After staring at her in disbelief for a few seconds, he held out a hand to help her up, but she slapped it away.
“What are you . . . ?”
Sherise got herself up. “Wondering why I’m here with your mistress?”
Justin pressed his lips together as if he was going to express some anger and then stopped himself, realizing he had no right to.
“Sherise,” he said calmly, “we need to talk about this.”
“When?” she asked. “Because I can see that you’re busy about to have lunch with your whore!”
Justin squinted and Sherise enjoyed this. She didn’t want to hate him, but having him standing there just brought her anger out of her. He was lunching with his mistress. How could she not lash out at him?
“Please,” he said softly.
“Do you plan to ignore me?” Jennifer asked, standing just a few feet behind.
They both turned to her, but Justin stood in between the women.
“Don’t talk,” he said. “You’ll just make this worse. We’re leaving.”
“What’s the matter?” Sherise asked. “You aren’t going to try and lie? I’m disappointed in you, Justin. You could at least try and tell me it’s not what I think.”
He looked at her with sheer embarrassment written all over his face. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”
This hurt her. Sherise wasn’t sure why, but the fact that he lacked the desire to even try to make her think he wasn’t cheating on her almost broke her heart.
“Justin,” Jennifer said, “I need to talk to her alone. Just leave us alone.”
“Don’t talk to him!” Sherise yelled, pointing her finger at the woman. Something about this woman giving her husband an order made Sherise livid.
“Calm down,” Justin ordered. “People are staring at us. Just come outside, now.”
“You’re giving me orders?” Sherise asked. “That’s how you think this is going to go?”
“I want to explain this to you,” he said.
He grabbed her arm, but she jerked away and brushed past him. He rushed to reach her just before she came face-to-face with Jennifer, who looked ready to resume their fight.
“Good luck finding a job after tomorrow morning,” she said with a wicked smile. “You’re finished.”
Justin pulled Sherise away from her and ushered her toward the door.
The second they were outside, Justin began trying to explain.
“Save it,” she said. “I know how this got started.”
“How do you know?” he asked. “Did you ask her? Don’t listen to her.”
“I know more than you do, you idiot. She played you, you know that?”
“What?”
“You probably thought you were being a player, sneaking around.” She laughed. “You were just a pawn, Justin. She targeted you.”
He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but just didn’t know what.
“She slept with you to get back at me,” Sherise said. “She knows me.”
“That’s ridiculous,” he said. “I’m not sure what she told you, but . . .”
“She’s right.”
Jennifer took a few steps closer to them on the sidewalk beside the restaurant. Justin held his hand up to her.
“Just go away,” he said. “I can handle this.”
“I doubt that,” Sherise said.
“She’s not lying, Justin.” Jennifer stood her ground like a woman who still believed she had a card to play. “I’m sorry, but she’s right.”
He looked at her as if he was both confused and at the same time supremely disappointed because he understood.
“Now the next question,” Jennifer added with a smile, “is why? Sherise, you want to do the honors?”
“Bitch, if you don’t get away from me and my husband!”
“A tit for a tat, Justin,” she taunted. “Your whore of a wife slept with my husband first—”
“Get away from here!” Sherise started for her again as Justin struggled to restrain her.
“What are you two talking about?” Justin grabbed Sherise by the arm and turned her to him. “What is she talking about?”
Sherise stopped struggling and looked him in the eyes. Her own were tearing up already, and she felt herself begin to tremble in fear. This was not how she wanted this to go, but she was a survivor, and adapting was the key to survival.
“Justin,” she said. “You’re right. Let’s just go. Let’s go home and we’ll talk about this.”
The expression on Justin’s face as he went from astonished confusion to realization tore at the inside of Sherise. She said his name as he turned to look at Jennifer. He was starting to shake his head and she said his name again.
“This is . . .” He was searching for words. “This is . . .”
“It’s fucked up,” Jennifer said. “I know. But it gets worse.”
Sherise felt weak all over as she lowered her head. She was looking at the ground as she pleaded with him.
“Please, Justin, let’s leave. Let’s just go. Not like this.”
“Just leave us alone, Jenny,” he ordered.
“Make her go away,” Sherise pleaded.
“You need to know this,” she said.
“It’s not true!” Sherise yelled. “It’s not true!”
He let go of her and his arms dropped to his sides. One hand raised up and cupped her chin. He lifted her face until their eyes met. She could see his pain and fear through her tears.
“What is she gonna say to me?” he asked. “What are you so afraid of?”
“I love you,” she said. “Cady is your daughter. She is yours, I swear to God.”
He blinked, inhaling sharply as he took one step backward, then another.
“She is yours,” Sherise repeated. “I swear, Justin.”
“I have proof,” Jennifer said. “She had that baby nine months after she slept with my husband.”
Sherise turned to her in a rage. “That baby’s name is Cady, and Justin is her father.”
“Are you so sure?” Jennifer asked. “Because you didn’t seem so sure the last time we spoke. I think you’re full of shit.”
“Actually,” Sherise said, “I’m the one who has the proof now and there is no question. You have nothing.”
“Well,” she said, placing her arms across her chest. She nodded behind Sherise. “That appears to be something you and I have in common.”
Sherise swung around expecting to see Justin, but he was gone.
“Justin!” she screamed, panicking as she found him just as he closed the cab door behind him. “Justin!”
“It’s only fair,” Jennifer said.
Sherise turned back to her. “You just remember that starting tomorrow morning, you will not only be out of a job, but you will be known around the country as yet another failed politician’s worthless whore.”
Despite a quick flinch, Jennifer appeared unfazed. “I have a great divorce lawyer I can recommend to—”
Sherise slapped her across the face so quick she even surprised herself.
Erica rushed into Sherise’s home, yelling her name.
“I’m here!” Sherise waved to her from the kitchen at the back of the house.
Erica sighed in relief. “You scared me. Your door was open.”
“I opened it for you.”
“I thought something bad had happened.” Erica entered the kitchen, looking around. She saw Cady sitting in her booster seat trying her best to eat a plate of corn. “No word from Justin?”
Sherise shook her head. She was leaning against the sink, biting her nail furiously.
“Have you been able to reach Billie?” she asked.
“No,” Erica answered. “I don’t know what the hell is going on with her. I’ll keep trying.”
After trying desperately to track Justin down at home, at work, and anywhere else he could be, Sherise called Billie and Erica for help. Billie had been unreachable, but once finding Erica,
she told her everything. Erica left work early to come and help her.
“This is exactly why we wanted you to tell Justin first,” Erica said. “Dammit, Sherise. You let your need for revenge mean more than saving your marriage.”
“Really?” Sherise asked in disbelief. “You’re going to do an I told you so right now? Is that what you came over for?”
Erica looked over at Cady, who had started making an excited fuss as she opened her arms wide. She was practically hopping out of her seat as Erica came over and kissed her on both cheeks before picking her up out of the chair.
“You told him that she’s his, right?” she asked.
“I tried to,” Sherise answered. “He wasn’t listening. He was in shock. That was why I wanted Billie to get the test results over here.”
“I don’t know if she has them yet,” Erica said, “but I’m not sure looking on a piece of paper is going to make him feel better.”
“You know he can’t be walking around acting all high and mighty,” she said angrily. “He cheated on me, too.”
“Sherise,” Erica warned, “this is not the time to get on a high horse or point fingers. Honey, you beg for forgiveness and patience.”
Sherise knew how hard this would be. She wasn’t good at apologies, but she had never been in this position before. All she could think of was the look on Justin’s face when he realized that Cady might not be his. It made her shudder.
“You should have seen him, Erica.” She walked over to them and handed Erica a napkin to wipe Cady’s face. “He looked so . . . so lost. He looked so hurt and . . .”
“Betrayed.”
Sherise’s head shot up as she heard Justin’s voice. He was standing in the doorway and she hadn’t heard him walk up. Neither had Erica, who’d had her back to the door, holding Cady in her arms.
Sherise and Justin’s eyes met and she could see how much pain he was in. She felt her knees get weak. She wanted to run to him, to hold him, to kiss him and hug him. She loved him and this was all her fault. Why hadn’t she realized how much she loved him when it mattered? When it could have kept her from making the myriads mistakes she’d made?
“Justin,” she said. “Where have you been?”
Justin looked at her with a stony, emotionless expression for a moment before turning to Erica. He walked over to her, focusing his attention on Cady now. She leaned forward and opened her arms as he reached out for her.
Sherise’s eyes filled up with tears as she watched him look at Cady in his arms. He was so full of love for her and looked as if he wanted to cry. She felt sick just thinking of all the damage she had done. Yes, it would have been better if she’d left Jennifer for later and not piled the shock on top of shock, but the damage would have still been done. He loved Cady more than anything in this world.
“Justin,” Sherise said quietly. “She’s—”
“Stop it,” he said without looking at her.
He gently cradled Cady’s head as he leaned down and kissed her on her crown. He closed his eyes.
“Erica,” he said. “You need to leave.”
Erica looked at Sherise before agreeing. “Yeah, I . . . Of course. I was just—”
“Now,” he added.
She snatched her purse from the kitchen table. “Do you want me to take Cady with me?”
“No,” Sherise said quickly. “She’s fine here.”
“Take her.” Justin reluctantly handed the baby over to her. “Sherise will only try to use her to soften me.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Sherise said.
“And she doesn’t need to see us . . . discuss this.” He looked at Sherise, his expression darkening. “She doesn’t need to be here now. Sherise will call you when she wants to get her back.”
Holding Cady as she reached the doorway, Erica turned to Sherise one last time. She looked like a nervous, scared child, but Erica knew there were limits to what she and Billie could do for her. This was their marriage and she had to step away.
“Call me,” she said.
Sherise nodded before turning away. Erica felt for her. No matter what her faults, and there were many of them, Erica loved Sherise like a sister, and she didn’t want to see her in pain like this. She didn’t want to see her friend cornered, even if it was a corner of her own making.
There wasn’t anything she could do. She had her own nightmare of a life to deal with. She could only love and care for Cady while she had her, and be there for Sherise, no questions asked, when this was all over.
Billie walked past the hallway that led to her partner’s office for the third time. She was trying to get control of her emotions and go over what she was going to say. She had to get off the case. She couldn’t represent Ricky anymore. She had to tell the truth, so she could be ahead of this instead of waiting to get caught and watching it all to blow up in her face.
She turned again to head down the hallway to her partner’s office when her cell phone’s vibrator went off . . . again. She had been getting a few calls from Sherise and Erica in the last hour, but couldn’t handle it. She had too much to deal with. She couldn’t be their problem solver yet again. Their disasters would have to wait until she handled her own disaster. In a few minutes, she figured she’d probably be out of a job anyway, so she would have plenty of time to help them out.
Jackson Snow’s assistant was not at her desk, so Billie headed straight for his door. Just outside the door, she got a beep from her text messages. She knew if she didn’t turn it off, it would keep beeping until she answered it, so she reached down to turn it off. That was until she read the message from Erica.
JUSTIN KNOWS EVERYTHING! IT’S GOING
DOWN NOW!
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Billie said.
Her words came just as the front door to Jackson’s office opened, and from the look on his face, he’d heard every word.
There was an awkward moment of silence before she spoke again.
“I’m sorry, Jackson. That wasn’t meant for you. It was . . .”
“I should hope not,” he said, smiling. “Although it wouldn’t be the first time. I think I know why you’re here.”
Billie’s eyes shot open and she felt her chest begin to cave in. “You do?”
He nodded. “This was your first pro bono case. You wanted this.”
“I know, sir, and if you only listen—”
“We couldn’t be more proud.”
Billie blinked, wondering if she was hearing things. She paused for a second, trying to figure out what was going on. He was smiling. He looked proud.
“Okay,” she said cautiously, still unsure. “Th-thank you?”
“We just got a call from William Ricker. He’s promised to delete the code report on our client and issue a new inspection supervised by an agent of our choice.”
Billie was floored. “Are you serious? This happened today?”
“I was trying to reach you in your office, but I’m only getting voice mail.”
That was because she’d spent the last half hour pacing the hallways trying to work up the nerve to tell him that she’d destroyed her career.
“So I was just going to come over,” he said. “Good news like this is better in person.”
Billie was trying to stay focused. This changed everything. Didn’t it?
“This was too easy,” she said. “Something is going on here.”
“We were told to just back off in return for our client being left alone.”
The advocate in Billie couldn’t let this rest. Her mind wandered from her own problems to her case. “But for them to react this way to the little we’ve done means that there is something there. They’re afraid of what we’d find.”
“Of course they are,” he added. “And they knew we had the quality lawyers that were willing to take the time and effort to find it out for our client, a person they thought didn’t matter.”
“Ricky isn’t . . .” She caught herself. “Mr. Williams isn’t the only person
they’re doing this to. We need to find out who in the Housing Authority is working with Sanders Realty. An investigation needs to be launched, and we need to find out who else turned down Sanders and got threatened as a result.”
“I mentioned that an internal investigation would be a good idea,” he said with a voice that held a lot less enthusiasm than just a few seconds ago. “But what’s important is that you’ve succeeded in helping our Mr. Williams.”
“This isn’t over,” Billie said.
“It is,” he said. “Thanks to you.”
“What are we going to do about that?”
“Nothing, Billie. We’ve done our part.”
“But . . .”
“Billie.” He held up a hand to stop her. “I know what you’re thinking and that’s not what we do. We aren’t trying to save the world.”
“Speak for yourself,” she said, with a smile.
He didn’t smile. “I’m speaking for the firm. Your heart is in the right place, but we win selective pro bono cases that come to us. We don’t start crusades to go out and find them. Well, at least in this case we get them dismissed, but the point is to get what your client wants, and you did that. Mr. Williams will be eternally grateful to you. Don’t you think?”
She swallowed nervously. “Are you going to . . . um . . . contact him?”
He frowned as if he found her comments extremely odd. “Hell no. You’re going to call him. What’s the matter? You don’t like him or something?”
She tried to force a smile as Jackson laughed. This was painful. She wanted to look at it as best she could. She was happy this was resolved. She was able to serve her client, that was true. But she knew she didn’t deserve any congratulations and it wasn’t because she’d barely done anything. It was because she’d almost ruined everything.
She was facing an internal battle now. There was a little voice that told her it was all good now. No need to spill your guts and put your career on the line. No one was hurt. She knew better though. This wasn’t who she was. She wanted to tell Jackson everything, not knowing whether or not telling him after the fact of a victory would be better or worse.
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