Deception

by K. A. Robinson

  My mouth dropped open in shock. Then, I got mad, really mad. Before I could stop myself, I said, “Excuse me, Sandra? What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

  She laughed. “You really want me to spell it out for you? Fine, I will. Apparently, I’m the only one brave enough to say it, but I assure you, everyone in this room is thinking it. You’re the type of girl who finds a rich older man and sinks her claws into him. Poor Marie has been gone just over a year, and Robert’s already engaged to you. She’d roll over in her grave if she knew you were her replacement.”

  “How dare you!” I spit. “You know nothing about me!”

  She snickered. “And I’d like to keep it that way. I don’t associate with trash like you.”

  I stepped forward, determined to sink my claws into her. I didn’t care who this woman was. She had no right to talk to me like that.

  “You little—” I started to say before I was cut off.

  Robert stepped in front of me, looking angry. I wasn’t sure who he was angry with, Sandra or me. Maybe both. “Enough.”

  “Good boy, Robert. Keep your little toy in check.” Sandra smiled cruelly.

  With that, she spun on her heel and walked away. No one said a word. I looked up to see Robert glaring at Sandra, his face a deep shade of red. Tears of embarrassment and anger filled my eyes. I’d known that these people wouldn’t take me in with open arms, but I’d never expected this.

  “Robert, I’m sorry. I’ll talk to her,” Brad said, looking mortified.

  Robert turned his glare toward Brad. “Get your bitch under control. I won’t stand for this.”

  “I understand. It’ll be taken care of.” Brad looked at Sandra.

  She was standing with a group of women. All of them were laughing before glancing over at us. I had a good idea about what they had been laughing about.

  Robert looked around the room at all the men standing there. “If this ever happens again, I won’t be back. I suggest you get your wives under control. There will be no second chances.”

  He turned, and with me in tow, he walked toward the door. I looked back when I heard someone following us. Brad was only a few feet behind us. I tugged on Robert’s sleeve, but he shook his head. Once we were back in the foyer, he stopped and let Brad catch up with us.

  “What, Brad?” Robert said, obviously annoyed.

  “You don’t need to leave, Robert. I’ll take care of Sandra and anyone else who causes a problem.”

  Robert laughed. “Somehow, I doubt you will. Sandra has always been the one in control, and we both know it. I suggest you grow a pair of balls before you take on that bitch you call a wife.”

  My mouth dropped open in shock, and so did Brad’s. Robert ignored him as he led me out of the foyer. We waited as one of Brad’s men pulled our car around. I tried my hardest to dry my tears, but every few seconds, a new one would escape and slide down my face.

  Robert didn’t say a word until we were in the car and headed back to his house.

  “Please don’t cry, Claire. I never expected them to react like that, or I would’ve given them all a heads-up.”

  “It’s not your fault,” I whispered as I stared out the window.

  I’d never felt so hurt in my entire life. I’d done nothing to Sandra or any of those other women. I hadn’t even said a word to her until she’d attacked me. I had tried my hardest to fit in, and she hadn’t even noticed. I’d worn this stupid dress and fixed my hair and makeup like Ellie had told me, and it still hadn’t mattered. Sandra really would think I was trash if she knew how I’d grown up.

  “Sandra has always been rather…difficult to handle. She was very close to Marie, and she obviously felt the need to remind me of her. Sandra’s an ignorant bitch. Brad has let her get away with anything and everything but no more. If he doesn’t handle her, I will.”

  “I should’ve known they wouldn’t accept me.” I turned to look at him. “I don’t fit in, and I never will.”

  “Nonsense, Claire. You were the most beautiful woman there tonight. That’s probably why she was so mad. Sandra has always been a vain woman, and she’s always been the youngest. She feels threatened.”

  I snorted. “If that’s her feeling threatened, I’d hate to see her truly mad.”

  Robert chuckled. “Don’t worry about tonight, okay? The next event will be different. Those men are worried about what I’ll do if they don’t control their wives.” He glanced at me and grinned. “They kiss my ass too much to let their wives screw up their plans.”

  “Why are you so important?” I was curious why men older than him had vied for his attention tonight.

  “Because I’ve never lost a case—ever. I started practicing law as soon as I graduated from law school. Even then, I was a force to be reckoned with. Now that I own my firm with lawyers working under me, I’m almost unstoppable—not just in Morgantown, but in the entire state of West Virginia. I’m also about to open up a new firm in Pittsburgh, which will only help me further my carreer.”

  “Wow,” I mumbled. This was the most information he’d given me about his work since we met. “I had no idea.”

  “Plus, I’ve made some rather powerful friends over the years, and they’ve helped me immensely. No one wants to piss me off.”

  “Are any of them really your friends? Or do they just want to use you?” I asked.

  He frowned. “I don’t really worry about friends, Claire, but Brad is probably the closest thing I have to a friend.”

  “But he’s terrified of you,” I said.

  He laughed. “That’s the best way to control people—keep them terrified of you. It’s all politics, Claire.”

  I shook my head. “I’m glad I’m not a part of it. I couldn’t stand to live like that.”

  We pulled up to the house. As soon as the car came to a stop in the garage, I climbed out and headed for the door leading into the house. Robert was right behind me. He kept his arm around my waist as we climbed the stairs and headed for our room.

  I walked to the dresser and pulled out a pair of pajamas. I took my heels and dress off and tossed them into the corner of the closet. I put my pajamas on and climbed into bed. Robert did the same. Once we were situated under the covers, he pulled me to him. I snuggled up against him and let my body relax. I fell asleep before I could say another word.

  I awoke to the sound of Robert’s voice. I opened my eyes to see him sitting on the bed, talking quietly into his cell phone.

  “You can’t be serious. I’m just starting on a new case. I can’t come up there right now,” he said, his voice hushed.

  He was silent for a few minutes as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line.

  He sighed loudly. “This is what I pay you for, Andrew.” He paused. “Fine, I’ll be there in a few hours.”

  He put his phone down on the nightstand and stood. He glanced back to see me watching him. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” He rubbed his eyes.

  “Everything okay?” I asked.

  “No. Remember me mentioning my expansion into Pittsburgh?”

  I nodded.

  “Well, there’s a slight problem. I need to go to Pittsburgh for a couple of days.”

  “Oh,” I said.

  “I’m sorry to leave so suddenly, but it can’t wait.”

  “It’s okay. I understand.” I smiled at him.

  I watched from the bed as he packed a small suitcase. Then, he got dressed in a pair of slacks and a white button-down shirt.

  “I’ll call you when I arrive. If you need anything, you have my number.” He kissed me on the forehead before heading for the door.

  “I will.”

  I lay in bed for several minutes before finally convincing myself to get up. I grabbed an outfit and headed for the bathroom. Once inside, I took one look at myself and frowned. I looked like hell. I’d gone to bed with my hair still styled and my makeup still on. While I’d slept, my hair had come out of the French twist, and it now looked like a beehive on top
of my head. I’d worn little makeup, but my eyeliner and mascara had smudged, so I now looked like a raccoon. It was no wonder Robert had been so desperate to leave this morning.

  After I showered, I braided my wet hair to keep it out of my way. I pulled on one of my old T-shirts and a pair of cutoff jean shorts. I smiled at myself in the mirror. This was me, not the girl I’d pretended to be last night. When I’d been dressed like that, I’d felt like I was an actress playing a role, not an actual person.

  I headed downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed a granola bar. I wasn’t hungry, but I figured I might as well eat. As I munched on my breakfast, I leaned against the counter, trying to decide how I wanted to spend my day. It was strange not having to work every day. I missed my friends as well as my regular customers at the diner. I wanted to stop in to see them, but after my last conversation with Junie, I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea or not.

  My thoughts drifted to Shelly, the little girl I’d left behind when I was kicked out of Rick and Tammy’s house. I wondered how she was doing. Without thinking, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called their house. I was surprised that I still remembered the phone number. It wasn’t like I’d called home all that often. If Rick’s schedule was still the same, I knew he’d be at work, but Tammy might be home.

  Sure enough, she picked up on the third ring. “Hello?” she answered cautiously, obviously not recognizing my number.

  “Tammy?” I asked.

  “Yes. Who’s this?”

  “It’s Claire.”

  “Oh,” she said.

  I waited for her to speak again, but she obviously had no plans to.

  “I’m calling about Shelly. I wanted to see how she’s doing.”

  She hesitated for a second before speaking, “She’s doing good. She asks about you a lot.”

  I closed my eyes, feeling guilty. With everything going on in my life, I hadn’t thought about Shelly in weeks.

  “Do you think I could see her? I know it would have to be when Rick isn’t home. I can pick her up anytime.”

  “Claire—”

  “Please, Tammy. I want to see her. Rick never has to know. I’m not asking for anything else, I swear. I just miss her.”

  She sighed. “Can you be here at one? That’s when she gets home from summer school. Rick works until four now, so you’ll have to make the visit short or keep her overnight.”

  I smiled even though she couldn’t see me. “I’ll be there. I want her to stay with me overnight. I’ll make sure I get her to school on time tomorrow morning, but she’ll need clothes and such. Can you pack an overnight bag for her? Also, make sure she brings her bathing suit.”

  “Yeah, I’ll have everything ready. It’s good to hear from you, Claire,” she said before ending the call.

  I shoved my phone in my pocket, still smiling over the fact that I was going to spend time with Shelly. I decided we were going to have a full-out slumber party tonight. I would make sure Shelly had the best night ever.

  I looked in the pantry, noticing there wasn’t a lot of food that a ten-year-old would want to eat. I definitely needed to run to the grocery store. I ran upstairs and grabbed my purse out of my room before heading back downstairs. As I came around the corner, I almost ran into Cooper.

  “Whoa! What’s the rush?” he asked.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to run into you. I have a friend coming over this afternoon, so I’m going to the grocery store. I’ll be back later.”

  “Okay…” Cooper said, giving me a strange look.

  I shrugged it off before grabbing my keys and opening the door leading to the garage. I hurried to my car and got inside. As soon as the garage door rose, I backed the car out and headed down the driveway.

  The drive to the store only took a few minutes. After I grabbed a cart, I started walking up and down the grocery aisles, filling my cart with every bit of junk food I could think of. I loaded up on chips, soda, candy bars, candy, ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate fudge, Pop-Tarts, kid cereal, and a few other things I thought she would like. Once I was finished, I headed over to the electronics department and bought two movies I’d heard her mention before along with a couple of CDs I thought she would like. Next, I went to the toy aisle. Deciding what to get her was harder than I’d thought it would be. She wasn’t a kid-kid anymore, but she wasn’t a teenager either. I finally settled on a couple of dolls, a jewelry-making kit, and one of those dogs that was supposed to be lifelike.

  I took everything to the cashier and paid with the card Robert had given me. I felt a small twinge of guilt over spending his money, but I quickly pushed it aside. He’d given me the card himself. It wasn’t like I was stealing from him.

  After everything was loaded into the car, I drove home. I carried in the food first, making sure to put the ice cream in the freezer so that it wouldn’t melt. I brought in her presents next and took them to my old room. I laid everything out on the bed. I was excited to see her reaction when she saw her presents. Shelly was a good kid and deserved every single thing I’d bought her. I just hoped Rick wouldn’t ask too many questions about where everything had come from.

  I headed back out into the hallway. Just as I reached the top of the stairs, I noticed that Robert’s bedroom door was open. When Cooper and another man stepped out, my eyes widened in surprise.

  What the hell is Cooper doing in Robert’s room?

  Cooper looked up and saw me watching him. He froze, his face a mask of shock.

  I started walking toward him and the other man, determined to figure out what was going on. “What were you doing in my room?” I demanded.

  The man glanced at Cooper without speaking. Obviously, he wasn’t going to tell me anything. I studied him, trying to figure out who he was. He was dressed in slacks and a button-down shirt. His hair was cut military short. His eyes were a piercing blue color. His arms were well defined, almost as muscular as Cooper’s.

  “Well?” I asked when neither of them spoke.

  “I thought you weren’t going to be home until later,” Cooper said.

  “Stop avoiding the question. What were you doing in there?”

  Cooper frowned at me and held up a shirt. “I needed a dress shirt, so I borrowed one of Dad’s. Chill out.”

  “You seriously expect me to believe that?” I asked, cautiously eyeing the shirt.

  Cooper was lying to me, but I wasn’t sure why.

  “Yeah, I do, because it’s the truth. Now, if you’ll excuse us…” Cooper moved past me with his friend following him.

  His friend looked back at me once, and I saw pity in his eyes before he disappeared into Cooper’s room with Coop.

  Pity?

  I had no idea why he was looking at me like that. I shook my head as I turned and walked back down the stairs. They were keeping something from me.

  I walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, and Ellie was standing at the sink, rinsing out a bowl.

  “Hey, Ellie?”

  “Hmm?” She turned to me.

  “Who’s Cooper’s friend?”

  “I’m not sure. He never gave his name. Why do you ask?”

  I shrugged, not wanting her to know he had been in Robert’s room with Cooper. “No reason. I was just curious.”

  “I’ve seen him here a couple of times, but I’ve never really talked to him. He’s rather quiet, which is strange, considering the fact that he’s friends with Cooper.”

  I laughed. “True story. Hey, can I ask you for a favor?”

  “Anything, honey.” She smiled at me.

  “Can you make lasagna for dinner tonight? I have a friend coming over, and it’s her favorite.”

  “Certainly. I’ll have it ready around five.”

  “That’s perfect. I’m going to go pick her up now. We’ll grab something small for lunch and then head back. I’d love if you could join us tonight.”

  “I wish I could, but I have plans. Maybe next time.” Ellie smiled at me.

  “Sounds like a pla
n.”

  I waved good-bye before heading back out to the garage. A few minutes later, I was on my way to pick up Shelly. I couldn’t keep the silly grin off my face over the thought of spending time with her. I’d really missed her. We’d gone from sharing a room to never seeing each other at all.

  I pulled up in front of the house. Shelly and Tammy were standing on the front porch, obviously waiting for me. Shelly caught sight of me as I climbed out of my car. I laughed when I saw her jumping up and down. I barely made it to the porch before she tackled me in a hug so tight that I could barely breathe.

  “I missed you, kiddo,” I said as I hugged her back. I was so happy to see her again.

  Once I managed to free myself, I looked up at Tammy. She was staring at my car in surprise.

  “Hi, Tammy,” I said politely.

  Her eyes snapped to me. “Hi, Claire. It’s good to see you again.”

  “You, too.”

  She glanced at the car again and then back at me. “That’s a really nice car. It’s much nicer than the one you owned when you left.”

  I shrugged. “It’s my fiancé’s car.”

  Her mouth dropped open in shock, but she said nothing.

  Ha! You never thought I’d make it, and neither did Rick, but look at me now.

  “Are you ready to go, kiddo?” I asked.

  “Yep!” Shelly picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

  She waved good-bye to Tammy before following me to my car. She climbed into the passenger seat and tossed her bag down onto the floor as I walked around the front of the car before getting in.

  “Wow. This is a really nice car, Claire.”

  “Thanks, Shelly.”

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  “You already did, but go ahead,” I teased.

  “What’s a fiancé?”

  I laughed out loud. “It’s a boyfriend who you promise to marry.”

  “Oh, okay. Now, I understand.”

  “Are you ready to have some fun? I thought we could stop and grab something to eat before we head home. My friend Ellie is making you something special for dinner, so we can’t eat a bunch now, okay?”