KIM BURST THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR of Kevin’s office building like a bull that had spotted red. Late last night, Evelyn had called her with concerns about possibly seeing Kevin out with one of Wendy’s friends. She couldn’t remember her name, but the woman last night introduced herself as Renée. Evelyn talked about the eerie resemblance Renée had to the lady who had accompanied them the day Kim picked out her wedding dress. Instantly, Kim knew it was Natalie. Once she heard how upset Kim was, Evelyn tried suggesting that maybe it could have been a cousin or a sister of Natalie’s, but Kim knew better. Natalie didn’t have any siblings. Plus, Kim had never known Natalie to have any relatives in Columbus, besides her mother. She told Evelyn about the time Gwen had seen Natalie and Kevin together. Kim could kick herself for believing that it had been just a coincidence. She now had a gut feeling that it had been much more. It was a premeditated attempt by the two of them to carry on a relationship behind Wendy’s back.
It was after midnight when she and Evelyn got off the phone, and Kim didn’t want to call Wendy that late with such disturbing news. She planned to go over to her house today. First, she wanted to let loose on Kevin the words that had tumbled through her mind the entire night. The next time she saw Natalie, she would have a few choice words for her, also.
Kim was so angry that it was impossible for her to get any sleep. She got a glimpse of how horrible she looked from her reflection in the building’s glass doors. Most of her hair was pulled into a ponytail with the exception of a few strands that had gone astray. She wore a pair of faded black sweatpants with a gray Ohio State sweatshirt of Terrance’s that was too big. Kim was so fired up that she had mistakenly left home without a coat. For a person who did not like being cold, that morning she had been unaffected by the weather. Her body temperature had been rising steadily since Evelyn’s phone call.
Kevin’s office building was a large three-story brick building that housed his real estate company, an insurance company, and a law office. Kevin owned the building and ran his company from the third floor while leasing the remaining office space. “Hi, can I help you?” A woman in her mid-thirties with short, reddish brown hair smiled at Kim.
“I need to see Kevin Phillips, please,” Kim stated without smiling back.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No.”
“I’m afraid Mr. Phillips is not available right now. He’s on a conference call. You’re free to make an appointment or wait until he gets off the phone and I’ll see if he can fit you in.”
“I’ll wait.”
“Okay. Have a seat and I’ll let you know if and when he can see you. May I tell him your name, please?”
“Ki—can you tell him that his good friend Natalie is waiting to see him?” Kim ignored the woman’s request to sit down and leaned on the desk instead. Gwen closed the salon on Sundays and Mondays so Kim didn’t have to work that day. It was a quarter to ten now. The kids didn’t have to be picked up from school until three-thirty. She would wait all day if she had to.
The lady who had greeted Kim answered the phone. “Thank you for calling Phillips Realty. Leanne speaking—how can I direct your call? Mr. Phillips is on another line right now. Would you like to be connected to his voice mail? One moment; I’ll transfer you.”
Kim stared at the nameplate hanging on the door behind Leanne’s desk. KEVINPHILLIPS, CEO. If he didn’t get off the phone soon, she didn’t know how long she could continue to resist the urge to march right into his office and terminate the call.
“I believe he’s off the phone now,” Leanne confirmed.
Thank You! Kim silently prayed.
Leanne picked up her phone receiver and dialed Kevin’s extension. “Mr. Phillips, I just transferred a call to your voice mail and there’s a woman named Natalie here to see you. She said she’s a friend of yours.” She used her hand to cover the mouthpiece of the phone and spoke to Kim. “Ma’am, would you mind stating the nature of your visit? Mr. Phillips apologizes, but he can’t recall knowing anyone by that name.”
“Oh, he knows me, all right.” Kim strutted past Leanne.
“You can’t go in there. . . .”
It was too late. Kim entered Kevin’s office and slammed the door behind her. The door shut so hard that the framed college degree that hung on Kevin’s wall rattled.
Kevin looked up with a surprised expression. “Kim?” Leanne must have said something to him through the phone. “No, there’s no need to call Security. It’s my sister-in-law,” he responded, and hung up. “What is this business of you saying your name was Natalie?”
“You dirty dawg!” Kim walked up and yelled across his desk.
“Wait a minute. If you’re here to badger me about the divorce, I’m not talking to you about it. It’s between Wendy and me, so I suggest you stay out of it.”
Kim gave him a fierce look. “Don’t you dare try and play stupid. You know why I’m here. How could you go out with Natalie behind Wendy’s back? It’s not enough that you’re taking everything away from her, is it? You have to rub salt in her wounds by having an affair with her friend?”
Kevin stood up. “First of all, you need to calm down—”
“Don’t tell me what to do!”
“I believe that I have the right to, since this is my office,” Kevin said smugly, as he owned all four hundred square feet of that room and then some.
“Whatever.”
“Either you lower your voice and tell me what’s on your mind or I will have Security escort you out.”
“Oh, excuse me. I forgot. You’re Mr. Big Shot. Mr. Moneymaker. Mr. Not-only-did-I-cheat-on-my-wife-and-give-her-chlamydia-but-now-I’ll-continue-trampling-on-her-feelings-by-sleeping-with-one-of-her-best-friends,” Kim said sarcastically.
“What are you talking about? Cut to the chase and tell me what has gotten your feathers all ruffled or get out.”
“Why, Kevin? Out of all the women in Columbus, why did you have to pick Natalie?” Kim asked in a hurt tone.
Kevin looked puzzled. “Who is Natalie?”
“The lady you were seen with at Skyler’s yesterday.”
Kevin sat back in his chair and leaned backward. “So that’s what all of this is about? Evelyn told you about seeing me with another woman yesterday. Tell your mother-in-law that she needs to remember names correctly if she’s going to report them. Her name is not Natalie, it’s Renée. Furthermore, I really don’t have to explain anything to you because Wendy and I are getting a divorce, remember?”
“I know all about how you introduced Natalie as Renée. Did the two of you really think you could get away with this without anyone finding out?”
“Finding out what? You’re not making any sense. I don’t care who sees me with Renée. I’m not going to hide my relationship with her because you, Evelyn, Wendy, or anyone else feels uncomfortable. Get over it!”
Kim looked disturbed and spoke her thoughts aloud. “Renée?”
“Yes, her name is Renée.” The phone rang, but Kevin didn’t answer it.
“Oh my goodness,” Kim exclaimed as this new revelation sank in. “It’s Renée!”
“Look, I would love to sit here and keep saying her name with you, but I have a business to run.” Kevin reached for his telephone.
“By any chance is her last name Coleman?”
“Yeah. How did you know?” Kevin stopped short of picking up his phone and looked at Kim strangely.
“Oh my God . . .” Kim plopped down in the chair behind her and smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. “Why didn’t I figure this out before?”
“Figure out what?” Kevin looked confused.
“You seriously know her as Renée, don’t you? Is she the same person you had over for Thanksgiving?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my God.”
“What?” Kevin was stressed. “Quit saying that and tell me what’s going on.”
“She knew. . . . Gwen was right about Natalie the first time.”
&nbs
p; “Right about what? Who in the heck is Natalie?” Kevin assertively inquired.
“Natalie is Renée.”
“What? That’s ridiculous.”
“Natalie Renée Coleman. That’s her name.”
“Whose name? Renée’s?”
“Yes. Her full name is Natalie Renée Coleman. She and Wendy have been friends since high school.”
“No, that can’t be true. There has to be a misunderstanding. Renée would never deceive me like that. Even if she does know Wendy, I’m sure there’s some kind of rational explanation here. Wendy never mentioned anyone by the name of Natalie or Renée to me before.”
“That’s because Natalie has lived in New York for a number of years. She just moved back in town within the last year.”
“New York?” Kevin thought it was a strange coincidence, but he still tried to make sense of the situation. “That still doesn’t prove that Renée did anything wrong. If, in fact, she is Natalie. We had never met before.”
“When you did meet her, she knew exactly who you were. I can guarantee it.”
“But how?”
Kim told Kevin about Natalie being at the house the day he showed up during Wendy’s baby shower. He was having a hard time believing it all, but there were too many similarities between his Renée and Natalie. Kim and Kevin talked for at least an hour, during which time Leanne forwarded numerous unanswered calls to him.
Kevin told Kim about the argument with Wendy that drove him to the club the night he met Renée. When asked why he cheated on Wendy in the first place, Kevin also told his sister-in-law about the letter he had written Wendy explaining how she’d ended up with chlamydia. Kim was astonished. She admitted to Kevin that there was a good chance Wendy had never read his letter.
“What do you mean she never read it?”
“I truly don’t think Wendy has any idea what really happened between you and this other woman. If she does, she sure didn’t tell me. Until this very moment, I always believed that you committed adultery.”
Kevin turned his leather swivel chair around and looked out the window. He was more confused than ever. He had been under the impression that Wendy had read the letter and just didn’t care.
Kim had come into to the office ready to kill Kevin; now she was ready to console him. “Are you going to be all right?”
She watched the back of Kevin’s head as he nodded and softly said, “Yes.”
“I’m sorry, Kevin.”
“For what? None of this is your fault. If you don’t mind, can you leave? I need time to process all of this.”
“I understand. I just . . .” Kim slowly got out of her chair. She wasn’t sure what else to say. She walked toward the door and left with every intention of visiting Wendy.
“Mr. Phillips?” A frustrated Leanne came into his office after Kim walked out.
Kevin turned around. “Yes?”
“Jacob Bailey had a ten-o’clock appointment with you. He waited for a while then left without saying anything.”
“Oh, man.” Kevin rested his left hand on his forehead. “I completely forgot.” Mr. Bailey was one of Kevin’s potential clients who had been interested in purchasing a large amount of land owned by Kevin’s company. Jacob Bailey was not one who liked to be kept waiting and Kevin had some serious damage control to do. “See if you can get him on the phone and try to reschedule. Tell him I’m really sorry, but an emergency came up.”
Leanne puckered her lips as if to say That lady who was here didn’t look like an emergency to me. “There’s a Renée Coleman holding for you on line one. She called here four times already,” Leanne stated in a bothered tone of voice before walking out.
Kevin stared at the blinking hold light on his telephone. He took a deep breath before answering, “This is Kevin.”
“It’s about time I got ahold of you. I don’t like that secretary of yours. She’s got an attitude.”
“Hi, Renée.” His voice quivered.
“Hi, Renée? That’s the best I get the day after we shared our first kiss?” she teased.
Kevin didn’t respond.
“Hello?”
“Yeah, I’m still here.”
“Ugh . . . did someone get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?”
“No, I’ve just been having an interesting day today, that’s all. What’s up?”
“Are we still on for tonight?”
Kevin had forgotten about the dinner plans he had made with Renée for that evening. “Um . . .”
“Don’t tell me you have to cancel.” She sounded disappointed.
“Well I-I—no, I don’t have to cancel. I forgot to make reservations.”
“That’s okay, I can do it. Where do you want to go?”
“Let’s do Skyler’s again.”
“Skyler’s? Two nights in a row?”
“It’s one of the best formal dining places around. Why not?”
“I didn’t know we were going for formal tonight, but I can deal with it. What time should I make the reservations for?”
“Seven.”
Leanne crept back into Kevin’s office. “I have Mr. Bailey on the phone for you,” she whispered.
“Listen, I have an important call I have to take.”
“What time are you going to pick me up?”
“Things are so hectic today that I may not get out of here in time to come and get you. Can you meet me there?”
“Sure.”
“Also, see if Skyler’s has any private rooms available.”
“Want to be alone, do you?”
“Yeah, something like that. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Okay, you know I can’t wait.”
“Yeah, me too,” Kevin said before ending the call.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Stuck with the Bill
KEVIN AND RENÉE ATE THEIR DINNER in a secluded room at Skyler’s. It was a pretty big meal. Because of Kim’s visit and rescheduling with Jacob Bailey, Kevin had skipped lunch. He had managed to smooth things over with Mr. Bailey and close the deal despite the earlier mishap. Renée was wearing a form-fitting black dress. Like the pantsuit she’d had on last night, it showed off every curve on her body. Her hair was pinned up, and she wore a fancy pearl necklace and earring set. She looked like a million bucks even though she wasn’t worth it.
Kevin remained quiet during dinner. He’d been contemplating the right time to ask Renée about her relationship with Wendy. Renée talked nonstop about a photo shoot she’d had that afternoon. In light of his conversation with Kim, it was becoming painfully obvious to Kevin how self-centered Renée was. Why didn’t I see this before? He questioned himself as she continued babbling. Probably because I never wanted to. I wanted to believe she was a fabulous person, but she doesn’t even know me. The only thing she knows about me is about my relationship with Wendy. That’s all she’s ever been concerned about. She doesn’t know my favorite color, when my birthday is, or what types of movies I like. It’s been all about her. Her favorite color is red. Her birthday is May tenth. Her favorite types of movies are drama movies—go figure. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” Kevin unconsciously had drowned Renée out to the extent that he hadn’t realized she’d asked a question until she said his name.
“I said, are you okay? You seem a little different.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know. You came in and sat down. You didn’t give me a hug, a kiss, or nothing.”
“Sorry, I told you that I had a hectic day.”
“Well, you sure worked up an appetite. At least you thought you did. It looks like your eyes were bigger than your stomach.” Renée commented on all of Kevin’s uneaten food. He couldn’t decide among the lobster, steak, or chicken entrées so he’d ordered all three. Kevin had also ordered a very expensive bottle of Italian wine.
“I guess I’ll have a lot of leftovers this week, huh?”
Renée spoke flirtatiously. “At least you won’t have to eat them alone. I’ll
help you out.”
“I’m sure you would,” Kevin murmured under his breath.
“Have you spoken with your wife today?” Renée inquired before she parted her lips to drink.
“No, I haven’t. Have you?”
Renée began coughing as the shock of Kevin’s question sent the liquid down the wrong pipe. He stared blankly, waiting for a response. “Boy, you’re so crazy,” she joked after calming herself and wiping her mouth. “I hope I never have to see that woman after all she’s put you through. She’s a trip.”
“Why don’t you tell her that yourself, Natalie?”
“Huh?”
Kevin spoke more slowly. “Why don’t you tell my wife how you feel about the situation?”
“What did you call me?”
“Natalie. That is your name, isn’t it? You know Evelyn, the lady who was here yesterday—she recognized you.”
Renée was silent.
Kevin shrugged. “You might as well admit it. I already know that you introduced yourself to me using your middle name.”
“So,” Natalie said dryly. She really thought she had fooled Evelyn by remaining calm and pretending not to be bothered by her presence. “That’s not uncommon. A lot of people use their middle names.”
“Oh, I agree with you. What is uncommon is for you to go months without telling me that you are friends with my wife.”
“I didn’t know she was your wife when we first met. You told me you were married. You didn’t say to whom.” Natalie had been practicing that line since she and Kevin had met. She knew this moment would come one day. However, she’d thought it would be after the divorce. That would have given her more time to sink her claws into Kevin.
Kevin laughed to himself sarcastically. “I had a feeling you would go that route. Before you travel any further, let me just say that the day we met is different from the day you first saw me. I know you were at my wife’s baby shower.”
“I might have glanced at you that day, but I certainly didn’t put two and two together until recently.”
“Do you think I’m gullible enough to believe that?”
“It’s the truth.”
“How can you justify keeping your relationship with my wife a secret from me all these months?”
Soul Matters Page 25
