish was great with my daughter from the get-go, making sure Ashlyn knew she had a friend. She didn’t have to be nice to Ashlyn—she did it because it was the right thing to do. And she helped smooth things out. At least, for a while.

  It was so easy to fall in love with Tish. And she needed love. I could tell something was missing, something happened in her childhood in the backwoods of Kentucky. She won’t talk about it, but you can sense it, want to fix it. I thought I could fill that hole, and in return, she would bring me the peace I lacked in my life. We didn’t have all that history between us, not like Kate and me toward the end. Kate and I had nothing but fights, and company problems, and a teenage daughter tearing us apart.