by Kiki Leach
“Please don’t call him that,” she said. She sat the mug back on top of the table and turned to him. “He’s been a hell of a lot more to me within just the last few days than you have within the last few damn years.”
“Then you fucked him.”
She turned her eyes to the table. “I’m sorry.”
“Nah… You’re not. But it doesn’t much matter anyway, because I should’ve seen this shit coming.” He looked down at his hands and exhaled deeply. “How the hell did we get here?”
“I don’t know. But it wasn’t an easy path and I sure as hell never want to take that road again.”
“When did it first happen?”
“I don’t… I don’t want to go into all of that. And it doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.”
“It shouldn’t.” A beat passed. “Initially, I had planned to keep it to myself. Vanessa thought that it might not be such a good idea to tell you so soon after all the shit that happened between you and Mo at her house last night and--”
“Wait a minute. V knows about this too?” he asked. She nodded. “And how the fuck does she feel knowing that you fucked this guy too?”
“She didn’t flip a table on me or call me a whore like I feel you’re just two seconds from doing,” she said. He sat back. “In other words, she didn’t react the way I expected, like when she found out about us. Then again, she could just be distracted by everything that’s going on with Mo and whatever the hell he may or may not be doing with Melanie --”
“Melanie, who?”
“Oscar’s wife, or soon to be ex since I guess they’re splitting up.”
“Really.”
“Yeah. I remember her mentioning that she thought he was good looking when we hung out at Bar Nineteen. But I never thought she would actually try to go after him. I don’t think I could ever imagine Mo actually going for her. She has a vagina, but she’s not exactly his type.”
“She’s not Vanessa, which is his only type,” he said, skimming his finger around the edge of the mug.
“There used to be a time when I would say the same about you, and it would hurt like hell. Now I just think it’s kind of sad.”
He winced.
She reached out for him, but he held up his hand to keep her back.
“I don’t think that you’re a bad person, Nathan. I don’t even think that you’re a bad man. I just think that you make stupid decisions that affect people badly, and you don’t realize it until it’s too damn late to do anything about it to change it.”
“You’re the same way,” he said.
“I know, but I’m trying to fix that and I think that being with Adrian might help.”
“Better than being with me.”
“Yes,” she shot back. And then she closed her eyes. “I didn’t mean for that to come out the way it sounded. Maybe being by myself for a little while might help to change that too, before we even try to officially get things started.”
“If it weren’t for that ring, would you still have chosen to be with him?”
“Probably,” she responded. “And since I don’t want you to be surprised by anything else, I want you to know that he’s going to be the one taking me to the party next week in case any pictures of us together show up in the papers or on social media--”
“What party?”
“The one William’s throwing for Nikki in honor of her landing the lead role in that play.”
“You’re going to a party for Nikki?” he asked. She bobbed her head. “I don’t want this to sound hard, Sheila, but how the hell did you manage to snag an invite in the first place?”
“I didn’t,” she told him. “Adrian did.”
“Oh.” He sat back even further in the chair and pressed the rim of his mug to his lips. “If it’s for Nikki, then I can assume V’s going too, right?”
“I would expect it.”
“But she’s probably not going with Mo, given the circumstances. Which means she’ll need somebody to take her.”
“And I’m guessing that somebody’s gonna be you, right?” She laughed to herself, unsurprised at his words. “Some things never change, do they Nate?” She placed her hand on top of the ring and moved it closer to him. Then she pushed away from the table and stood up. “I hope you find happiness,” she told him. “Maybe a little bit of peace. It may or may come from being with Vanessa again, it may be alone. But I sure as hell hope that you find it before you leave this earth.”
As she exited the shop, Nathan watched her cross the street to the other side, before turning his attention to the green eyed brunette at the counter.
After finishing the remainder of his coffee and tossing that ring into the pocket of his jacket, he got up from his chair and sauntered over to pay for both he and Sheila.
As the girl holding out her hand for the money smiled at him, he gave her a quick but sincere smile in return.
“Is your, uh…” he started, while digging around in his wallet after looking down at the total. “Is your boss coming in today by any chance?”
“Oscar took the morning and afternoon off,” she said. “But he’ll be in a little later. Is there anything you want me to tell him for you -- ?”
“I’m not talking about him.” He handed her a few bills and smiled again. She appeared confused while counting through the money and glanced up into his eyes. “I mean your other boss, the woman. Melanie’s her name, right? His estranged wife.”
“Oh, um. She doesn’t really come in much anymore unless it’s to check on a few things or drop off her kids. Most of her time is spent at that new shop that’s opening across town.”
“Hm.” He nodded and slipped his wallet back into his pocket. “What if I wanted to get in touch with her, how would I do that?”
She gave him a shy smile and slammed the register shut. “We’re not exactly allowed to give out personal information like that to customers. Sorry.”
She handed him the change, but Nathan never extended his hand to retrieve them. And so the money hung in the air between them until she finally lowered her hand.
“I’m a good friend of someone who used to work here, a Nicole Sanger.”
“Nikki?”
“Yeah. We went to high school together. I dated her best friend Vanessa for a good few years and--”
She waved her hand in his face and started to laugh excitedly. “Ohmygod -- Ohmygod.”
She laughed again and dropped her head back while placing a hand on her chest. It was at a point where she was starting to forget how to breathe and Nathan didn’t know whether to continue on giving her the facts, call for help or get the hell out of the building.
When she finally stopped, she turned her attention back to his face and peered. “You’re Nathaniel Taylor? Ohmygod! I swear I thought you looked familiar when you first came in but your face still looks kind of messed up--” She leaned in and whispered. “I read about that fight you had with Maurice Livingston in Page Six. That must really suck.”
He grimaced. “Yeah--”
“And then when you were sitting over there talking with...” She stopped and gasped. “Ohmygod, was that Sheila Harris that you were talking too? Ohmygod, I can’t believe I actually served Lockney High ROYALTY! Ohmygod. You know I’m actually friends with Vanessa’s sister, Gina, but she never lets me come over to her house because she said her dad is overbearing and her stepmother is a pain in the ass and kind of bitchy and mean, but ohmygod. And she’s never let me actually meet her sister because she said I would just embarrass myself. But wait until I tell her that I’ve finally met the next best thing!” She squealed.
Nathan plastered an intense smile on his face and flared his nostrils. Thrilled to have found his way in to finding out Melanie’s information, it didn’t stop the girl at the register from working his last nerve.
“So what’s Vanessa actually like? Was she as bad as all the tabloids said back then? My mother’s not really a big fan of her because of all the so-called t
rouble she used to cause, even though she still buys Attitude Magazine religiously – I mean like on a weekly basis, you should see our house covered in head to toe from all those papers she rips out and sticks to the walls. And I mean--”
“Listen,” he said, finally managing to cut her off. “I can give you all the information on Vanessa that you want. I can even get you into a party that we both plan to attend for Nikki.”
“The one being thrown by her richer than rich boyfriend at that club?”
“That’s the one,” he said. “But none of that can happen until I get the information I need first.”
“What kind of information are you looking for?”
“Melanie’s,” he said. “I really need to discuss something with her of importance, so if you’ve got her information on hand” – he glanced down at her nametag – “Allison, I could really use it.”
She squirmed where she stood. “I don’t know. You’re really hot and all and it’s cool that I’m finally getting to meet you – YAY! -- which is almost like meeting Vanessa since you two were in a relationship. But we’re still really not allowed to give out that kind of information. I could lose my job and I really need the money.”
Nathan sighed and scratched his head. And then he reached for his wallet and pulled out a few hundred dollar bills, glancing around the shop at those still left behind and sliding the bills across the counter. Allison lifted her fingers the moment they reached her and clamped them back down.
“I can help you out,” he said with a sly smile. “In more ways than one. And I can assure you that if you give me the information that I need, you won’t get in any trouble and you won’t lose this job. In fact I can make sure that you’ll be employee of the month once all of this is over.”
A wide smile formed on her lips. “Really?”
He nodded. “Mm-hmm. Now all I need is Melanie’s direct contact information, that’s it.”
She picked up the bills and bit the inside of her cheek. Then she looked up into Nathan’s eyes, curious. “What exactly are you going to do with it?”
“I just need to talk to her about a few things, that’s all.”
She hesitated for a few seconds, then dropped the money inside her front pocket and reached for a small book located on the shelf beneath the register. She placed it on the counter in front of him and started flipping through pages, but stopped. “If I get screwed because of this,” she said.
“You won’t. I can promise you that much.”
She looked up at him for a long time before flipping to the last page in the book, which had a detailed list of various phone numbers. She dropped her finger to the bottom of the page and pointed. “That’s the direct number for Melanie’s cell phone,” she said. “She doesn’t answer right away, especially if she doesn’t know who’s calling her.”
Nathan pulled out his cell and quickly programmed her number. “Great, thanks.” He dropped it back into the pocket of his jacket and stepped back. “I’ll get right on to making sure that you’re in that party on Friday.” He made his way to the door.
“And what about meeting Vanessa?” she asked.
He spun back around to her and narrowed his eyes. “What?”
“I want to meet Vanessa too. Just to say hi and tell her what a big fan I am of her work.”
He thought for a moment. “Yeah, sure, I can try to make that happen too.” He placed his hand on the door and pushed it out.
“And I want to bring Gina with me,” she said.
He lowered his head and turned back to her one last time. “I’ll talk to Vanessa about it, okay?”
She shrugged. “Fair enough.” She slammed the book shut and stuffed it back beneath the counter.
Nathan gave her a quick salute before mumbling what a pain in the ass she must be to her friends, and headed out the door for good.
Part Thirty-Two
“That was an amazing meal,” Melanie said to Jill upon exit from the B&G.
Jill tossed her bright red hair over her slim shoulder and handed valet the ticket to retrieve her car. “It sure as hell was,” she said with a laugh. “And it was so good to finally hang out with you again! We need to do this more than just a few times every other week or so.”
“Especially since, aside from work, it won’t be long before I have more and more free time on my hands.”
Jill rested a hand against her arm. “Mel--”
“No,” she said, waving her hand. “We’re just still working out the issues of custody and he’s been pushing since this entire mess started for joint.”
“Even after his mistress slapped you across the face in public? I don’t see how any court in the world would allow that to happen.”
“You’d be surprised--”
“And I am never eating here again,” a voice screeched from behind. “That’s the last time I take advice from my mother on ‘healthy living’.”
Melanie and Jill turned just as Vanessa exited the restaurant with Nikki trailing behind her.
“It wasn’t all that bad, V. And I kind of liked their cocktails.”
“That was the only redeeming quality, Nik! The food itself tastes like shit my sister used to make me eat when we were kids, and even now, which is probably why my mother recommended it.” She reached into her purse for her sunglasses and placed them on top of her head. “Thank God Alexander is cooking her dinner tonight, or we’d be--”
“Hi.”
Vanessa turned in the direction of the voice to the right of her and stood back.
It was Melanie standing in front of the giant red headed woman.
Vanessa eyed her up and down, then turned back to Melanie and gave her a quick once over.
“Hi,” she said. Vanessa felt Nikki moving in behind her and frowned. “What the hell are you doing?” she whispered, trying not to move her lips.
Nikki quickly rattled her head and kept her eyes toward the ground.
Melanie peeked at her over Vanessa’s shoulder. “Nicole.”
Nikki looked up, but stared straight into the eyes of Jill instead. She tucked her hair behind her ear and moved around Vanessa to stand at her side.
“Hi.”
“My face is doing much better today,” Melanie informed her, “just in case you were wondering.”
Vanessa peeked at Nikki and puckered her brows. “What the hell is she talking about?”
“You don’t know that your friend got slap happy with me in the park yesterday?”
“What?”
“My hands just went flying,” said Nikki. “I couldn’t control them.”
“I wonder if my attorney will feel the same way.”
“Oh my God.”Vanessa dragged Nikki off to the side.
As they began waving their hands at one another, Jill leaned into Melanie and quieted her voice. “This is the woman who’s been having an affair with your husband?”
Melanie nodded. “This is her.”
She stood straight and placed a hand on her chest. “Oh my.”
Melanie looked up at her and glowered. “Why do you say it like that? Do you know her?”
Jill turned to her friend, her eyes somber, her face damn near expressionless. “Doctor/patient confidentiality,” she said.
Melanie stared at her for a long time, soaking in every word.
“Doctor/patient,” she repeated. Jill nodded. “Oh. My. God.” And then she stopped to smile. “Better than pressing charges, you’ve just given me enough ammo to load one kickass smoking gun.”
“What the hell were you thinking slapping her in public, Nik?!” Vanessa shouted. “There’s a lot of things I’d like to do that bitch, slapping only being one of very few, and even I wouldn’t try to take her out in public.”
“You just save that shit for Sheila, right?” Nikki retorted.
“Right. Because at the end of the day, I know that she won’t try to SUE my ass for laying a hand on her and she’ll have deserved ever lick given. I know that shit is complicated with you and
Oscar and William thrown into the mix. But you can’t go around slapping the wife of a man you’re sleeping with. That’s just sluttin’ 101!”
“Excuse me.” Melanie walked over to them with the corners of her mouth reaching ear to ear. “I hate to interrupt but since you’re being so loud, I can’t help but overhear.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes.
“I don’t actually plan on suing anybody,” Melanie went on. “In fact, I think this is something that we can just forget about. Chalk it up to a big misunderstanding.”
“Yeah, misunderstanding, that’s all it was, right Nik?”
Nikki kept her eyes on Jill as she paid the valet. Before getting into her car, she looked Nikki straight in the face.
“Nik?” asked Vanessa again, this time bumping her elbow.
“Right,” she said, keeping her eyes on Jill as she finally got into her car and sped away. “It was just all a big misunderstanding – How long have you known Jill Schaffer?”
Vanessa’s mouth fell open. “I thought you said when we were inside that you didn’t know that woman?”
“I was wrong. I know her pretty well, actually.” A lump formed in her throat. She tried like hell to swallow it back, but it remained in place.
“I’ve known her for years,” said Melanie. “Socially. Not much else outside of that.”
Nikki thought she should’ve felt relieved in hearing that.
She didn’t.
“What does she do?” asked Vanessa.
“She’s a doctor,” replied Melanie. “Obstetrics, I think.”
“I still don’t know why the hell she looks so familiar to me. But how the hell would you have ever come into contact with somebody like that, Nik?”
Before she could answer, Melanie’s phone distracted all of them. She dug around for a bit inside her purse. When she pulled out the phone and looked down at the number, she made a face as she didn’t recognize a single digit.
“We need to get going anyway,” said Vanessa. “I have to get back to the magazine and Nik’s got rehearsal the rest of the evening. I’d say it was good to see you, but, I don’t wanna bullshitcha.” She slipped her arm inside of Nikki’s and spun on her heel. “Let’s go.”
