Life Sentence

by Carolyn Arnold

  “Just on the outskirts of the downtown core. King Street. 1055. A great place, Jess, you’d like it.”

  “Very nice. So when do you move in?”

  “Next week. We’ll have to iron out details about furniture and other things, but we’re hoping to be in by Monday.”

  With the words he remembered he had some paperwork to take to the courthouse that day. It was a blessing that he had just taken their computer files along with some hard copy files off-site for storage before the fire.

  “Monday? Wow, that’s fast. Well, if you need any of my help you know where I live.”

  “That I do, baby.” He walked over to her, caressed her face, and tenderly kissed her. “How did you make out getting the rest of your things?”

  “Nella was a big help, as always. I think I pretty much have everything now. I’ll have to check into getting a newspaper ad for the apartment.”

  “I’m sure I could find someone for it.”

  “I want to do this on my own.” Jessica laughed quietly.

  “What’s funny?” He smiled. Her laughter was contagious.

  “Just thinking about the royal treatment the Lexan name gets out there. All I had to do at the boutiques the other day was mention Lexan and people were lined up wanting to help us. Before that we could have been wallpaper.” She glanced down at her coffee. “Maybe getting help from you wouldn’t be such a bad idea. It would probably be leased within the week.”

  “Give me twenty-four hours.” He put his hand behind her neck and kissed her again. The doorbell disrupted them. “Who could that be?” He brushed his hand on her arm as he moved past her.

  Rosa was at the door letting Colleen inside. Rosa turned, glanced at Bryan, shrugged her shoulders, and hurried toward the kitchen.

  Colleen stepped down the stairs into the sitting area.

  “Sorry to bother you.”

  “Not a bother.” Bryan noticed Will behind her. “Hey there, buddy.”

  Will released his mother’s hand, jumped over to Bryan, and wrapped his arms around his legs.

  Colleen’s eyes shifted from Bryan and Will to Jessica. Her attention went back to Bryan just as quickly.

  “Can we talk in private?”

  “Sure, let’s go into the office. Jess, you mind sitting with Will?” Bryan asked.

  “Not at all.” Jessica politely smiled at Colleen, who only managed to muster a brief, insincere smirk.

  The door to the den closed heavily behind them. Jessica and Will sat on the couch. She fought to keep her attention on the little boy and away from the raised voices coming from the office.

  “Will, what grade are you in?”

  “Bullshit!” It sounded like Colleen.

  Jessica was uneasy about the situation. Just the way the woman flashed her that fake smile. Jessica’s stomach churned from her newly founded insecurity. Bryan had done nothing to warrant this distrust. He had been faithful to her during the time period they were dating. Now they were engaged and their bonds were strengthened.

  “You never answered me.” Jessica bent over trying to establish eye contact with Will.

  His attention was on a plastic warrior figurine, his small hands fidgeting with it. Momentarily Jessica wondered what journey his imagination was on.

  “Grade two,” he said, his voice barely loud enough to hear.

  Silence.

  She never realized how awkward she was around children. Maybe it came from being an only child. When she had kids, it would be a truly unique adventure for her. At twenty-six she didn’t feel ready to undertake it.

  Twenty minutes had passed before the door to the den flung open. Colleen came out walking so fast she was almost in a run. “Let’s go, Will.” She held out a hand for him to take hold of.

  Jessica’s eyes studied her. Her face was drawn and flushed, her eyes reddened. She had been crying. Bryan placed his hand on Jessica’s shoulder. She studied his face. His jaw was tight and his eyes hardened. Something had transpired in that room, but Jessica guessed it would remain a secret between him and Colleen for the time being.

  “Nice seeing you again, Jessica.” Colleen curtly nodded her head and left, slamming the front door heavily behind her.

  Silence filled the room. Jessica hesitated to break it. Anything she would say would be confrontational. She hated that she was prone to jealousy.

  Bryan took a seat beside her on the couch.

  Jessica drained the rest of her coffee and placed the empty mug on the side table.

  “What do you want to do today? Go shopping?” Bryan asked.

  Turning to face him, she said, “Is that all you want to say, Bryan? Let’s go shopping?” Her hands were gesturing emphatically. “What was all that about?”

  He settled further into the couch and stretched his right arm out along the back.

  “Colleen’s moving back home.”

  That wasn’t what she expected to hear. “Oh.” Her eyes were blinking slowly. “Why?”

  “Good question. We just go and sign a new lease and she up and leaves the firm. Makes me furious really.”

  “I could tell it was quite heated in there. Can’t imagine it was good for the boy to hear the swear words coming from the room. Is that all there is to it? She sprung that surprise on you? It sure seems like more.”

  He bent his arm that was resting on the couch and massaged his temple. “That’s all it was.” His eyes peered into hers.

  Jessica didn’t like what was being communicated to her through those eyes. “I’m risking sounding like a jealous lover here, but—”

  “Nothing’s going on.”

  She straightened herself and faced forward, but she could feel his eyes on her.

  “Please don’t interrupt me. Is there something more than friendship there, Bryan? It’s just the way she is whenever I’m around. The way she talks to me, the looks she gives me.”

  He waited until he knew she was finished speaking.

  “You hardly even know her. Really, it’s nothing, baby. Just business partners, friends for the sake of Will. I help her out with him from time to time. I mean she is a single mother, but other than that, nothing. You’re my baby, my everything.”

  He kissed her on the forehead.

  She pulled back. “How can I know that for sure?”

  “You’re going to have to trust me.”

  Her words hinted at reconciliation, but her thoughts traced back to the boy. “What happened to his father?”

  “Whose? You mean Will’s?”

  She nodded.

  “He’s dead.”

  -

  Chapter 17

  “DO WE HAVE EVERYTHING IN order for the meeting this afternoon?” Jessica asked Nella and Dominic.

  “Yes, everything’s all set for two.”

  Dominic sat back in his chair sucking an iced cappuccino through a straw. His arm flung down and rested on the arm of the chair. He shook his head and scrunched up his face, one eye shut, one open. “Whoa, brain freeze.”

  Jessica and Nella both laughed. Every time it was the same ordeal. He’d drink it quickly and pay the penalty. He was like a child.

  “When will you learn, boy? Not too sharp in the ol’ tool shed, are we?” Her fist formed ready to knock on his skull, but Dominic moved out of her reach.

  “Look who’s talking. You realize you just messed up that saying.”

  Nella stuck her tongue out at him. He smiled, showing his dimples which were a huge part of his allure.

  Jessica’s thoughts drifted until her eyes settled on a couple walking down a side street. Even from ten stories up, their mannerisms were familiar. She rolled forward pressing her face to within an inch of the glass. The couple walked close to each other and made it obvious they were intimate. She watched them head toward the office building and down the sid
ewalk across the street.

  Recognition hit her like a blow to the head. It was Bryan and Colleen. They appeared comfortable together walking, shoulder to shoulder. Jealousy seeped through her marrow and made her temporarily motionless.

  “Jess,” Nella said, the sound of concern evident in her tone of voice.

  Jessica had remained silent for a moment before anger moved her to action. “I have to go. I’ll be back in time for the meeting.” Jessica twisted her wrist and looked at her watch.

  “Where?”

  She repeated her words. “I’ve got to go out. I’ll be back in time.”

  She grabbed her purse from the hook and flung it over her shoulder.

  The elevator trip down was never ending.

  How dare he do this to her? And smack in front of her face. He assured her on the weekend nothing existed between them. They were simply business partners with no hidden agenda. Her breathing escalated. After she had accepted his proposal, he was going to take her heart and stomp on it. But first he would make a public spectacle of it for all to see. Tears stung the corners of her eyes, but anger and pride kept them at bay.

  Maybe it was only because they had known each for so long, or maybe her suspicions over an innocent situation had been amplified and over-magnified in her mind. It wouldn’t be the first time.

  Breathe.

  Somehow she had to get her heart rate to slow down, collect her thoughts. How was she going to approach them? That is if she found them. There were so many diners, cafes, and coffee shops in this area. She was going to have to go by woman’s intuition and let it lead her to him.

  The tight quarters of the elevator made her claustrophobic, but just as her tightening chest became intolerable the bell chimed and the doors opened.

  She hurried through the front revolving door to the freedom of the street. Her heartbeat still labored, pumped with adrenaline.

  She surveyed her options and was inclined to focus her attention to the east.

  That was the direction they were heading when she watched from her office. Picking up her pace, she focused well ahead of her steps. Then she caught a glimpse of them. They were heading into a bistro. Bryan held the door open for Colleen. She tilted her head back and smiled at him when she walked through.

  The jealousy and anger wrestled with logic. Maybe its aim was to protect her from a situation that may prove extremely painful. She stood outside the restaurant for a moment, caught her breath and planned her method of attack.

  Maybe it was insignificant and carried no meaning. Maybe they were meeting for a good-bye lunch. Bryan had mentioned she would be heading back to where she grew up right away, but Jessica’s heart told her more was involved. She opened the door and stepped inside.

  She had never been to this place before but had heard of it.

  Behind a small bar different types of alcohol were displayed on glass shelves. A man with huge arms and an apron tied around his waist worked at wiping the counter.

  “Doris.” He called out to a petite hostess.

  “Sorry about the wait. A table for one?” Her voice was larger than her size.

  Jessica scanned the restaurant for them. For being such a highly praised place to eat, it was quite empty. When she saw the tops of their heads in a booth, she took a cleansing breath.

  Jessica’s attention returned to Doris.

  “Yes, just me.” She mustered a weak smile.

  “This way.”

  Doris grabbed a menu from a wooden holder and headed in the opposite direction.

  “Actually, if it would be all right, I’d like to have a booth over that way.”

  Jessica pointed in Bryan and Colleen’s direction. She didn’t want them to spot her right away. Maybe just get close enough to hear some conversation and get a feel for the purpose of their meeting. If it was because she was moving, where was Richard? Surely he would have been there too.

  Doris shrugged her shoulders. “Whatever makes the customer happy.” She smiled, but the insincerity was evident.

  Jessica followed her to an open booth that was only one away from Bryan’s. She had noticed the sign for the washrooms which hung from a chain above a doorway behind their booth. She took that as her opening. Once a few minutes passed, she’d get up, walk past their table, and act shocked to see them.

  The waitress, another woman, came and took her order. Jessica ordered a chicken Greek salad. She ordered it mindlessly as she had no intention of eating it.

  Jessica heard Colleen laughing. Coals of animosity burned within her. That was it. She wasn’t going to sit there while this woman worked her paws all over her man. To her, Bryan was worth fighting for. She had loved him a good portion of her life.

  She stood at the most inopportune moment. The waitress came right in front of her with her Coke. Jessica sent it flying. Sticky, sugary syrup went everywhere.

  Jessica lightly cursed under her breath and apologized. She grabbed some napkins from the table and bent to help the waitress clean up the floor.

  “No, please don’t worry about it.” The waitress held up a hand to keep Jessica back. “I will get a mop. Please, I will clean this up.”

  Jessica noticed that the man behind the bar glared at the waitress. Jessica conceded.

  “Okay.” She wanted to get back into the security of her booth without being seen.

  “Jessica?”

  Shit.

  Bryan had seen her. Now what? She attempted to collect her thoughts so they would be coherent and logical.

  He stood at the end of the booth.

  “It is you. Thought it was. What are you doing here?”

  Now that was a good question, in fact, the same one she wanted to ask him, but all in due time. “Just getting a bite to eat. You?”

  “Pretty much the same.”

  “Jessica?” Colleen came up behind him. “Why don’t you join us?”

  “Sure.” Jessica took her purse from the seat beside her and stood up.

  Bryan hugged her. “Nice to see you.”

  He wrapped his arm around her for the few feet back to the booth.

  The waitress returned with a mop and bucket. Jessica motioned with her hands and mouthed that she had moved to the other table.

  Colleen lifted her glass to her mouth for a drink. “Quite the coincidence we all ended up at the same place.”

  Heat blanketed the back of Jessica’s neck. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, Bryan and I just ran into each other here, and now you come in. What are the odds?”

  Jessica felt as if she was choking on bile. “They seem too high, really.”

  Bryan glanced at Colleen before turning to Jessica.

  “What do you mean?” Colleen asked. Her eyes were big and blue. They didn’t seem like the eyes of the Devil, yet they were full of deceit.

  “I saw you both come in here.” Jessica fought the urge to cry. “How dare you, Bryan? I thought we meant more than this shit.”

  “Baby, there’s nothing going on.”

  “Baby? If you call me baby one more time.” She fell silent. “And nothing’s going on? Then, please, enlighten me as to why this woman just blatantly lied to me? You never ran into each other here. I saw you from the window in my office walking down the street, laughing, shoulder to shoulder.”

  “It seems someone else wasn’t telling the whole truth either—”

  “Colleen, please,” Bryan said. His focus never left Jessica. “It is just a lunch date. A good-bye, that’s all. We’ve been friends for a long time. All through university and now business partners. She’s moving hundreds of miles away.”

  “Bryan, my heart is telling me something’s wrong with this picture. Why would you not have told me about this? And why would she lie?”

  “Maybe it’s because we know how sensitive you can be,” Colleen
said.

  Jessica faced the woman.

  “Maybe because I didn’t want you thinking we planned a lunch date. I thought it might be easier for you to think it happened by chance.”

  Jessica noticed Colleen’s eyes shift to Bryan’s. Jessica sensed they were having a conversation without uttering a syllable.

  “I’m leaving.” Jessica got up.

  Colleen let out a large sigh.

  Bryan stood and grabbed Jessica’s arm.

  “Please believe me. You’re the one I love baby.” She glared at him and he corrected himself. “I mean, sweetheart. Colleen’s a friend to me, a business partner, and that’s all.”

  Jessica choked back tears that her stubbornness refused to release.

  “We’ll talk about this later.” She shrugged his arm off her and left the restaurant.

  Her breath was labored. The walk back to the office didn’t seem quite as long as when she left about a half hour ago. She stood on the sidewalk and looked up at the height of the building.

  Now came the fun part, explaining her panicked rush to leave. She knew she didn’t owe them an explanation, but Nella would pry until some of the truth got exposed.

  The main lobby was empty, but the elevator door began to close. She noticed a few people standing inside. She hurried her steps and called out for the occupants to hold it.

  Mason stepped out of the elevator, a confident grin on his face. “It will cost you.”

  Her eyes scanned to the floor before making eye contact with him. “It always seems to.”

  They stood in silence for eight floors until the other two businessmen got off.

  Jessica said, “You’re a little early for the meeting, don’t you think?” She held out her wrist and tapped on the face of her watch. It was only one thirty.

  “Well, my father taught me to be prompt for important things in my life, and I consider seeing you important.”

  She should respond with, I have a fiancé remember. But after her discovery, she wasn’t feeling very committed to the relationship. “I’m flattered.”

  He laughed lightly. “There’s no reason to be flattered, Jessica. It’s the truth.”

  Heat burned in her cheeks. Her thoughts collided—Bryan, Colleen, and Mason. How angry and hurt she had been to see Bryan with Colleen, alone. They had lied to her, at the very least Colleen had. And then Mason. Every time she saw him her spirit rose. It didn’t matter how low she was before.