by J. P. Comeau
“Hey Mom,” I said when she answered the landline phone.
She was always in a good mood.
“It’s so good to hear your voice.” I could hear Caley and Daddy talking in the background. “Caley and your father are playing a game of Uno right now.”
“That sounds like fun,” I said, watching a student attempt a backbend. “Who’s winning?”
“You know… your father,” she said with a laugh. “Even though she’s ten years old, that doesn’t stop his competitive streak.”
“Do I ever,” I replied, remembering how he only occasionally allowed Julianna and me to win a game growing up. “I bet you’re baking cookies for her, too, huh?”
“Well, don’t tell your sister, but she just loves my cakes! Especially my black forest cake. I only let her have a small piece, though.”
Julianna was reasonably strict when it came to eating junk food, a little more so than myself, which was odd since I practiced a holistic lifestyle. “Is that the one that won the local bake-off?”
“It sure is! Your father loves it too, but of course he has to keep his blood sugar down. I suspect that he sneaks in a few extra bites whenever I’m not looking, though.”
I laughed, picturing Daddy hovered over the kitchen island, sneaking an extra slice of cake while glancing over his shoulder with fork in hand.
“Save some for me,” I said, eyeing my protein bar with disgust. “Any chance I could talk to Caley for a few moments?”
My mother put the phone down to go get Caley, and I decided to ditch the protein bar and order some takeout. One junk meal a week wouldn’t be so bad, or at least that’s what I told myself on occasion. I might even see if they have some cake, too.
I wouldn’t eat it in front of anyone at the studio, though. It was like my dirty little secret.
“Hi, Aunt Annie!” My face lit up as soon as I heard my niece’s voice.
“Hi, sweetie. How’s your visit going? How’s Jude?”
“I’m having such a good time! Jude’s taking his morning nap. Guess what?
“What?”
“Grandma and Grandpa let me stay up late the night before last. Plus, I get to have dessert with every meal. Mom would freak out, but I won’t tell her!” Caley and I laughed a little bit.
“That’s great! Do you miss your mom and Jake?”
“Yeah, sure, Aunt Annie. But I know they need to be alone right now. I hope they bring me something back from their honeymoon. Do you think they will?”
“You bet I do,” I told her.
Even though it was their honeymoon, I secretly hoped they'd bring me something as well. Julianna knew how much I loved English tea biscuits, and they were honeymooning in London, England. Jake and I both assumed my sister would want to go someplace tropical, such as the Bahamas, but she said there was enough sun in California and wanted a change.
I was so proud of my sister and happy for her new lifestyle with a billionaire husband and a beautiful daughter and son. Caley and Julianna had always been close, especially after such a nasty divorce from Caley’s father, Cam. Even though she was only seven years old at the time, Caley's intuition told her that her father was far from a decent person. Especially since Cam rarely made any attempt to see her once he left them. And, thankfully, Jake had become the loving father she desperately needed.
While I listened to Caley tell me everything they’d been doing, my mind drifted back to Richard. I hadn’t heard from him since the wedding. On the one hand, I knew it was for the best. It wasn’t like I had time for anything serious, anyway. Even as I sat there drinking herbal tea and listening to Caley, I knew the second we hung up that I’d get buried in paperwork, educating myself further on how to expand my business by adding a line of health food.
Where would I find the time to date?
“Tonight, we’re having barbecue chicken, corn on the cob, roasted potatoes, and sugar cookies!”
“It sounds like you’ve been eating a lot of sugar, honey. Tell grandma that you can't eat it too late in the day, or else you'll be up all night."
Caley didn’t even acknowledge what I had said about the sugar, which meant that she definitely wouldn’t mention it to her grandmother. I can’t say that I blamed her, though. And truth be told, I knew Mom would keep a watchful eye on Caley’s eating habits just like she had when Julianna and I were growing up.
She started telling me about a dollhouse that my father was building for her. As she discussed how she planned on decorating it, my mind began to wander, and I wondered if Richard was already sleeping with someone else.
Of course, he is.
He’s not a relationship kind of guy. In fact, he probably went home with a woman he met at the wedding.
All men are the same.
I tried not to picture him in bed with another woman.
Even if he did ask me out again, I had to turn him down. Everything in my life was getting better and on track. The last thing I needed was for a guy to mess that all up again.
Just then, I saw Crystal walk into the studio from her lunch break. She saw me on the phone. So to be polite, she stayed out front and helped a few students.
“Grandpa wants to talk to you.”
Before I could say anything back, Caley handed the phone over to my father. “Hey, sweetheart! How’s everything in River Valley?”
I told him all of the latest gossip since they no longer lived here anymore. Honestly, my dad was a shameless gadfly, savoring every morsel of gossip he could get his ears around.
“The Johnson’s are getting divorced, but not just because Mark had a roving eye. Turns out, so did his wife, Caroline. He came home and caught her in bed with her trainer.”
“Well, I’ll be damned!”
“From what I heard, she’ll get the house though. He wants to move to Florida, which is no surprise. He’s never liked it here.” I was just about to tell him more about Caroline when I saw Richard walk in. “Dad, I have to go. I’m sorry. A student needs me.”
“Okay, dear. We love you!”
“I love you too, Dad!”
I quickly hung up the phone and scurried onto the floor, indicating to Crystal that I needed to be alone for a minute.
Richard stood in the entryway, smiling at me and looking unbelievably gorgeous. He was wearing a grey suit that was just tight enough to show off his thigh muscles, and the black shirt underneath outlined his abs.
The same abs that were on top of me just a few nights before. I tried hard to steady my breath as I walked closer to him, noticing how the streaks of grey in his hair brought out the color of his suit.
Suddenly dating a much older man wasn’t such a bad idea.
“Hey, welcome to my studio,” I managed. “What brings you by here today?”
He smiled, once again revealing those dazzling white teeth, and leaned on the front counter. Another student walked in, allowing a breeze to waft into the studio that blew his cologne right into my face. “Are you wearing Polo Black by Ralph Lauren?”
He tilted his head.
“Guess I’m not the only man you’ve been with who has good taste,” he said.
Even the way he spoke made my knees weak.
“I used to work at Morris’s Department Store, back when I was saving up for this studio, and they sold it. It’s one of my favorite scents.”
He leaned in closer to me, no doubt wanting me to get a more potent whiff.
“Yep, Morris’s still sells it,” he said with a grin, “I love your work ethic. It seems you are always busy, busy…just like me.”
I had to steady myself on the stool behind the counter. Even though I didn’t remember a whole lot from our night together, suddenly, images of him naked and on top of me flooded my mind.
“Thanks. So, what brings you down here?” I tried to be as casual as possible. “You seem excited about something.”
“I had an amazing morning, Annie, and I wanted to tell you about it. It’s lunchtime, too. Care to grab a bite to eat
with me?”
My first instinct was to accept his offer, but my intuition told me to hold back. His steely eyes could have seduced the yoga pants right off of me.
“Oh gosh, I would, but I have classes all afternoon. I planned on just having a protein bar for lunch. I’m so sorry!”
He nodded and seemed to believe my lie. I had absolutely no classes that afternoon, and I’d be ordering Italian food as soon as he left.
“That’s alright,” he said. “You look great, by the way.”
I instinctively started playing with my hair, flirting with him without even realizing it. It didn’t take me long to snap back to reality, though.
“Thank you,” I replied.
“How about I call you and we’ll schedule something, then? When both of our schedules open up? I have a lot of work to do this afternoon, too.”
“That sounds great!”
Another lie.
No way would I see him again, unless it was at a family function, of course. He left and waved at me, and I wanted to fall to the floor. He was successful, sexy as hell, and could charm the pants off of any woman.
I made my way back to my office, with my head down, and slumped into my chair. Crystal left a note on my desk that she would be cleaning the locker rooms, which gave me some much-needed quiet time.
I pulled out the stack of papers about how to run a lifestyle brand and got to work. The first thing I wanted was to have a line of protein-packed oatmeal. Oats are a superfood, but they're also a carbohydrate that burned quickly. I started researching what type of protein I could add in prepackaged oatmeal.
My mind kept drifting back to Richard, though. I never expected him to come down here, to my studio, to ask me out. At best, I anticipated a late-night ‘are you up’ text, the kind guys only sent when they were horny. I wondered what he was so excited about, too.
It’s weird, I thought while staring at the papers in front of me. Richard and I had been friends for over a year, and neighbors for several more. I never thought of him as anything more than just that. Even though he was attractive, I had always managed to keep him at bay.
Now that I had a taste of him, however, I couldn’t seem to stay away.
There was something magnetic about Richard.
Even though I vowed never to see him again, deep down, I knew that was a lie, too.
There was no way I could stay away from Richard Truman.
8
_____
RICHARD
I made my way home after seeing Annie at her studio. While I was a bit disappointed that she couldn’t go to lunch, I still felt some sexual tension between us. Even if she had been holding back a little bit, it was impossible to ignore the magnetic attraction. She looked hot as hell in those yoga pants, too.
Since she couldn’t meet for lunch, I decided to make something for myself before heading back to work.
Less than five minutes after coming home, my front doorbell rang. I was a bit surprised to see a guy holding a large envelope that I had to sign for. Legal paperwork usually went to my parent’s mansion or our downtown office. Maybe it had to do with that piece of farmland Dad was talking about.
“Here you go,” I told the courier, signing the notice on the clipboard.
Then, I tossed the envelope onto the counter, realizing that I needed to eat before going over any paperwork. I could never work on an empty stomach.
After putting together a turkey sandwich, I sat down and started checking emails on my phone. At that point, nothing had come in about the farmland, which probably meant the paperwork was for some other purchase we were making.
I went upstairs and changed into workout shorts and a t-shirt. After seeing Gavin this morning, I remembered that I’d put on a few pounds after the wedding and should probably hit the gym after work today.
I finished eating in the kitchen while scrolling through social media. At some point, I glanced over at the envelope on the counter, and something told me to open it right away.
“That’s odd,” I whispered to myself, holding the envelope in my hands. It was from a local attorney we never used, but the law firm’s reputation proceeded it.
Since our expansion began, it was common for us to receive legal paperwork. I ransacked my brain, wondering what it was, but nothing came to mind. So, I immediately opened it and pulled out the documents inside. It was a thick packet. But at the top, instead of having the company name, my name was listed as the defendant in a lawsuit.
“What the hell is this?”
My mouth fell open as I read over the text, and suddenly I felt lightheaded and dizzy.
This paperwork had nothing to do with any expansion projects. They were legal documents from my ex-girlfriend, Heather, suing me for child custody and financial support.
Except we didn’t have any children together.
I didn’t have any kids at all.
I sank to a stool at the kitchen island, trying to interpret the legalese. But the more I read, the more confused I became. It didn’t take me long, though, to realize I needed to contact my personal attorney and get to the bottom of this, and the sooner, the better.
I quickly changed back into my suit before I ran to my car and drove downtown to Danielle Estrem’s Law Firm. She had been a family friend for years and was one of the best attorneys in the area. If anyone could make sense of these documents, it’d be her.
Danielle’s receptionist escorted me directly into her office, where she was reading a stack of documents. I swallowed hard, standing in front of her desk. Danielle glanced up with a smile, but it quickly faded when she saw the expression of confusion and panic on my face.
“Richard? Is everything alright?”
I sat down in front of her desk. My heart felt like it would leap out of my chest. I laid the documents in front of her and didn’t utter a word. All I could do was hold my breath.
She furrowed her brow and picked up the packet. “What’s this, Richard? I assume this is an emergency.”
“Yeah, Danielle, you could say that. Please forgive me for butting in like this.” I tried to smile, but my lips were stuck in a straight line. “You remember my ex-girlfriend, Heather?”
“Not really. But I do remember you mentioning her a long time ago when you came in about a prenup. Then you told me you two had broken it off.”
I tried to speak, but my tongue couldn’t form the words. Finally, I managed to croak, “May I have a bottle of water.”
“Of course.”
It seemed like an eternity before her legal aid appeared with a bottle of Perrier. I gulped the entire thing down as Danielle glanced over the documents before I could speak. Finally, I managed, “It appears she’s filing for custody of a child that we don’t have and wants child support. I don’t know what the hell she’s trying to do, Danielle, but there’s no way that I have a kid!”
Danielle held her hands up, indicating to me that I needed to calm down.
Except that I couldn’t.
Was Heather out to ruin me?
Was this some kind of horrible joke?
I hadn’t spoken to her in years.
“You need to relax and take a deep breath, alright? There are ways to dispute this, especially with DNA testing. Let me finish reading over these.”
As Danielle thoroughly read the documents, I couldn’t help but wonder if we did have a child together. On some level, I wouldn’t put it past Heather to keep that sort of thing a secret from me. She was a selfish, evil bitch who I should never have dated. Yet on another level, I still wasn’t sold on the fact that it was true.
It must be just a way to undermine my reputation.
Our family business was doing very well financially, and she probably got pregnant by some dirtbag who left her. I was sure that she was still in contact with friends and family here in River Valley. She probably found out that I was making a ton of money, and now she wanted to cash in.
I watched as Danielle picked up the phone, although I didn’t know
who she was calling. Probably, the attorney who had me served. I wanted to grab the phone and yell, “Do you think I’m a complete sucker?”
I tried listening in, but Danielle had her back to me and was speaking low, so much so I couldn’t make out a word she was saying.
Her secretary came in with another bottle of water, which I guzzled waiting for Danielle to finish. I watched as her office chair spun back around. She put the phone down on the receiver and slowly looked up at me. My stomach dropped. The expression on her face was unmistakable.
It was true.
“Yes, it’s allegedly true.” Danielle let out a sigh before proceeding. “The plaintiff claims three weeks after you two broke up, she took a pregnancy test, and it confirmed she was pregnant with your child. But don’t worry, we’ll file a request for DNA testing. You’re a wealthy man Richard, which can leave you a bit vulnerable to these sorts of things.”
Danielle was trying to give me hope, but deep down, I had an inkling Heather wouldn’t pull this shit if it weren’t true.
“Then why didn’t she tell me?” I said it so loudly that Danielle sat back in her seat. “I’m sorry. I really am. It’s just, I’m not ready for this, Danielle! Why would she keep our child a secret from me all this time?”
“According to her attorney, she didn’t want to be stuck here in River Valley.”
I blinked and tilted my head to the side. “Well, that is true, but what does it have to do with this lawsuit.”
“If you were the father, legally, you could have made her stay in town to help raise your child. If, of course, you were aware of the pregnancy, and the child turned out to be yours. So, I can only assume, that’s the reason she kept it a secret. She wanted to get out of here… and may have been waiting for a convenient time in her life to let you know about the baby.”
I put my head in my hands and massaged my temple—what a mess.
“I know this is no reassurance, but this scenario isn’t all that uncommon. And besides, it might be just a scam, hoping you might agree. An easy check… a document made up between the two of you. You pay. She keeps quiet. And the child goes away. It’s called extortion or blackmail. You take your pick. And, of course, it is illegal.”
