Keeping Secrets & Telling Lies

by Trice Hickman

  Victoria felt a shiver go through her bones. She looked from her daughter to her husband, who was still standing in a motionless state. Even though Alexandria seemed to be in better shape than Ted, she knew that they were both experiencing a similar trauma.

  “It’s okay, honey,” Victoria whispered to Ted, rubbing his hand. They stood for a few more moments, suspended in time, before he pulled himself away.

  Slowly, the three of them moved on, allowing the rest of the family to come up behind them to mourn. As they reached the vestibule,Victoria let out a sigh of relief. They were halfway through the sad day, and she couldn’t wait for the rest of it to pass. As they prepared to step outside and into the waiting limousine, they heard a bloodcurdling howl from Charlie. “Why, Mother? Why? Oh, God, why?” he cried out.

  Up until that moment, Alexandria hadn’t been phased by her uncle’s outbursts when they were in church, but now she looked visibly shaken as she clung tight in Victoria’s arms.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Ted nearly shouted as he gathered Victoria and Alexandria by his side, leading them toward the open doors of the waiting limousine. He was glad that Lilly and her family were already situated in the first car in the procession, ready to make the last leg of their mother’s eternal journey.

  They sat in the back of the car and were silent and somber as they arrived at the grave site.Victoria’s and Ted’s hands were locked tightly together, while Alexandria rested in her mother’s lap, drifting off to sleep.

  “She’s worn out,” Victoria said, rubbing Alexandria’s back in a soothing motion. “I’m going to stay in the car with her and let her sleep this one out. She doesn’t need to witness the burial.... It’s just too much.”

  Ted nodded. “I’m worried about her ... about both of you,” he whispered. “She’s been sleeping like a log, and you’ve been up all night.” He’d been clearly shaken at the church, but now he was putting his own grief aside out of concern for his family.

  Victoria leaned over and gave him a light kiss on his cheek, then wiped away the small imprint of plum berry that her lipstick had left in the spot. She felt foolish about her lustful delusions about Parker. I have a wonderful husband who loves me and our child. That’s all I need, she reminded herself.

  Ted hugged Victoria one last time before the driver opened his passenger door. He stepped out of the car with a clearer head and purpose because he knew what he had to do. He walked toward the grave site with his sister and her family as the gathering mourners cleared a path to let them through. He reined in his grief and innermost thoughts, knowing he was about to put his mother and her secret in the ground, but not to rest.

  Chapter Ten

  Erase His Pain....

  Carolyn Thornton was dead and buried, and Ted and Victoria were snuggled in bed, talking in quiet tones about the events of the day.

  After the grave site burial, they decided it was best that Victoria take Alexandria back to the hotel instead of to the family gathering at Carolyn’s house. “It’s as if she’s been drugged,” Victoria had said with a worried expression.

  Alexandria had slept through lunch and had awakened for only a few brief moments after Ted returned to the hotel later that afternoon.

  Seeing that none of them were in the mood to go out for dinner, they ordered room service again. Alexandria was unusually quiet during their meal, and afterward she turned down a chance to watch cartoons in favor of going to her room to play with her new doll before going to bed.

  “What’s wrong, sweetie? Do you want to talk about what happened at church today?” Victoria had asked as she helped Alexandria into her nightgown.

  Alexandria shook her head. “No, Mommy. I’m sleepy,” was her answer before she curled up and drifted into deep slumber.

  “I’m worried about Alexandria,” Victoria said as she nestled close to Ted. “I hope she’ll be all right once we’re back home and she gets settled into her normal routine.”

  “Me too.” Ted nodded. “I should’ve let you lead on this one. I know you didn’t want her to attend the funeral.”

  “It’s over and done with now. Let’s just move forward. Isn’t that what you always say?”

  “You’re right.” He smiled.

  “I know you’ll probably be here a few more days, but I think Alexandria and I should fly back tomorrow.”

  “Actually, I was thinking I’d fly back with you, get some things situated at home, then come back here next week and tie up a few loose ends. I’ll call Jen first thing in the morning so she can make the reservations.”

  Victoria looked into Ted’s eyes. “How’re you feeling?” She was amazed that he was as calm as he appeared to be, given the circumstances. He’d told her that Charlie didn’t show his face at the grave site or back at the house, which had probably been a good thing for everyone involved.

  “I’m okay,” Ted replied. “It’s been hard, and I’m glad it’s all over.” He rubbed his tired eyes. “With the exception of my lunatic of a brother, Mother’s service was exactly the way she had wanted.”

  “I’m glad,” Victoria said, sounding fatigued.

  “V, how are you feeling? You haven’t slept in days.”

  “I’m good,” Victoria lied. “You know how wound up I get. I’m just worried about you and Alexandria.”

  “I’m worried about Alexandria, too, but I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

  Victoria snuggled even closer to Ted, running her fingers over his chest, feeling the rise and fall under the weight of her hand. She wanted to erase his pain. Other than her father, he was the strongest man she knew, a quality that had always made her feel safe with him. But she also knew that even the strongest of men had their breaking point, and she wondered when his time would come. She wanted to tell him that it was okay to cry, something she hadn’t seen him do yet. She made out the shadow of his face and raised her head up to his. “I love you, Ted.”

  “I love you, too,V.”

  She enjoyed the softness of his lips and his steady hand on her back as he gave her a slow, gentle good-night kiss, quieting her worries.

  I Knew He Was Gonna Be Trouble....

  It was Wednesday morning, one full week since Victoria had attended her mother-in-law’s funeral. And although it was the middle of the week, it was her first day back in the office. From the moment their plane had landed,Victoria had made herself busy working from home, meeting with clients at off-site venues, running errands, and most important, keeping a watchful eye on Alexandria and Ted.

  She was still sleep deprived, because she hadn’t gotten a moment’s rest, and now her body was beginning to betray her, making her feel sluggish and tired. But her one bright spot was that she was glad to be back in the comfort of her office, and now she was sharing the events of her trip with Denise.

  “Girlfriend, shut up!” Denise gasped as Victoria recounted the events of Carolyn’s funeral. “You mean to tell me that Ted’s brother carried on like that?” she said, shaking her head.

  Victoria nodded as she stood in front of Denise’s desk. “You should’ve seen him. Charlie cried and wailed like he’d just lost a limb.You’d never know that other than visiting Carolyn at the hospital right before she died, he hadn’t been to see his own mother in over six months. And that’s a real shame, because he lived only fifteen minutes away.”

  “Humph.” Denise scowled. “That’s low-down. The ones who cry the loudest are always the ones you have to watch.”

  “You got that right. And that’s why she didn’t leave him a dime.”

  “Well, I’ll say one thing. Your mother-in-law might have been a strange woman, but she knew a rat when she smelled one. Every mother knows their child,” Denise said, shaking her head again. “He got what he deserved.”

  “I think that’s the general impression the entire family shares.”

  “I know this must be hard on Ted. How’s he doing?”

  “You know him, always so strong and resilient. He’ll be okay, but it�
��s certainly taken a toll on him. Especially with the number his mother pulled about that crazy deathbed confession.”

  Victoria knew it was wrong to be mad at a dead person, because it was a wasted emotion, but she was upset about the unnecessary aggravation that Carolyn had caused. Not only had she kept her terminal diagnosis a secret from everyone, something she should have immediately shared with her family, but she had also carried on about her secret like she’d been hiding the location to buried treasure. She’d caused Ted to worry over something so miniscule, and Victoria couldn’t understand why. Carolyn certainly wasn’t the first person to rise from less than dignified beginnings.

  “I never pictured Carolyn as the overly dramatic type,” Victoria continued. “But that little act about her big secret took the cake.” She didn’t want to reveal that Carolyn had gone through the trouble of keeping the information locked away in a safe-deposit box, so she simply told Denise and Tyler that Ted had learned about his mother’s past from their family attorney after her funeral. And what she also didn’t say, despite her natural inclination to believe her husband, was that deep down she felt there was something still hidden about her mother-in-law’s past.

  “Girlfriend, I told you there was something wrong with that woman, and how much you wanna bet that there’s more to that story than meets the eye?”

  Victoria wanted to say she agreed, but simply nodded her head in reply.

  Denise sucked her teeth. “Family,” she huffed as she leaned across her desk to answer an incoming call. She frowned when she looked at the caller ID displayed on the shiny black phone. “Divine Occasions,” she said in an unusually stern voice.

  Victoria knew it couldn’t be Gigi, because she and Gary were still on their honeymoon in the south of France, and it couldn’t be anyone Denise knew, because she would have called them by their name. And she was fairly certain that it couldn’t be a client, because Denise always treated customers with courtesy. “Who is it?” Victoria whispered.

  Denise waved her hand and flicked her wrist. “She’s not in. I can take a message.”

  “Who is it?” Victoria whispered again.

  “No, I can’t transfer you to her voice mail, because it’s full,” Denise lied. “But as I said, I can take a message.”

  Victoria knew that her voice-mail box wasn’t full, and that whoever was holding on the other end of the line was someone that Denise clearly didn’t like, given her harsh tone and bold lie.

  A second later Denise hung up the phone, mumbling to herself. Victoria sat down on the love seat across from her desk in the small reception area of their office suite. “Who was that?”

  Denise rolled her eyes. “Dr. Parker Brightwood.”

  Victoria’s throat went dry, and the air became thick and muggy, despite the cool BTU’s pumping through the central air vents. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “He’s been calling for the past two days, but he refuses to leave his name or a message,” Denise said. “But he knows that I know it’s him. He tried to get the number for your direct line, but I wouldn’t give it to him, so now he wants to leave voice messages. You know I’m not about to let that happen. Girlfriend, I knew he was gonna be trouble.”

  Victoria raked her fingers through her hair and scooted to the edge of her seat. “Are you sure it was him?” she asked, knowing it was a silly question.

  Denise looked at Victoria like she was crazy, choosing not to confirm what they both already knew. “I know you’ve got a lot on you with Ted grieving, plus worrying about Alexandria’s emotional state, too, but you’ve gotta handle this before it gets out of hand.You can’t have that man calling up here for you, tryin’ to chase you down,” she warned.

  Victoria knew that Denise was right. Parker was persistent, the type who wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted. She bit down on her bottom lip and closed her eyes. “Shit!” she hissed.

  “Yeah, that’s exactly what’s gonna hit the fan if you don’t get this under control.”

  Victoria stood and paced back and forth. She didn’t want to deal with Parker. He’d e-mailed her the day she left Boston, and she had received another message from him two days after that. She had deleted them both and had barely thought about him again, managing to push him to the back of her mind so she could give Ted and Alexandria her full attention.

  Even though Alexandria seemed to be returning to her old self, Victoria was still worried about her. She wondered what lasting effects Carolyn’s funeral might have on her daughter’s young psyche.

  After Victoria talked to her mother, telling her about Alexandria’s behavior, Elizabeth offered to keep her granddaughter for a week. Although she and Ted had already planned to send Alexandria down to North Carolina for a visit at some point during the summer, Victoria wasn’t sure that now was the right time. She wanted to keep her daughter close by her side so she could monitor her mood. But Elizabeth’s plea finally convinced her that taking the trip was exactly what Alexandria needed.

  “She needs to know that even though her granny Carolyn went away, Nana Elizabeth and Grandpa John are still here,” Elizabeth had said. “Besides, it will give you and Ted a break during this difficult time. And with all the cousins and family friends we’ve got down here, she’ll have a ball,” Elizabeth declared, making her case as solid as stone.

  Once she and Ted discussed the pros and cons, they both agreed that a visit with her grandparents would be good for Alexandria, and it would also give them time to decompress. Ted still needed to tie up a few loose ends in Boston, and Victoria needed to catch up on her rest and business activities, which had gone neglected over the last two weeks. Elizabeth had booked a flight to Atlanta and would be there tomorrow to pick up her grandchild, then head back to Raleigh, where Alexandria would spend the next week and a half.

  Victoria’s anxiety level rose another notch as she continued to pace the small reception area, thinking about her daughter, thinking about her husband, and now thinking about Parker. It seemed that he was determined to get under her skin and back into her life.

  “Girlfriend, don’t let that fool get on your nerves,” Denise said. “You need to set him straight, real quick!”

  Victoria stopped pacing, knowing exactly what she needed to do next. “Hold my calls,” she said as she headed back to her office.

  You Feel So Damn Good....

  Ted sat behind his desk, ready to end his long day. He’d been up to his neck in meetings and phone calls since he returned home last week. When they landed at the airport, his car service had chauffeured Victoria and Alexandria in one direction, delivering them home, and then had taken him in another, dropping him at his office. Normally, Victoria would have complained if they had returned from a family trip and he’d headed straight for the office. But this wasn’t a normal family trip. She knew that he needed space, and she did, too. So she’d kissed him good-bye and told him that she’d see him later that evening.

  Since returning home, they’d both been coming and going like passing vehicles on a crowded highway.Victoria had been busy with the everyday juggling act that came with being a wife, mother, and businesswoman. Ted had been preoccupied with the pressures of ViaTech and wrestling with the knowledge of the family secret he had discovered. They hadn’t been connecting with each other, and he knew that the stress of everything was beginning to take over his life.

  He leaned back in his chair, trying to focus his mind on the financial prospectus in front of him instead of the complicated thoughts running through his head.

  “Ted, do you need anything before I leave?” Jen asked as she stood in the doorway of his office.

  Ted looked at his watch. It was almost eight o’clock, and he knew that his assistant was more than ready to get home to her family, but she was loyal and would stay until midnight if he asked her to. Even though he was in no hurry to return to his own home, he knew that she needed to get to hers. “No, I’ve got things under control.” He smiled. “Go home and have a good night.”<
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  The petite brunette peered at him through the thick lenses of her tiny, retro-inspired glasses. “Ted, you really should get out of here, too,” Jen said. “Go spend some time with Victoria and Alexandria.You all need each other right now.”

  Ted knew that no truer words had been spoken. Jen was his trusted right hand, and other than Victoria and his good friend Barry, she was the only person he could share things with in complete confidence. He had learned long ago how dangerous it could be to open up his world and his heart to the inspection of others. His first wife had taught him that lesson.

  “You’re right. I’ll be leaving a few minutes after you,” he said and nodded.

  “All right. Have a good night,” she said. “And I hope you’re really going to leave soon.”

  Ted gave an affirmative nod as he watched his assistant leave the office. He wanted to linger at his desk for as long as he could, but he knew she was right. He needed to go home.

  Going home at the end of a long, hard day had always been something he looked forward to. He loved his wife, and he loved his child. They were the two most precious things on earth to him, and knowing that they were waiting to greet him when he walked through the door was the comfort that soothed him. But since unearthing his mother’s long-buried secret, each time he came home and looked them in the eye, he felt a well of guilt and uncertainty gripping at his heart.

  Before they had left Boston, when they were lying in bed the night of his mother’s funeral,Ted had wanted to tell Victoria the truth. But he knew that he couldn’t. He was suffering from a guilty conscience, and it was beginning to wear on him.

  He couldn’t tell Victoria about the strange incident that had happened when he was sitting in front of his mother’s coffin at the grave site, receiving condolences from the line of mourners as they passed by. An older woman who hadn’t been in the church during the funeral service had walked up and hugged Lilly’s neck, then his. She had leaned in close, giving him whispered words of sympathy, and then had discreetly slipped him an envelope. He’d tucked it away in the pocket of his suit coat and read it once the limo dropped Victoria and Alexandria off at the hotel. The contents of that envelope were one of the reasons why he was about to make a trip to Jackson, Mississippi.