“Hey, don’t worry about my wife,” William spoke, and his tone was sharper than he intended. He sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. I know you were just being nice. I’m just stressed. And I can’t believe that story showed up in the paper. Like I need more problems between me and my wife.”
“Well, surely you don’t think she believed that story, do you?”
William looked at her sharply.
“Well, I just know that if I were married, I’d trust my man,” Olivia said. “And I would know the type of man he was. I certainly wouldn’t believe some newspaper over his word. But I guess maybe your wife doesn’t know you at all.”
“My wife knows me fine,” William said, but he was beginning to wonder.
Olivia sidled up to William and rubbed his forearm. “I hate to see you like this,” she said. “Come on, let’s go home. I’ll fix you something good to eat and rub your shoulders.”
Chapter 82
Nikki went straight to Danielle’s house, thoughts tripping over each other as they chased around her head. All this time, she had thought her marriage was strong, better than everyone else’s. But now she could see she had been wrong.
Forget William! She railed silently.
She climbed out of the Protégé and banged on Danielle’s door. Danielle opened the door and Psalm raced out. “Hi, Mama!”
Nikki struggled to put on a bright smile. “Hi, precious. Did you have fun with Auntie Dee Dee?”
“I did,” Psalm said. “We watched TV and she let me put on makeup.”
“That’s nice, dear.” Nikki patted the girl’s head.
“What’s wrong with you?” Danielle asked, taking a quick glance at Nikki before going back to working her hips and legs with Billy Blanks and Tae Bo on the TV screen.
“I’ll tell you later,” Nikki said. “Thanks for keeping her for me. I’ll just grab her and get out of your hair.”
“Hey, you look upset,” Danielle said. She did a lunge and kick combination. Her voice came out in short bursts. “Just . . . wait . . . ’til . . . I . . . . finish . .. . this.”
Nikki plopped down on the couch, grateful to have a listening ear—even if she had to wait.
Ten minutes later, Danielle flopped down next to her, wiping sweat from her forehead. “Psalm, go pass me my water from the refrigerator.”
Taking a swig from the bottle Psalm had brought, Danielle turned to Nikki. “Now, what’s wrong with you?”
Psalm raced off to the bathroom to continue playing in makeup. Nikki rattled off the news about William and Olivia, careful to speak in low tones so Psalm would not hear.
Danielle’s mouth fell open. “With Olivia?”
“Yeah.”
“I should have known she had a hand in this,” Danielle said with a faraway look in her eyes.
“You know Olivia?”
“Oh, no,” Danielle said quickly, refocused on her friend. “I was just speaking . . . in general. You know how women are. Always out to get your man.”
“Yeah,” Nikki sighed. “I can’t believe William would allow himself to be drawn in though.”
“Boring old William? That’s unbelievable. I thought he was one of the good guys.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Well, look, you don’t need him anyway. You don’t even have to go back to that funky house he put you up in. Why don’t you and Psalm crash here?”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I know you don’t want to have to go back to that house and look at all those memories. Besides, you don’t need anything from William Broussard.”
Nikki’s smile was watery. “Oh, thanks, Danny!” she said, “You’re right, I don’t want to go back to that house.”
“Then, it’s settled,” Danielle said. “You know where everything is. You and Psalm can get the guest bedroom. You can just go get your stuff tomorrow. It’ll be fun, just like a big slumber party.”
Nikki nodded. At least she still had her best friend. And to think, she had doubted Danielle a few days ago. Nikki felt ashamed.
Chapter 83
William went into Olivia’s spare bedroom that had become his resting place for the moment. He shut the door and leaned back on the bed, his legs extended over the edge. How had his life gotten so complicated? Here he was estranged from his wife and in a campaign he felt he would lose.
His mind turned over all of the developments of the past few weeks and his head hurt. He now had more access to money than ever before, a nice home and people were beginning to know who he was. People like Reverend Hicks were showing up in his life, offering him the means to attain things he would not be able to have on his own.
But was all this worth it? Was it worth his marriage? He had a house he was not even living in. He had a wife he couldn’t communicate with anymore and a campaign he was not sure how he wound up in to begin with.
William’s eyes roamed the room, landing on a Bible in a bookcase. He sat up and reached for it, pulling it onto his lap as he perched on the bed, his back against the headboard.
He had to admit, his prayer life had suffered quite a bit lately. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had studied the Bible—not since Reverend Chance died, it seemed. William opened it now and his eyes fell on James 5:13: “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray.”
He sure did feel afflicted. At every turn, William had trouble. Maybe he should take some time to pray over his situation. But what should he even pray for? William sighed and closed his eyes. “Lord, I just need help.”
He paused. His mind went back to the dreams he and Nikki had spent hours weaving. They would chase their political dream. He would run for a small office at first in city government, gain favor, do a good job, then move on to bigger and better—a statewide office, on the way to a national post.
Nikki would be home with their children and she’d sometimes travel with him during school breaks. He would give her a big house, vacations in The Hamptons . . . the works.
But why was it that they were at odds?
He stood up, and after a moment of silence, announced to the empty room: “I’m going to get this thing straight with my wife.”
Chapter 84
Danielle went to her bedroom and quietly shut the door. She looked around, taking in the walls, floor and ceiling. This was supposed to be her sanctuary, but she couldn’t be too careful.
She picked up the cordless phone from the night stand and examined it, then carefully placed it back on its base. All her life, she had known she had to watch her back. And with what happened between Troy and her, she had been feeling lately like she had to be on her guard even more.
She couldn’t let anything slip past her. She heard a sound and stood perfectly still. Not hearing anything for a moment, she eased next to her door and stood next to it, listening. She thought she heard Nikki whispering in the other room, but couldn’t be sure. “Did I just hear my name?” she wondered out loud.
Danielle inched even closer to the door and slowly eased it open. Silence. I know they’re talking about me. I know they’re watching me. But they’re not going to get me, she vowed.
She closed the door and locked it, then wedged a chair under the knob.
She stretched out on top of the covers, fully dressed, and fell asleep with the light in her face.
Chapter 85
William sat in his favorite chair in the living room at the house he had briefly shared with his wife, waiting on Nikki to return. It was late. He glanced at his watch. He had been sitting there for two hours.
He knew she had to come home soon. She would not want to keep Psalm out too late. When she arrived, he knew they would be able to talk through this thing and put it behind them.
He sprang up when he heard tires crunching on rocks outside. He looked out of the window and his heart sank as he realized it was just somebody turning around in the driveway.
William sat back down. His mind turned to the years he had spent with his wife. They had been through so many hard t
imes, but they had never quit. And he almost had quit on them this time. But he was ready to set this right. The discord between them had gone on too long, and it was time he put an end to it.
“Where is Nikki?,” he wondered as the minutes ticked by.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed. A sleepy Nikki answered. “Hey, it’s me,” he said, surprise in his voice. “You asleep?”
“Yes, I am. And why are you calling me?”
“Why am I calling you?”
“You heard me.”
William frowned. He wasn’t used to this tone from Nikki. She usually catered to him, and now she was being rather short. “I’m at the house, waiting on you.”
“Well, wait all you want,” she retorted. “I’m not going back there.”
“You’re not coming back?” William asked in surprise.
“Did I stutter?”
“Baby, we need to talk. We’ve got to settle this thing between us.”
“Seems like you already settled it when you got in Olivia’s bed.”
“Baby, it’s not even like that. I—”
“Save it, Will.”
The phone went dead in his hand.
William sat in the easy chair, stunned. She couldn’t really believe that. But he knew infidelity was the one thing Nikki would never tolerate. He could still hear the anger in her voice when she told him about the time Danielle had slept with her boyfriend. But Nikki said she forgave her friend, though she dumped the boyfriend.
She knew him better than that, William reasoned. Surely Nikki knew he wouldn’t do that.
She’s just mad right now. I’ll talk some sense into her in the morning.
He had to.
Chapter 86
Nikki put the cell phone back on the chair next to the bed, sleep now gone. She slowly eased out of the bed, trying not to awaken her daughter. She tiptoed to the door and squeezed out of it. William’s call had jarred her.
Why was he calling now? She had pleaded with him for weeks to try to talk this thing through, but he wouldn’t have it. “Oh, but now he wants to talk to me after he’s been sleeping with old what’s-her-name. I don’t think so,” she hissed as defiance blazed in her heart.
Nikki knew she had to get her thoughts together. She pulled open a kitchen drawer, searching for a pen and paper. She grabbed a blue pen and found a small spiral notebook. She flipped through it, searching for a clean page.
Danielle sure has some ugly handwriting. Good thing she types most of her stuff, Nikki mused with a half smile. Her best friend was beautiful but this writing was not. It reminded Nikki of someone else’s but she couldn’t place it. She frowned as her eyes slid over words on one of the lined sheets. “Chance funeral. 11:00 A.M. Olivia has details.”
Why did she write down info about Reverend Chance’s funeral? Nikki wanted to know.
“What are you doing in my drawer?”
Danielle’s voice startled Nikki and she jumped. She laughed, a bit nervously. “Girl, I didn’t know you were right there.”
Danielle walked to the counter. “I see,” she said, taking in the notepad and pen. “What are you looking for?”
“Oh, I just needed something to write with,” Nikki said, holding up the pen and paper, grinning sheepishly. “William woke me up, so I decided to come in here and just try to jot down some things floating around in my head.”
Danielle eyed Nikki for a long moment, then nodded. “Oh. Okay.”
The next morning, Danielle did a final inspection of her room before grabbing her purse and keys to head to work. She did a mental check of her duffel bag, making sure she had a good change of clothes. She always kept the bag in her car in case she wanted to ditch her work scrubs in favor of something sexy after she left work.
“I fixed you some pancakes and eggs,” Nikki said, stepping into Danielle’s bedroom. “Do you want orange juice or milk?”
“Oh, don’t worry about me, I don’t need anything,” Danielle said. “I’m already late.”
“When has that ever stopped you?” Nikki laughed.
“Well, I’ve been late a lot these few months so I need to try to do better,” Danielle said. “My boss has been really cool lately, but still, you know there is a limit.”
“You mean the boss you’ve been flirting with for the raise?”
“I already got the raise,” Danielle said, “and I can’t help it if people think I’m desirable.”
Nikki cast her eyes skyward. “Okay. Well, I’m going to fix Psalm something to eat then.”
When Nikki stepped out of the room, Danielle’s eyes returned to her own reflection in the mirror. “I know she’s spying on me,” Danielle told the image staring back at her. “I saw her going through my drawer last night. But they’re not going to get me.”
Chapter 87
Nikki’s cell phone rang and she saw the call was from her husband. She sent it to voice mail. She was not going to talk to him. Instead, she finished washing the breakfast dishes. The phone rang again ten minutes later.
She pressed the button and again, the call went to voice mail.
The phone immediately rang again. Nikki sighed in annoyance. She knew William would keep calling until she talked to him. She grabbed the phone. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me,” William said.
“I know who this is.”
“So are you going to talk to me now?”
“For what?” she said, sticking her hand into the warm soapy water to pull out the stopper and let the sink drain.
“So we can reconcile,” William said, as if the answer should have been obvious.
“Oh, now you want to reconcile?” Nikki needled. “So, you’re tired of Olivia’s bed already?”
“I told you, nothing is going on between us.”
“So why are you staying at her house?”
“Because I needed a place to crash.”
“What, you didn’t have a home? You didn’t have a wife? William, I don’t want to hear this mess. Leave me alone. Good bye.”
Again, she hung up on him.
“Why is she being so difficult?” William fumed in frustration, letting the phone clatter onto the desk.
“William, we’ve got to get a move on. You have to give a speech in forty minutes,” Winston said. “Let’s get out of here.”
“You didn’t come home last night,” Olivia accused, walking to his desk. She had been on the phone when he arrived at the office thirty minutes ago.
“I was at home. My home,” William said coolly.
Olivia’s eyebrows shot up and a vein pounded in her forehead. “You went back home?”
William looked at her sharply. “Yes, is that a problem?”
“Oh. Oh, no,” she said, but he could tell she was agitated. “I just didn’t know. You didn’t tell me.”
“Olivia, you’re not my keeper,” William chided. She was starting to get on his nerves.
“I’m not trying to be,” Olivia shot back. “I’m just trying to be a friend.”
“Well, just chill. I have a lot going on, as you well know.”
“So, are you moving back into your house then?”
William opened his mouth, then shut it. He had no idea. If his wife wasn’t there, what was the point?
“I need a job,” Nikki said flatly. She stood in Joe Smiles’s office; on the wall in front of her was a line of dramatic photos, even the accident photo she had taken more than a month ago. “Joe, you’ve got to hire me.”
Joe chewed his bottom lip and slowly shook his head, his ruddy cheeks flushed. “Nikki, I’ve told you before, I would if I could,” he said. “But I can’t. The newspaper is really concerned about liability.”
“But the charges have been dropped against my husband and those against me have been downgraded to misdemeanors, and I’m paying restitution.” She paused, frustration creeping into her voice. “Well, I would be paying restitution if I had a job.”
Joe continued to shake his head. “I wish there was som
ething I could do. I really do.”
Nikki stood in front of him, despair written across her face. She leaned over his desk. “Joe, come on,” she pleaded. “We go way back. How many times have I freelanced something for you? How many times have I gotten you out of binds with a photo here or a photo there? You know my work.”
“Nikki, it’s not about your work,” Joe said in a regretful tone. “You are one of the most talented photographers I’ve seen in my whole career. That’s not the issue. The issue is that legal thing. If it was up to me, I’d hire you in a sec. But it’s not up to me.”
“Joe, isn’t there something you can do?” Nikki searched his face. “I have a daughter to support. She needs things—food, clothes. I really need this job, Joe.”
But Joe shook his head. “I’m sorry, Nikki. I can’t help you.”
Disappointed, Nikki walked with leaden steps out of Joe’s office, climbed into her vehicle, and let her head fall to the steering wheel. What would she do? She had to get a job. She had to be able to provide for her child.
Bitterness crowded into her consciousness as she thought back just a few short months. She had been docile and sitting by while her husband practically forbade her to get a job, even declining a photography position at a magazine. And now here she was, almost begging to work and couldn’t get anywhere.
I don’t know what made me trust my whole future to a man, she thought in anger. I’ll never do that again. I don’t care how in love I feel. I’ll always be able to take care of myself. Thank God. At least I have Danielle.
Chapter 88
Danielle wrapped up her last session and ushered two patients back to their rooms. As she turned to leave them, Nurse Smart materialized at her side. “Hi,” Danielle said, surprise registering on her face.
“I’ve been trying to catch up with you all week,” Nurse Smart said, with a bright smile. “If you’re not doing anything after work, maybe we can grab dinner somewhere.”
Danielle searched her mind for an excuse, but knew she had run out a long time ago. She nodded and patted the woman’s arm. “That sounds great. Where do you want to go?”
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