True Colors

by Yolanda Wallace

  “Then I’ve got news for you, Taylor: you don’t know her at all.”

  Sheridan’s statement ate at Taylor the rest of the meal. Robby and Sheridan had told drastically different stories regarding their relationship. How could she be sure who to believe?

  She turned to Steven when her driver stopped at the security gate outside the White House. “How long would it take for you to conduct a thorough background check on someone?”

  “Two or three days, depending on how much follow-up I have to perform on whatever turns up.” He paused. “Are you asking what I think you’re asking?”

  Taylor sighed as the car began to move. “Unfortunately, yes.” She desperately wanted to believe Robby was being honest with her, but she was no longer in position to be able to take anyone or anything at face value. She had far too much to lose.

  Steven’s jaw tightened as if he found the idea as distasteful as she did. He had been in favor of pulling back the curtain on Robby’s life a few days ago. But that was before he started dating her best friend. Was he afraid of what he might discover about Robby, or did he fear the potential ramifications on his burgeoning relationship with Miles? “I’ll get back to you by Wednesday at the latest.”

  “And, Steven—”

  “Don’t worry,” he said before she could get the words out. “Whatever I find will be for your eyes only.”

  “Thank you.”

  Taylor sank into her seat, wishing her life weren’t quite so complicated. She didn’t want to have Steven or anyone else poking around Robby’s life, but she had no choice. The last thing she needed was to get caught in the middle of a scandal she could have easily avoided. Or was it already too late?

  * * *

  The bell over the door pealed, announcing an early arrival’s entrance.

  “Welcome to Osgood’s,” Robby began. “Would you like something to—”

  The rest of her question died in her mouth as Candy Ferrell walked toward her. Candy’s cloud of perfume reached her first. Candy rested one hand on the counter. The other parted her thick fur coat and formed a fist on her hip. The slow clicking of her French-tipped nails on the glass counter was the only sound in the room.

  “I suppose I have you to thank for this week’s publicity?” Candy asked.

  Robby’s stomach lurched. The only thing she feared more than failure was discovery. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Candy held up a well-manicured hand. “Please do me a favor, Miss Rawlins, and don’t try denying what we both know to be true.”

  “How do you know my name?”

  For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Robby was being confronted by someone she knew nothing about but who seemed to know everything about her. Where was Miles when she needed him? Oh, yeah, picking up some takeout Chinese because they would be too busy to eat once the party began. Based on past years’ preview shows, the current one wouldn’t end until well past the advertised stop time. If she and Miles didn’t eat now, they’d be starving by the time the last guest vacated the premises. Given the choice of having a full stomach and being left alone with Candy, she would rather go hungry.

  “I commend you, Robby. You play a good game. Unfortunately for you, I play it better.”

  “What do you want?” Robby cringed at the note of panic she heard in her voice.

  Candy’s broad smile bordered on caricature. “How does the saying go? You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. Here are my conditions: my name doesn’t pass your lips or flow from your pen, you write what I tell you to write when I tell you to write it, and you give me pre-approval on anything you compose before you post it for public consumption. Do this for me and I won’t tell anyone, namely Taylor, who authors the posts.”

  Robby felt her knees begin to give way. She held onto the counter to keep from falling to the floor. “What makes you think I’m the person behind The pH Factor?” she asked, when what she really wanted to know was how Candy had managed to discover something not even the White House and the Secret Service had been able to.

  “Unlike Terry and his misguided minions, I actually know where to look. I pegged you as an opportunist the first time I laid eyes on you. Before I arrived, I only suspected you had something to do with the blog. Thank you for confirming my suspicions.”

  Robby felt like kicking herself for walking into the trap Candy had set for her. Candy hadn’t discovered she was behind The pH Factor. She had foolishly admitted it herself. And with very little prompting, too. How could she be so stupid? And why, on some level, did she feel almost relieved for finally getting caught? “If I do what you ask, what do you get out of it?”

  “We get to reap the rewards of a mutually beneficial relationship. You get the financial support you so obviously need, and I get to be First Lady.”

  “The job’s already taken.”

  “For now,” Candy said with a smirk. “My husband and I have been laying the necessary groundwork for years. The presidency is ours for the taking. Whether in four years or eight is still to be decided.”

  “What makes you think you can win?”

  “If we can put someone saddled with as much baggage as Terry Crenshaw in the White House, we can certainly put ourselves there.”

  “That could be an interesting turn of events. It would mark the first time since the Roosevelt administration that both the President and First Lady spent their time in office working their way through the secretarial pool.”

  Candy’s surgically enhanced face was too frozen for her expression to change, but color rose in her cheeks, letting Robby know her barb had found its mark. “I don’t know what you’re implying, but—”

  “Don’t you?” Robby used her hands to direct Candy’s gaze from her cleavage to her face. “My eyes are up here, Mrs. Ferrell.”

  Candy straightened. “I’m not going to waste my time trading insults with the likes of you. Since I now have a vested interest in you, however, I will give you a friendly warning. Taylor is having someone look into you.”

  For the first time since Candy had walked in, Robby felt like she could stop playing defense and switch to offense. “I don’t have anything to worry about on that score. One of her Secret Service agents already checked me out and didn’t find anything of note.”

  “The first time. My sources at the Bureau tell me she’s asked him to take a closer look.”

  Robby felt a renewed sense of panic. A few days ago, Taylor had said it was Steven’s idea to snoop around her life. She had even apologized for his actions. Now she was contradicting herself by asking him to dig even deeper?

  Robby could think of only one possible explanation: Sheridan. During their brunch date, Sheridan must have said something to Taylor that caused her to second-guess herself.

  What would Steven find? And more importantly, what would he do with the information? If he unearthed something damaging, she hoped he would sit on it or come to her first, but she doubted either scenario would happen. Even though Steven was dating her best friend, his loyalty was to Taylor, not her. It was his job to do what was in Taylor’s best interests even if his took a hit as a result. Miles and Steven had barely started seeing each other and she was already threatening to come between them. She was so afraid this might happen. Now it seemed her nightmare was coming true.

  “I’m not telling you how to handle the situation,” Candy said, “but I strongly advise you to get out in front of it before everything you’ve been working for slips through your fingers. Note I say you, not we. If things start to go sideways, you’ll be the one taking the fall because I certainly won’t be going down with you.”

  “What happened to ‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’?”

  “Purely a figure of speech. As far as I’m concerned, this meeting never took place.” Candy wrapped her mink coat around her and surveyed the store. “Based on this place’s reputation, I was expecting more than cheap reproductions made in China.”

  “I can assure you every i
tem we sell is authentic.”

  “Except for you.”

  Robby bristled at the insult. She might shake her ass for tips, but she took her clothes off only when she wanted to, not because there was money on the table. “I’m not for sale.”

  “Yes, you are. And I just bought you. How does a thousand dollars a week sound?”

  Like she could be debt-free in six months.

  “I don’t remember saying yes to your proposal.”

  “You’d be a fool to say no. You’re many things, Miss Rawlins, but you are definitely not a fool. Enjoy your little get-together tonight. I’ll be in touch.”

  “Do you know how to reach me?”

  “Believe me. I’ve got your number.”

  Candy turned and walked out, leaving Robby wondering which threat to take more seriously—the one from Candy or the one from the anonymous man she had run into the night before.

  Everything was getting out of hand. She needed to decide whether she should stop dating Taylor, stop writing her blog, or both. If she kept seeing Taylor, the man might make a return appearance in her life—and an unwelcome one in Taylor’s. If she stopped writing her blog, Candy Ferrell would tell Taylor everything. If Steven didn’t uncover the truth first. No matter what she decided to do, someone was bound to get hurt.

  If she told Taylor she was the author of The pH Factor, Taylor was bound to be upset, but she might forgive her one day. If Taylor heard the news from someone else, though, there was a very good chance she would never speak to her again. Neither outcome sounded promising.

  “No matter what I do, I’ll come out on the losing end,” she said, hoping the sound of her own voice would help her think.

  She dusted the items from the preview show, even though each of the new pieces had already been professionally cleaned and prepared for presentation. She needed to do something to keep from going crazy.

  She didn’t want to take an unnecessary risk where Taylor’s life was concerned, but how much danger could Taylor truly be in when she was surrounded by a horde of Secret Service agents tasked with keeping her safe?

  “So that’s it then.” Robby returned the feather duster to its home under the counter as she slowly came to terms with her new reality. “Candy gets her way, I get paid, and Taylor gets screwed.”

  “If you plan on screwing Taylor tonight,” Miles said, changing the sign on the door from Open to Closed for a Private Function, “wait until after the show. I’m not throwing that kind of party.”

  “Perhaps you should. Then you’re guaranteed to have a sellout.” Robby reached for the container of kung pao chicken. She normally inhaled the spicy dish in two seconds flat. Tonight, though, food was the last thing on her mind. But whether she wanted to or not, she needed to keep up appearances. With Miles and with Taylor.

  Had it really come to this? Had she actually agreed to do Candy Ferrell’s bidding just to keep her own desperate dreams alive?

  One day, she thought as she choked down the food, perhaps she would finally be able to stop fantasizing about the life she wanted and start living it for real.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Taylor was torn. Steven had asked her to accompany him to the preview show at Osgood’s Antique Store as his plus-one, but she didn’t know if she should accept the invitation. If she went, she would feel like she was crashing the party. One purchase hardly qualified her as a loyal customer. She also didn’t know if she could see Robby, look her in the eye, and pretend everything was normal when the situation was as far from normal as it could possibly get.

  She reached for her tablet computer, opened the Internet browser, entered the address for her favorite search engine, and typed in Robby’s name. She hesitated before she initiated the search. She wasn’t proud of what she was doing, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and she needed answers for the questions her meeting with Sheridan had raised.

  She hit Enter and waited for the results to populate the screen. The findings were all over the place so she narrowed the scope of her scan by adding “Richmond, VA” and “Washington, DC.” to her search string. She was rewarded with a series of hits, mostly linking Robby with Sheridan. Obviously, their relationship wasn’t as much of a closely guarded secret as either woman had made it out to be.

  When she clicked on the image tab, the search displayed plenty of pictures of Robby, but Taylor didn’t recognize any of the women with her.

  “When Steven said she liked to play the field, I guess he wasn’t kidding.”

  She scrolled through a series of pictures of Robby partying with various women. The setting appeared to be the same in most of the photos, but she didn’t recognize the locale. The pictures looked tame on their own. Viewed as a whole, they made Robby seem like a party girl.

  Taylor thought back to her days at Mizzou. If some of those pictures ever came to light, people would probably say the same thing about her. If not worse.

  “We all have a past. Who am I to judge?”

  If her father’s advisors were to be believed, it wasn’t her opinion that mattered. It was the public’s. The voters had put her father in office and could eventually usher him out of it. They would have final say on his future, but only she would get to decide hers. She didn’t know what the future might bring, but one thing was certain: she wanted Robby in it.

  She pulled on her favorite pair of jeans, a white button-down shirt, a loosely knotted dark blue tie, and a red V-neck sweater. She was trying to decide which jacket to wear when her mother barged into her room. They hadn’t spoken since her parents had returned from Camp David. Since she and Robby had kissed in front of a packed arena as well as a national television audience. Taylor steeled herself for the expected onslaught.

  “I heard you met Sheridan Kincaid for brunch,” her mother said. “Is that true?”

  Taylor shrugged on her trusty pea coat and buttoned it up. “Good news travels fast.”

  “She’s not like the other women you typically spend time with. She’s not someone looking to attach herself to you simply to further her own agenda. She’s from a good family with a high profile in the community, and their commitment to the Party is unquestioned. I commend your choice.”

  “I hate to throw a wrench in your matchmaking plans, Mom, but Sheridan is seeing someone.”

  “Is it serious? I mean, is there a chance the two of you might become more than friends one day?”

  Taylor held her hand against her mother’s forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Never better,” her mother said, swatting her hand away. “Why do you ask?”

  “You’ve never shown this much of an interest in someone you thought I was dating. I’m tempted to take your temperature to make sure you didn’t come down with something while you were gone.”

  “Speaking of Camp David, your father and I had a lovely time. It’s only an hour from here, but it feels like a world away. It’s quite relaxing there. You should join us on our next trip. Perhaps you could invite Sheridan to accompany you instead of spending your time sneaking women into the White House like a teenager throwing a house party while her parents are out of town.”

  Taylor took the pointed comment in stride rather than allowing her emotions to get the best of her. She needed to learn to pick her battles as well as the best method of defense. Why fight fire with fire when she could extinguish the flames instead?

  “I’m sorry you don’t approve of Robby,” she said tactfully, “but I enjoy being with her, and Sheridan’s off the market.”

  Her mother waved her hand dismissively. “Robby’s the kind of woman you have an affair with. Sheridan is the kind of woman you marry.”

  “A right my own father is trying to take away from me, so you might want to amend your argument.”

  “Let’s leave politics out of the discussion for now.” Her mother took her hands in hers. “The best relationships start out as friendships. Terry and I were friends for years before anything ever happened between us. Perhaps it can
be the same for you and Sheridan.”

  Taylor didn’t know whether to plead her case or let the subject drop. She had waited for years for her mother to feel comfortable discussing the subject of her sexuality. Now that the day had finally come, her excitement was tempered by the fact that, as usual, her mother was more interested in seeing things the way she wanted to see them instead of the way they actually were.

  “You look nice,” her mother said, eyeing her outfit. “Are you meeting Sheridan somewhere?”

  “No, I have other plans.” Taylor hesitated, trying to decide whether she wanted to continue to butt heads or throw in the towel. “But Sheridan did invite me to watch her play polo sometime.”

  Her mother’s eyes lit up with genuine excitement. Taylor wished the sight didn’t please her quite so much. Because she doubted the moment would last long.

  “You should try to wrangle an invitation to the annual charity event she holds during the Cherry Blossom Festival. That’s a much better opportunity for you to see and be seen than that dreadful basketball game you attended Friday night. That’s an event best forgotten by all involved.” Her mother beamed as she placed a hand on Taylor’s cheek. “I think you’re finally getting the hang of being a politician.”

  “So do I,” Taylor said with a sigh. “If I get any better at it, I won’t be able to recognize myself.”

  * * *

  The store was so crowded Robby was able to steer clear of Taylor for nearly an hour before she finally ran out of luck. Taylor sidled up to the counter while Robby was ringing up a purchase. A glass of red wine held loosely in her right hand, she looked ravishing. And that’s exactly what Robby wanted to do. Ravish her. Work obligations aside, she wanted to grab Taylor by her tie, drag her upstairs, and have her way with her until the sun rose.