“Curtis, this is Joan,” his agent said. “How are you?”
“I’m good, and you?”
“Couldn’t be better. And for your sake, I hope you’re sitting down.”
Curtis raised up, sitting at attention. “What’s the word?”
“Remember yesterday when I told you there was so much interest that I was going to take your manuscript to auction?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I just got off the phone with Renee Kiley at Wexler Adams, and she’s made a preemptive offer.”
“Which means?”
“She wants the book so badly, she doesn’t want any other houses bidding on it.”
Curtis wanted to speak, but since he didn’t know what to say, he hoped Joan would continue. He felt a sudden wave move through his stomach. He hadn’t been this nervous in years.
“Don’t you want to know what the offer is?”
“Yeah, but I’m almost afraid to ask.”
“Renee is offering you an advance in the amount of seven hundred fifty thousand dollars.”
Curtis cracked up laughing.
“It’s no joke. They’re putting three-quarters of a million dollars on the table, and you have to decide today before the close of business.”
“Decide?” Curtis said, moving his feet onto the floor, flabbergasted.
Now Joan was laughing. “They want world rights, but they’ve agreed to pay you two hundred on signing.”
“Thousand?”
“Yes.”
Curtis turned toward Charlotte. “They’re offering me seven hundred fifty thousand dollars with two hundred of it on signing.”
Charlotte covered the front of her face, shaking her head, obviously more stunned than he was.
“So, is the answer yes, because we can certainly take our chances and go ahead with the auction?”
“Do you think someone would be willing to pay more?”
“Possibly, but the thing is, WexlerAdams is one of the top houses, and Renee Kiley is probably one of the best editors you’ll ever meet. She’s really on top of her game, and I think you’ll be happy working with her. She never acquires anything at this level unless she’s going to take it under her wing completely. She will definitely do everything in her power to keep her bosses behind your book, and it will get all of the attention it deserves. I’ve dealt with her for years, and it’s always been a memorable experience.”
“Well, if you think we should take it, then let’s go for it.”
“I still need to finalize some minor details, things like what the other three payout amounts will be, delivery date, publishing date, and a couple of other items.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“This really is an exceptional offer, and I know you’ll be pleased. So, congratulations, and I’ll be in touch probably again this afternoon.”
“Thanks, Joan. Thanks for everything. Especially for making this happen so quickly.”
“These are the sort of deals that make me proud. Every now and then, I connect with authors who have great potential for overnight success, and I knew you were one of them the moment I started reading your work.”
“I appreciate hearing that.”
“Well, I’m going to let you go, but again, congrats, and please give your wife my best.”
“I will.”
Curtis hung up the phone and stared at Charlotte.
“Oh my God, baby,” she said, hugging him and trying not to cry, but it was too late.
“God is so awesome.”
“I can’t believe they offered you so much money and this is only your first book. And it happened in less than a week.”
“I know. It’s strange, but when God is in control, nothing should surprise us. I mean, just as Joan had asked them, each of the editors she gave it to on Friday read it over the weekend and called her first thing yesterday morning.”
“Maybe now we can start looking for our dream house.”
“At some point, but not until the contract is signed and the check has cleared the bank.”
“But you’ll start getting paid from the syndicate very soon, too.”
“Yeah. But getting six figures all at once has to be handled responsibly. We’re going to have to meet with our accountant and investment firm to get things in order. I never cared that much about saving anything when I had those other two churches, but I learned my lesson. We will never be broke again if I can help it. And I will never blow money the way I used to.”
“This is only the beginning. I can feel it. They’ll be asking you to write another one before the year is over.”
“I’m going to have to do a lot of traveling in the beginning.”
“Maybe Matthew and I can go with you some of the time.”
“Definitely.”
“This feels like a dream. It’s so unreal.”
“I know. Who would have thought?”
“I can’t wait to tell my parents. And Aunt Emma and Anise.”
“I’m calling Aaron right now,” Curtis said, already dialing the number.
Charlotte didn’t want to, but Aaron had told her that if she didn’t meet with him, she would be sorry. He’d left several messages on her cell phone, and as soon as Curtis had left for the hospital, Charlotte had gotten dressed. She and Curtis had planned on going out to dinner to celebrate the book deal, but Brother Hardaway, one of their members, had been given less than forty-eight hours to live. The family had wanted Curtis to come pray for him and the family.
She turned into the parking lot of the hotel and walked inside. Aaron had left the room number on her cell phone, so she walked through the lobby and into the elevator. When she stepped off of it, she walked down the hallway and stopped in front of the suite she’d been summoned to. She took a deep breath, dreading what was sure to be a confrontation, and knocked. Aaron opened the door immediately. He must have been standing there, waiting like a watchdog.
“Why did I have to threaten you? Why couldn’t you just do what you said you were going to do last week?”
“I told you. There’s nothing else to discuss. We can’t ever see each other again. Maybe as friends, but not sexually.”
“You’re a true piece of work.”
Charlotte stayed silent.
“You think you can waltz your ass in here, dump me like garbage, and then go back home to Curtis with no problems?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m telling you that I’m not having it. You knew what you were doing when you started seeing me, and you knew you were married.”
“But it was a mistake. We were both wrong for betraying Curtis the way we did.”
“No, there was no mistake. There was no mistake at all. We were meant to be together from the start. But somehow you’ve forgotten about that. I rocked your world the first time we were together, and from that day on, you were hooked. And then we fell in love with each other.”
Charlotte didn’t know why he was talking crazy. She’d never been in love with him and if she’d ever slipped and said she was, it would only have been in the heat of passion when he begged her to tell him. But she certainly didn’t mean it. She loved what he did to her, the way he made her feel, but she never loved him.
“Why are you doing this, baby? Come on. Tell the truth. What’s the real reason you’re trying to drop me like this?”
“I keep telling you, it’s because of Curtis and Matthew. I really want my marriage to work, and I don’t want to hurt my son.”
“Stop lying,” he said, grabbing her shirt collar.
“Aaron, don’t!” She was scared to death.
“You’re trying to end this because of money, and I told you before how angry I get when I have to keep hearing about your preacher husband and all this money he can make. Oh yeah, baby, I know about everything. The syndication offer and the book deal. He told me everything, and that’s why I told you to get your ass over here or else.” He released her shirt and folded his arms. They we
re still standing near the door. Charlotte hoped she could break and run before he tried to hurt her.
“Aaron, please listen to me. We can’t do this anymore. I know you don’t see it now, but it’s all for the best.”
“Don’t you dare say what’s best for me,” he said, standing toe-to-toe with her. “Don’t you ever in your life say that to me again.”
Charlotte swallowed hard, gazing toward the floor.
“You know, I should put a bullet in your head for playing games with me all these months. You strung me along all this time, and now you want to leave me? I mean, do you think I should let you get away with something like that?”
“I’m so sorry, Aaron. I’m really, really, sorry.”
“Not as sorry as you’re going to be.”
Charlotte stepped back. “What do you mean?”
“Maybe I’ll tell Curtis what his sweet little wife has been doing behind his back.”
“Aaron, no,” she pleaded.
“Maybe I’ll tell him everything.”
Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat.
“Maybe I’ll tell him every single thing I know about his innocent little Charlotte,” he said, twirling a section of her hair with his finger. “Whaddaya think?”
“Why are you being so cruel?”
“Why are you trying to get rid of me?”
“I have to go,” she said, reaching for the doorknob. But Aaron stepped in front of her, blocking her escape.
“You’re not going anywhere until I tell you. You hear me? I’m running things now. I let you toy with me and lead me on for far too long, and now it’s payback time. It’s payback like you wouldn’t believe.”
“Aaron, what do you want me to do?”
“I want you to go home and ask Curtis for a divorce. And then I want you to file for a legal separation.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“But I won’t do that.”
“You will or I’m giving Curtis the four-one-one. When I finish unleashing all those skeletons you’ve got stacked on top of each other, Curtis won’t give you the time of day. And he’ll probably have grounds to take Matthew from you.”
“I won’t let you do that.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
“Move out of my way, Aaron.” She was still terrified but thought maybe a show of confidence might make a difference.
But Aaron laughed hysterically. And stopped abruptly.
“You’d better thank your God that we’re here at this hotel. Otherwise, I would beat you down to the floor. I would make sure you left here on a stretcher or in a body bag.”
“What’s wrong with you, Aaron? Why are you acting like this?”
“Because I can. Because this is what you deserve.”
“Please let me go. I’m begging you.”
“Sure, baby. But I’m giving you two days to take care of your business. And if you haven’t asked Curtis for a divorce by then, I’m singing like Luther. I won’t leave out one detail. Okay?”
He stepped away from the door. “Now, go on. Run home to your preacher man.”
Charlotte reached for the doorknob again, and this time she opened the door.
“Remember,” he said. “Ticktock, ticktock. Better keep your eyes fixed on the clock.”
Charlotte rushed out of the room and toward the stairway. She couldn’t chance waiting for the elevator and went down five flights in record time. She was out of breath, but she wasn’t about to stop until she was inside her car. Safe from that lunatic. What was she going to do if Aaron told Curtis any of what he knew? Any of what she’d confided to him so irresponsibly? What had she been thinking? Surely, her life would be over if Curtis ever found out that . . .
“Oh dear God, please. Please don’t let this be happening. Don’t let this be happening now.”
“I am in so much trouble,” Charlotte said as soon as Anise let her in.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s bad. It’s really, really bad.” Charlotte was frantic and didn’t know how she was going to tell Anise about her and Aaron. But she had to tell somebody before Aaron tried to ruin her.
“Girl, settle down. Come in here, and tell me what’s going on.”
Charlotte followed Anise into the kitchen, and they both sat at the table.
“I’m not even going to beat around the bush, because if I do, I’ll never get it out. Aaron and I have been sleeping together for months now.”
“Charlotte, no. Please tell me you’re lying.”
“I’m not, and now he’s threatening to tell Curtis. He told me that if I don’t ask Curtis for a divorce, he’s telling him everything.”
“This can’t be true.”
“Well, it is. I’ve been seeing Aaron several times a week, and last week I decided to break things off with him. Then, today, he left me a ton of voice messages saying that I’d better meet with him or I’d be sorry. He even grabbed my blouse and threatened to hurt me physically.”
“But why? I mean, why were you messing around on Curtis in the first place?”
“Because I wasn’t happy. I needed more than what he was giving me. But now I know it was all a mistake, and that’s why I told Aaron it was over.”
Anise shook her head in denial.
“What am I going to do?”
“I have no idea.”
Charlotte wondered why Anise was sounding sort of short with her. It wasn’t like this really had anything to do with her anyway, not to mention that Anise was supposed to support family first. She was her cousin, not Curtis’s.
“I need you to help me, Anise.”
“But how?”
“I need you to talk to Aaron. Maybe you can talk some sense into him.”
“If he didn’t listen to you, Charlotte, why would he listen to me?”
“Because he was angry with me. But maybe if you call him, it’ll be different.”
“I don’t know. And if you want to know the truth, I really don’t want to get involved with this. Because it’s very hard for me to understand why you did this in the first place. Not when you have a husband who practically worships the ground you walk on.”
“Anise, look. I didn’t come here to be lectured. I came here because you’re the only person I can trust enough to tell this to. You’re the only person who can help me deal with this madness. And if you won’t do it for me, then please do it for Matthew.”
Anise stared at her disappointedly. “You’re wrong, Charlotte. You’re wrong for having that affair, and you’re wrong for asking me to get in the middle of it.”
“I’m begging you. And I promise you, I won’t ever do anything like this again. I know I was wrong, and I’m sorry. But you have to call him for me. You have to make him see that telling Curtis is not going to be good for any of us. Especially not for Matthew.”
Anise sighed heavily. “What’s his number?”
Charlotte rattled it off, and Anise dialed Aaron at home.
“Hi, Aaron, it’s Anise.”
Charlotte wished she could hear what he was saying and wished she’d thought to pick up another extension before Anise had made the call.
“Aaron, I know this isn’t my business, but Charlotte just told me what’s going on.”
Anise paused.
“Well, don’t you think it would be best if you and Charlotte went your separate ways since she is a married woman? And if you tell Curtis anything, a lot of people are going to be hurt. Mainly their son. So I’m asking you for his well-being if for no one else’s, please let this go. Let Charlotte go on with her life and you do the same with yours.”
Anise paused again.
“I understand that, but no good can come of you doing—”
Anise paused midsentence.
“Aaron, I know you’re upset and I sympathize with what you’re feeling. Believe me I do. But this isn’t the way to handle your pain.”
Anise paused and raised her eyebrows.
“B
ut maybe if you really thought this through—”
Anise listened longer than usual and then hung up the phone.
“What did he say?” Charlotte asked.
“It really doesn’t matter, but the bottom line is this: Aaron Malone is going to be a huge, huge problem. Mega.”
A sharp aching whipped through Charlotte’s chest.
Chapter 16
CHARLOTTE WAS THE LAST TO WALK IN, BUT AS SOON AS SHE DID, everyone greeted her, and then Sister Mason, chairwoman of the annual churchwide picnic committee, called the meeting to order. The very popular and well-attended event was less than one week away, and Sister Mason had called a final assembly. There would be a few other short discussions regarding last-minute details, but this would be the last meeting that all eight on the committee would come to.
“First off, I wanted to tell everyone that we now have more than enough volunteers,” Sister Mason started. “We were lacking in the number of cooks we needed, but two of the members came forward just this week, offering their assistance.”
“This is great,” Charlotte said. “And we now have all the dessert we need, too. I was looking for at least three others, but my aunt has agreed to make two large pans of peach cobbler and one banana pudding.”
“Well, bless her heart,” Sister Mason said. “I’ve had Miss Emma’s cobbler before and her banana pudding, and both are to die for.”
“You can say that again,” Aaron agreed, and Charlotte’s heart raced. She’d purposely not looked in his direction since sitting down at the conference table. She couldn’t wait to get out of there. She wanted to be as far away from him as possible and wished he would find another church to worship at.
Still, Charlotte ignored him and thankfully, he didn’t say anything more.
“Sister Simmons, are we all set with the games and the people who are going to coordinate them?” Sister Mason asked.
“As a matter of fact, yes. I still need to purchase a few other prizes, but that’s pretty much it.”
“Remember to keep your receipts this time,” Sister Mason joked.
“What do you mean by that?” Sister Simmons snapped.
“Don’t get upset; I’m only teasing you because last year you asked to be reimbursed for more than the amount on those receipts you submitted.”
The Best-Kept Secret Page 12
