The Next Wife

by Kaira Rouda

  I’m satisfied when John finally wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me in close. That’s better.

  “Special thanks to Tish, who has put up with a very stressed-out CEO for these past few months. I know it hasn’t been easy keeping my schedule organized. And to all of you, I know I haven’t been the easiest person to work for lately.”

  Was that a slam? I mean, I am officially his executive assistant, but I’m so much more than a scheduler. We’re married, so half of his half of this now-public company is mine. My chest thumps again with the bigness of it all. John’s right, though. To say he’s been stressed out is an understatement, but I smile and turn to the EventCo team.

  “I’m so proud of you, John. You worked hard to make sure this IPO would be good for everyone. As for me, I just can’t wait to whisk you away for a much-needed vacation this weekend.”

  Even though this is the first John has heard about our trip, he doesn’t react. That’s fine. We leave tonight after the festivities. I’ve packed toiletries. The private plane waits for us at the airport. It will be nice to have a little weekend together in the mountains.

  We have so much to talk about.

  CHAPTER 2

  JOHN

  I take a deep breath and wipe my brow. My heart pounds in my chest as I realize it’s all over.

  I stand in this familiar conference room and look at the team—my team—and remember all we’ve accomplished. I spent my best years growing this business, and now, with the IPO, it’s a bittersweet moment. Going public will change everything, that’s what everyone tells me. I smile at Ashlyn, who narrows her eyes and glares at Tish standing next to me. I’m now aware that Tish is talking and that I should be the one doing so. I snap out of my reverie and jump in.

  “Anyway, thank you from the bottom of my heart, to each and every one of you. I hope you’re happy with your stock holdings. It’s too late if you aren’t,” I add, noticing the ripple of tension zipping around the table. You can’t please all the people all the time. But I tried, I really did. “And I know you know there is a lockdown period for the next ninety days, so no selling any stock before that. I predict three months from now our employee parking lot will be filled with shiny new cars.”

  A wave of “wow” and “no” flows through the room, and tense expressions give way to wonder. What does it mean for me? each of them is thinking. I know the feeling when reality sets in. Jennifer walks around the conference table handing out the rules and regulations packet governing initial public offerings and company executives. She’s such an asset.

  I note with relief that Kate seems at ease, too. I never meant to hurt her, and I’ve tried to tell her so lately. I’m not sure she believes me, but I have been making progress in repairing the mess I made. I hope so, at least. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. I love that habit. And I love that white suit. I wonder if she wore it today because it was my favorite.

  My heart thumps loudly in my chest again, and I clutch the conference table for support while I continue watching my ex-wife. I hope her astronomical net worth will make her happy. Soften her heart a little. I can’t really count it as my penance, though, can I? We built all this together. EventCo was our baby along with Ashlyn, our greatest achievement.

  I remember my promise to my daughter: dinner tonight with her friend Seth. I can’t wait.

  Lance raises his hand as he stands. He’s been a key part of our management team. He took a leap of faith to come to work here, leaving a publicly traded firm. Now, he’s about to go full circle. “Are you and Kate staying on board?”

  Kate leans forward and addresses her answer to me. “Of course. I’m not going anywhere. We have more innovations to roll out. Game-changing products. Isn’t that right, John?” This has been our biggest fight of late. My ex-wife begged me to release her new product before the IPO. I refused.

  Kate’s Forever project is innovative, but we didn’t need it for the IPO. It is expensive, and, well, I guess truth be told, I didn’t want to share the IPO spotlight with a product launch. Does that mean I didn’t want to share the spotlight with her? Of course not, but that’s how she took it. Her instincts about what our customers want are on point and have been since day one. Despite the tension my decision caused, I hope she’s happy now. Look at the stock climb.

  I smile at Kate. Her eyes soften, and she winks at me. My shoulders drop with relief. We’re still on the same team. Lately, more than ever.

  I say, “Kate, I know you aren’t going anywhere. And I can’t wait to roll out the Forever project. It’s brilliant. Like you.”

  “Thank you.” Kate leans back in her chair and folds her arms across her chest. “I’m in for the long haul at EventCo. At least until Forever.”

  A ripple of laughter cuts through the tension in the room. If Kate can joke about her product launch being pushed back, we can all relax. I’m glad she understands. She’s been so kind this week.

  Kate adds, “EventCo is my life’s work. My other baby, so to speak.” My daughter rolls her eyes. Even so, I know she’s proud of her mom and dad. “I’m glad we’ll launch the Forever project soon. The market and our new investors will be impressed, along with our customers.” Kate smiles at me, the gorgeous grin I first fell in love with all those years ago. It was her best feature and still is.

  I forgot how much that smile could make my day.

  Sandra Nguyen, our HR director, raises her hand. “I just want to say I’m here to review the rules regarding IPOs if anyone needs clarification.”

  A sigh rolls through the room.

  I jump in. “Yes, there are rules as you all know. Be careful, but enjoy yourselves.”

  It used to be fun coming to work, but lately, I feel like I’m slowly dying. I need air, I need out of this conference room. I stare at the glass wall separating this room from the atrium, and I feel trapped. Like I’m an animal caged at the zoo. Look at him, the model CEO. White. Middle aged. I’m a cliché in so many ways and mostly by my own doing. Look at me, wearing all black as if I’m super hip when I’m not. And Tish keeps touching me, reaching for my hand, patting my thigh. It’s annoying, unprofessional. The black leather bracelet she gave me feels like a handcuff.

  Maybe her actions are especially annoying because it’s a reminder of just how unprofessional I’ve been myself. I know she’s doing it to anger Kate and Ashlyn. I used to return the affection, even in the office, in front of my family. I’m ashamed of myself.

  My daughter stands by my side, a scowl on her face. I can’t help but sigh.

  “Dad, what did Tish mean about taking you away this weekend? We have dinner plans tonight, remember? With Seth? My back-to-college dinner?” Ashlyn says.

  “Of course, honey. I’m not going anywhere. When did she say that?” I ask. Maybe I missed something. I haven’t been myself this week. Stress does strange things.

  “She just did. Here in the conference room. She was standing right next to you.”

  “I must have tuned her out,” I say. “Look, Ash, I’ll fix it.”

  My daughter’s expression tells me she doesn’t believe me.

  I clap Lance on the back and say, “Let’s join the rest of the employees for a drink. We’re not going to get any work done around here for a few days.” I walk out of the conference room, wiping beads of sweat from my brow.

  In my daydream, I just keep walking and disappear.

  CHAPTER 3

  TISH

  Rude.

  John departs the conference room with Lance, abandoning me—and Kate and Ashlyn, for that matter—to walk out to the party. Once the baggage leaves, too, I hang back, watching the scene. Unfortunately, now I’m stuck alone with Sandra in the conference room.

  “So much change,” Sandra says as she finally pushes away from the table.

  “I know. I just want this to be over. Next phase and all.” I smile at her and flip my ponytail. I guess that’s nerves. I also know she hates it. If I had a piece of gum, I’d pop it in my mouth and crac
k it. I know how to do that, learned as a kid. The problem is Sandra doesn’t have to be nice to me when John isn’t around. And she’s not.

  “Next phase? What would that be, exactly?” Sandra folds her arms across her chest. A smirk spreads across her face. Why does she always wear brown? She leans toward me and whispers, “Seems like you should be satisfied with this phase.”

  Really, Sandra? John and I have been married for three years now. I’m not in the mood for this. She’s on my last nerve. So many people are today.

  I lean toward her. “What is that supposed to mean?” Although I’ve asked the question, I know what she thinks: I am an opportunist. The beautiful, winning, young second-wife type. And she’s right for the most part. Except John seduced me. He did. Although it seems nobody around here believes that. Sandra and the rest of them all think I worked some sort of magic on John, took advantage of the poor man, yanked him away from his family. I did not make that first move. He did.

  But as I said, it’s not all fun and games being in my position. Nobody likes you, nobody believes you. I stare at my huge wedding ring, move my wrist so it sparkles at her. “You don’t know anything about me.”

  Sandra embraces her inner Sheryl Sandberg and leans in, too. I take a step forward. She says, “I know all about you.”

  “No, you don’t. I mean sure, you’re the one who hired me to be John’s assistant. So, thanks for that.” I’m tired of her and her insinuations. I’ve dealt with them since I started at the company five years ago.

  She was the first to catch on to the little something-something between John and me. She sniffed it, I could tell. If she could have, she would have fired me. But John was one step ahead of her. He wanted me, plain and simple. There was nothing Sandra or anyone else could do to stop it.

  I look down at my sparkling eight-carat diamond wedding ring and hold my hand up, pretending to inspect it. I know she’s looking at it, too, with a dart of envy. “You’ll probably retire now, right? You’re that age, aren’t you?”

  Her face contorts into an annoying grimace. “You mean old, don’t you? I’m sorry, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be watching you.”

  “Enjoy the view.” I walk out of the now-empty conference room and feel her eyes on my back. There’s nothing she can do to me, but she should watch herself. She’ll need to stay on John’s good side if she wants to stick around.

  And she should know by now that John runs everything through me. At least he did until recently. Another little issue we need to address on our weekend together. We really do have a lot to discuss: our relationship and other relationships in his life. I wish I didn’t have to pretend to be enjoying myself at this stupid party. I’d rather fly away with John and take stock of where we stand now that the IPO is launched. And we will soon. I check my watch.

  I reach the atrium where the celebration is in full swing. The DJ is the best in the Midwest, and the catering company is central Ohio’s finest. Waiters in white jackets circulate with silver trays laden with signature cocktails and appetizers. There should be no complaints from the crowd about this bash. On the walls, gobo lights tell employees to use the hashtag #EventCoIPO.

  Kate has thought of everything.

  And there she is. Standing with John and Ashlyn. I make my way through the crowd without much trouble. Ever since I married the boss, chitchat with fellow employees has been awkward. I get it. I’m so far above them all now: untouchable, wealthy, in command. I’m isolated at the helm. I told you it isn’t easy being me.

  “Nice shindig, Kate.” I slip my hand into John’s as I sidle up beside him. He’s mine, ladies. John squeezes my hand but then pulls away. I need to get him out of here, away from all the temptation of his past.

  “Ashlyn did a great job helping out,” Kate says, and Ashlyn beams. In a new development, Ashlyn would like to be in marketing someday, and Kate thinks she’s brilliant at it. How wonderful. It’s especially wonderful because she won’t be working for EventCo. Not if I have a say in things. And I do. This gravy train is all over, dear. Too bad. But you’ll always have the memories from this summer’s internship. She graduates college next summer, and hopefully she’ll move far far away.

  “I loved helping. You’re amazing, Mom.” Ashlyn finishes gushing over Kate. I fight the urge to say what I really think to the brat. Ashlyn and I have a détente, I suppose. Most of the time, I stay out of her way, and she stays out of mine. We were friends before I married her dad and for a time after. I was her slightly older BFF, a glamorous buddy to confide in, and a saving grace for a teenage girl who hated her mom. But things change.

  Now I’m not so sure where we stand. I’ll deal with her later.

  John is speaking. “I’m going to miss all of this. I hope things don’t change too much with the IPO.”

  Is he drunk? I can’t tell. He’s definitely emotional. More emotional than I’ve ever seen him. His forehead is still shiny, too, and his face is pale.

  “Did you eat?” I glare at him, but he ignores the question.

  “I have dinner plans with Ashlyn tonight,” John says.

  “You’ll need a rain check, I’m afraid.”

  Lance appears, serious as usual. “John, it’s time to address the employees.”

  “Ashlyn, will you come onstage with me?” John motions to his daughter, and they walk away from me toward the front of the room.

  I’m seething. John should call me up there. I should be by his side. My face flushes. Lance watches me.

  “What?” My hands ball into fists by my side. Calm down, I remind myself.

  Lance says, “John will be right back. It’s just a speech. This is Ashlyn’s family business, too, and she’s the only child. It’s important for the employees to see her. After all, they watched her grow up.”

  He’s so annoying. “I know that. I’m the wife. I’m important, too.”

  He shrugs and walks away. I remind myself that in an hour we will be wheels up, free from these people for the weekend. I turn my back to Kate, who has been ignoring me anyway, and try to tolerate the show. I suppose she isn’t up there, either, so that makes me feel good.

  John and Ashlyn stand side by side on a stage brought in for the event. He whispers something in her ear and she stares at me, shaking her head. The music stops, and John holds up both hands. The employees clink their glasses with cocktail forks until the room is silent.

  “What a day! I just want to take a moment to thank you for your service to the company. Whether you’ve been here with us for twenty years or six months, we’re family. I wish you all well with the IPO. Thanks, too, for welcoming Ashlyn into the family business. She’s enjoyed her internship this summer and will be back after she graduates.”

  Ashlyn smiles and waves. She loves all this attention. I didn’t really think it was in her, but it is. Disappointing, really. In high school she was so reserved. A bookworm. Easy to love, simple to understand, predictable, and malleable. I miss those days.

  “I’d like to take a moment to thank Ashlyn’s mom and my business partner, Kate. EventCo wouldn’t exist without her. Kate, please join us.” John waves at Kate to come to the stage.

  “Come up here, Mom,” Ashlyn says into the microphone. She thinks she’s some sort of emcee or something.

  Oh, barf. Really? I feel my jaw clench as the whole room turns to watch Kate. She’s wearing chic high heels. She smiles broadly, and tears shine in her eyes. The lights from the disco ball bounce sparkles of light across her white suit. She seems to glow as she walks to the front. Damn it. Meanwhile, I’m brooding among the masses. Ignored and forgotten. Alone and angry.

  “Kate really helped pull us through these last few weeks. Thank you for everything,” John says from the stage.

  I watch in horror as the crowd parts. John takes Kate’s hand and pulls her up to stand between them onstage. One little happily divorced family.

  The applause from the company employees is loud, over the top if you ask me. Maybe they’re all drunk.
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br />   Kate holds the microphone. “Thank you all for believing in us and our vision, some of you from the very beginning.” She’s at home in front of a crowd, in the spotlight. I know that already. I want to gag, but I’ll keep up appearances. Of course I will. “It hasn’t been easy lately, being one step removed from all of you as we worked through the S-1 filing and the quiet period, but now I couldn’t be more excited for the future. And for EventCo, the best is yet to be.”

  How clever of Kate to work in the company tagline. The crowd roars and yells, “The best is yet to be!”

  Thunderous applause. They’re lemmings. All of them.

  “It’s an honor to stand up here, with my family, and take this time to celebrate what we’ve all worked so hard to achieve. All of Ashlyn’s life we’ve been creating EventCo. It started as an idea in the middle of the night and grew into a start-up in the basement of our first home.” Kate smiles. “Ashlyn cooing in the playpen in the corner.”

  “Oh, Mom, really?” Despite her protests, Ashlyn seems proud of her mom right now. I thought they didn’t like each other? Maybe they’re both faking it in front of me. Or maybe things have changed? No. It’s a show. It must be.

  We all know what Kate really is: a bitter has-been dried-up divorcée who drinks too much and fights with her daughter. That’s what John told me when we first started hooking up. That’s why he left her. Her best has already been. I’m the new Mrs. Nelson. The beautiful, elegant, young Mrs. Nelson.

  I need to get up there onstage. This is my time to shine. This is my company, too. Ashlyn is my daughter, too. I can deliver a good speech. Just watch.

  I start working my way up to the front of the crowd as Kate drones on.

  “Thank you, each and every one of you. For believing in me, and John, and EventCo. Now, back to the party!” The happy family steps down into the crowd, Ashlyn between Kate and John, holding her parents’ hands. I watch stunned as John kisses them both on the cheek. That’s about enough.