Recipe for Enemies

by P T Winger

  And finally, “For my enemy, Jake’s parent. I intend for you to make your son Jake stop bothering Ryan.”

  There. She finished labeling the last bag, then stood looking at them, five pretty bags with delicious-looking chocolate balls inside. An electric thrill shot through her.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  David went out the door on Thursday morning with barely a brush of his lips against Erin’s cheek. “Remember, I won’t be home for dinner,” he said as he went out the door. “This project is eating us alive.”

  “I’m sure,” Erin said.

  At eleven-thirty, she removed one of the bags from where she’d hidden them with the ingredients in the butler’s pantry. An extra bag holding the last two chocolate balls sat alongside the others. She’d left this one unmarked and with no specified intention in case she might need it in the future.

  She placed the bag into her purse and headed toward David’s office in town. As she drove, she thought about what she’d say to Jessica. Perhaps she’d be confrontational. She could say she’d seen the way the woman stared at David during the company picnic a few weeks ago. Or the way Jessica leaned over too slowly to pick up the volleyball, giving David ample time to stare at her tits almost falling out of her low-cut shirt.

  No, that would only cause issues and would certainly get back to David. It was better to be friendly, to chat with Jessica for a few minutes, and then offer her some chocolate. She’d make sure the woman ate at least one. And then Erin would leave Jessica’s office and stop in and say hi to David. It would be a pleasant surprise visit, one she didn’t make too often.

  She found an empty parking space a few spaces from the building’s entrance, pulled in and shut off the engine.

  As she stepped out of the car she had a brief moment of uncertainty. What would happen if the candy did something to Jessica while Erin stood in her office? She pictured Jessica getting sick and throwing up, or feeling lightheaded and fainting. Perhaps someone would start asking questions, and she’d say Erin had given her chocolate balls to eat.

  Was this even a good idea at all?

  With these thoughts, she braced herself for an onslaught of Rosalyn Clower’s ghostly presence, but the air remained void of her powdery floral scent. Perhaps her great-grandmother knew that Erin had already started on her journey to stop the people who were negatively affecting her family.

  After all, she was here at David’s office building. She had the candy in her purse. And Jessica was screwing her husband.

  Erin strode to the front door and went in.

  She climbed the stairs to the third floor. The marketing department was along a short corridor from the reception area. Erin chatted briefly with the receptionist, mentioning she was just passing by and wanted to pop in and say hello to David. The receptionist smiled and told her to go ahead.

  The corridor, lined with office doors, was empty at the moment. As marketing manager, Jessica had a private office at the last door on the right, where she could converse with those she managed. The communal office where David and his assistant, Jeffrey, worked was the first room on the left.

  David’s door was shut, and Erin passed it by. She wanted to deal with his mistress first.

  She passed the conference room on her right; this door was open, and two men, neither of them David, sat in there eating lunch, staring at laptops open in front of them. Another office door on her left was open. Within, a woman stood with her back to Erin looking out her window, phone at her ear. Past this office was a break room with a kitchenette and table.

  Jessica’s door was open. Erin clutched her purse with trembling hands and took a deep breath, then let it out and stepped through the doorway.

  The room was empty.

  Erin hadn’t planned for this, hadn’t planned for anything except Jessica being in her office eating her lunch at this time. During the times Erin had brought lunch for David, she’d found that most of the department ate at their desks and kept on working. But no, there was no food bag or drink sitting on Jessica’s desk.

  Perhaps she’d gone out to eat. Erin waited a moment and then walked behind the desk. The woman’s purse sat on the floor behind the desk next to a tall potted plant. So she was here, somewhere.

  She heard footsteps in the corridor and peeked out to see who it was. A woman—not Jessica—shuffled papers in her hands and looked down at them as she walked. She went into the conference room.

  Erin waited another moment. Where was Jessica? Not having sex with David in his office, surely, not at this time of the day.

  But his door had been shut. Maybe they were together right now.

  Erin’s upper lip curled and her nostrils flared. Head down like a bull’s, she headed back up the hall to his office. She stood for a moment with her ear to his door, listening for voices. Hearing none, she opened the door and walked in. The room held three desks, a work table, and a supply closet. No one was in here.

  Relief trickled through her anger. Perhaps he’d gone out to lunch even though Erin had packed him a sandwich. She stood gazing down at the brown office carpeting, wondering if she should wait or try and come back later. She might lose her nerve, though, if she left. Or, perhaps she could leave the candy with the receptionist, but that would risk someone else eating it.

  No, it was best to return to Jessica’s office and linger for a few more minutes in case the woman came back. Erin started to go back out into the hall.

  Sounds came from somewhere within the office, muffled and quiet. Moaning. Grunting. Slapping of flesh on flesh.

  She turned her head, trying to gauge the location of the sounds.

  The supply closet.

  Erin came back in and closed the office door softly. She waited another moment, her body ice, eyes wide and dry.

  A thump, a soft groan. “Don’t stop, don’t stop,” came a breathless voice – David’s?

  Sad, anguished rage filled her. She wanted to pin Jessica to the floor and stuff the candy down her throat. She took a deep breath. “David?”

  She heard frantic scuffling. Erin stood facing the closet door, and waited. A moment later, the door opened and David walked out holding a box of pens.

  He stopped as if surprised, as if he hadn’t heard her call his name. “Erin!” he exclaimed, eyebrows raised and a smile pasted on his face. “What brings you here?”

  She fought herself for control. “Do I need a reason?” She hadn’t thought of any excuse for coming by. David’s office building was in a part of town that she didn’t frequent. “I just wanted to stop by.” She hugged her purse. Her gaze flicked to the supply closet and back to David.

  David remained still for a second, then walked to his desk and placed the box on its surface. He faced her. Part of his shirt hung out over his pants. “Well, okay.” His eyes also shifted to the supply closet door. “Anything I can do for you?”

  She pointed with a shaky finger. “Is Jessica in there?”

  “Jessica?” Confusion crossed his face, then comprehension. “No, she’s in a meeting with the sales department.”

  If Jessica wasn’t in the supply closet, then who was? She wanted to know, yet she didn’t.

  The closet door opened and Jeffrey emerged, holding a ream of paper. “I finally found it,” he said, a cheerful smile on his face. He stopped when he saw Erin. “Hey there, Erin. How are you?”

  Erin’s mouth opened. Her gaze flew from Jeffrey to David and back again. Jeffrey? David was having an affair with Jeffrey? Shock and indignation slammed into her. Her whole world suddenly felt turned upside down. She’d been prepared to confront a woman. But another man? This was out of her realm. She couldn’t breathe.

  Jeffrey took the paper to his desk, where he stood with his back to her. The silence was replaced with the sounds of him tearing open the wrapper and pulling out sheets of paper. His thinning red hair was mussed.

  Erin’s heart pounded in her chest. She didn’t know what to say. She turned to David and stared at him.

  Dav
id looked at his watch. “Isn’t your book club meeting today?”

  “Yes, but I...” She swallowed hard, trying to think clearly. Her gaze shifted to the floor and then the bag of chocolate balls in her purse. An awareness rose of why she was here and what she wanted to do. A deep calm settled over her as she gathered control.

  She raised her head and faced her husband. If she could change the name of the person she intended to eat the candy, perhaps it would still work. “I want to speak to Jeffrey.”

  In her peripheral vision she saw Jeffrey’s back stiffen.

  “What is this about, Erin?” David asked. Unease warred with indifference in his expression. He knew that she knew, and a part of him didn’t give a shit.

  “David, could you leave us alone for a few minutes?”

  “No, I can’t.” David crossed his arms. “We’re busy. What do you need?”

  “It’s okay, David,” Jeffrey said. He looked at Erin with less cheer. “We’ll be fine. Why don’t you go get us some coffee.”

  David hesitated, then walked to the door. “I’ll be back shortly,” he said to Jeffrey. With a worried frown toward Erin, he went out and shut the door.

  Erin faced Jeffrey and said the words she’d practiced for Jessica. “I’ll get right to the point. I know you and my husband are having an affair.”

  Jeffrey’s head lowered, but his eyes never left hers. His normally pasty-looking face turned ruddy, a color almost matching his hair. “I’m sorry.”

  “Are you married?”

  “No.”

  “Any children?”

  “No.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Excuse me?”

  Erin took a step toward him. He took a step back, brown eyes widening over plump cheeks. She spoke slowly. “How old are you?”

  “Forty-two. Why?”

  A little older than David. “I’m not here for any other reason than to get the details, Jeffrey.” She adopted a sad smile, and the words came to her. “The truth is, David and I should have split up a long time ago.”

  Jeffrey said nothing.

  “So,” she said, letting out a breath and hoping she sounded sincere in the tale she was spinning, “I wanted to let you know that although I love him very much, I’ve never seen him so happy since he’s been with you. And... I want his happiness more than anything.”

  Jeffrey looked incredulous. “Do you really mean that?”

  The words were hard to get out. “Yes, I do. David and I are finished. I want us to remain friends, though, so I’m not going to fight his... preferences. And I-I’d like for you and I to be friends, too.”

  He blinked through the moisture in his eyes. “Thank you. I can’t believe I’m hearing this, but thank you.”

  Hurt welled up within her. She turned so Jeffrey wouldn’t see her tears and walked over to the window to look out. She’d been prepared for Jessica, another woman she could relate to and had imagined in David’s arms. The shock of finding Jeffrey as David’s lover was too much.

  She thought back to the picnic. What signals had she missed? She’d been so focused on Jessica that she’d paid no attention to Jeffrey.

  It appeared he believed he had a true, meaningful relationship with her husband, but Erin knew David wouldn’t take it any further than the supply closet even if his lover were Jessica instead of Jeffrey. He didn’t want to mess up his manly façade, nor did he want his reputation among his colleagues as a faithful, devoted husband and father to be tarnished.

  Whatever Jeffrey thought would happen, Erin knew her marriage with David was on the rocks. And since Jeffrey had come between them, he’d be the one to pay.

  Still facing the window, she reached into her purse and pulled out the bag of chocolate balls. She whispered, “Jeffrey, I intend for you to stop having sex with David.” Louder, she said, “You have a nice view.”

  Jeffrey didn’t join her. “I wouldn’t know. I never look out of windows above the ground floor if I can help it.”

  “Oh?”

  “I’m afraid of heights.”

  “I see.” She turned back to him. “Well, I’m glad we talked.”

  “I am, too.” He’d remained standing where he was.

  She undid the twist tie and opened the bag. “Before I leave, would you like to try some of these? I’m entering a dessert competition and need opinions.” She approached and held out the bag. “Consider it a peace offering, if nothing else.”

  His face brightened as he peered at the clear cellophane bag. “Chocolate?”

  She nodded.

  “Yes, I’d love to. They look delicious.” Jeffrey took a chocolate ball from the bag and put it in his mouth. He chewed, scrunched his face a bit, and swallowed. “It’s an unusual flavor,” he said, then nodded reassuringly. “But still tasty.”

  “I think it’s the recipe. It called for mustard seed, of all things.”

  “That’s it,” Jeffrey said. “I thought I tasted mustard.”

  “Another?” Erin held the bag closer to him.

  He hesitated, lips pressing together, then said, “Okay, just one more.” He popped it in his mouth, and she watched his throat move as he swallowed it whole.

  Erin put the twist tie back on and dropped the bag into her purse. “Thank you for sampling them. Do you think I have a chance of winning?”

  His nod was vigorous. “Oh, absolutely.”

  She smiled at him. “Well, I need to go now.” She had no idea how long it would take for the candy to have its effect, whatever it was, and she didn’t want to wait around to find out. She headed to the door.

  “Erin,” he said as she touched the doorknob. “Thank you. I want David to be happy, too. I really do love him, you know.”

  Erin stilled. “Does he love you, too? Has he told you that?”

  A blissful smile lit his face. “Yes. He tells me all the time.”

  She couldn’t answer with the hard lump pressing in her throat. Instead, she nodded and left. David stood at the door to the break room down the hall. He headed toward her.

  “What did you tell him?” he asked when he reached her. His worried tone was quiet since two people, one of them Jessica, had entered the corridor from the reception area. Jessica gave Erin a wave as she passed.

  “He’ll let you know,” Erin said. She wanted to hate him in that moment. Instead, to keep up appearances, she kissed him on the cheek. “See you for dinner.”

  He said nothing. She walked stiffly down the steps and out of the building to her car, managing to hold back from crying until she’d gotten in. Then, deep, uncontrollable sobs wracked her body for several minutes.

  The shock of knowing the truth hit her hard. Because of David’s sexuality, her marriage was over, no matter what happened to Jeffrey.

  Finally, she gained control of herself and wiped her nose and eyes. She needed to do what she could to keep her life in order, and that meant getting out of here. The last thing she felt like doing was going to her book club meeting. But she needed to stick to her routine or she’d fall apart.

  She started the car and headed to the library on the other side of town, trying to put the conversation with Jeffrey out of her mind.

  Perhaps he’d soon be out of their lives forever. He’d get another job, break up with David, and disappear. Erin clutched at this thought like a life raft in a violent sea.

  One of the books the club was supposed to read this month, Making the Most of Your Day, still sat unread on her bedroom side table. The events of the past week had sidetracked her. She’d forgotten to bring it, so she couldn’t flip through the pages to familiarize herself with the contents. In the library parking lot, she pulled out her phone, looked up the book online, and read over the description as well as the first few pages of the book using the site’s sneak peak feature. The reviews also gave hints as to the contents. She scanned these before getting out of the car.

  She wrung her hands as she walked across the parking lot to the library door. Her husband loved Jeff
rey. This wasn’t just an affair. He tells me all the time. Erin couldn’t get Jeffrey’s words out of her head. She wanted to cry again but focused on opening the door to the library, walking across the polished wood floor, and finding her group. Erin greeted them and sat at the table, responding to their concerns about her puffy red eyes by saying her allergies were acting up.

  She could keep up with the conversation about the book’s recommendation of practicing daily positive habits enough to make the others believe she had read the pages. She nodded, smiled and laughed at the right times, and said the right things. Inside, she wanted to leap out of her wooden chair and race around the library in a rage, yanking books from shelves, smashing artifacts in the display cases, punching any librarians who told her to hush. She eyed the room, imagining herself on her rampage.

  He tells me all the time.

  If the chocolate concoction worked, David wouldn’t for much longer be telling Jeffrey he loved him.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Erin heard David’s car arrive and the door slam hard as he got out. She continued chopping up a carrot.

  Was he angry? Good. Her sadness from earlier this afternoon had turned to hard-edged fury. She’d become more and more livid as the day went on, and now she was ready for a fight.

  He strode into the kitchen and stopped when he saw her. From his hopeful yet wary expression, she could tell that nothing had yet happened to Jeffrey.

  “We need to talk,” he said.

  “Yes, months ago.”

  “Let’s go into the den.”

  “Can’t,” she said, tossing the carrot slices into a bowl of lettuce. “I’m cooking. Dinner will be ready soon. Why don’t you get yourself a beer and watch some television.”

  “Dinner can wait. I want to talk to you now.”

  She stopped and looked at him. “No, dinner cannot wait. And you’ve had plenty of chances to talk to me, David.”

  He gave a sharp exhale and stepped closer to her. “Look,” he said, voice lowering, “Jeffrey and I aren’t in a relationship, okay? It’s just an office thing. Temporary.”